 Poster: A snowHead
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anyone know anything about hotel pension schattberg? I'm torn between spending a bit more on this and a pension in hinterglemm or apartment on Schiliftstraße sallbach, which i'm not sure of its convienience / location. Any advice greatly welcome?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Hi Landers......Never stayed in any of said accommodation but if I had the option I would stay in Saalbach....much nicer resort (IMHO), much better Apres (Goassstall apart - you can still get taxi back to Saalbach easily/fairly cheaply) & is more central for whole ski area....Leogang area also often overlooked but on the two times I have been to Saalbach the Leogang side has had some of the best ski conditions of the Ski Circus when I was there....Hinterglemm does have the night skiing though....usually too knackered by then (i'm getting on a bit now) but have had a go once or twice 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Itinerary as borrowed from Tatman's Tours.......have done most of this so highly recommended.......
1. Go up to summit of Schattberg Ost in Schattberg Xpress gondola
2. Take pistes 2a (blue) or 3 (red), followed by 2b (blue) down to Jausern (7km)
3. Go up to summit of Wildenkarkogel in Schoenleitenbahn gondola
4. Take blue piste 62 to Polten chairlift
5. (This can be omitted, but it would be a shame) Take blue piste 68 (7.5km) to Viehhofen, calling at Hecherhuette for a mid-morning pit-stop (best gulasch soup in the valley for those who haven't had breakfast)
6. Take ski bus back to Schoenleitenbahn lift and repeat stage 3 and 4
7. Take red piste 82 to the Asitzmulden chairlift
8. Take blue piste 87 to top station of Asitzbahn gondola
9. Stop for lunch at either the Alte Schmiede or the Asitzbraeu (two of the best restaurants)
10. Take red pistes 88/89, followed by black piste 89a down to Leogang
11.Take Asitzbahn gondola to summit of Kleine Asitz
12. Take blue piste 87 to Asitzgipfelbahn chairlift
13. Take red pistes 83 or 84 or blue 85 to Sportbahn 2000 chairlift
14. Take blue pistes 63/64 to Schoenleiten 6er chairlift
15. Take blue pistes 65 then 66 from summit of Wildenkarkogel down to the Bergeralm (aka Bergerhochalm)
16. Stop there for Happy Hour (3.30-4.30) (Buy one drink, get one free)
17. Take blue piste 66, then blue piste 52 down to the Hinterhagalm
18. Stop there for the apres-ski party (4.00-7.15pm)
19. Ski down nursery slopes to Bauers Schialm
20. Stop there for more apres-ski revelry, or totter back to the hotel
This itinerary lends itself to back-tracking and doing other pistes on the way if time allows. The piste map (downloadable on saalbach.com) is quite clear and easy to follow.
festive regards Scouse
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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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landers, Apartment on Skiliftstrasse, perfect location. As suggested by the name there is a one of the main lifts across the road from you. Nursery slope out the back door so you can ski down to within a short walk to schattberg express. Couple of minute walk to all the bars. Ski back to the front door.
Not sure on pension schattberg. Not stayed in Hinterglemm but prefer the more compact/central layout of saalbach.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
apartment on Schiliftstraße
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I think you'd be hard pushed to do better...but I would say that, wouldn't I?! 
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Waiting anxiously for confirmation of offer from 2 spots mentioned above in Saalbach. Offer / suggestions came from tourist office but direct email to book to owners has yielded any response yet. In the meantime I've received an offer on pension in Hinterglemm so will go for that tomorrow if I haven't heard.
Schladming is also in the mix but with the resorts runs closed due to World Cup on following week I'm not sure about staying in town and am worried the satellite bases / resorts might be a bit quiet. Rohrmoos and Haus are been recommended, anyway I'm sure ye all agree, Saalbach or Hinterglemm are GREAT!
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Have a look on apartments on Homeaway.com had quite a few on there pretty central Saalbach.....booked mine on there
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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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Arrived in Saalbach today folks, and it all looks very promising - noticeably more snow around than I'm used to seeing in mid-Dec, and more cold weather and snow is forecast for the next 3 days.
