 Poster: A snowHead
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We're a couple of beginners in their forties who have decided to try skiing !!
We've booked a week in Zell am See on 20/1.
WE haven't booked skis, boots, lessons or passes yet.
Does anyone have any recommendations for firms we should use ( or not use) ?
Any other do's and dont's we should be aware of at this resort?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Following on from my previous post, a couple more questions.
There seems to be a lot of places you can rent skis and boots from, and they vary in price quite a bit.
We quite like the idea of somewhere with ski storage facilities so we dont have to carry our skis about.
Do we need to book everything on the internet before we go, or is there a possibility of negotiating a good deal on the day in the resort?
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Thanks for your help
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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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www.intersport.at
Here you can rent and store your skis right at the base of the city express gondola in central Zell am see, there is also a ski school based next to the intersport shop.
If you rent skis elsewhere ie through www.snowrental.net you can still use the lockers at intersport for a small charge.
There was a very large and informative thread on Zell from last season but I have done a search for it but it must be one of the threads lost when snowheads was recently hacked.
Do a search for Zell and you will find some more infomation within this site, also quite a few good pictures from Zell in snowheads media zone, have a look.
Zell is a lovely place and a great resort to get a proper taste of the Aples and its scenery at some of its best.
Hope you enjoy it.
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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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The intersport shop is your best bet...
go to www.servicenetwork.at and book online
you can get 15% of ski and boot hire, also 15%
off the cost of your lift passes.
you can store your skis overnight for free.
My wife and I didnt start skiing untill we were 40.
(never be any good , but will go down anything)
we are now 59 & 60
we loved Zell so much we bought a place out there
Where are you staying , we go out on 21st. Jan.
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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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Renry, AFAIK only some posts that were made that day were lost as a full backup was taken of sH at 6 am that morning and was restored. So the Zell thread should be around somewhere.
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| cathy wrote: |
| Renry, AFAIK only some posts that were made that day were lost as a full backup was taken of sH at 6 am that morning and was restored. So the Zell thread should be around somewhere. |
I only had a quick search, as you can imagine there is loads on Zell but the one titled "Tell me all I know to know about Zell am See" was one of my perticuly regular ones and I cant find it in my posts.
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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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We're staying at Chalet Rasser - I think its fairly central - near the Zellerbergbahn lift (?)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Is the Zellerbergbahn the same as the city express??
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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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Yes, I believe so.
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To answer the general question - there is no need to pre book equipment (skis/boots/poles) in january. Most people I know prefer not to unless they know the shop, because the standard of shops is variable and if you have already paid it's tricky to walk away. If you get a recommendation likeByron Gates above though, go for it, no reason not to.
For lift passes buy on arrival, when you know what the snow is like. For lessons probably book in advance as you can't afford not to have them on your first lesson.
Enjoy!
aj xx
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You know it makes sense.
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Chalet Rasser is right in the centre of Zell on the main road through.
Some good restaurants you can try are....
Giuseppe's (Italian)
Kupferkessel (v.Good)
Einkehr (my fav.)
or there is a Mc Donalds across the road.
5mins walk to the lift
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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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Aren't the nursery slopes in the valley, or are there some up the top, too? When we stayed there my mate was going for the first time and had to get a bus to the nursery slopes every morning (obviously hotel dependant), rather than the lift with us. We used to pass the slopes he learnt on when skiing back down to the town on one particular track.
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Poster: A snowHead
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skanky, IIRC there is a nursery slope in the town, but it's not a very friendly one. Therefore often groups go up higher. There is a low level one at the bottom of the arietbahn....that may have been where skanky's mate was bussed to?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You might see it here. It was at Hinterfalleck, at the bottom of the Sonnenalmbahn and the Schmittenhohebahn. See also here if you can read it. It's a bit outside the main town centre, so if you are staying in the centre you might need to get the bus. If that's where your lessons are, you may want to look into whether you can store your skis there (there may be places at the lift stations). We didn't as we were staying between the City Express and Ebenbergbahn and it was a couple of days before we found my mate's lessons area. Incidentally, he wasn't bussed there so much as told he'd need to get the bus there (which is the same thing in some respects).
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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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We're beginning to get concerned over the snow ( or lack of it) in Zell am See. We haven't booked lessons as one of the schools has told us to come and see them on Saturday when we get to the resort.
