 Poster: A snowHead
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It's my turn to book our March trip next year there will be about 8 blokes. We always diy usually into Lyon and then mini bus to 3 valleys,Alp d huez or similar...next year I want to go to Switzerland or Austria. Question is where is the best places for:
8 late 30's early 40's blokes
all intermediate/expert skiiers and 3 boarders
Like lots of terrain and good snow
good apres without huge rip off prices
easy jet/budget flights (no 4 hour transfers)
tips on accomodation (we always use french owners media vacances in france)
Where should we go?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IMO, Ischgl would tick all those boxes. You can fly into Friedrichshafen with Ryanair, or into Innsbruck with Easyjet, or Innsbruck with I htink GB airways.
Masses or terrain, great snow, quite big village with lots of apres.
Not the cheapest resort for accommodation (i.e. no E15 a night B&Bs), but once you're there, it is good value. Excellent quality accom and restaurants, so no risk of picking a lemon!
Convenient skiing with loads of variety and off-piste opps.
Overall great for a DIY group hol.
Book accom through the tourist office website at www.ischgl.com
That's my suggestion anyway!
Alternative would be St Anton?
D
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hmm looks good! what are prices like for food and drink? how much for a beer! roughly.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bad Gastein maybe? Short transfer from Salzburg. Large area providing you don't mind ski-bus connections. Can't help with self-cat accom, we stayed in the Ski Miquel chalet hotel Tannenberg.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Well we found food and drink to be around 'normal' for Austria and cheaper than UK. I guess about E3.20 for a large beer, dinner every night was less than E30, which included 2 or 3 courses and copious wine, which seemed reasonable.
One thing to note is it's not a resort full of English people so don't go expecting Meribel!
Re the ice perv, suggestion, we have been to Bad Gastein a few times and like it (almost bought a place there). It's good skiing and a nice town, as is Hofgastein, although the ski bus connections don't make things all that convenient. And I am not sure about apres type options there, it was always quite quiet in the evenings when we were there?? Maybe just cos it was January though?
But we loved it...
Happy sliding 
D
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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PS read my resort report on Ischgl for more info, and I think there are a couple of others too, so you should get a few other opinions!
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andyjc, Beer prices @ St Anton around 5eur, ski amade area (Bad Gastein, Schladming etc) 3Eur on or off mountain.
St Anton is simply the best! contact the tourist office for accomodation, they are normally very good at helping.
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Just checked ryan air and we can fly out on March 8 fairly cheap still. How long is the transfer from Frankenstein to Ischgl? Anyone got any more tips on accomodation? Deliaskis...I don't care that much for meribel, big fan of la tania though! and 3v's is still the best skiing you can get,just want a change from France really,we've been doing same old same old for years!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Transfer from Frankenstein  about 2.5 hours in a minibus/cab, or about 1.45 if you're driving yourself (not assuming you drive fast, just that it's always slower when you're in a taxi etc.). It's a main motorway + A road down to just near Landeck and then you drive up the valley, but it's always cleared of snow so a relatively easy drive.
We used a taxi to collect us from Innsbruck and drop us off again, and for 8 people they will send a minibus which would be better value. You can email them for a quote and to book.
There may also be a transfer coach option with Ryanscare but I've not investigated this.
Ischgl is really in my (oh so humble) opinion one of Austria's best resorts and deserves to be a lot better know, but I suspect they quite like being a well kept secret!
D
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Another vote for Ischgl, best resort I've been to in Austria and we are huge Austria fans so we've done a fair few now.
We stayed at the Jagerhof, which is just above the tunnel and only a few minutes from the gondola (I forget the name). It's 4 star, good food and you can ski back to within about 50 metres if you are willing to tackle the home run. The tourist office were really helpful when we were looking and got back to me with a list of hotels the same afternoon.
You might want to look at BA flights to Innsbruck aswell. They were reasonable when I looked a while back.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hmmm seems very popular! questions questions...is the skiing more intermediate than expert or the other way round...to be honest give me long sweeping blues and reds anyday esp' if they're through trees. Is it scenic? getting old now and value these things!! hahaha. So..it's mainly German and Austrian then?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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andyjc, there weren't that many English there when we visited in March this year, mainly German, Austrian and some Scandinavian. This means that the apres is cheesy, but boisterous and dancing on the tables in ski boots is mandatory. It was fantastic!
