Latest posts for the topic "Markers on slopes"

Markers on slopes

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:46:33 GMT

Hi, this is a simple question and probably a stupid one, but is there any way of knowing how much distance you have to go until the end of any given run, I'm not a very experienced skier and find it dificult to judge from the piste maps.Cheers Daaw. :-)

Re:Markers on slopes

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:55:36 GMT

Pistes are often/supposed to be marked with numbers along the side.
I think this is to help the patrol with where to go for a rescue or work on the piste.
I am not sure what the protocol is - top to bottom, bottom to top or if there is supposed to be a certain distance between markers etc.
So daaw, I don't think your question is daft but I'm not able to give you a clear answer.
Oh and piste maps tend to be very schematic and bare little relationship to what the mountain is really like.

Re:Markers on slopes

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:52:16 GMT

As far as i know the markers are supposed to count down from the top, that way you know how far you are (roughly from the end) of any particular run.
Distance however i do not know, my guess would be that there are no set measurements and the markers are simply placed so that you can see the next one from the one you are at. Thus its easy to follow a trail.

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:04:02 GMT

In my experience the markers are placed at 100 metre intervals. In Courchevel for instance they are numbered (and coloured) to show you how long the piste is and how far you have to go, and what grade of piste you are on. :lol:

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:00:22 GMT

From my experience, there is no standard formula for Markers. Some resorts, mark both sides, some only one. Some use numbers for the pistes, some names, some count down, some don't bother. If you ski Switzerland, then you may see markers poles on both sides, but the colour banding is longer on one side, which is useful on foggy days, when you can't tell left from right!

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:10:51 GMT

bandit wrote: on foggy days, when you can't tell left from right!

It's when you can't tell up from down that I have a problem.
:oops:
And you don't know whether you are moving or stopped.
:roll:

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:33:58 GMT

OldAndy wrote:
It's when you can't tell up from down that I have a problem.
:oops:
And you don't know whether you are moving or stopped.
:roll:

Grimentz where I usually ski, has several blind skier clubs regularly using the slopes. Getting passed by a blind skier at speed on a Red usually sorts out me out )

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:39:48 GMT

When I first took up skiing I thought they were a waste of time until i experianced my first white out and they were the only thing i could see!!

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:56:54 GMT

bandit wrote:
Grimentz where I usually ski, has several blind skier clubs regularly using the slopes. Getting passed by a blind skier at speed on a Red usually sorts out me out )

How does that work then Bandit? Do they have guides with them?

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:53:37 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

bandit wrote:
Grimentz where I usually ski, has several blind skier clubs regularly using the slopes. Getting passed by a blind skier at speed on a Red usually sorts out me out )

How does that work then Bandit? Do they have guides with them?

Yes, typically in Valais, the visually impaired skier has a yellow jacket, and their helper has a red one. Their helper calls their turns, and assists them using the lifts. The lift company puts a poster up to say that there are visually impaired skiers in resort, so everyone knows to give them space.

Re:Markers on slopes

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:18:17 GMT

I was skiing a red in Verbier in 2008 in thick fog, following the brightly coloured red markers on the left of the piste, I believe they were something like 100m apart. Unfortunately the next one was round a bend and I skied straight off the edge of the piste, and fell about 20m into deep snow. It took me half an hour to climb back up! Markers, schmarkers.

Re:Markers on slopes

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:22:53 GMT

It depends on the country. Italy doesn't use distance markers. Just a piste number (Milky Way). France every 100 meters. So pole 15 tells you you are 1.5km from the bottom of the slope. Use pole 10 as your schuss marker for the unofficial flying kilometre.

Re:Markers on slopes

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:36:28 GMT

Thanks for all the info it was really helpfull. Daaw. :D