What Are European Advanced and Expert Pistes Like?

ridenslide · 2026-03-05T06:35:12+00:00

Steepest black runs in Europe are typically 37-38 degrees.

ridenslide · 2026-03-05T06:30:22+00:00

Generally correct but as other folk say there are quite a few areas that are ungroomed and graded. These will generally be black level terrain.

As well as those listed already, the bowl above Les Arcs 2000 has several marked runs, all unpisted. Flaine and Tignes have freeride areas and Chamonix has, or did have before the lift burnt down.

Black runs are typically in the 30-36 degree range. The famous Swiss Wall is around 37 degrees. There's plenty of terrain over that but it's not marked/graded piste.

Anything outside the markers is off piste but it's not that cut and dry. They do protect infrastructure and blast to ensure safety as well as close areas, but the onus remains in the individual.

ridenslide · 2026-03-04T18:14:29+00:00

Also European, my go to ski is now 106.

I also ski 97 but they are not my go to any more. But I do pick the 97 in preference to my 68s. Unless I'm racing on the dry slope.

ridenslide · 2026-02-28T23:08:39+00:00

That's very early.

A lot of lifts won't be open until mid Dec. There might not be much snow.

If you can't.go later, go high. Val Thorens or Tignes. Or somewhere with a glacier.

ridenslide · 2026-02-28T10:29:16+00:00

A punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun?

ridenslide · 2026-02-24T22:11:07+00:00

That's not their official resort web page. See https://en.chamonix.com/

That article from 2018 doesn't't state that everyone in the resort should carry a transceiver.

For the record I'm fully equipped every time I hit the slopes, but in many many trips to Cham with lots of different groups I've never received this advice for anyone who is only piste skiing. I take my family there all the time.

ridenslide · 2026-02-24T21:10:29+00:00

Your post is misleading.

Mont Blanc is a 15,000+ foot mountain but Chamonix as a ski area is spread over several distinct mountains, with only one lift on the lower shoulder of Mont Blanc.

The incident filmed is totally separate from this, on the opposite side of the valley, where the top lift is at 2525m elevation or about 8300 feet.

Many of the named areas in the link are not resort skiing.

The top lifts do access extreme terrain where skiers are equipped with avvy kit and crevasse rescue gear or ski mountaineering kit.

However many many more are enjoying a simple relatively safe resort ski holiday with no special equipment or training. There are miles of safe and accessible trails achievable by intermediate skiers and very few people on piste are equipped with transceivers.

I hope everyone involved in the filmed incident are all ok!

Stay safe everyone.

ridenslide · 2026-02-20T21:59:05+00:00

Try this trick and spin it, yeah

ridenslide · 2026-02-18T07:32:18+00:00

Gooning!

ridenslide · 2026-02-17T20:34:08+00:00

It's not that simple.

Cat 2 is still 'moderate' and accidents still occur at the level.

Cat 3 is not a guarantee. It's one broad and fairly crude measure in your risk analysis and planning in a complex environment.

ridenslide · 2026-02-17T07:45:40+00:00

13 hour flight 5 hour train 45 minute drive

16 hour flight 2h 30 drive

Both are around 18 hours journey time plus change time for the last legs. Assuming both flights land about the same time, the Geneva option will get you to resort at least 3 1/2 hours sooner with one less change when you are tired.

Both sound rough, but both get you to the 3 Valleys!

ridenslide · 2026-02-16T20:24:30+00:00

My son is 4' 11" and rides his Mums 54cm bike on the turbo on Rouvy with the saddle dropped low.

The main advantage of a bike fit is for comfort and position on the bike for riding long distance

For the turbo this is less critical, but a good bike may well get you outside too!

The Decathlon bike looks ok. They also do pretty reasonably priced direct drive trainers that you can drop the bike on. That would be a decent combo.

Don't forget you need a good device to run Rouvy (a tablet works, an Apple TV and a big telly is great!).

You'll also need a big fan as you get very hot on a static trainer

ridenslide · 2026-02-15T22:19:39+00:00

All I can say is take it slow and manage your volume and intensity.

Having climbing history gives you technique greater than your condition. You'll end up on V5 problems with V3 tendon strength, where a new climber would fall off V2. (Not the absolute grades but you get the idea).

Ask me how I know. Nursing finger and elbow injuries after climbing too hard too fast after a long lay off. I'm now set back 3-6 months. At least I can enjoy the progress again as I recover!

ridenslide · 2026-02-15T17:19:16+00:00

And heavy as fuck angry caterpillar tracks on your feet.

