 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there,
Can anyone give me some inside information about Ellmau please. I'm going next year with 2 children on their first ski trip and my partner who will be recovered (hopefully) from Knee reconstruction surgery.
Details of decent runs for a nervous intermediate, along with tips about the best apres ski bars welcome. Also, details of ski schools that provide private lessons would be appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just a general description of the area as I was there in 2004 New year staying in a studio flat in Ellmau.
Ellmau is one of 8 satellite resorts of Ski Welt Wider Kaiser Brixental circuit, the biggest in Austria with 250km of piste. Seven of the 8 including Ellmau is fully linked leaving the unlinked Westendorf a few km opposite Brixentale. The 7 satellite resorts spread out like an octopus thus one can ski to any of its tentacles. The area is good for intermediates and you should be able to find an area suited to your family. From memory Going and Scheffau are on the either side of Ellmau and have easy areas too, otherwise Soll, next from Schwffau, is pretty friendly with beginers.
I haven't much information from the bars but the restaurants in Ellmau are superb. I never use any ski school so can't help you on this one. Generally Ellamu and Soll are regarded easy resorts by many.
Have a great time there. I did.
This site seems to have quite a bite of information you after.
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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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Peter B, the runs around Scheffau are wide and blue/red, popular with families. Going is a bit quieter so it would be a good place to build up some confidence. The runs here are also very wide. Soll is the busiest village in the region and the runs directly above the resort can get quite busy. Over in Brixen there are also some good wide runs but you'll find a lot of ski clubs in this area. It is also quite a trek from Ellmau. I will get back to you with the numbers of runs for a nervous intermediate.
Can't help on the apres ski front as I stayed in Soll which had more than enough to keep us occupied.
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Ok, I can't see the numbers on the piste map very well. There are 2 reds that go from the top point above Going back down towards the resort with chairlifts running alongside them. We found these quiet and wide in the middle of the day. There are also 2 reds that run from the funicular above Ellmau which are also wide and fairly quiet especially around lunchtime, you need to take these reds accross to Astberg from the funicular to meet the two runs into Going I just mentioned. If you look behind the top point above Scheffau towards the Eiberg, you can see a bowl area with lots of blues. The kids will love it there in and behind Brandstadl. But there are a couple of t-bars and a few runs meet within that area so it can get busy. There is lots of space though so it doesn't feel packed you just have to watch for traffic! I guess if the kids are in ski school then you'll get a chance to check most of the areas out first.
Be careful if you head down from Eiberg towards Soll (near Zinsberg) You can see on the piste map that about 4 runs meet but they aren't very well connected. We got lost there a lot and had to trek uphill to get to the correct lift. Access that area from Scheffau rather than Soll or Zinsberg.
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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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Hello Peter B, good choice. I echo Hayley. I've been a couple of times although the last was about 8 years ago so can't help with accommodation. If the snows right it will suit the family perfectly. Enjoy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Peter B, I have just spent a week in Ellmau with a group of 20 made up of 8 experienced skiers 7 children 5 of whom were beginners and 5 adult beginners. Ellmau is a good resort for beginners and has a good ski school for adults and children and all of the new skiers in our group did well. There are 2 main ski schools in Ellmau both do private lessons and a full range are available from 1 hour up wards but we didn't feel the need to use the private lesson as every one was progressing well. The children were looked after all day with a 2 hour lunch. They usually reserve a table for the children in the restaurants and sort out their lunches you have to get lunch vouchers for children on ski school you cant just give them money. How old are your children. If they are very young and not used to being left the ski school will call you on the mountain to collect them. This happened to us twice once for a 4 year old and once for a fall with out injury. The range of slopes in Ellmau are great for beginners and the runs up the mountain are also suitable for nervous intermediates and they seemed to be a way down from most lifts that were relatively easy. In good snow conditions the pistes were well prepared with no surprises such as moguls. The mountain restaurants were good value for money lunch on average cost about 10 euros a day. the main draw back about ellmau is the limited connections on the going side of town. The main uplift up the mountain is the Hartkaiser funicular that carries 158 people at a time. Best game of sardines I ever played. Get this lift early after 9.45am the ski schools use it and it is busy for an hour, at peak season this must be worse. It runs every 5 minutes and the maximum wait we encountered was 15 mins.
The links on the mountain are easy to follow with 3 full day ski routes marked as well. It is easy to link from Ellmau to all of the other resorts in the Skiwelt area.
Access to the Hartkaiser Funicular is by ski bus unless you are staying near the lift but if you stay near the lift the you are away from the centre of town. Ellmau has a good range of restaurants and bars but as is typical in Austria the bars are lively from 4 till about 8.
If you want more info let me know.
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Russell, and hayley t, Thanks for the info. My kids will be 10 and 13 so they should be fine. Can you remember the names of the ski schools so I can arrange private lessons in advance as we're going there for half term!!!
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Ellmau ski schools are
Friedl Fuchs
Hartkaiser - Dietmar Mair
Top ski school Hanspeter Haider
I don't know which one is best but our group used the Friedl Fuchs ski school and they were very good.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks Russell.
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