 Poster: A snowHead
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@tatmanstours, excellent. Not taking our kids on this one but hoping to take them away late march. So doubly optimistic/stupid 
My sister and hubby have a place in Zell and they're saying bookings are through the roof at the moment
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For those thinking of buying the Alpin season pass,
I asked the lift company what they would do if the season was impacted by COVID-19, this is their reply :
There is a quite simple reimbursement solution: The price you paid for your season ticket divided by 15 makes a fictional price for one ski day. Once you skied 15 days, there won't be a refund. If the ski resort has to close due a government directive but you only skied - for example - 10 days, you'll get the fictional daily price times 5 back.
I also asked what would happen if just Saalbach Hinterglemm closed and Karprun was open, this is their response:
Unfortunately, the whole ski area has to close because you could still use your ticket in Kaprun / Zell am See.
Because we are in one ticket area so we are just selling the Alpin Card which is valid also in Kaprun / Zell am See.
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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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I’m hoping to get 15 days under my belt before people start arriving for Christmas. Before then I wouldn’t expect either an increase in the infection rate or a problem in commandeering my own gondola to ride up the mountain. After then, who knows? Trying to remain optimistic!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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@Klamm Franzer, there's a lot of room for interpretation in the details given for the Superski pass - it says "In the event of closure of all of the ski areas in the SuperSkiCard regions by the authorities due to COVID-19 during the season and/or the customer is not able to use the service due to a travel warning or border closure, our customers will receive the following usage-dependent reimbursements"
Whether that means a border closure preventing entry to Austria, or whether a ban on outbound travel from the UK would qualify is not clear. Travel warning - does this mean FCO advice against travelling, or a local Austrian warning? More detail will clearly be needed before any commitment can be made. Decisions, decisions...
With discounted pricing available until 2nd December, I suspect my decision will be made on the 1st based on what the situation is at that time. Under normal circumstances I'd like to get out for a pre-Christmas visit again, and for a week in January as well as our planned half term trip in February, and maybe for a cheeky long weekend in March, so the season pass has always been attractive, but this year? Who knows...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Surprisingly “White Pearl Mountain Days” is still on, and for three weeks instead of the usual two! (13th March - 4th April 2021).
For those who don’t know, this involves parties with music, champagne/food, dressing-up, etc. at different mountain and village huts/restaurants every lunchtime and early evening.
Seems a trifle optimistic!
More details here: https://fb.me/e/3Ca57HdXD
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Surprisingly “White Pearl Mountain Days” is still on, and for three weeks instead of the usual two! (13th March - 4th April 2021).
For those who don’t know, this involves parties with music, champagne/food, dressing-up, etc. at different mountain and village huts/restaurants every lunchtime and early evening.
Seems a trifle optimistic!
More details here: https://fb.me/e/3Ca57HdXD
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Quick question to the Saalbach collective. For our planned trip in January we will drive, and of course a lot of if's but's and maybe's if it will actually happen - what port is the best option to drive? We are driving from Glasgow and I've done Austria twice in the summer - once via Dover and once via Rotterdam. From memory it's a 12 hour drive allowing for stops, traffic jams etc. Any tips would be great. Thanks
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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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@boabski, I’ve always gone Dover to Dunkirk, but friends from further north enthuse about the night ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland (or Rotterdam).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@boabski, As we are in London it's the tunnel/ferry for us, normally we leave late afternoon on a Friday, head to Charleroi stay at the Novotel then head through Luxembourg and Germany to Saalbach.
Last trip we went through Belgium and Luxembourg with an overnight in Karlsruhe / Ettlingen at the Ibis Styles, this was because of Covid, with an overnight at the Ibis Styles Ettlingen
This way you avoid the tolls in France and it doesn't make too much of a difference to the overall time.
For our last return we headed back via Saarbruken to get as close to the French Border as possible, so as to not need to make a loo stop in France and break the UK transit rules
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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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@radar, buy a portable loo 
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You know it makes sense.
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@radar, nice! Do you have a portable bush too?
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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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That was quick thanks folks
I'm also tempted by the Newcastle to Amsterdam crossing as the price isn't too crazy at the moment
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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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@boabski, you are probably already aware of this, if you take the overnight ferry then the UK rules in force for the Netherlands will apply to you as well as those in Austria, and if Germany is on the naughty list and you stop for a loo break or a petrol stop then than qualifies as a transit point.
All this has been extensively covered on another thread https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=153006#4662713, it's only 27 pages long
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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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@boabski, we regularly use the Newcastle-Amsterdam boat - it’s great (through can be pricey in the summer - ski season trips not so bad). I like the short drive on this side, and you very quickly get through NL and onto the D Autobahns.
