Hi,
I wondered what people who have been here for some years, and ski, think of summer skiing - is it worth doing or is just for novelty value?
So far the two people I asked seemed rather dismissive of it and assured me its likely the snow quality would be terrible, and it would not be fun due to this!
If it is worth doing where is best to go? So far from what I can work out options are Zermatt or Tignes areas.
Thanks!
Mark
Hi,
I wondered what people who have been here for some years, and ski, think of summer skiing - is it worth doing or is just for novelty value?
So far the two people I asked seemed rather dismissive of it and assured me its likely the snow quality would be terrible, and it would not be fun due to this!
If it is worth doing where is best to go? So far from what I can work out options are Zermatt or Tignes areas.
Thanks!
Mark
It's very personal Mark.
I'm a skiing nut, but I'd rather be hiking in the mountains in shorts and t-shirts in the summer, than pissing about with all the gear and skiing (and the bikini skiing photos you see are just man's fantasy shots - you still need a decent amount of gear).
If you want to pay CHF40 to drive 2 hours to ski on corrugated iron at 10h00, turning to slush by midday and water skiing by 13h00 - it's your choice.
I did it in Obergurgl for a summer in order to get my instructor's qualification and swore I'd never do it again.
There's also the safety factor to consider. The only summer skiing is on glaciers, which means long, flat runs and lots of crevasses to fall down, that are normally covered with snow in the winter.
Overall - no, I don't think it's worth doing, but try it once and see. You might love it!
It's very personal Mark.
I'm a skiing nut, but I'd rather be hiking in the mountains in shorts and t-shirts in the summer, than pissing about with all the gear and skiing (and the bikini skiing photos you see are just man's fantasy shots - you still need a decent amount of gear).
If you want to pay CHF40 to drive 2 hours to ski on corrugated iron at 10h00, turning to slush by midday and water skiing by 13h00 - it's your choice.
I did it in Obergurgl for a summer in order to get my instructor's qualification and swore I'd never do it again.
There's also the safety factor to consider. The only summer skiing is on glaciers, which means long, flat runs and lots of crevasses to fall down, that are normally covered with snow in the winter.
Overall - no, I don't think it's worth doing, but try it once and see. You might love it!
"There's also the safety factor to consider. The only summer skiing is on glaciers, which means long, flat runs and lots of crevasses to fall down, that are normally covered with snow in the winter. "
So you are basically saying that skiing on a glacier equals flat runs and crevasses (nobody has ever complained about long runs)? I am sorry to say this is both ignorant and irresponsible. Makes me greatly question your claims about being an experienced skier. The same runs that are open in winter are open in summer, but only the upper portion. It means they are safe and groomed, free of crevasses (duh!) and I have yet to see flat runs at 4000m.
Mark, in summertime you can normally ski wearing a tshirt. Although the quality of the snow varies, you can even have fresh snow. Competitive skiers train there so it can't be too bad. If I were you I would book a weekend in Zermatt and go skiing for one of the days and trekking /mountain biking /etc the rest of the time. That is guaranteed good fun.
"There's also the safety factor to consider. The only summer skiing is on glaciers, which means long, flat runs and lots of crevasses to fall down, that are normally covered with snow in the winter. "
So you are basically saying that skiing on a glacier equals flat runs and crevasses (nobody has ever complained about long runs)? I am sorry to say this is both ignorant and irresponsible. Makes me greatly question your claims about being an experienced skier. The same runs that are open in winter are open in summer, but only the upper portion. It means they are safe and groomed, free of crevasses (duh!) and I have yet to see flat runs at 4000m.
Mark, in summertime you can normally ski wearing a tshirt. Although the quality of the snow varies, you can even have fresh snow. Competitive skiers train there so it can't be too bad. If I were you I would book a weekend in Zermatt and go skiing for one of the days and trekking /mountain biking /etc the rest of the time. That is guaranteed good fun.
Thanks for the replies and useful information!
Yes Richdog the atmosphere probably isn't the same, so it would not be as fun as in winter.
Thanks for the replies and useful information!
Yes Richdog the atmosphere probably isn't the same, so it would not be as fun as in winter.
I was skiing in Verbier on 13th of July (open exceptionally). It was fantastic nice, summer,slushy snow. Was very hot and everybody were skiing in shorts/ tshirts/ bikini tops. Great ambiance.. I'm addicted to ski- so a return o the slopes before winter is always great. I recommend you stop reding all those comments and go and try Zermatt of Tignes. Then you will have your own opinion. ENJOY
I was skiing in Verbier on 13th of July (open exceptionally). It was fantastic nice, summer,slushy snow. Was very hot and everybody were skiing in shorts/ tshirts/ bikini tops. Great ambiance.. I'm addicted to ski- so a return o the slopes before winter is always great. I recommend you stop reding all those comments and go and try Zermatt of Tignes. Then you will have your own opinion. ENJOY
