Lift-access bc in Europe

Haute-Nendaz, Switzerland
4 vallees ski area


/thread.

i'll take oxymoron for 1000 please. no but really. i get it, but it's not backcountry.

Hmmm, you must have been quite young when you went to the alps then, because last time i checked there is alot of lift accessible BC almost anywhere you go. My favourite is Austria, If you base yourself in Zell Am See you can get to about 20-30 resorts within an hour that you can all ride if you get the Salzburger superskipass. Honourable mentions from that area include:Saalbach, Leogang, Kitzsteinhorn, Alpendorf, and the little hidden gem of Maria Alm in the Hochkönig area, loads of fun stuff there that is never really shredded apart from by the locals, on account of it being a family resort.

There are teh obvious big ones.. La Grave (use a guide..), St. Bernard. Then there are smaller ones close to big resorts.. Sonnenkopf am Arlberg.

Idk why you guys keep comin up with St. Bernard. ^^ Its definately one of the minor results. You know Bear Valley / CA? - that's your size category there. xD

Ok, seriously: most European resorts have massive free terrain for BC shots and are accessible via lift. I'd say that possibilities are far superior to those in the Rockie ski resorts. All the big resorts are mostly above the timerline, which adds to the fun.

Good thing: nobody really cares if you go out of bounds. Actually, everything else than marked and groomed slopes is considered out of bounds and though it is officially illegal in most resorts, there are almost no controls.
Bad thing: everybody does it. You either know secret spots or you take the very first cable car to the top. Otherwise, you'll have loads of fellow skiers, most of them not very skilled, trying to stumble down the mountainside. :D So be early or go with a local.

So, in general, base your search on ski resorts that are known for their freeride-possibilities and don't waste your time trying to find out which resort has lifts accessing the BC - all of them have. :)

Found a helpful link with general information:

Out of Bounds: North America vs. Europe

Do your homework and find the hidden gems scattered across europe. If you no what you're looking for, you can find a lot of fun and easily accessible terrain from the lifts still.

Weeks after a storm you're still going to find fresh tracks, you'll find a more relaxed friendly atmosphere and the best part about the small resorts, they won't be over run by english snobs who think there the shit.

this

lift accessed BC is slackcountry, backcountry has no lifts

Hit up La Grave in France http://www.la-grave.com/winter/index.php

Unless you want to seriously increase the risk of you dying, or know the mountain very well and have decades of experience - you need a guide. I'm not even exaggerating. Get a guide.

oh yeah forgot that - very important, get a guide.