It has an excellent lift infrastructure, I didn't take one drag lift all week and most chairs were high speed comfy detachable so if there was a queue it only lasted 5 minutes. Plus, there was a double decker gondola from the Swiss side which was a novelty!
Runs were mainly blue and red with a few blacks thrown in. There seemed to be plenty of off-piste and a few bumps. The blues and reds were long, wide and great fun and very well groomed. The blacks were thigh burners! Most of the skiing is above the tree line, but don't let that put you off as the views were great. We were fortunate to have sun shine all week though which probably helped. The main run over to the swiss side went through lots of rocks which some have likened to the scenery in the Dolomites.
The Swiss side is duty free and sunglasses and watches were a bit cheaper. Booze (spirits) were very cheap and if we'd had a bag big enough we'd have bought some!
I want to go back now!
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Hayls, did you find in resort prices reasonable?
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree it's more intermediate (but loads of terrain) but plenty of blacks and off-piste opportunities. Our group was a mix of intermediates and advanced skiers, and we all had a whale of a time and honestly felt we had not yet been everywhere.
D
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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andyjc, beer prices were about the same as we'd experienced elsewhere in Austria with the exception of Soll which was cheaper. They weren't cheap but not rip off, e.g wheat beers were around £3-3.50 for a large one. Lager may be less but I didn't drink it. To be honest, we mainly bought in rounds so I can't quite remember.
We were also half board so I didn't eat out in the resort. On the mountain we were eating fresh pizzas at about £6 a go and they were really good. Generally, lunch for 2, e.g. pasta, local dishes etc and a soft drink each was about £15.
The lift pass is more expensive, but worth it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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St Anton.
Verbier.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I found st anton far better vaue for slopeside eating and post apres beer and food than anywhere in france
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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andyjc,
only my second post so hope it's okay to join in - but I was in pretty much the same position:
group of 7 of us, all intermediate, or better, mix of skiers and boarders, always been to the 3V, and looking for something a bit different for our trip this year - two weeks before yours!
We've just booked Ischgl, mostly on the basis of the reviews I voyeuristically trawled through before signing up - so BIG thanks to Deliaskis, Hayls, Killeagh for the '07 update, and everyone else who's added their expert view. 
Really looking forward to it: first exposure to Austrian apres ski, lunchtime cruises home with sackfuls of Swiss duty free, fantastic-sounding freestyle park.... all good.
Did have one question though for those in the know - even it is a bit late now! - WTS&S '07 seems to suggest that the runs back into town can get a little tricky / crowded... just wondering how much heed we need to pay to that kind of warning  (one of our guys is a little less confident than maybe he should be...do I warn him? advise him to ride the gondolas down? or can we just fill him with Austrian courage *ahem* and get him to follow us home with relatively clear consciences...? ) 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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snojito, the home runs can be a bit tricky for 3 reasons:
1) Most of the Germans fill themselves up with Austrian courage and then throw themselves down the mountain home! If you avoid the route down via the Paznauner (which is where most fill up but a great place nonetheless and good for fresh pizzas), then you'll be ok. Plus this route has a flat part with a t-bar to tow you along which as a boarder would be a nightmare as it's bad enough for skiers. I think it's Red 37.
2) It's v.busy after 3.30.
3) The part after the fimbabahn middle station (red 1) is narrow and can be sheet ice if there hasn't been much fresh snow. So it's not much fun at the end of the day.
We did it once and we will ski anything pisted in most conditions but it killed our legs as most of it was sheet ice. You should be fine skiing down to one of the middle stations though as while these do get busy, they are quite wide.
So yes, heed the warnings!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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snojito,
Wot Hayls, said
The run in good conditions is very enjoyable and not particularly difficult but as the day progresses it gets scraped back to man made ice is very crowded and narrow in places. Take your nervous friend down early in the day and let him enjoy it. Later in the day negotiate it by downward gondola shaking your head sorrowfully as you watch bodies flying into each other from the comfort of your seat.
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Ah yes T Bar, the sorrowful shake of the head... I know it well.
And now, of course, thanks to your and Hayls' sage words of wisdom, perhaps I'll be able to avoid my usual role as recipient of same.
Thanks both of you, I suspect you've saved a very foolish boy a fair few blushes there. It's very much appreciated!
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What would someone reasonable expect to pay for an apartment for 4 adults for a week here? I have tried the tourist office webiste and it seems to be mainly showing hotels?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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kezzy1966, a lot of the village is 'owned' by the hotel owners, in that they have a main hotel, and they also own a couple of apartment buildings, or they have self-catering apartments within the hotels. So you would get more info by going to the hotel websites individually and checking for apartments, as I think the tourist office website only lists them as hotels.