Are there beginners schools further up the mountains which might have a bit of the white stuff?
Don't fancy booking lessons only to find theres no snow !
Sorry but we're beginners so not sure what to expect!!
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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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Trickdick, don't worry. The ski school will take you to where there is snow....they're not restricted to teaching on the doorstep of their office. They will probably all be based in the valley, but will take you up the mountain.
Fear not.
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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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Yes, the shape of the mountain is such that there's plenty of flatter pistes high up, so they'll be able to teach you at altitude. In fact that may be a blessing in disguise as (a) you get all the views - I remember my mate's reaction when he finally got up the mountain towards the end of the week and (b) you probably won't be able to ski back to the resort anyway as from recollection the routes back were all too difficult for new beginners - but I could be wrong there. It was a few years ago now.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Trickdick (odd name????)
head for the Carve In Rental shop and join the ski school Sport Alpin (next to the schwebabahn hotel) this is all slightly higher in the valley next to the smitten and sonnelholm cable cars (apologies for the spelling probabaly wrong.) Sport Alpin taught my 4 year old and my beginner wife and bruv at crimbo. They had a nice nursery slope next to the sports shop in the valley, which was open on artificial snow. Very nice people and great food at the schwebabahn for lunch.
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I'd book everything when you arrive.
As long as their is snow on the nurserys at the top of the village (which have snowmaking so don't be put off it the reports say the resort runs are closed - this means the runs down the mountain to the resort) you will not need a lift pass for the first 2 days. This will save you a considerable amount of cash. your ski school will tel you when you need to buy a pass. If there is no snow on the nursery you will start up the mountain at Glocknerbahn which you really need to get a bus to bottom of the Atreitbahn Gondola in Schuttdorf to access easily. You will need a lift pass for this from day one.
In terms of ski school I'd highly recommend Ski Schule Alpin. This is opposite the city express lift in the same building as pension hubertus - not the main ski school next to intersport rent under the city express lift. It's not that I've heard anything bad about the other school - just that I can highly recommend Alpin from first hand experience. At the end of the day though there is a certain element of luck with instructors in any ski school. I can recommend a Belgian (cos there's loads of hills there so she must be good!!!  ) instructor called Axelle for superb private lessons for beginner intermediate level.
Rental wise Intersport are convenient and they know it and charge a premium for the privelige of using them, although it is all absolutely brand new tip top gear. I've used SkiPro on Postplatz who are probably the cheapest in town (lhalf the price of Intersport) and decent gear, although a little grumpy with the service. There are several shops in that area which all look much of a muchness.
Zell is a lovely resort and I'm sure you'll have a great time. Good Apres in Diele Bar and Crazy Daisy from 4.30 or 5 onwards and very liveley later on. Good italian retaurant Guiseppes next to Diele Bar. Crazy also has a good restuarnat downstairs. Ours Lounge does excellent food and if you want steak or Fondeau then the Kupferkessl is hard to beat. There's always McDonalds too if it's your cup of tea.... personally i think it should be torched and they should be barred from the whole of the Alps, but hey, each to their own!!!
On the mountain the Breiteckalm (say hi the Patrick and Heidi in the Umbrella Bar), Kettingalm and Pinzgauerhutte are all excellent. If you have to go to the Glacier for now then the Kreffelderhutte is a nice pit stop for lunch. Enjoy!!!
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SnowGod, I have to disagree over the McDonalds. Having taken groups of kids away, who refuse to eat anything "foreign" (including pizza  ), at least the presence of McDs means that they won't starve.
If it were just me, then I'd be happy to see it torched!!
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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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we are heading to zell tomorrow also and we have decided to rent in kaprun because this is where the only decent sking will be as its raining in zell at the moment and conditions will prob be bad in zell for a few days until they get new snow mon -tues, hopefully!! the rent price is 35 eur a head cheaper than intersport if you book on line with skirental.com, they use sport 2000 in kaprun who have a good name.
maybe we'l seee you there? we are a group of 10 adults and 2 kids
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I rented from there when I stayed in Kaprun 3 years ago at Easter.... ended up buying the Atomic SL11's for about £200 as opposed to the 899 Euros they were at the time with riser plates and bindings!!!! I like that shop!!!!
As for McD's Elizabeth... TORCH IT... teach the kids some culture
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FAQ
(please excuse the rudeness of previous posters not welcoming you 
