Scherer Tours

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 or 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.

11/01/2025

Hey Skiing Friends! Only 10 weeks until we return to Val Thorens, France. So, if you are not already on the trip, now is the time to book!

22.-29 March, 2025
Current Snow conditions: 138cm in valley, 184 cm. on top

What are you waiting for?

It’s A Good Feeling To Know VT FILM 2023
https://vimeo.com/896675748
https://www.facebook.com/scherertours.de/videos/197384416375788

SMOKE ON THE WATER VT Film 2024
on FB: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=775825317501114
on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/928692874

The annual skiing adventure to Val Thorens, from 16.-23.03.2024.

05/01/2025

FIS ALPINE World Ski Championships

04.-16. February, 2025

Those skiing the Saalbach Ski Region this winter with us will have the unique opportunity, before or after this Event, to ski the race courses of the 2025 Skiing Championships.
How cool is that! All of the races, 11 in total, will be held on one mountain, the Zwölferkogel, high above the village of Hinterglemm.

The downhill courses extend a vertical distance of 910m for the men and 760m for the women. Super G’s are about 20% less.

All are accessed by the 12er Kogel and 12er Nornbahn cable cars.

Those relatively new to the area will realise a great addition. Since 2016, the resort of Fieberbrunn now interconnects to the Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang ski circuit. Here, most of the runs are difficult red ones, adding to the great variety of this resort.

Beware of closing times, as you do not want to taxi home from a distant valley.

And, for Apres Skiing, perhaps the most crazy Hütte in Salzburgerland can be found in Hinterglemm as well. It is the Goaßstall located near the base station of the Reiterkogelbahn.

Enclosed is a map of the ski race courses.

Wherever you buckle up, ski safely and have fun!

01/01/2025

Here we go: Enclosed are dates and rates for the Revival Trips in December, 2025: St. Moritz in Club Med Roi Soleil.

Prices apply for both 10.-14. and 17.-21 December dates

in a double: € 889.- per person if booked with deposit before 15 May.
Thereafter, rates increase approx. € 15.- to € 30.-

single rooms: € 799.- per person if booked with deposit before 15 May.
Thereafter, rates increase approx. € 15.- to € 30.-

Let the Good Times Roll!

24/12/2024

Happy Holidays everybody...Sweet Mountains of Mine is our holiday gift to the participants in the 2024 St. Moritz Revival Tour with Club Med.

21/12/2024

Some early impressions of the St. Moritz II Tour! The movie, of course, to follow.

23/11/2024

We have three groups going to the Ötztal and Sölden in November and December.
With your 3 day skipass, the areas of Obergurgl and Hochgurgl are included with the Sölden skipass, as well as the local bus transfers.
Mikaela Shiffrin won her 99th World Cup Race there today, and tomorrow, it’s the men’s turn. The slope is the Kirchenkar-Weltcup-Piste above Hochgurgl, reached from the Kirchenkarbahn, Piste number 42. It is much steeper than it looks on TV.
The piste is the same for the men and the women, although the gates are set differently. The course is not on a glacier.
Technical details: start at 2475m.,210m vertical drop, 550m long, from 18 to 62% steepness. When you ski it, you will better appreciate the difficulty of the run.
Want some even tougher stuff: try the black slope #28 from Top Mountain Star, with an over 45% drop. It’s always fun to ski where the pro racers do!