Blog | MountVacation.com

The Mountainbiking World Games 2009, one of the most important mountain biking event in Europe, were held September 11th and 12th in the resort of Saalbach Hinterglemm.
About 150 participants took part in the downhill event, here are the results per category:

Masters
Frederic Abbou, from France, won the gold with a time of 3:44. Harald Prez and Werner Maier came 2nd and 3rd.

Experts (men)
Roman Lagler came first of his category, in 3:35, in front of Max Lietsberger (last year’s winner in the Funklass category) and Andreas Bichler.

Experts (women)
Moni Woderschek, from Munich, was the first woman to pass the finish line in 4:30, showing great technical downhill skills. Karin Pasterer and Katrin Meistring respectively won the silver and bronze medals.

Funklass
The hungarian Vitez Veres Marton got the gold, in front of Stefan Szigeti and Joannes  Steffek

Senior Masters
The 62-years-old World Games’ veteran Johann Leitsberger won gold in the downhill event

Check out the results or the Freeride Eliminator event and of the marathon that were also held as part of the World Games.

I think I’m right when I say that the Trois Vallees ski area in France is not only Europe’s but also the world’s biggest skiing and snowboarding area. I want to go there this year, as France and the French Alps to boot are going to be the place to be this winter. My friends, though, think I’m wrong.

What They Think:

They think we should all go to Austria and spend our annual ski getaway somewhere different. Secretly, I think it’s because most of them are from California and root for Schwarzenegger and don’t really know the first think about skiing in Austria or skiing in France for that matter; they just want to sound manly when they say, “we’re going to Austria for some skiing.”

What I think:

I’ve come up with a list here of things that are going on in the Trois Vallees resorts in France this year (outside of skiing and snowboarding). In doing this I hope to convince my lifelong buds that they should forget about Austria, there is much more to do in France, especially since two of them will be toting the family along this year—so there’s plenty for the kids as well.

Courchevel, France:

The Ice-Skating Gala (Gala de Patinage) takes place on December 23rd this year and always gets a huge crowd for the Christmas season. Also, the twelfth anniversary of the The Week-long Olympics takes place from December 7th till December 12th (I know, not exactly a week but close). Plus, there is also a National Heritage Film showing, a totally new New Year’s Festival (Les Festives du Nouvel An) that lasts four days, a huge New Year’s Dance Party (one night only of course) on December 31st, the Fire & Nighttime Ski Show on New Year’s Evening, the International Festival of Pyrotechnic Art in February, and the X-Wing Rally in April. The winter time in Courchevel is packed with even more things to do than can actually be done by one person or family. This is why the Trois Vallees rocks!

Val Thorens:

Val Thorens offers so much during the winter ski season that I just have to be biased and put it here—plus the skiing is just too good to pass up. At any rate, starting on December  12th this year is the thirteenth Annual Ski Camp and Boarder week-long festival, the Alpine Skiing Cup competition on December 3rd, the Festival Val Thorens (Festi’Val Thor it’s smartly put) for two days in March, the North Face Ski Challenge in March for two days, the Luge Cup on April 13th, and who could pass up Gastronomy Week starting on the 18th of January, the Carnival Follies at the end of February, and too much more too simply list here. For a complete list of events and more information about Val Thorens, click here.

What you think:

The Three Valleys in France is so big that it’s near impossible to list all the events here. If you have any other argument in favor of Les Trois Vallées as a ski destination (OK, or arguments against it, or arguments in favor of Austria) then put them here. Cheers for the favor.

Take a look at these images of the SnowAttack party that took place in Puy Saint Vincent, France, last January.

Some said it was the best party ever, so see you there this year!

When I first started skiing, I had no idea what all those ski colors and shapes meant. I knew to stay away from reds and blacks but that blues and especially greens were A-OK to try my wobbly legs. I later learned that most of Europe uses the same color rating scheme. It’s pretty simple and since seemingly every map, every website and every booklet or pamphlet uses certain hues, it’s best to have an idea what they all signify.

Most of (Western) Europe’s ski resorts use the same color rating system as far as the places I’ve skied. Some countries, however, use shapes with the corresponding color while other ski resorts use solid colored squares or circles or even diamonds. In America, most slope colors are determined by a slope’s angle. European ski resorts can and do implement a color rating system for  most pistes, but they take into account  steepness variation, turns, exposed rock(s), narrow passageways and some slope angles to name but a few. I may be wrong, but I think the European system is a much better system taking in so many variables at once.

Here is what all those colors and symbols mean (*if you can help me better describe these, just post your comment to this thread).

Green: Easiest slope, usually for beginners. Some of these may not be slopes at all, but gently rolling undulations to the side of the ski resort. These are great practice areas for beginners, kids and those going from one path to the next.

