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Christmas in Austria.

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Has anyone got any recommendations for Austrian resorts at Christmas? We want to leave booking as late as possible (taking DG's advice from last year) but we live in N Ireland and direct flights are very limited (Innsbruck, Salzburg - both of which are chartered with Tour ops.) We are both confident intermediates but enjoy the 'apres-ski' as much as the 'ski'! Thanks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I don't think you'll have problems with apres-ski anywhere in Austria Meister Jäger Shocked

For the best chances of snow you want the higher resorts which are also, surprise surprise, the most expensive. I guess St Anton would be a good bet for lively apres-ski & good skiing snowHead
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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?
You will have fun in Austria no matter where you decide to go. Would recommend Obergurgl as its is high and snow-sure. It is above the tree line line and has excellent skiing.
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Kaprun?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Meister Jäger, the best intermediate paradise and apres-ski combination I know is Saalbach. Ischgl would also be great, and a bit higher. Solden offers you the snow-security of a glacier. St Anton is the best of all for apres-ski, but you might want to save it for later, in skiing terms. However, despite being non-glacial, St Anton has a special micro-climate which often gives it twice as much snow as other Austrian resorts.
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Quote:

the best intermediate paradise and apres-ski combination I know is Saalbach


Actually, though my experience is severely inferior, I can only agree there. Had an absolutely superb couple of nights out in Saalbach (and day skiing) when I was at Zell.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Zell is possible too low. However Kaprun is only a few miles away and there is guaranteed glacier skiing. Been to Zell am Zell - its a lovely resort but fairly limited IMO - as I said earlier Obergurgl would be snow-sure, with no doubts
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
hibernia, I was staying Zell but had two nights and a day skiing in Saalbach - hence I was recommending Saalbach. I wouldn't recommend Zell at either end of the season.
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Wow - thanks for the quick responses - I wasn't expecting so much feedback! I've been to Ischgl twice (March - superb) and had considered this but don't know what it would be like at Christmas. I'm a little wary of Saalbach at that time of year as I have friends who went in January and had a week of rain and no skiing at all, but I suppose that's always a risk. Obergurgl is a possibility. I'd better go and look at the historical snow reports snowHead
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Definitely check out Kaprun then. It has glacier skiing.
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I was in Ischgl last year at the end of November on the weekend that it opened - excellent conditions, with over 100kms open, but not the runs back to the resort. We had intended going somewhere Swiss, but the options there at that time were minimal to say the least, with very little open.
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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.
You could also think about flying to Zurich and driving (St Anton about 2hrs I think) this might give you other flight options apart from the two operators flying direct to Austria. Incidentally if you can get channel TW1 on a european satellite receiver you can view mountain cams, top and bottom of station literally live every day summer and winter. Inspiring TV !
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Frosty, that sounds good - what set up would one need for that? (I'm not willing to pay any sort of subscription to the Murdoch empire) rolling eyes

Meister Jäger, if you're willing to hire a car Munich is also an option for flights
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Alan Craggs - My wife is Dutch but we live in the UK we purchased a receiver (£270 inc fitting) in Holland and took a subscription with Canal Plus (a dutch operator) to pick up some "home" tv for her and our children and had it aimed at the main satelitte (I'll leave brighter snowheads to fill in the considerable technical blanks that I am about to leave in this text!). We pay only £50 euros a year (very cheap) for basic connection and receive about 100 channels with this subscription including the TW1 channel. Mr Murdoch is not involved ! (although its probably his satelite). I have since heard you can set this up from the UK and would not need to fly out to Holland for the same set up. Perhaps any snowheads living abroad could comment on the reverse methods they use for picking up UK tv if they are not using Sky although we are now off topic slightly. TW1 is a really nice channell to have on, you may have watched it in hotels in Austria/Italy/Switzerland as I think they all have it.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Yes have seen it in Austria accompanied by appropriate Austrian music. Can we get it in the UK or is that a silly question?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
hibernia yes you can but you need a european reciever like they have in pubs to get all the football games
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I can only endorse the recommendations given above for Saalbach. Lots of superb skiing and a brilliant apres-ski atmosphere, at a fraction of the price of the 3 Valleys. In my hotel last January, the cellar bar had a brilliant atmosphere, and beer was 2 Euros a pint. Even in the hot spots in the middle of the resort, it was only 4 Euros, and the Euro music blasts away from early afternoon until the small hours of the morning.
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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?
I can also recommend Saalbach but you could also consider Mayrhofen which has the Hintertux glacier about 30 mins down the valley and access to a number of resorts along the Zillertal valley some of which should have snow at that time of year! Access to the resorts is included in the lift pass. Apparently the nightlife is good too. I hope so anyway as were off in February.
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Frosty, I've noticed different sets of mountain top cameras in different hotels, in different regions. Do you get the lot?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Most resorts are going to be busy during the Christmas break.

