MOUNTAINS IN COMPARISON
 

We recently ran into a British couple who told us that Canadian Rockies were more spectacular than the Alps. They did mention that the CR lack the quaint villages of the Alps but as far as sheer beauty the CR win hands down. <BR><BR>True?<BR><BR>We are thinking about a trip this Christmas to either the Canadian Rockies or the Alps.

ttttt

Never seen Canadian Rockies but think the Alps are pretty spectacular. We did family ski trip to Fr. Alps 2 yrs. ago, initiated in part by a newspaper travel article singing the praises of the Alps. It did go on to say that if you want insurance of good skiing conditions, the Rockies are better, but the experience of being in another culture, including the quaint villages, etc., is another dimension of being in the Alps. We went in March and had a wonderful time, and the snow was great! However, Christmas time can be iffy in the Alps (assuming you're going skiing? If not, then it wouldn't really matter) so you have to pick you resorts carefully. Some are known to have better snow earlier, "statistically speaking!" If good skiing is important to you, I'd check on line or with a travel agent who specializes in ski trips for some advice on where to go that early in season. This past Christmas we had another extended family trip planned (cancelled due to many family factors) to Innsbruck, where skiing is guaranteed because of nearby Stubai glacier which has year round skiing. If you want quaint, as we did, make sure you don't go to one of those "purpose built" resorts that are, as someone said, "concrete monoliths". In Fr. Alps we went to Serre Chevalier valley, which is a traditional, picturesque ski domaine. Not recommended for early skiing, tho, altho in 2001, it had better conditions early on than the more northerly resorts. Go figure!

I've seen both. I think which you choose depends on all the things you want from a vacation. The Alps are incredible, they remind me of Yosemite if that helps. I not only enjoy their beauty but I love being in a foriegn country with all the cows in the meadow and the bells, the cheese, the Heidi-likeness of it all. I'm not there to hike or do any major outdoorsy type stuff. <BR>The CR are incredible, might be less expensive to travel to and possibly less crowded and you won't have any language problems. Alberta has much to offer and if you can afford it, Chateau Lake Louise is one of the best resorts in the world in a remarkable setting!Of coursee you can hike, backpack, camp in both places, with the added benefit of fly fishing in the CR.

Now I feel silly, I should have read the bottom where you mention going at Christmas! If its to ski I'd pick the less expensive of the places to travel, both are beautiful, (Actually I'd really go to Whistler in BC Canada, great skiing!)

Hi Ashley. I have spent some 9 summer trips wandering the Canadian Rockies and four summers in Switzerland, including a solid 2 week visit there in 1998 when I visited the peaks everyday but one when we went to Luzern. And I am visiting both of them again this summer!! <BR><BR>I can respond to your question with an emphatic answer of one word: NO!!<BR>I say "NO, it isn't true" because of the phrasing: "... wins hands down."<BR><BR>There is no winner in the contest; in fact to compare them on a win - lose basis puts the traveler or visitor in a lose - lose position. Nothing is to be gained by such a comparison because there are no standardized rules of scoring that I know of which permit meaningful comparison.<BR><BR>It is like a college professor comparing two of his all time best students. Each one has his or her own features and each has his or her own areas of awesome accomplishment.<BR>If I were to select two candidates from the top 5% (a group which would defy selection in the first place), there is no way that I could ever say that Student A was better than Student B on an absolute basis. (See below for a concluding anecdote.)<BR><BR>In the summer of 2000, I was in both western Canada and the Swiss Alps. I had memories of the Canadian Rockies fresh on my mind when I arrived in Lauterbrunnen about 5 weeks after Lake Louise and Lake O'Hara. Canada and Switzerland are two different places, two different landscapes, and two different types of mountains because of the way they formed geologically. <BR><BR>Scenery wise, we could play tit for tat for days. For example, the view of Lake O'Hara from the Yukness Ledge is awesome. It is one of the most incredible mountain vistas you will ever be fortunate enough to witness, but is it better than a view of the main range of the Berner Oberland from the Faulhorn? The view of the Yoho Valley from the Whaleback Trail is staggering in its beauty, but can I say that it is better than looking down from the Jungfraujoch? No, I cannot. <BR><BR>As another example, nothing in all of the Canadian Rockies comes close to the towering summit of Der Dom that rises almost 10,000 vertical feet above Saas Fee. On the other hand the Dom is more awesome than it is beautiful. And how in the world would you compare it to a westward view of Lake Louise, a scene that on a calm morning before the tourist mobs arrive is spiritually inspiring?<BR><BR>People might claim this and that about the Matterhorn, but have they seen Mount Assinniboine in Canada?<BR>Both are true glacial horns, both stand out dramatically, and both are forbidding to climb, even though people do it.<BR><BR>I cannot tell you simplistically that x in Alberta beats y in the Valais 15 - 7, because there are no rules which define a winner. The only real loser is the visitor who tries to exclude one from the other based on some nebulous criteria. It is as silly as saying Switzerland is better because of the chocolate.<BR><BR>Now for the concluding anecdote that I think puts it all into pespective. In my last class I taught a student who the following year was selected Miss Georgia and went to Atlantic City. I could say she was the best I ever taught, but isn't that introducing an element into the comparison that is totally orthogonal to the main discussion? As my wife said, "If you are going to do that, then I thought Mr. Z was the best student you ever had because he was better looking." So I dropped the subject at the speed of light, and said a silent prayer of thanks that I was fortunate enough to have known both of them. <BR>The key point is this: there is no way to determine a winner and the comparer is the loser.

Wow Bob I didn't know I was asking such an emotional question. Thanks for your insight, I guess I'm just trying to get a few ideas about what special things each has to other in order to make an informed decision.