However, in general, accommodation in Ischgl isn't cheap, so you won't be getting any apartments for less than EUR100 a night. The apartments in the B&B where I stayed are between EUR150 and EUR250 for one that sleeps 4, per night depending on the season.
It's not the place for a bargain holiday, but it is still fab!
D
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Hi Thinking of going to Ischgl next year as just got back from La Plagne which was fantastic but want a change - does anyone know if i can get an aaprtment or chalet for 7 as we have 3 kids and 4 adults and want to try and stay in the same place - thanks for any replys
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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andyjc, Verbier? 1.5 hours from GVA - loads of skiing, including lots of harder stuff as you're all competant skiers. Verbier has a reputation for being expensive (that's cos it is, I guess  ) but there are plenty of 'normal' priced places too. Chalet will be your best bet, saves the scary prospect of eating out every night. It's the sort of resort you've got to visit once before you hang up your poles....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Cheers..you know how things develop though, one of the lads has a rep coming to see him now who happens to own a large apartment in Schladming (i think that's spelt right) so, we are now looking at that. Any views on the place?
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I travel with a similar age / ability / interest / size group every year and we alternate between Ischgl, StAnton and Verbier. All quality, banging resorts. We always travel independently.
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You know it makes sense.
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I have to stick my oar in here for Flims/Laax.
- the resort specifically targets boarders, there are several parks, only a couple of bad drag lifts, rest is mostly chairs, only one longish flat run that I can think of off the top of my head, just as good for skiers though, ideal for intermediates and upwards, loads of off piste and back country if you're into that sort of thing
- second largest linked ski area in CH at 220 km
- lots of accommodation in Laax Murschetg right by the lifts, quite a lot around the lifts in Flims too, but some Flims accommodation is further away requiring a bus ride - most of the hotels in Flims Waldhaus run shuttles to and from the slopes though. Apartments can be booked via the resort web site (centralised for all the agents)
- apres is what you make of it really - plenty of bars, both quiet and hopping, good restaurants etc, small beer typically around CHF 4.00ish, if you're into the party scene, the Riders Palace in Laax Murschetg is one of the leading venues for miles around. Unlike France, the prices don't increase with altitude
- Easyjet fly to Zurich from Luton, Ryanair to Friedrichshafen and the resort runs airport shuttles to both airports, alternatively public transport from ZRH is really easy, transfers in the region of 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Swiss often have decent prices from Heathrow, London City, Birmingham, Manchester
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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As St Anton and Ischgl have already been mentioned can I say Sölden?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Solden - Good shout DB.... rocking resort, good snow record, shortish transfers, easy independent travel, great for groups.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| SnowGod wrote: |
| Solden - Good shout DB.... rocking resort, good snow record, shortish transfers, easy independent travel, great for groups. |
I'm a big Ischgl (& St Anton, Saalbach) fan but didn't think much of Solden the one time I went there .... the village seemed pretty unattractive and we couldn't find any decent traditional apres ... I wasn't over enamoured with the skiing either altho' the weather was pretty bad.
I've always thought it was Neustift was a better bet if in that neck of the woods.
Am I missing something ??
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| RichA wrote: |
| SnowGod wrote: |
| Solden - Good shout DB.... rocking resort, good snow record, shortish transfers, easy independent travel, great for groups. |
I'm a big Ischgl (& St Anton, Saalbach) fan but didn't think much of Solden the one time I went there .... the village seemed pretty unattractive and we couldn't find any decent traditional apres ... I wasn't over enamoured with the skiing either altho' the weather was pretty bad.
I've always thought it was Neustift was a better bet if in that neck of the woods.
Am I missing something ?? |
In terms of terain and transfer time Sölden can't match St Anton.
Söldens Apre Ski is not really traditional or quaint but it is lively during the main holiday times and is sometimes billed as the Ibzia of the Alps. I guess it's one of those resorts that ticks over in low season (inc times when most other resorts are shut) and wakes/opens up when the weather is right in the high season. Not the best place for a romantic weekend but enough to keep a group of lads happy.
e.g. Schirmbar, Almrausch, Fire & ice.
http://www.apresskisoelden.at/soelden/apresski.html
There's also the Rodelhütte in Sölden but as I'm a married man I have no ideal what sort of shows they have on in there, maybe a google search will pop up with something.
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