Scherer Tours

24/03/2025

Hi Folks,

All good here. Completed the 10,000 vertical meter, VT to Courchevel Ski Safari , whichout taking the same run twice and without taking the same lift twice with time to spare-and 15 people. Still a few highlights to go including a mountain torch lit ski down and some waterskiing over the Lac du Lou. So far, so good!

Regards,

John

07/03/2025

GOOD NEWS for someone! We just received a cancellation for the 22.-29 March trip to Val Thorens. Many of you have been there. We have room for 1 or 2 people in a big studio unit. So, if you can make up your mind fast, it will be a decision you will certainly enjoy! Go For it! Contact us now for further details.

03/03/2025

Avalanche Considerations-and a translation of the 5 levels of avalanche danger that makes some sense

Many of our customers are confused when it comes to avalanche danger. Ski resort post a grid with 5 levels of danger that are so vague, they really don’t help all that much.

There are so many metrics involved in predicting avalanches. Just a few: actual temperature, amount of new snow in the past 24 hours, temperature changes during the day, time of day, slope facing angle, slope steepness, strength of skiers in your group, snowboarders, if any, in the group. Maybe another factor to consider: luck.
Anyway, ski areas employ 5 levels of danger, starting with 1-virtually none, up to 5-maximum danger. 1 means low, 2 means moderate, 3 means considerable, 4 means high, 5 means extreme.
These are very vague terms. For off-piste skiers, level 4 offers the most fun - and, the most risk. Level 3 is what most areas employ after snowfalls, and it is extremely arbitrary.

When you do venture off-piste, never ski alone, and always wear a backpack with avalanche gear consisting of a probe, a shovel, and a beeper.

Here is our guide (subjective) to help explain what they mean:

25/02/2025

Less than a month to go-that's the GOOD NEWS. And, there is still room on the trip-that's the BETTER NEWS. And, there's a ton of snow from the valley to the mountain summits-that's the BEST NEWS. (Snow report below from today, 25 Feb.) Experience why the Vall Thorens Ski Week is more than a trip...it is a skier's pilgrimage. 22.-29 March are the dates, and you can still be a part of it! The videos tell the story:
VT FILM 2024: SMOKE ON THE WATER
on FB: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=775825317501114
or on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/928692874

VT FILM 2023 IT'S A GOOD FEELING TO KNOW
ON FB: https://www.facebook.com/scherertours.de/videos/197384416375788
OR ON VIMEO
https://vimeo.com/896675748

15/02/2025

Today was a good day! I would call it a challenge day. Wanted to see if I could pull off a French Ski Safari in...the Arlberg. Most of you know the rules: no slope twice, no lift twice,(except one transfer Bahn), and 10,000 vertical meters skied. Needed 8 hours to do it! Got in 3 long descents off-piste as well Even had time for a few pictures-of the Madloch descent and from the Valluga. Best "turns" were made negotiating some nasty lift lines. Had no time for lunch-the donut I devoured at 14:45 was the best one I ever tasted! Anyway, I guess I am ready for France...are you?

06/02/2025

Over 1500 people have already read about our “Top 10”
Bucket List Ski Runs.
A quick summary: One is in Austria, Six are in Switzerland,
and Four are in France. (Portes du Soleil is in F and CH.)
Six are off-piste, four are on-piste.
Start elevations range from 3800m to 2360m.

How many have you skied?

10. Laax-Flims (CH): La Siala to Stargels (Piste)

9. L**h (A): Rüffikopf to Zürs (Piste und Off-Piste)

8. St. Moritz (CH): Corvatch to Silvaplana (Piste)

7. Portes du Soleil (F) and (CH): Avoriaz über Mouissettes to Morgins (Piste)

6. Verbier (CH): Lacs over the Col des Mines into town (Piste und Off-Piste)

5. Davos (CH): Jakob’s Horn Teufi Abfahrt (Off -Piste)

4. Chamonix (F) Grand Montets Point du Vue (Off -Piste)

3. Zermatt( CH): Gornergrat Moonlit Run into town (Piste)

2. Val Thorens (F): Lac du Lou (Off -Piste)

Number 1 (F): Chamonix: Vallee Blanche (Off -Piste)

