Most SHOCKING Things About Skiing in Europe (As an American)

A comprehensive breakdown of the various differences when skiing in the European Alps of France, Switzerland, and Italy versus the slopes of North America.

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0:00 Intro
1:02 Stunning Mountain Ranges
2:02 Above-Treeline Slopes
2:53 Vertical Drops
3:27 Size and Resort Interconnectivity
4:08 Getting Between Interconnected Resorts
4:51 Consequences of Ending Up at Wrong Resort
5:20 Signage and Trail Map Differences
6:18 Ski Run Difficulty Rating Differences
7:37 Off-Piste Terrain
8:57 Grooming Operations
9:34 Closed Trail Policies
10:17 Need for On-Mountain Insurance
11:02 On-Piste Trail Congestion
11:29 Lack of Line Management
12:30 Lift Infrastructure
14:36 Public Transportation
15:12 Snow Quality
16:33 Top-Notch Restaurant Scene
17:23 Aprés-Ski and Nightlife
18:46 Ultra-Moneyed Vibes
19:29 Lift Ticket Prices
20:24 Final Thoughts

[Chaoticbanana]

In some places you don't just ski into a different resort, but it's possible to ski into a different country

[Warentester]

You missed one important difference: Ski-Patrol in Europe is solely about rescue - there is simply no equivalent to the US pseudo-police on the runs taking people's ski passes

[acul]

I'm European. I was completely shocked when I heard the price of tickets in american resorts.
Unfortunately winters in the alps haven't been that good in recent years, I'm sure the snow quality is much better in the US. For good off piste skiing, you don't go where the chairlifts are, but you have to go backcountry skiing with all the avalanche safety equipment and training.

[etma]

These are not 'resorts', they are towns. Skiing in Europe is not Disney world.

[csr]

Also, if you're skiing in France and you want to save on food costs - you're in France. Head to the supermarket, get a baguette and some cheese and a saucisson, prepare some sandwiches in the morning, take them with you during the day - voila, cheap and good lunches. Nothing better than a hearty sandwich after a good half day of skiing.

[hamstermomoco]

To be precise, the "Europe" in the video refers to the area between France and Switzerland, the most expensive and luxurious ski resorts in the Alps. In fact, the ski resorts in Austria and northern Italy are quite different from these resorts.

[amidaobscura]

As a European, I found interesting the fact that trees are found at different altitudes on each side of the Atlantic. Personally I like to ride with trees around, finding the experience much more beautiful and "charming" than a big white desert.

[Joe-cyhm]

As someone who’s from Europe, this video was equally exciting to watch. When I went skiing in Canada for the first time after skiing in Europe all my life, I was instantly disappointed with lift infrastructure and dining options (chairlifts with heated seats and bubbles are really the norm ) but I was really impressed with dedicated lines for singles and the way line ups are organized in general. There are also a lot more snowboarders in North America from my observations. In my experience, accommodation is also more modern and luxurious in Europe. With that said, both are great places to ski and have fun

[madtonesbr]

American living in Suisse here - almost everything was spot on. A couple more mentions - if you go beyond the Class A resorts (Verbier, Zermatt, etc), like the smaller ones connected to them, you can pay even LESS for lift tickets and still get incredible skiing done, often with fewer crowds and different weather.

Another thing I’d like to mention is the culture in ski lift lines varies by country. The Swiss destinations are quite international and with a lot of orderly Swiss, American and UK visitors there’s more people insisting on a place in the queue. Meanwhile in Italy it’s a free for all so just prepare to relax, push in and don’t take offense, that’s just the way things are there!

[IroAppe]

Now that you noted it, I find it really interesting: Our way of doing queue lines feels totally normal to me, but of course, it is totally chaotic now that you mention it!

I like to break that down, what my experience is during those queues: Once we get to the queue, everyone just shuts down. We don't even stress about who gets first when. We just shut down our brains for a bit, talk to each other and let the flow do everything. And soon enough, you just tend to find yourself in front of the gate. Then if you're in a group, you let someone through so that you can go together again. It feels totally organic, and now that I consciously look at it, it's kinda amazing how that even works.

I'm sure that you COULD save 1 minute or so by constantly stressing yourself during those 15-20min and trying to get in front of others. But it's not really worth it. Just relax, talk to each other, take the break, and you will arrive almost at the same time as everyone else. Let the flow do its thing.

And now that I analyze it, I really notice it upon myself: When I get to the queue line, I immediately FALL into a lower state. That has the downside that sometimes while I sit on the lift, I almost want to fall asleep :D But once I'm at the top, I'm ready for the next sequence of action. It is like my body has adapted to take those moments as total rest, to be ready for a long day of heavy activity. That way we really don't have the energy to stress ourselves for the queue. It is just a time of relaxing time, where nothing of importance happens.

[shade]

I'm really glad to see you guys now researching internationally. Next year I'm trying to go to Europe to check out the ski mtns there and your videos are quite insightful, which is genuinely a great help.

[FlotFyr]

I loved the stupidity of “if you go to the wrong place you’ll have to find your way home on your own and that’s no fun *sadface*”.
I mean, that seems to be true in all aspects of travel and life and not only in skiing in Europe.

[MarkusWitthaut]

Thanks for the video. As you mentioned, this is about the west alps (Switzerland and France). If you will Ski in the Austria (or even Bavaria) you will find a different vibe. Also, the Dolimites (South Tyrolia) in Italy are different.

[christopher]

Content about Europe? Hell yeah! This is also really useful because I want to go skiing in the alps someday.

[JonathanFisherS]

Set your cameras to 50hz not 60hz to eliminate some of the electric light flashing! I had to remember to do that to my gopro when I was over there. Great video thank you!

[cmcpros]

This video is absolutely true. As a Korean skier, Alps ski-in-ski-out resorts and their restaurants were experience on another level.

[vapeurdepisse]

36 years skiing in the 3 Vallees and I just can't get enough of it. This is truly the best of the best. I love skiing the entire day non-stop across the entire ski area. No BS, just pure skiing.

[foobar]

In Europe, we value everybody being able to access nature. Many countries even have laws explicitly permitting access to nature. On the flip side, we expect people to be responsible for themselves when they go off-piste. We also do not offer insurance included with the ticket, as many skiers are members of an alpine club which typically comes with insurance coverage for accidents in the mountains. We also consider off-piste skiing something for experts, although in the last years quite some black pistes have been converted to ski routes (marked, ungroomed and avalanche controlled).

And while somebody flying in from America for a ski trip is likely to go to the biggest resorts, I personally find that the smaller resorts often make up for nicer skiing and are less crowded.

[subbie]

I've been to the 3 valleys and Austria, all the info in this video is absolutely spot on accurate, can't wait to see more.

[sdfggdfgfgdfg]

5:58 "Pists, or the euorpean word for trail"
Oh yes, the one universal European language! 😆🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