I know Bobby's Pub isn't most people's idea of gourmet cuisine, but I couldn't fault their excellent dish of the day this evening - a good-sized, succulent, grilled chicken breast in a tasty white wine sauce with rice and salad for 7 euros!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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TT, i am so jealous. I wish you much enjoyment in the white stuff.
Leave some for us in 3 weeks time,
Bobbys sounds like haute cuisine or whatever the Austrian equivalent is. An alternative to pizza sounds superb.
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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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You know it makes sense.
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SCOUSE, red or blue
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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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Reds all the way. at least some good talent coming through. and the ski comparison is spot on. Also bring on the saalbach
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SCOUSE, mattiwilkin, Blues, nice cruisin, just enjoy the views as they are so enjoyable. Everything just seems second nature.
Reds, some good parts but other bits can be a bit hard of work, even when you start to get in the swing of things be careful as you can easily be caught out by something that on the surface looks easy.
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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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Just had an invitation to turn up at the Goassstall at 4.30pm on Thursday (which happily is forecast to be sunny) for...get this!...free drinks and to participate (presumably as extras, rather than in a starring role) in the shooting of a video featuring DJ Oetzi! When it gets published on Youtube, I'll be the one waving manically at the camera and wearing a 'Ski Like A TW*T' tee-shirt, as well as a silly grin! My moment of stardom (or extradom) is nigh!
(Anyone who needs educating about DJ Oetzi, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_%C3%96tzi )
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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P.S. Between now and then, I must make sure I gargle and practise my rendition of 'Hey Bay'!
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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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TT surely it will be another song? shirley he cant be rolling that old number out still?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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ianbradders, You know what the Austrians are like for 'rolling out old numbers'; nothing much changes from year to year and that's just how we like it!
P.S. If you want to give yourself a laugh, try typing out 'Ski Like a TW*T' but substituting an 'A' for the '*' (as I did last night), click on 'Submit', and see what happens!
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Ianbradders:- but the blues get all mashed up in the afternoon  ........Well maybe not this year......so far
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SCOUSE, No mate, normally very icy and looking precarious in the mornings but then in the afternoons they really turn to good conditions and find you can cruise along with hardly a bump. Shame we cant have the same conditions in the morning and the afternoon.
Anywayyyy...... back to the skiing! 
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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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Problem with reds is we always remember how good we used to be then when it comes to it mess up on the easy bits and do ok on the steep and icy. Also i find they are full of folk who think they are better than they are and will pay way over the odds for overated kit but spend more time on their ar*e than anything!! oops im a red (frustrated)
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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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Reflective jacket is one per car, in the cabin not in the boot. The French tend to put them on the back of the drivers seat so the Gendarmes can see them without pulling you over to check.
Breathalyser you need 2 but the fine for not having has been put back to March.
Satnav with speed camera alerts are banned.
First aid kit, spare bulbs.
Winter tyres or snow chains.
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SCOUSE, you can go completely toll free if you go through Belgium (south of Brussels) then through Luxembourg, filling up with the cheap fuel on your way. Then taking the A8 through Saarland, getting through to Karlsruhe ( a variety of choices depending on weather, day of the week and time of day), then pick up the A8 again going past Stuttgart, Augsburg, around Munich and out towards Salzburg. If you don't want to buy an Austrian vignette, you can turn off towards Lofer and get to Saalbach through the mountains via Saalfelden and ell am See.
German autobahns are heavily controlled especially in the holiday season when traffic is heavy. Obey the signs and signals. There are some sections with no limit but not many any more. Keep your eyes open as they quite often have you pay up straight away. Some of the overhead gantries have cameras in them as well and not all of them require a flash to tell you you've been done!
Reflective jackets - 1 per passenger is the norm. As I rarely carry more than 1 passenger I can usually get away with 2 but I have 4 in the car just in case. Triangle, first aid kit, spare lightbulbs - the AA and RAC have a good check list for each country. The breathalyser law has been cancelled - it was a farce anyway! You do need winter tyres and if the weather is really bad the police do stop you and check if you have chains, sometimes they are needed on the Autobahns - the Irschenberg on the A8 for example can be fun as can the climb up over the Drakensstein incline between Stuttgart and Ulm (also A
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You know it makes sense.
