Future wifey and I are toying with the idea of a dream ski/snowboard vacation for the honeymoon.
If we decide to, we would either go to swiss alps (Zermatt, Switzerland) and rock out on the Matterhorn or to BC, Canada and ride at Whistler/Blackcomb. There are obvious travel and expense benefits to going to BC, but travelling to the swiss alps seems like a once in a lifetime thing, that if I can do it now, I should. However, both are world class ski areas.
Has anyone here done any skiing or boarding at either locations? If so, is there other cool/fun stuff to do other than just ride? Romantic honeymoon type stuff would be necessary.
I’ve read that heliskiing in BC beats out Zermatt, and that has always been a dream of mine, so it’s a huge plus.
I have gone heli-skiing in BC and yeah it is amazing. Euro ski trips used to be cheaper than North American ski trips but I haven’t checked Euro pricing in a few years.
If you are looking for a “great” resort Europe does not compare to the likes of Whistler/Blackcomb or Vail, etc. The Alps are great skiing but the best resorts are in North America. Again I haven’t checked out Europe in a few years but…
Did a week in Whistler and by god it was beautiful. I am not a huge snowboarder so I will admit it was a bit wasted on me but I never turn down travel and seeing new places. I only lived a few hours a way at the time so we just drove up. Also assuming you have a rental car you can shoot out to Vancouver and see a truly stunning city.
Don’t get me wrong W/B is great but it is not the best for powder. Go inland and higher more for epic pow. Banff would be great but keep in mind pow = cold. I love Tahoe for many reasons, warmth being one of them but the snow is called “Sierra Cement”. lol
Well I don’t have a TON of powder experience, so that’s alright. I spend a lot of time on the east coast riding lol. I can definitely ride the powder, but it’s gonna take a few days wherever I go for me to feel super comfortable in anything pretty deep. We just want to have a great experience with world class conditions.
the china bowl in vail was one of best powder places i have been too. but being on east coast you get used to packed slopes and ice lol. never had chance to go to whistler but always looked like a good time.
i would admit would be a hard decision to go to swiss alps though. sounds more like once in lifetime opportunity type deal. think you could go to whistler next year/future? i would take advantage of the alps now while you can.
Learning in the east is great because skiing on crud and ice gives you mad skillz. Pow is so much easier than the crap around here and you don’t get hurt if you have a yard sale. Although I have been skiing in pow so deep that you can’t move unless you are in steep terrain. I got stuck in Vail in a flatter area. It sucked trying to skate in 3’ of pow, my poles just sank if I pushed on them. lol
well I’m not the type of person that really goes on a lot of big vacations. This will be a honeymoon and might be one of the only times I can justify spending the money on it…Either place I choose, it’s gonna be massively expensive. If we don’t do the ski trip we’ll probably go to hawaii where I will live out my dream of surfing hawaii. That trip won’t be cheap either.
I don’t know…all this travel stuff is so foreign to me (hah, siqqqq pun), but I want to get outside my comfort zone and just do something nuts.
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At least you get poles!!! I’ve had to unhook my board in thigh deep powder, then dig it out and hike!!!
I’m not the fastest guy (well, I’m PRETTY damn fast, but I have friends that are faster), or the best in the park…but my board control abilities and stability is GREAT.
I’ve been to Chile and Austria for skiing. I definitely recommend splitting the trip up with some culture/sightseeing if you go outside of NA. Ski towns and ski areas are generally pretty much the same anywhere so I think its important to experience other parts of wherever you are. One thing to keep in mind is they don’t do as much grooming in europe and the areas that are not groomed (off piste) are more similar to out of bounds or backcountry skiing in the states.
all are great options. north american hotels are so much nicer, but thats just my opinion. But i agree with adding tahoe to the list… Thats on my current to do list
You mean the snowcrete they get? Yeah, it’s killer…
Just keep in mind, the smaller resorts will likely have less crowds and better skiing (Revelstoke), but the ammenities might not be up to par with a bigger resort. However, if you like back country skiing, and minimal lift lines, you won’t find that at a place the size of W/B…
This’ll be my second trip out to BC for snowboarding and I’m planning 2 days at Panorama in Invermere and 2 days in Revelstoke, but it’s not a honeymoon trip, so I’m not looking for straight up R&R, just tons of riding…
For a honeymoon I’d look at all the ammenties… Figure out if you guys really just wanna fuck in the hotel room and ski the whole time, or if you want to check out some shops, maybe do something else, a scenic day or something…
definitely not staying in the US for a honeymoon ski trip. I’d rather save a US trip for another time.
With Swiss alps skiing, it’s gonna be hard to see anything other than the ski town. Getting in and out of Zermatt is a PITA with the train. It’s a 4 hour train ride to Zurich. With W/B, we can rent a car for a day and check out Vancouver and stuff. I definitely like that it’s a village with a lot of amenities.
Whistler definitely gets crowded and expensive pretty quick. It’s like a fantasy town, with a lot of cracks under the pretty mask, that’s for sure. I will say this though: nowhere in Canada is as picturesque or as beautiful as BC. You will fall in love with the sights up to whichever BC resort you choose, and the riding will definitely be fun. Vancouver is definitely a beautiful tcity as long as you avoid East Hasting’s., haha. I’d sooner go to Kicking Horse, Fernie, or Revelstoke with that said. Meals are brutal in the Whis. I highly recommend you eat at The Mongolian Grill if you go, It’s a really interesting eating experience. Just be prepared to drop $80 or so for you and the wifey. Oh, and that’s on the cheaper side. Even a burger and fries from Splitz grill will cost you at least $15.
I’d go to Chile over Whistler for a dream vacation anyday.
So what the weight of the people caused this thing to tumble backwards after the brakes failed? I imagine the safety regulations are relaxed compared to here, usually there is a brake on each tower.