Obergurgl has the advantage that there are only a few thousand beds in the village so it never gets as busy as other resorts. However getting a place to stay in Obergurl over Christmas is not easy.

Sportworld Amade is another of the large multi-linked intermediate resorts to consider but wait till nearer the time as it isn't so snow secure
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Meister Jäger,
I have spent many Christmas Ski trips in Austria at several different resorts, and fortunately there has always been sufficient snow for skiing Very Happy - maybe I've just been lucky! I agree however with others comments that for snow security its best to either pick a higher resort or one near to a glacier as insurance e.g Zell am See with the Kaprun glacier, Mayrhofen/Zillertal with the Hintertux glacier etc. Incidentally if you have never to Austria at Christmas, you will find that Christmas Eve is really the most important day locally - most shops are closed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve and the locals have the Christmas Eve evening dinner as the "special" Christmas meal. Christmas Day is a fairly normal day.
If you have room in your luggage, I always find that a packet of Mince Pies (preferably M & S luxury version with Grand Marnier etc Wink ) is much appreciated by fellow Brits out on the slopes on Christmas Day.

Technical Satellite TV Note: There are numerous FTA (Free-To-Air i.e no subscription!) satellite channels broadcast from the Astra 1 satellite position (at 19 degrees East), including some which broadcast live mountain cam feeds such as TW1 already mentioned and 3Sat which broadcasts these for an hour each morning at 8.00am. The old original (analogue) Sky channels broadcast from Astra 1, and 3Sat (but not TW1) is still broadcast in analogue and can be received on old analogue receivers (including old obsolete analogue Sky receivers) with the dish pointing at 19 degrees East. When Sky channels went Digital several years ago, they moved to broadcasting from the Astra 2 satellite position (at 28 degrees East). However, at the Astra 1 satellite position there are also now hundreds of digital TV channels, many free to air as I have said. All that is needed to receive these is a small dish (with the modern "Universal" LNB fitted) pointing to 19 degrees East, and a general purpose digital satellite receiver (which can be bought for about £100). More information can be obtained from the magazine"What Satellite and Digital TV"
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Alastair Pink - thanks for the info on the satellite TV. I have Telewest cable, not a dish .

Does anyone know whether it is possible to receive these channels by cable connection?. I don't think so. Your input welcome!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
You can look at the webcams on the following website: http://www.feratel.at/ snowHead snowHead
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thanks Cathy thats brill Very Happy Very Happy Now all I need is some of that austrian music and I can imagine that I am there! Cool
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Skanky - I think you get the lot in Austria, Italy and Switzerland, well a few seconds of each shown in rotation and with the weather reports every half hour or so - if you Google TW1 you will find their site (german written) I think which has some info. Alistair Pink - thanks for filling in the tech bits so well - I knew someone would have the knowledge. Beware TW1 in the evening....very odd tv ! Better still go to Austria for Christmas
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Thanks for the info Frosty and Alastair, I'll look into this (although I haven't considered making a dish aerial since I contemplated using the 23 cm band - but decided to stick to 70 cm, yagis and double tetrodes were much simpler than cavities and weird triodes NehNeh )
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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.
Alan Craggs,
I wasn't suggesting that you make your own satellite dish Wink - you can buy a 60cm dish with the required LNB for about £50. Further perusal of various satellite retailers on the internet reveals that you can now buy a FTA digital receiver for as little as £64 e.g the HumaxF2-Free from www.turbosat.com.
The Astra 1 FTA digital channels include all of the german national and regional channels (including the Bavarian TV channel which also shows European mountain cam pictures in the morning), the austrian 3sat and TW1 channels previously mentioned and several french, italian, spanish, dutch and belgian channels (plus CNN and Sky News in English) - all without paying a single penny to Mr Murdoch (or anyone else for that matter). Smile
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Great stuff Alastair Pink, I was concerned that my DIY skills would not be up to forming parabolic shapes - and I wouldn't be surprised if the progs are much better than Mr M's offerings. Could be more retail therapy this weekend.....
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
hibernia, Laughing Laughing

And I seem to remember way back we had links to hear some 'great' Austrian music - now where were they?
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