There are various routes through D down to A, i tend to just do what TomTom suggests on the day. I find from Amsterdam that Vorarlberg is fine in a day; Innsbruck not too bad as long as traffic not horrible; we’ve done twice done Amsterdam to Saalbach or further east, on both occasions we were happy to stop for an overnight, usually somewhere around Rosenheim/ Chiemsee, there’s some nice hotels there not far off the autobahn and you’re well placed for a short drive the following morning. (NB I tend to do all the driving; with two or more drivers going all the way to Saalbach is perhaps less of an issue)
Of course these comments don’t take into account whatever COVID-related border/ transit rules are in place this season...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have trips planned in December, January & March. But with the UK quarantine requirement and now the new restrictions on entry to Austria from Gods own Country (Yorkshire) December & January look to be in doubt 
I wonder what the rules will be once we start getting vaccinated?
Putting aside selfish thoughts for this winter, hope all on here are keeping safe, the next week or two are set to be challenging.
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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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[quote="boabski"]Quick question to the Saalbach collective. For our planned trip in January we will drive, and of course a lot of if's but's and maybe's if it will actually happen - what port is the best option to drive? We are driving from Glasgow and I've done Austria twice in the summer - once via Dover and once via Rotterdam. From memory it's a 12 hour drive allowing for stops, traffic jams etc. Any tips would be great. Thanks[/quote
we live twixt york and newcastle and this last few years have driven out to saalbach 1 hr further drive to hull, have done both ways out and back and prefer the hull rotterdam crossing as earlier to dock both ways and later to depart so making the journey in europe a lot easier .from amsterdam or rotterdam its no real time travel time difference 11hrs and a lot depends on wether you can break the journey out and or back. We usually overnight on way out on the friday somewhere near the turn off from the munich salzburg motorway thus avoiding having to buy a vignette and meaning we can arrive in resort prior to the crush and gain a day or more likely a 1/2 day. On the return how we do it depends on the need to get home and generally dont book the return until the day before crossing .Im lucky in that if conditions are good we can often manage an extra day or 2 if work doesnt get in the way either before or after and usually stop over somewhere on the rhine if not in a hurry or set off early and do the hull crossing, the problem with the newcastle ferry is the earlier embarkation time. We have also done the harwich hook route on the way back as doesnt depart until nearly 10 pm but that would be a long drive up north though it does or did dock about 6am.
As yet we havnt booked due to covid though have made enquiries to our usual hotels in resort all offering free cancellation 2 weeks before arrival low or no deposit but as travel atm is fraught to say the least we are going to hold our fire until nearer the time .We usually go early march if driving as dont like driving in the dark at the end of a long journey though if we can go jan would but with a stopover
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I have trips planned in December, January & March. But with the UK quarantine requirement and now the new restrictions on entry to Austria from Gods own Country (Yorkshire) December & January look to be in doubt
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@Yorksboy, and yet we have friends (who also came to Saalbach in the summer during lockdown), who simply shrug and say, “Okay, we’ll get tests done”.
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| tatmanstours wrote: |
| Quote: |
I have trips planned in December, January & March. But with the UK quarantine requirement and now the new restrictions on entry to Austria from Gods own Country (Yorkshire) December & January look to be in doubt
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@Yorksboy, and yet we have friends (who also came to Saalbach in the summer during lockdown), who simply shrug and say, “Okay, we’ll get tests done”. |
Yes I’d consider tests but unfortunately cannot quarantine on returning to the UK. I’m a radiographer working for the NHS. Still hoping that things will improve, but we are about 2 weeks away from the peak at the moment.
Planning ahead, I have a milestone next year, so may have a short sabbatical and spend the winter (21-22) in Saalbach?
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Absolutely devastated to learn that Kevin and Sarah have moved on from the wonderful Pension Enzian
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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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@Jenniper, yes, they certainly timed their sale and move to perfection - just before the pandemic hit. It’s not the only change that will impact on Saalbach. Magic Peter has apparently retired, and we can certainly expect a different kind of apres-ski (not least at the Hinterhag Alm) than we are accustomed to - at least in the short term.
I know that Pension Enzian was highly rated and warmly appreciated (and rightly so), but I always wondered how people felt about its location (a bit of an uphill toil from the village? And only accessible on skis via a black run?)