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SCOUSE, We've only driven down once in the winter (in Dec 2007), so I can't claim to be an authority. We chose the French route via Strasbourg, as we like the French autoroutes and Sawday B&Bs, and, last time I checked, the Michelin route-planner said that it was the quickest (which I can believe) though not the most direct or the cheapest. We just carried the usual kit - reflective jackets, spare bulbs, warning triangle. In our ignorance we didn't have winter tyres fitted, although they are required in Austria. We carried chains and used them to get out of our neighbour's rear car park which has a steep driveway. Fortunately we didn't come close to needing either winter tyres or chains on the roads, but that was just our good luck - we were young and innocent - well, innocent anyway (and on reflection stupid).
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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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Many thanks all for replies........do they check for winter tyres?......do they just have to be on drive axle?......where is best/cheapest place to get snow chains, in UK or on motorway services in say France, Luxembourg or Belgium?
Also heard a few people say winter tyres in Austria is only compulsory for Austrian residents? Could anyone possibly confirm as it could be big expense to fit full set of tyres?
PS Thanks for heads up on Austrian Vignette as did not know they were needed (thought had toll booths)....we have to go through Zell am See to pick up apartment keys so mountain route could be an option (weather depending)...but will probably play safe for the cost of them....would it be best to pre purchase & have one sent out to uk prior to travel?.....how long extra does it take to travel mountain route?
Regards
Scouse
PS......how's the snow holding up in Saalbach 
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Poster: A snowHead
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SCOUSE, Speed limit in Belgium and Luxembourg is 130 max. The Belgiums confiscate the car until the fine is settled. The route I use between the Channel and my home takes you down the A25 to Lille (toll-free) then you switch to Belgium going in the direction of Mons, Charleroi and Namur. Near Namur switch to the A4 to Luxembourg. From Luxembourg follow signs into Germany.
The route across southern Belgium in the night is quite quiet but mostly only 2-lane motorways. The Strassenwacht seem to clock off at about 01.00 and then reappear around 06.00 -they seem to be the traffic cops. Once over the border into Germany if the traffic is light &/or the weather is good, follow the signs for Karlsruhe once you are on the A8. The direct route takes you through the Rhineland Palintate Natioanl Park on the B10 but it is an excellent road most of the way. It is between Pirmaesens and Landau. There you pick up the autobahn system again, first the A5 then the A8 near Karlsruhe. My sister driving in a tiny Hyundi i20 did this trip overnight last summer in just over 8 hours of pretty gentle driving from Dunkirk (she stoped off for rests as she was driving on her own). Saalbach is about another 90 minutes drive form me.
I was driving in France last month and was told officially that the law about the breathalysers was rescinded, or about to be, I can't quite remember. I was trying to buy the damned things and there were none available which is why the law has been abolished. Impossible to enforce when the supply cannot meet the demand!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SCOUSE, They do not check per se, but if you have an accident and do not have winter tyres on you may find your insurance invalid. I saw chains in LeClerc supermarkets last month for anything from 35 Euro up to about 60 something. But as you are driving through the night, I would invest in the tyres and pick up your chains in Austria while you are there. They are sold in lots of B&Q type places as well as motor suppliers.
The vignette can be bought at any of the motorway services between Munich and the border. You only need one if you are going to use the Austrian motorways and you do not need to. This year 2012, the 10 day vignette cost all of the outrageous amount of 7.90 Euro. It does mean you have access to all Austrian motorways and so-called Schnellstrassen. If the weather turns really wicked the motorways are the first roads cleared..
It is snowing really heavily in parts of Germany right now, I'm down in the very SE corner and I've just heard a weather warning on the radio. The overnight lorries are having problems on the motorways according to the traffic reports.
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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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how's the snow holding up in Saalbach
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This one I can answer - the skiing is currently superb and we're expecting more snow tomorrow.
The route via Lofer and Saalfelden is the normal route from Salzburg (except when heavy snow closes it - which has never happened to us in all the years we've been making the journey). Very straightforward and also scenic.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks again all.......Sue not going until 25th Jan so will have to check weather conditions nearer to time
Info found on Austrian Gov website:-
https://www.help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd/public/content/6/Seite.0631001.html
Passenger Cars and Trucks with a Permissible Maximum Weight of up to 3.5 t
Between 1 November and 15 April, passenger cars and trucks with a permissible maximum weight of up to 3.5 t may be operated in winter conditions such as snow-covered tracks, snowy slush or ice only if winter tyres have been installed on all wheels.