04/02/2025

Here it comes...our choice for the number one ski descent experience in the Alps. We are back in France and above Chamonix. This one demands more ink than the other runs on the list. It’s the famous Vallee Blanche descent. You will talk about this experience for the season…for years…forever... Because the 20km long descent is more like a journey among four continents. Here’s why.
As you ride the second cable car up to the top, it transfers into an elevator, hoisting you up almost vertically to the station. The peak itself looks more like the Kennedy Space Center, with a Saturn style rocket memorial on top. Inside there is a museum, an elevator taking you to a higher look-out, a restaurant and a souvenir shop. Welcome to Alpine Disneyland. Welcome to snowed-in Florida. Welcome to North America. You won’t want to stay here too long, however, since the air is really thin at 3800m and you are more than anxious to get the first section of the run behind you. If you have a fear of heights, just take some pictures and take the cable car back down. Because, if you have a fear of heights, you are in for the scare of your life.

Next stop is Asia and the Himalayas. Welcome to Everest, welcome to the Hillary Step. The difference: in Nepal, you have to climb it to reach the summit. In France, you have to descend it to reach the snow. In both cases, it's a place you won't want to hang out for long. In some places no wider than a chair, with up to 70 degrees of slope angle, you have no margin for error. Lean too far left and you end up back at the middle station-dead-a sheer drop. Too far right and the rocks can cause major injury. You may not need a local guide to ski down, but the guide is definitely recommended for the snow staircase hike down. Crampons also highly recommended.
Once on the snow, the fun begins. The first section is easy, as long as the visibility is good. There are crevasses to consider as well. That is another reason hire a guide - he carries a rope. The classical route follows the Hellbronner Cable Car bringing skiers from Courmayeur up. The steeper variant leads more directly down and into a huge glacier outcropping. The run to the Ice Lake is a true joy, with the most amazing alpine natural views you can imagine. The is the European Alps at their finest. After an hour or so, you have dropped to about 2100meters and reach the Ice Lake (Mer du Glace). This is a 2 km. long flat ice covered surface that is perfect for taking a break and rejuvenating with your group. Enjoy the respite because ignorance is bliss. The worst is yet to come.
As the descent narrows, you finally end up at the bottom of a gully. The valley walls are so narrow and steep that you think, “OMG, how did I miss the route and OMG, where am I?” The good news is that you are not lost. The good news is that there is a mountain hut (the Rochers de Mottes at 1638m) only 200 meters away. The bad news- these are vertical meters. The bad news- you may even have to hike through an avalance to reach it. Welcome to Africa and Kilimanjaro, because this is pretty close to what it is like climbing up to the glacier summit there. But, not really: because there are no sherpas here to carry your gear.
After you somehow reach the hut, (there is no Plan B), you will savor the best beverage you have ever tasted. Time for some chagrining and bad jokes. From here, Chamonix lingers in the distance, but first you have one more challenge that is as dangerous as anything you have done so far.
We call it the Olympic Bobsled Run, because it consists of a series of switchbacks that are iced over and banked up to 70 degrees. Either commit or crash. Actually, once you get the hang of it, it’s kind of cool to accelerate through the turns. Trouble is, each curve pushes the envelope and is often followed by “ironing board” narrow run-outs that drop off 20 to 30 meters with, of course, no restraints.
After this almost never ending hairpin speed course, you finally arrive in the village. From here, you take off your skis, thank the snow Gods that you have arrived, and gaze up to the top station. Tired, maybe even exhausted, happy, maybe even ecstatic, confident, but most of all just lucky. One run, totally ungroomed, with almost 3000vertical meters. This one is worth telling your kids and grandchildren! You have just seen, and skied, 4 continents in less than 5 hours.
Did we omit one of your favourites? Some friends will be disappointed that the Dolomites didn’t make the list. Send us your comments and suggestions. We welcome your feedback.