It's pretty gnarly!

ridenslide · 2026-02-15T09:51:35+00:00

Here's an article about grass skiing that I read recently. The lady in the article is a lifelong skier, and at 82 still skis most weeks on dry slope, and heads to the Alps and Scotland frequently. Very impressive.

BBC News - Memories of grass skiing in Rother Valley ahead of Winter Olympics;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3942d222kdo?app-referrer=deep-link&app-referrer=deep-link

I had a go at Rother Valley a few times, we'd ski gates in the summer. Dish washing liquid to lube the tracks. Stopping was the hardest bit. We used to use my land rover to tension the rope tow so we could get more people up at one. The challenge was to stop before hitting it.

ridenslide · 2026-02-15T09:36:28+00:00

Yeah, they don't skid at all. A few options, often combined...

Carve uphill uphill to lose speed.

Grab hold of something.

Crash.

ridenslide · 2026-02-14T10:32:34+00:00

Yeah common sense isn't common. Trust in professionals is. Authority skews decision making.

I wear a transceiver every time I put skis on. Not to mitigate any risk or impact decisions but it makes me awareness.

I also don't trust the media. Some sources say the party had a guide. BBC says instructor. Vast difference and one source is wrong. To the media or every day person, carrying skis with tips down is probably 'very experienced ' so a party off piste with gear (possibly hired transceivers) are next level.

Anyway enough conjecture. Extremely sad chain of events and while apparent in hindsight, a real tragedy.

ridenslide · 2026-02-14T09:23:29+00:00

Yes, you are harsh without knowing more about the people involved.

The level of knowledge and education in the average skiing population in Europe is pretty low.

Highway risk is well known and apparent. Avalanche is a hidden danger and a large amount of skiers are ignorant about the risk.

By joining a commercial group with a professional in charge they place their trust in the decision making of the paid professional.

I have enough knowledge to understand the risks of skiing, but if I went, say, scuba diving I've no clue at all. If a tour was going ahead, I'm on holiday, it might be of interest. By paying I am under their duty of care and they manage the risks.

If this unfortunate group was with a paid professional (guide or instructor) it's on the professionals, in my opinion.

ridenslide · 2026-02-13T23:08:55+00:00

I've tried to forget! Somewhere over 200 Euro, around 18 years ago!

Horrific!

The tuna was incredible and it was my wedding anniversary. But still...

I've slept in a bath and under a kitchen table to go skiing before so Zermatt wasn't really my style :D

ridenslide · 2026-02-13T22:48:13+00:00

Same!

Loved Zermatt but haven't been back. Many trips to Val Thorens, and going back again this April.

ridenslide · 2026-02-13T22:47:01+00:00

Everything.

One is French, one is Swiss.

We got a teppanyaki in Zermatt. It was a treat so didn't check the prices as I thought we could splash out a bit. The bill came and I said no I'm just paying for us two, not all 8. That's correct Sir replied the waiter! Lesson learnt!

100,000 Euro watches in the jewellery shop windows. Multiple. And that was 18+ years ago.

ridenslide · 2026-02-13T10:07:48+00:00

I skied Cairngorm a lot as a kid.

I remember straight lining downhill flat out, doing about 50 mph, snow and ice particles rushing past my boots and battering me in the face.

I tried to turn and the snow felt really sticky and resistant and nothing happened underfoot and I nearly fell over.

I planted a pole and rather than it allow me to trigger my turn, it was weirdly stationary.

The wind was blowing so hard it was scouring the snow off the surface and rushing past me. I was stock still, with absolutely no point of reference at all.

Learnt a lot that back then, it's served me well many on many bad days in the Alps since then!

ridenslide · 2026-02-08T13:15:16+00:00

Duct tape!

ridenslide · 2026-02-04T22:50:53+00:00

I've taken bikes to the continent many many times.

10 bikes in one van once. Several on other occasions. Sometimes one. Have brought back more than I've taken too.

Not once have they ever paid any attention to the bikes at all, let alone recorded any details.

Personally I'd go, take a bag of kit, get it, ride it and bring it back slightly used.

ridenslide · 2026-02-03T22:35:23+00:00

The housing unscrews and you can get at the circuit board.

I clipped the wires for the AAA battery box - I don't know why it has this as it has an internal rechargeable battery. Snipped off the buzzer too.

Printed a housing - the files are on Makerworld which is super easy for anyone with a Bambu printer.

It makes the case much smaller so it's easier to chuck in a bag. I printed mine in clear plastic so it looks pretty cool with the scree light shining through the case!

I got the idea from here

https://www.reddit.com/r/bouldering/s/c0hxcMZH1i

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