Blue: Blue pistes are often the easy routes in any given European ski resort, from Baqueira Beret in Spain to Bad Kleinkirchheim, in Austria. These trails are always nicely groomed and carved so beginners don’t have to do too much maneuvering. The blues pistes are typically between a 10-25% gradient.

Red: Red pistes all over Europe are considered intermediate level slopes. Reds don’t necessarily have to have a higher gradient but can be narrow. Sometimes the grooming machines cannot fit through the narrowness, making the red slope more dangerous to beginners. I often flip head over kettle in these sections when I’m not ready for them.

Black: Unless you are an expert, or have some crazy intermediate skills, then stay off the black runs. The blacks are ordinarily less in number at any resort but are the hardest and most dangerous. They are often not groomed. There are easy and hard blacks, so be sure to know what your getting in to before tipping your skis over the edge!

Black diamond(s): These colors and shapes are conventionally found in northern Europe where the skiers get truly crazy. They mean that the pistes are especially tricky, dangerous, deadly, avalanche-y or worst. Often the black diamonds are replaced by the color orange in other countries (such as Switzerland). If you don’t know the difference between yellow and orange, be careful in Zermatt (for instance) because the pistes are ungroomed, unpatrolled and off-piste. If you don’t have a clue, it’s best to stick to blues and reds.

Bad Kleinkirchheim is known as a place to relax and get spoiled at every turn, on and off the slopes. Since the Alpine Skiing World cup is regularly held there, the resort has nothing to prove when it comes to skiing and Bad Kleinkirchheim is also famous for its numerous thermal spas (the German word Bad means bath). Wellness connoisseurs will appreciate that the resort has been awarded with a certificate from the Alpine Wellness International association. Also, the nearest airport to easily access Bad Kleinkirchheim (Klagenfurt) is only 50 km away, making stress-free mini ski vacations possible.

In Bad Kleinkirchheim, the skiing and snowboarding start at 1100 meters and rise to just over 2000 meters. There are just over 100 km of ski runs with 32 total ski slopes, and children get their own slope and lift. The longest slope, 4 km long, will keep most guests content. In fact, it is an ideal destination for intermediate skiers who want challenge, and families of good skiers. To get off the slopes and still be active, there are about 60 km of winter walking paths, a curling rink, a 500m² ice-rink and two toboggan runs: 4 km of floodlit toboggan run on the Kaiserburg and the 4 km Falkerthaus run. Couples can go on horse drawn sleigh rides through the romantic winter countryside, or forget all about skiing and treat themselves with a thermal spa package.

In summer, the spa complexes of course don’t close and there’s is a lot to do for those who wish for active vacations. If tennis is your thing, you can play in simple or double on one of the 25 tennis courts of the resort. If you are a golfing enthusiast, the 18-hole golf course Kaiserburg, designed by Don Harradine, is one of Austria’s most prestigious ones, and horse lovers will be glad to know that there are 2 stables in the resort. Last,  but not least, Bad Kleinkirchheim offers to its visitors 1,000 km of well-marked and well-maintained excursion trails, and 43 trails specifically designed for mountain biking.

Accommodations in Bad Kleinkirchheim tend to fill up quickly during special events, such as the open-air music festival in January, so book early if you want to participate in one event of if your vacation dates aren’t flexible.

If you’re a newbie to the slopes—like I was just two years ago—then you may be wondering which sport to try, which club to join or where to even start. Two of the most obvious on-the-slope sports is skiing and snowboarding, so never mind all the seemingly hundreds of other choices out there. Natural skills aside, put a checkmark next to each that befits you from the options I’ve listed below.  I recommend not writing on your monitor with a permanent marker, as you may change your mind later.

Mark your answer choices and add up your total As and Bs.

Attitude:

• I love to thrash and tear. I want to go fast, turn hard and fly high. I’m out to impress and give some attitude. (A)
• I am out to have a good time but also enjoy the slope time with friends or family. I love to go fast when I’m ready and don’t mind small (but not high jumps). I’m not out to impress anyone and don’t mind if the craziness stays at bay. (B)

Balance:

• I use to skateboard or surf or wakeboard water ski. If not, I feel very comfortable with one foot in front of the other. I have natural sense of balance and don’t fall over easily. (A)
• I have much better balance with my legs at shoulder width apart. I use to go roller-skating and feel comfortable in this position—more than one foot in front of another. I think two poles would help me keep my balance. (B)

Time:

• I want to learn quickly and hit the slopes ASAP. I don’t mind taking one or two hours of classes, but after that, I want to make the most of my ski holiday. I don’t want to spend all my time in the hotel, that’s for sure! (B)
• I have more time than not. I don’t mind spending a week or more just learning to stand up. I can come some high altitude resort (in the French Alps or Austrian Alps, for example) as often as needed to improve. (A)