31/01/2025

Favorite Runs and Routes: part 3

We count down to Number 2 on our Ski Bucket List

2. Val Thorens-Lac du Lou.
Ski the lake: if you dare! .…Once you hop over the ridge from either the Caron, 3200m or the shorter route from the Boisment 2700m, (a short hike from here) there is no turning back. The frontier run offers either 1300 or 800 vertical meters, until you reach your “target”-the Lac du Lou.
The off-piste terrain features majestic views, variable steeps, and one thing you will cherish: the sounds of silence. You may see a few other people here, or maybe not. The solitude is overwhelming. Pause for a break on the way and you can hear the snow melt. There is no better place to be “one with nature”. The best time to ski it is the early afternoon, around 13:30, when skiing the snow is like pushing a hot knife through butter.
Once you get down near the lake, you will see other people, many waiting on the hill above the lake to cheer your successful attempt, or laugh as you sink into the lake. (adding insult to injury).
Best to ski in late March or April, as the ice slowly retreats and presents us with a crazy challenge: water skiing. The length varies from 5 to 18 meters -you can choose your level of “difficulty”. Whichever “line” you choose, it’s an adrenaline kick that demands a certain amount of courage mixed with a shot of stupidity. If you should fall in, you won’t drown, but prepare yourself for an ice cold chill. Not a good idea as you still have to ski and take two lifts back, which means 45 agonizing minutes to get to your apartment. Your boots will dry out eventually, or maybe not. I got my boots drenched once, and they are now vases in my apartment. So much for multi-use equipment. Should you make it across, it is the highlight of the Trois Vallees, our choice as the overall best skiing area in the Alps.

Coming next week: Buicket List Selection Number One! Can you guess it?

30/01/2025

Well, thanks to our Resident "Ski Techie" (guess who that might be?), we have discovered the Beginning of the End, or maybe the End of the Beginning for ski touring. Touring skiers, the sport just got a bit more interesting. Except, maybe, it may be no longer a sport.
I guess it had to happen sooner or later, but now, we have E-Touring Skis. The name of the product is more than cool: E-Skimos
Think about this breakthrough:
no more offseason hours of treadmill training for the Back Country.
Heck, maybe even no more ski passes, necessary?
The future is here. Not sure if we want it, however.
Here are the product links:

https://www.powder.com/news/battery-powered-skis-tech-trade-show

https://apnews.com/video/nicola-colombo-james-brooks-consumer-electronics-show-50b174af5c4f4f2bac73218fb501581a

Ski touring proving too much effort? Just want to get to the descent? At CES 2025, Swiss company E-Outdoor is showcasing its electric assisted skis, that promise to take users four times further, in terms of elevation, with electric assistance.

29/01/2025

In case you missed the Freeriding Competition from La Masse next to Val Thorens, well, check this out. And, Scherer Tours will be taking two big groups here from 22 and 29 March. And you thought the Streif was dangerous? Then, again, you may not want to ski here...Watch and find out.
Here is the link:

Freeriding...and you thought the Streif was crazy? The Lac Noir near Val Thorens above Les Menuires was the venue....So, don't stop me now. Discover what…

28/01/2025

It’s coming to Val Thorens: tomorrow! The Freeride World Tour competition will take place and you can watch these daredevils defy gravity as well as common sense. It all starts at 08:45 tomorrow morning and you can stream it at
https://www.valthorens.com/en/temps-fort/freeride-world-tour-val-thorens-pro/

So, call in sick!

The actual course (roughly speaking) is not located where we would have thought. We figured it would be off of the Caron, or atop the Bouchet Glacier. But it’s not. It will be held above Les Menuires, accessing from the Point de la Masse and in the direction of the Lac Noir -a steep black rated descent. The venue begins with a wide ridge, offering a playground full of possibilities. With its natural terrain movements, large boulders and a ridge offering countless line possibilities, Lac Noir is a playground ripe for creativity. Turnovers and terrain transitions create moments of difficulty, requiring precise navigation and control. Starting with an immediate jump off the ridge, competitors must concentrate to the utmost. With 50 cm. of new snow today,! we are in for some GREAT powder moments. Both Ski and Board categories. The "course" starts at 2500m and finishes at 2000m, Average slope angle is 37 degrees with a max of 43 degrees. This is the only stage of the World Freeride Competition in France in 2025.

So, check it out! Take a good look as we will add this area to one of our ski safaris when we ski there in March.