As an alternative to winter tyres, snow chains may be used on at least two driving wheels, however, these may only be used in case the road is covered by a complete or scarcely broken snow cover or sheet of ice.
PLEASE NOTE
The obligation to use winter tyres or snow chains on passenger cars and trucks up to 3.5 t only applies in winter conditions and only if the vehicle is operated in these conditions.
........I think  this means you can use standard tyres providing you have snow chains..........Providing you dont have an accident!!!!!!
PS Enjoy TT........Are you there for the season?
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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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SCOUSE, Yes, except for a couple of (inconvenient) weeks in Feb.
I think that the tyre (and insurance) problem is likely to arise in the event of an accident as a result of ice or slush on the road, but when conditions are not so bad as to require chains to be used.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SCOUSE, I get anxious enough before a trip knowing i have a hire car with winter tyres and chains. Wondering how the drive up the mountain (or more importantly down ) will be if there is snow. Only had it on one occasion which was last January.
Your interpretation does appear correct and the drive to Saalbach on main routes should be a doddle even on standard tyres.
However, if i was planning on driving i would almost definitely get winter tyres. Just take your standard wheels off and get really cheap steel wheels with the winters on. They will be better over winter in the UK, i know we have pretty mild winters around the mersey but the wear will be no greater than standard tyres.
Swap them back over and store until next trip/winter.
As Sue has said it is snowing through Germany at the moment. As good as they are at clearing roads do you fancy the chances, albeit slim, of crawling along autobahns if it is snowing. Heck of a start to a trip. Have you driven with winter tyres before? Some great vids on youtube of how to drive in snow and the difference that winter tyres make to the handling.
Not scaremongering, just wanting to make sure you have thought through the options. Have a great trip.
Anyway lets start getting in the mood and talking about apres and pistes.
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SCOUSE,
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| ........I think this means you can use standard tyres providing you have snow chains..........Providing you dont have an accident!!!!!! |
Yep you have it in one - but even if you have no damage or injuries, if you are found to have been involved in an accident and you do not have suitable tyres for the weather conditions (that means any temperatures BELOW +7°C) all your insurance is invalid which means your 3rd party cover is also gone and other people may claim against you. Any German, Austrian or other continental driver's insurance company will do this automatically as a matter of course. Do you really want to wing it?
As you are driving by night in January, I would get those tyres fitted if nothing else. Chains you most likely not need on any of the routes unless it is a mega mega snowstorm. BTW - I have driven from St Johann to Munich on the motorways with chains on by the way - one lane open only and we were behind snow ploughs the whole way. But so much snow was falling that there was a completely closed cover of snow even on the motorways. That was back in 1996 I think or thereabouts leaving on the second Saturday in January!
Beware that the road through the mountains from Siegsdorf to Inzell (B306/B305) is usually open, BUT the road from Bad Reichenhall to Saalfelden which you join shortly after Schneizlreuth, is frequently closed at night if there is heavy snow as it goes through quite a narrow gorge that is avalanche prone (between Unken and Lofer and again through from St Martin bei Lofer to a small hamlet called Marzon). They will only clear the avalanche risk in daylight. If the road is closed you will not know until you get to the B21 at which point you will be directed back to Salzburg and have to use the A10 Tauernautobahn and B311 Pinzgauerstr to Zell am See. This means you will have to buy a vignette (get one at a petrol station near to the Autobahn BEFORE you get on the motorway). The motorway authorities (ASFINAG) are being extremely thorough stopping cars just over the border on the motorways and fining the drivers trying to beat the system. I see them all the time now around Salzburg and Kufstein.
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we're expecting more snow tomorrow
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As predicted, it's snowing heavily today - whoopee! 
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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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Damn... and I was hoping I will get 5 days (starting of tomorrow) of hard and icy trails 
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FAQ
.......well it tasted damn good at the time 
.......But still proud 
