Rate the resorts you've visited.

Admin, I liked it the way AndyHull did it :(

I thought it was really interesting comparing the resorts he'd skied in. If you just read one resort review at a time you can't put it into context because you don't know which other resorts they've skied/boarded in.

And if I wanted to pick a resort to ski in I'd find it much quicker to look at a list rather than read loads of individual reports in different places.

Plus it's nice knowing who's skied in which resorts.

Couldn't we keep this one going as AndyHull did it, and then if you like you could copy it to individual resort reviews.

I'd got about half way through writing mine :(

Spot on Ally.

Context is very important (like most things in life to be honest).

I thought Hemsedal in Norway was great until I skied Les Arcs which I thought was much better....until I skied Val d'Isere which I thought was even better again etc etc

Well, if everyone puts everything in one thread then it'll end up like my desk!

I know where "everything" is, because it's all on my desk... but locating an individual item can be challenging... :lol:

Here's the Ski Resort Review Code ... but I'm quite happy for people to contribute in whatever way they find easiest, so carry on this thread if you wish! 8)

I'll copy the best bits to the resort-specific threads.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean BB :)

If one says, for example, the pistes were 'crowded' - what does that mean? Does it mean one person every 10 yards, or one person every 6 feet, or what?

And the same with the queues, the prices in the restaurants, the quality of the piste maintenance etc. etc.

Unless you quantify everything exactly (like say there was a half hour queue every morning at lift so and so), or compare it with something else, then how does anyone know what you mean?

Here goes:

1st La Plagne (Fr) rating 9/10
2nd Meribel (Fr) rating 9/10
3rd Val Thoren (Fr) rating 9/10
4th Alpe D'huez (Fr) rating 8/10
5th Streamboat (US) rating 7/10
6th Brekonridge (US) (long time ago 20 yrs!) rating 7/10
7th Tignes (Fr) rating 7/10
8th Les Deux Alpes (Fr) rating 6/10
9th Chamrouse (Fr) rating 5/10
10th Snowy Range (US) rating 3/10

These following three are too long ago to have relevance today!
Courmayeur (It)
Zell-am-See (Aus)
Borovets (Bul)

About me:
Been skiing 15 times over 30 yrs.
I seek speed and mileage
I love to chill out on really long cruising blues
Ski both on my own and with family (kids 9/11)
Like France, like the French (and so offended at some prejudice comments made by some ;-) )

I avoid moguls and really 'scary' blacks if I can, but will do them if necessary
I never go off-piste
I do not like snowboarders
I do not like queues
I will never play in a snow park (rails/jumps etc)

La Plagne
Pros
vast area
plus linked with Les Arcs in addition (Paradiski)
has loads of blues
high-level and trees

Cons
Not a quaint village
Not a fantastic link to Les Arcs

Meribel
Pros
massive area when linked with 3V
ideally placed in the 3V

Cons
Expensive for lift pass if you are not a high distance skier.
A few lift bottle necks.

Val Thoren
Pros
massive area when linked with 3V

Cons
bleak & cold in bad weather
a long way to the far side of 3V - start worrying about getting back
a few lift bottle necks

Alpe D'huez
Pros
big area

Cons
none really, just not as big as Paradiski or 3V

Steamboat
Pros
Better snow

Cons
long way from UK
cold
altitude issues

Brekonridge
Pros
Better snow

Cons
long way from UK
cold
altitude issues

Tignes
Pros
It had snow
(harsh, but it didn't win me over, sorry)

Cons
Just didn't open itself to me as a good resort on its own
Not as well connected to Val D'Isere as I imagined

Les Deux Alps
Pros
Glacier accessible to all abilities

Cons
Felt small, did seem any real wide choice of runs
Completely horrible for beginners to get back to town.

Chamrouse
Pros
Sorry really didn't like it.

Cons
Slow lifts
Cloudy for a few days
Rained for a day
Small, limited, bored within a day (hey, I'm grateful & privileged that I could go, but wouldn't go back unless it was the only thing on offer in France)

Snowy Range
Pros
great for learning

Cons
long way to go from UK
wouldn't go their just for this 'resort' (we were staying woth family who lived 30 mins away)
I think it has since closed down!!

****
other notes:
I think crowded slopes are less about resort and more about time of year and knowledge to avoid bottle necks (most have them). Although 3 Valleys can suffer quiet badly.

I haven't rated food or prices. The differences in reality are not really that big between European Countries or USA. Family of Four lunch say £30-£50 evening say £60-£100. There can be more variation within one resort than from one resort to another.

If you're after cheap food then I would recommend
Vietnam...
Pro
£8 for 2-course meal with drinks for family of four.

Con
no ski resorts

***
This is my view today...tomorrow I might change my mind ;-)

smartski wrote:
About me:
Been skiing 15 times over 30 yrs.
I seek speed and mileage
I love to chill out on really long cruising blues
Ski both on my own and with family (kids 9/11)
Like France, like the French (and so offended at some prejudice comments made by some ;-) )

I avoid moguls and really 'scary' blacks if I can, but will do them if necessary
I never go off-piste
I do not like snowboarders
I do not like queues
I will never play in a snow park (rails/jumps etc)

Smartski you are my twin, my brother by another mother etc - all of the above is exactly true (give or take the number of visits/years) apart from the fact I'm allergic to children!

This goes to reinforce Barney and AllyG's point about context - I now know that your review of a place is more relevant to me than others may be.

I value everyone's opinion and there are peeps on here with more ski skill/knowledge/experience than I will ever have and I learn something just about every day - BUT if they are too good for my level/ off piste nutters/ French haters then their resort review will probably not have as much weight for me?

A thorny problem as to how to do this - sorry Adders (though I still love my Mad Men / J2Ski crossover idea...)

Admin wrote:

Iceman wrote:I think adders' idea is the best way.

I agree with Andy. And Andy. But Andy, not so much.

Iceman wrote:Maybe we could agree to give scores for ski quality, range for abilities, price of food/drink, quality of accomodation then an overall score.

That sounds like mission creep... :lol: ...but it's on the "one day" list...

I'll go and start some threads then (but if Barney really wants to post here that's ok - although I'll probably copy it to the appropriate resort thread)... 8)

"Mission Creep" - has potential to turn into WTSS you mean? I think we'd need to be so strict on criteria to make the ratings consistent that we'd lose the "free-spirit"edness that makes this a great forum?

TBO I not too sure if rating a resort is much use to the masses ..... as we all look for different things from our ski resorts 8)