27/01/2025

ISCHGL CLOSING CONCERT WEEKEND
One Republic, one of the biggest pop groups of recent years will be performing. But, that is NOT Ischgl's Main Attraction: the SNOW is. Experience why we say: The Show Must Go On and the SNOW does go on.
And, with higher snow depths at the end of April, normally, than over the Christmas Holidays. The secret? 90% of the runs are over 2,000m. So, come for the SNOW and get a "free" concert on the craziest Mountain Stage you have ever seen, included in your skipass price.
For the May concert weekend:
Concert, Sat., 3 May, Idalp starting at 13:00.
all days consecutive, in Euros
SKIPASSES 2025 prices in €. Adult/Kids 16 & under
1 day-concert day 145/90
2 days 195/120
3 days 240/140
4 days 263/158

Need more convincing? Check out Eros' Concert in 2023

ISCHGL 2023 FILM: Are You Experienced?
FB:
https://www.facebook.com/scherertours.de/videos/190198243904533

VIMEO
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/823784959

26/01/2025

Favourite Skiing Runs and Routes: part 2,
Over 700 people have seen our previous post on rankings 10 to 6. Here are the rankings from 5 to 3. as we count down to numero uno. All are truly unicorns, with unique surprises that make them Bucket List items for all skiers and boarders. Can anyone guess what comes in at numbers 2 and 1?

5. Teufi Abfahrt, Jakobs Horn, Davos. We chose this one over the more famous Schwendi Abfahrten down from the Parsenn ond Klosters’ Gotschna. It’s off piste and the start is just plain scary, but once past the initial drop, it’s a pure joyride that is yours to enjoy for 4 kms. or so. The ski out ends in a forest at the enchanting Ski Hütte Teufi, where the best fondue in the Alps awaits. You can even take a horse drawn carriage to ride for the trip back to town. Time for some name dropping. The rich and famous , like Bill Gates and Bill Clinton, like Jon Bon Jovi and Angelina Jolie take taxis to dine here. During the World Economic Forum, the place is surrounded by U*i touting bodyguards You can make it even more memorable by skiing here!

4. Chamonix -Argentiere: Point du Vue - for the best fall line we know in the Alps. It’s from the Grand Montets. Take the summit cable car (will be rebuilt for 2006 hopefully) to 3275 m, and then descend several flights of stairs to reach the Pont du View. It is ungroomed, black rated, and offers stunning views of the Argentiere Glacier. The fall line is consistently steep: between 30 and 40 degrees. Get ready for never-ending S turns with snow quality so fluffy, yet grippy that makes you hope it will never end. Make sure you ski here when the light is good, as it is a real piece of work should you attempt it in a white-out or fog. It ends at 1900m. at Lognan. The long traverse back to civilization is somewhat anti-climactic. You may have to combat long lines to get up, but you can reserve cable car times, when it reopens, if you plan ahead.

3. Zermatt: This may be the most enchanting midnight run you will ever take. Like love, timing is the key to success. It needs to be skied under a full moon. From 3100m to 1600m, it’s illuminated the entire way, but only when the moon is full. Take the Gornergrat mountain cog train up in the late afternoon from Zermatt, enjoy a quaint meal in the restaurant, perhaps even a fondue, bring a book, and... wait….until the moon rises. The hotel Kulm, up here, is the highest in the Swiss Alps. No need for a torch or a guide. The moon lights up the entire panorama, with the Matterhorn in constant view as well. This is a feast for all of the senses we possess.

24/01/2025

Looks like I was dealt a great poker hand today: 4 of a kind. make that 5.

In this case:
top speed: 77 kmh,
Vertical meters skied: 7462
Runs: 17
hours on the snow: 7

A blue bird day, on the warm side, but the snow held up fine. Best runs: the route 181 Rüfikopf cruise into Zürs, the Zürser Täli, and the off-piste route 88 below the Valluga. The Arlberg never looked better.

My new Stöckli Stormriders worked on just about every surface, but not so quick in the two powder fields I found. Pics are of the Route 181 and the Zürser Täli runs.



20/01/2025

Jean-Claude Killy, Franz Klammer, Karl Schranz, Fritz Strobel, Daron Rahlves, Didier Cuche, Zyprien Sarrazin

These are just a few of the legends of Kitzbühel, the Gods of the Streif Downhill race. You could call them, “the Magnificent Seven.” This is the race that makes national legends out of ski racers. A victory here means more than an Olympic Gold. You even get a cable car named after you. Ironically, the race course, numbers-wise, ist not really impressive.

It’s only 3.3 km long, starts at an altitude of just under 1700m. and ends at 800m., almost sea level compared to most other ski resorts. Compare this to the Bormio Stelvio downhill course, which starts at 3200m and finishes at 2100, 500m higher than the Streif STARTING elevation. Compare this to the Wengen Lauberhorn course,which is a massive 4.50 km. long.

