 Poster: A snowHead
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waynos, just missed you, for I was on the Kitzsteinhorn again today. You should have a great time. Weather was just as perfect as a week ago (if you're not looking for new snow, that is) and this time the Kristallbahn was running (it wasn't last week) and that made for a little more interest and variety. The Schmiedinger T-bars were again not running and I didn't bother going across that side this time, for the connecting track back to the Sonnenkar lift was a bit stony last week. Otherwise snow was much as before, firm but good to ski. Again not busy at all. Here's a photo from near the top of the Kristallbahn, looking over to Zell am See in the valley, and one of the snow cannons at work on that piste.
It is probably best to park in the car parks off to the right as you arrive (saves an uphill walk at the end of the day).
If they're stopping early, your family (and you) might like to walk down the Hohe Tauern Nationalpark Gallery, which leads from the Gipfelwelt 3000, the top station of the big cable car that goes up from the Alpincenter. The Gallery is a tunnel about 370 metres long that leads down to a viewing platform with fantastic views to the south. In my photos last week I implied that you could see the Grossglockner from the top of the glacier area but that was wrong. The pointed peak in the middle of that photo was the Grossvenediger, the Grossglockner is further left but you can see them all from the viewing platform (as well as real crevasses), as in this panorama (Grossglockner the high peak in the background near the left edge, Grossvenediger snowy, pointed in the middle). There are great (free) monoculars on the viewing platform which blend in the names of the mountains as you look through.
In the tunnel there are exhibits about the Kitzsteinhorn (explained in English and German) - my tip is to look at them on the way back up (gives you the chance to catch your breath). I particularly liked the Geophone, a device that lets you hear the mountain "creaking" as it grows (probably not for the nervous with all that mountain above you). There is also a film (presumably in German) but probably with great photography of the national park.
The best way to get to the Gipfelwelt 3000 is with the Gipfelbahn cable-car from just beside the Alpincenter (at the bottom end of the skiing area). You can eat up there but I didn't do so (I ate in the self-service Big Apple in the Alpincenter). If you take your skis with you, you can leave them at the top of the tunnel, if you explore that, and then take the little Gletscher-Shuttle funicular to get you back onto the skiing area (going along the track you can see in the middle of the photo below; it brings you out at the top of the fun-park).
Actually, you can ski down from beside the viewing platform (indeed also from the Gipfelwelt 3000, though that is more serious). I had thought of trying the run from the viewing platform today but it was gesperrt (closed). I have once skied it before but that wasn't yesterday, more like forty years ago, just a year or two after the tunnel was opened in 1970.
The lifts run on presently till 15:45 though it does get chilly as the shadow comes over the pistes in the afternoon.
Enjoy yourselves!
Edit: Corrected my spelling (  will go hide myself in a crevice) and took the chance to add this extra panorama taken from the viewing area at the end of the tunnel, showing the langlauf training area, the fun-park and the skiing area on the glacier as well as a glimpse of the way down from the platform to the pistes.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 16-11-11 8:09; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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espri, thank you for the fantastic info, the tunnel and viewing platform sound just the ticket to keep my son entertained.
Looking forward to my ski trip tomorrow.
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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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espri, Lovely photos, really is on top of the world! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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espri, great photos! The Kitzsteinhorn is my back up plan if the snow cover is poor in mid December (hopefully not) .... thanks for the pointers.
Kersh
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just got back from a good days skiing at the Kitzsteinhorn / Kaprun. espri,thanks again for the tip about the tunnel and viewing platform, the boy and adults really enjoyed that, amazing views towards Grossglockner and my friend was eyeing up some spring ski touring on another distant peak, which I think I agreed to do. The snow conditions were good, hard packed, a little ice here and there, didn't come across any rocks or stones. Skied down to Kristal, the lowest skiable point, hard packed snow but no stones. Busy but no queues, lots of race team, clinics, instructor courses going on. Really nice to be out and do a decent mileage on the skis, a bit of a drive but worth it.More locally weather the same, no surprise there, snow machines on again lower down this morning, slopes starting to fill in but still needs quite a bit more before opening anything more. Kersh, don't even think about back up plans, it will snow, hopefully.
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Off to Hintertux tomorrow. Does anyone know what conditions are like? (i.e. should I pack the slalom skis...?)
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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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FlyingStantoni, cold, sunny and hard. It's going to be very crowded as it seems to be a long weekend in Poland and Czech Republic! Enjoy it though. I've postponed my visit to next Thursday and Friday!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Conditions are, indeed, cold, sunny and hard. Although the snow is pretty good on most runs - nice and grippy and, generally, not deteriorating much of the day.