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@Tatmantours, Pension Enzian I would agree didn’t have best location, if it wasn’t for Kevin and Sarah’s unrivalled hospitality then no doubt would have not been the success it was. Having stayed there multiple times I found the desire to leave the comfort of their ‘house’ after a big dinner rarely happened (in part due to full belly, reasonable priced wine, good company and definitely the walk down to town and back) the fact it attracted so many family groups I suspect meant the location in the evening was less of an issue. I found it a simple ski down to the Schattberg lift in the morning and then down piste 2 before the moguls (!) and also the fact it was a downhill walk through the village (or taxi) from apres at the top of town was not too much of an issue (accepting last climb up). I never ever skied the black back to Enzian, as all best apres at Kohlmais!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@ribblevalleyblue, yes, there’s nothing there that I would disagree with. Of course, they changed from HB to B&B in the last few years. No doubt they had good reasons (as did a few other establishments, such as the Alpenhotel and Hotel Post), but it meant that fans of British-run catered chalets were left with only option: the Ski Miquel Chalet Christina.
Years ago there was quite a choice of catered chalets. It’s been noticeable that the restaurants in Saalbach village have become busier, as more people have opted for B&B and S/C. Goodness knows what the future will bring!
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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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@Tatmantours, personally not a fan of catered chalets, as a food lover I want to try different restaurants, but when I first stopped at Enzian it cost far less than the central hotels and with such fantastic reviews I decided I was using it as B&B with no intention of actually having dinner!
However the food Kev cooked was very good and the people we sat with at dinner (who ultimately became my skiing buddies and their extended friends ) meant we rarely left after dinner.
In the last 5+ years I have been lucky to be able to stay in hotels that offered more facilities and a central location (accept Hotel Sonne that I loved accept location, albeit easy walk to town) All cost about double of Enzian and were catered also, however with being central meant I probably have eaten out more than taken the ‘free’ dinner, but some of the hotels do take c€15 off if advised in the morning that you were not dining.
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| Quote: |
personally not a fan of catered chalets, as a food lover I want to try different restaurants
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@ribblevalleyblue, that comment inspires me to make a few recommendations, and perhaps start a mouth-watering discussion:
Schattberg Stub’n - mixed grill
Del Rossi - lamb chops
Hungry Deer - spare ribs, burgers
Soul House - spare ribs, burgers, fondues
Parma - pizzas
Il Desco - pasta
Kohlmais Stub’n - mixed grill
Hecherhuette - beef medallions, tiger prawns in garlic and chilli sauce, steaks, gulasch soup, fondues
Tiroler Buam - you name it!
Heirigenstube - ditto
Bergeralm - burgers, bacon and eggs, apfel/topfenstrudl
Hotel Peter - Felsensteak
That’ll do for starters!
Last edited by 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  on Fri 6-11-20 14:56; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| tatmanstours wrote: |
| Quote: |
personally not a fan of catered chalets, as a food lover I want to try different restaurants
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@ribblevalleyblue, that comment inspires me to make a few recommendations, and perhaps start a mouth-watering discussion:
Schattberg Stub’n - mixed grill
Del Rossi - lamb chops
Hungry Deer - spare ribs, burgers
Soul House - spare ribs, burgers, fondues
Parma - pizzas
Il Desco - pasta
Kohlmais Stub’n - mixed grill
Hecherhuette - beef medallions, tiger prawns in garlic and chilli sauce, steaks, gulasch soup, fondues
Tiroler Baum - you name it!
Heirigenstube - ditto
Bergeralm - burgers, bacon and eggs, apfel/topfenstrudl
Hotel Peter - Felsensteak
That’ll do for starters! |
Stop it! You're making my mouth water 
Stay safe everyone.
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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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As mentioned, anything on the Tiroler Buam (spelling, chaps!) menu is outstanding but the Wiener Schnitzel followed by the three ice cream scoops is my idea of the ultimate ski dinner treat!
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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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@radar, excellent videos - thanks for posting (as if we needed any convincing of Saalbach’s attractions!) Looking forward to normality being restored.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@radar, in weather like that, I’d like to think that I was there somewhere - but can you be more specific?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@tatmanstours, in the first video at 10 seconds in black jacket with with white flashes
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@radar, Could be anyone, but I doubt it’s me - too early in the day for me to be coming down the Bernkogel.
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@tatmanstours, I didn't want to point that out.......
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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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@tatmanstours, should have realised that!
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I'm being lazy here, but rather than trawling past posts can anyone remind me what the snow is generally like the first weeks of march and whether there's any holidays or festivals i should be aware of during that time. I've flights to Salzburg for mid jan that, in the spirit of optimism, I'm thinking of transferring to some in March rather than cancelling completely.
cheers
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FAQ
unless they are coming back for the winter, they were delicious