But what the Streif lacks in numbers, it makes up for in degree of difficulty. The treacherous Mausefall (mouse trap) is more a cliff than a ski slope. Racers do not ski it, they jump over it, soaring up to 80m. in the air (a distance that women ski jumpers sometimes don’t reach.) And that is not the most difficult section of the course! The Seidlamsprung demands a bit of acrobatics, as the racers must change direction - in the air. The Hausbergkante (Hausberg Edge) requires a critical technical edge transition as well as having a sharp drop with a tricky appraoch.

This course layout, a true black run, makes it skiing’s most anticipated and most watched ski spectacle. But, its danger also makes it skiing’s most morbid as well. Chances are that somebody will end up in a hospital when (not if) they crash - and that is best case.

So, who are these guys? Killy, from France, won 3 Olympic Golds, but may be more famous for being the last man to win both the slalom and downhill races here, in 1967. ..Klammer and Schranz, both Austrians, each won the race 4 times… Fritz Strobel has the fastest time ever recorded (for the complete Streif course) with a clocking of 1:51.58 in 1997. This record may never be broken as the course has been redesigned and made slower in recent years…Daron Rahlves is the first, and still only, American to win the Streif, in 2005. And the Swiss racer Didier Cuche has 5 cable cars named after him, for winning 5 times between 1988 and 2012. The Frenchman Zyprien Sarrazin holds the record for the fastest time on the current course, 1:52.96 from last year, 2024.

Tentative racing schedule:
Friday, 24.01: 11:30 Super G
Saturday, 25.01: 11:30 Downhill
Sunday 26.01: 10:15 Slalom first round and 13:30 Slalom second round.

For the most adventure that our sport offers, stay near a TV this weekend. Photos from Start and Finish.

18/01/2025

So, what are your favorite runs and routes in the Alps. Here is our top 10-from 10 to 6. The top five will be posted next week. Looking forward to hearing from you on your top picks! The picture is from St. Moritz, on the Corvatsch, pick number 6.

10.Flims: La Siala to Stargels. Here above Flims, CH, lies one of the best cruising runs we know. It starts at 2810m and ends 1300m. lower. You can literally follow your nose -the freshly baked bread leads you here, before you even see the Ustria Ski Hut.

9.Verbier-Col des Mines. Not as desperate as the back side of Mont Fort, but definitely more fun as there are no long walk outs. It is easy to reach, with a hugely wide bowl that gets skied out remarkably fast so you need to get here early-like at 09:00 or so, to get the full benefit. About 3.5 km.in length with 800 vertical to tackle. It’s off piste, yet provides fun without treachery.

8.Portes du Soleil: from the Chavanette above Champery and Avoriaz over the Moissettes down into Morgins. What makes this descent unique is not only that it takes you through two countries, but also the terrain change. You start out enjoying two fantastics bowls-you can even take a short detour on the way and ski the notorious “Wall of Death” ( the chairlift goes at half speed to allow the faint hearted a route back down). Anyway, from the best of bowl skiing, you decent about 700 vertical meters and reach the tree line where a delightful path (without switchbacks) rewards your lungs with super oxygenated air as you cruise into the laid back Swiss village of Morgins.

7.Ischgl or the Arlberg? Well, we will go with the Arlberg here and the open easy cruising run from the Rüffikopf above L**h back into Zürs. The marked run is wide open and almost boring, but the off piste opportunities abound. Great for learning how to ski the deep stuff, and you can find new lines here days after the last snow has last fallen.

6.See the lake(s)…St. Moritz…It’s the most picturesque run we know, from above the Corvatsch down into Silvaplana, as you scope the amazing mountain horizons above you as well as the Great Lakes of the Engadin below you: St. Moritz, Champfer, Silvaplana, and Sils. Almost impossible to ski this without stopping for a few Kodak moments. The total length is 4.2 km with 1600 m vertical.

13/01/2025

One Day in the Portes Du Soleil

It’s a number’s game: 5 mountain villages, 6 hours of skiing, over 7 thousand vertical meters, and minus 8 degrees.
And all that with a late start.
To top it off, a gorgeous sunset at the end of a bluebird day as well as a rising moon watching over on the way back to the valley.
Nature always wins, and often in a positive way.