We’re all told by the ski film makers, equipment manufacturers and ski journalists that we’re not skiing properly unless we’re floating through wonderful feather light fields of powder, bouncing beautifully from turn to turn, and probably live-streaming a video of our effortless antics on social media.
I have had a few experiences that were (slightly) like that but all too often I’ve found myself working up a sweat struggling to stand up in ‘heavy crud’ (that’s a technical term) and as I write up snow reports each week and see either no fresh snow leaving the off piste terrain unskiable or too much heavy snow meaning freeriding comes with a high avalanche danger, I keep thinking there must be a lot of frustrated powder skiers out there.
So now it’s time for me to confess my guilty pleasure. I like skiing on the piste! There, I said it. I know I’m terribly old fashioned and that this whole industry that has grown up manufacturing piste groomers and smoothing the slopes each night is a hangover from a bygone era but I still think carving up a beautifully smooth slope that has been flattened for me is a lot of fun.
I’m quite happy for everyone else to go off freeriding and falling over in the snow, just leave me on the smooth, groomed slopes with a few mountain restaurants on the way down and I’m happy.
Just to really kill my career off completely and make me the laughing stock at the next Ski Editors Grand Ball, I’ll also admit that I actually like a nice fast, wide, blue run. You know, the really easy ones where you feel like you’re skiing well without needing to make any effort? I mean it’s nice to challenge yourself on a black run or off piste every now and then, but mostly I think, why bother?
And now that spring is here, there’s no better time to enjoy some spectacular cruising than in the sunshine.
Phew, I feel so much better getting that off my chest.
So here are seven of my favourite ski runs:
Pista Ventina, Zermatt to Cervinia, Switzerland to Italy
More than 10km long and descending some 1800 vertical metres from Europe’s highest lift-accessed point on the top of Klein Matterhorn, across Zermatt’s Glacier Paradise year-round ski area and then cruising down over the border in to Italy all of the way to Cervinia. Ventina is a very long, winding, rolling piste that feels like it just lasts forever and is also wonderfully sunny with a southwest exposure at high elevation. The run also takes you past lots of great Italian restaurants where you can enjoy a great espresso and home made meal for much less than on the Swiss side.
Cascades, Flaine, France
The Cascades run descends for an amazing 14km from Flaine to Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval in the remarkable Grand Massif area, dropping more than 1,700 vertical metres in the process.
Although it is perhaps a little too gentle in places it does offer magnificent views and takes you out away from the main slopes and past the Sixt Nature Reserve, home to ibex, chamois and mountain hares.
La Crête, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada
Not the steepest nor the most challenging at Mont-Sainte-Anne but this magnificent cruiser has one big selling point – the incredible views of the mighty St Lawrence River spread out below you as you descend its very satisfying 3.5 kilometre length.
Wilde Grub’n, Stubai, Tirol, Austria
Stubai is known for its glacier skiing, reliable snow conditions and for staying open to the end of spring and opening again in early autumn but in the main season when the snow is good you can ski on a top-to-bottom partially, officially off-piste route that is 10km long and descends 1,460 vertical metres from the top of the ski area to the bottom of the lifts. It’s so popular and such fun that it rarely is really ‘off piste’ in that except after fresh snow it quickly gets skied flat.
Hidden Valley, Cortina, Italy
The wonderful ’Hidden Valley’ descent is a remarkable blue/red run of about 8km in length from Lagazuoi (2750m) a 20 minute bus ride from Cortina’s centre and included in the lift pass. There are incredible 360 degree views from the top then it carves its way through vast and towering Dolomitic structures, passing frozen waterfalls that somehow give it a secret, private feel. There’s no lift back up from the end of the Hidden Valley, instead you can join one of two lines of skiers towed behind ponies to make the novel literally ‘horse powered’ connection to Alta Badia and another great name in Italian skiing, the Sella Ronda circuit or jump into a shared minibus back to Cortina’s ski area.
(Thanks to Inghams for permission to use the video)
Sarenne, Alpe d’Huez, France
Officially the world’s longest black run, those who have skied or boarded its full 16km (10 mile) length know that most of it is kind of blue/red pitch, a lot of its lower half a fairly green graded track through the forest and only a few upper bits are just about black if the weather isn’t being cooperative. Even without skiing it if you just do the maths 16km in to 2000 vertical metres, although one of the world’s biggest lift served verts, doesn’t add up to very steep. But what it is so is very, very satisfying – seeming to go on forever, with magnificent views and taking you away from it all.
Last Spike, Revelstoke, Canada
With a 1713m (5620ft) lift-served vertical drop, Revelstoke has the longest vertical descent of any ski resort in North America and that means the longest possible descents. At 15.2km (9.4 miles) long Last Spike just keeps on going, with magnificent views of the valley below as you descend.