Soreness:

• I don’t want to be bruised. I don’t mind falling forwards a few times, but just want an easy way to bail out if I run into trouble. Stopping quickly is important to me just in case someone crosses my path. I want to be able to hit the slopes the next day without being beaten and bruised from the previous day. (B)
• I don’t mind a few yellow or purple bruises scattered on my body. I don’t mind falling backwards and expect my tailbone to ache by morning. Being sore is part of the learning curve and I’m willing to take stiffness to better my skills. A broken bone doesn’t scare me whatsoever. (A)

If you’ve got more As than Bs, then you should try snowboarding, as you are tougher than the rest of us, of course. I actually got more Bs, so if I were starting anew, I would definitely want to give skiing a whirl before even attempting snowboarding. I’ve tried snowboarding since taking up skiing, but find that all the variables just add up against me. I don’t like to thrash, I hate lower back pain and I just don’t have time to learn all those cool 360 degree turns and flips. I want to go fast and do so much better with my feet and legs to the side rather than in front of one another, even though I love surfing. You, though, may be one or the other—skier or boarder—or a mix of each—which makes you very talented. Skiers go faster but boarders look like they’re having so much fun.

For summer 2009, Méribel offered Segway circuits to its visitor for the first time. Different activities using these ”standing scooters“ were proposed from initiation courses (5€ for about10minutes) to discovery guided tours (40€/person for 2 hours in groups of 5). These vehicles’ speed is limited to 5-6 km/h, which is the average human walk speed.

Since Méribel always keeps in mind the environment when developing activities for its visitors, Segway tours is a very suitable choice. These allow safe guided “walks“ that respect the calm and quietness of the nature, and are not disturbing for walkers and other users of the paths.

Méribel is studying the possibility to make its Segway fleet available for winter activities as well. Fiss, in Austria, started last year with this winter discipline, but Méribel would be the first French ski resort to offer it. To see what it would look like, here’s a video prepared by Fiss:

While it definitely would be interesting to try riding a Segway, I somehow feel it shouldn’t be considered as a “discipline“. I fail to see what’s the added value of using a Segway at 5-6 km/h to discover the natural beauties of a region, compared to a good old promenade on foot on the paths. More expensive, less physical, more attention put to going around and less on what’s going on around…

What do you think?

Since I try to be the greenest possible at home (I recycle, make compost, cycle around town, buy local, etc.), I wanted to also ski green this winter. I quickly realized that green travel demands lots of planning so if you are also interested on skiing or boarding green (or at least greener) here are a few interesting leads you should start to think about.

When planning, make green choices

• Choose a destination closer to your place of residence.
• Choose train over car or plane, if possible.
• Choose a pedestrian resort such as Avoriaz, in France, or Saalbach, in Austria.
• Choose an accommodation close enough to the slopes so you don’t have to ride the shuttle bus.

On your way to the resort, move green

Travelling in itself implies the use of a mean of transportation: plane, bus or car. Except if you want to reach the ski resort by bicycle, your only option is to “offset” your emission.

• Plant trees in an equivalent amount to the carbon footprint of your transport.
• Buy carbon offsets from a recognized organization.

Calculate the carbon footprint your chosen means of transportation here.

In the resort, live green

• Choose privately owned restaurants, not chains, and prefer establishments where locally grown food is served.
• Opt for public transport, the ski bus or train, instead of renting a car.
• To discover certain natural beauties off the slopes, opt for snowshoes instead of a snowmobile. It’s certainly slower, but it’s quieter and you have better chances to spot an animal or a bird on your way.
• Choose green excursions and activities, most local tourism offices can tell you information about which companies are offering them.

On the slopes, ski or snowboard green

• Don’t litter, keep candy packages, lunch bags and other wastes in your pocket until you can dispose of it in a trash bin.
• Stay on marked pistes and, if you like freeriding, avoid breaking anything (branches, posts, etc.)

At night, sleep green

• Choose a hotel part of the BIO-Hotel Association or other recognized associations.
• Choose a locally owned hotel or bed and breakfast that respect high water-saving and energy-saving standards, even if it doesn’t have any certification.

Find the right compromise, the shade of green that fits you

I will not lie to you and tell you that I will exchange my 7-day ski vacation in the French Alps for a snowshoeing expedition in the city park!

Well… I think there is no perfect solution but every green action counts so I’ll start small this year, I’ll go to a car-free resort and find a green hotel to stay in. And you, what do you plan to do to ski or snowboard green?

Funny… Kind of…

Hope you have been luckier than these guys this summer…
And if you weren’t, hope you at least filmed it (and that you are kind of OK)! Send us the link!