Sunday was hell on the slopes, but today was fine.
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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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Just had email from snow-forecast.com saying snow is on its way in Solden! 
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You know it makes sense.
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stevev, that only goes up to Saturday, I think it's going to change next week, but probably far too early to be sure, it can all change and often does!
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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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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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I've not been following it too closely but as far back as I can remember this has not happened before (i.e. not enough snow for end of Nov opening @ Obertauern) 
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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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| sharon1953 wrote: |
| Just had email from snow-forecast.com saying snow is on its way in Solden! |
Don't let snow-forecast mislead you.... It always predicts a precise snowfall forecast like 7 days in advance only for there to be no snow at all... Check again in a few days and see what it says..
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Leeds_Skier, Sölden has actually experienced some snowfall in the last few dry weeks as it caught some of the moisture being thrown at NE Italy I presume! I was surprised to hear that, but a friend who is based there training told me the snow was good and had been topped up!
A lot of the models are predicting another system going in that way again, so maybe they are being optimistic with reason in this particular case. You can but hope! 
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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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Leeds_Skier, I know, I never believe any of them till I see it on the webcams. I've checked weather reports in the past when we are actually in the resorts just out of curiosity ... quite amazed how wrong all these forecast sites can be.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Looks as though the Glaciers in Solden have had a top up, 10 lifts out of 35 open, 37 km of piste, not enough for a week and thousands of skiers that's for sure!
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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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For those who don't speak Kraut -
Ischgl will open at whatever the cost (est to be circa €1 million for the artificial snow). Pistes were green last week but cannons have been running 24/7 and the pistes will be made with 100% artificial snow for the Nov opening. Such a snow opening snow drought at Ischgl has not happened for over 20 years.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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sharon1953, you'll be fine by then!
stanton, that clip has REALLY made me want to go skiing!!!
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stanton, thank, thank you, that made me feel sooo good
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You know it makes sense.
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Here's an early review of the weather in Nov for Austria from zamg.
http://www.zamg.ac.at/aktuell/index.php?seite=1&artikel=ZAMG_2011-11-25GMT12:17
Confirming what you probably know already, in that Nov was very very dry and a distinct temp inversion persisted. I know in schladming there's been no rain or snow since late October, just unbroken sunshine. This weekend looks to hold some promise, lets hope so.
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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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Where is your published evidence!?
The published evidence you have already provided doesn't count, for some reason!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lots forecast on all the websites from Saturday onwards, they can't all be wrong surely? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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paulio,
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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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DB, yes, that's what I'm seeing on all the sites here and in Europe..
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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ORF reports 30cm fresh snow for this weekend.
Update on openings:
- Saalbach and Obertauern stay closed for this weekend
- Ötscher-Lackenhof opens this Saturday
- Gerlitzen opens Dec 1 (Carving Jet, Kanzelbahn and Vierer-Gipfelbahn lifts + 3 km piste)
- Lachtal opens Dec 3
- Planai adds a new piste, FIS piste from Mitterstation to the valley from Sat
- Reiteralm opens this weekend
- Hauser Kaibling postponed for Dec 8
- Serfaus Fis-Ladis opens this week-end 15/70 lifts and 31/204km piste
- Sölden opens Giggijoch area this weekend (5 lifts)
- Wagrain opened yesterday, one lift, Rote 8er from Mittelstation to the valley
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| kerekip wrote: |
ORF reports 30cm fresh snow for this weekend.
Update on openings:
- Saalbach and Obertauern stay closed for this weekend
- Ötscher-Lackenhof opens this Saturday
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Really surprized that Lackenhof opens before Obertauern - suppose the lower temps in the East have enabled them to run the canons.
http://www.snoweye.com/?resort=at_lackenhof
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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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| DB wrote: |
| Really surprized that Lackenhof opens before Obertauern - suppose the lower temps in the East have enable them to run the canons. |
Yes, this is the result of the temperature inversion of the past week. They were able to use their snowguns.
The lift company in Obertauern had their meeting on opening today and decided to stay close for the weekend. Their planned opening is Dec 7, Wednesday.
And speaking of other resorts close to you. Hochkar and Semmering also postponed their openings to December 8 and 9.
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Off to Mayrhofen on the 16th.. beginning to worry a little bit. Looks like we'll be doing the 35minute ride to Hintertux at this stage...
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