 Poster: A snowHead
|
@JimboS, certainly did, great spot for a late lunch
@J2R, Didn't know Waldhutte was there, but would be on my to try list if I was passing again. Looked cute
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I intend to be Waldhutting on Sunday...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
My nerve gave out holding off for a half price deal, the options from Edinburgh were reducing day by day, so I booked up the Neuhaus with Crystal today, two weeks to go. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Finished off our week in fine fashion with a trip to the Zillertal Arena. The weather was perfect, blue skies and sunshine all day. We did the train on the way there and skied all the way over as far as the Plattenalm then back to the top of Konigsleiten for a few more runs high up. Managed a quick drink at the Umbrella bar then treated ourselves to a taxi back to Mayrhofen from Gerlos as it was a long wait for a bus. There were a couple of bottleneck lift queues on the way over, but once on the Gerlos side no further issues. Snow was magnificent high up and slushy at the bottom, no ice for me to worry about and did black 36 without too much trouble. I'll definitely be back!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Finished off our week in fine fashion with a trip to the Zillertal Arena. The weather was perfect, blue skies and sunshine all day. We did the train on the way there and skied all the way over as far as the Plattenalm then back to the top of Konigsleiten for a few more runs high up. Managed a quick drink at the Umbrella bar then treated ourselves to a taxi back to Mayrhofen from Gerlos as it was a long wait for a bus. There were a couple of bottleneck lift queues on the way over, but once on the Gerlos side no further issues. Snow was magnificent high up and slushy at the bottom, no ice for me to worry about and did black 36 without too much trouble. I'll definitely be back!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Excellent, @Dubmuffin. Just arrived today and looking forward to heading out tomorrow. There's obviously a lot less snow lower down than there was when we were here 2 years ago, also in mid-March - the run down to Kaltenbach is almost not there now, where it was a great bit of skiing 2 years ago. I know it's been a poor winter here so far, but maybe 2 years ago it had been a particularly good one, I don't recall. Anyway, there's clearly plenty of snow higher up and we're going to have a blast.
Looks like it's going to be very windy tomorrow, though, so any suggestions from anyone (@swskier, @SaraJ?) as to where to head for in high winds?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last time I was here in high wind, only one lift was open in Katenbach we headed down there along with everyone else in the valley. Turned into a total disaster. Massive queues, one run then headed to a bar..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hope it's not as bad as that! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Would the Gletcherbuses I & maybe II at Hintertux be ok in wind, since funitels are comparatively good in wind? (and can you ski to the bottom these days?)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@J2R, The forecasts that I've seen say highish winds, but not lift stopping high. It's always hard to tell with föhn wind forecasts though.
Wind direction also plays a part... Yesterday morning people were struggling to get off the Waidofen chair at the top of Hochfügen because the wind was blowing them back onto it. On the other side of Hochfügen, at the top of the Zillertal Shuttle, was no wind at all.
@Scooter in Seattle, The lifts in Hintertux can run in higher winds, but it's not always pleasant skiing 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
We're in Mayrhofen, main gondalas are closed. Does anyone know if any lifts are running elsewhere, maybe Kaltenbach?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Snowtunes, Have a look at the interactive piste maps... Every ski area has one on their website.
Here is the one for Hochzillertal/Hochfügen https://www.hochzillertal.com/de/skigebiet/interaktives-pistenpanorama/
The forecast is for the wind to increase in the afternoon.
It's not too bad in Hochfügen at the moment, however, I wouldn't chance skiing over from Hochzillertal. The likelihood of the link lifts to stop is high. If you end up stranded in Hochfügen, it's a long (although free!) bus and train journey back to Mayrhofen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hope the wind dies down for you all. It prevented our return flight landing yesterday so, very late last night, Crystal had to find us an Innsbruck hotel. We had a wander around the old town this morning and now off to Salzburg instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@SaraJ, for sure. Got to the top last year and they shut the lift and wouldn't let me ride it down. I was the only idiot up there. Only did two vertigo falls braille-ing my way down, and that was it for the day!
Anybody know if the bus I ride from my hotel in Lanersbach to Hintertux also goes down as far as Mayrhofen? Can I get to Ahorn that way?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@Scooter in Seattle, There's a bus that goes from Finkenberg to Hintertux and back. And, one that goes from Mayrhofen to Hintertux and back. Make sure you get on the right one... Otherwise you'll only get as far as Finkenberg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@SaraJ, thank you, I thought there was a twist to it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I was up in Kaltenbach first thing this morning on the panorama race piste training and my god was it windy. Don't think I've ever skied in winds like it.
They closed the lifts all around us while we trained. Only one of the gondolas open to get back down to the valley.
Dropped a friend off at the airport and picked up 2 others, and our plan to ski this afternoon obviously didn't happen.
Forecast looks much better for the next few days
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@swskier, you seem to be doing a fair bit of training, do you have a race planned?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
We were actually incredibly lucky today after everything shut down in Mayrhofen (having headed up to the Penkenbahn). The interactive map showed the Kaltenbach lift running so we hopped on the train and were relieved to be able to get up top. We headed straight over to Hochfugen as I reckoned things would be better there, and soon afterwards the Hochzillertal lifts shut down meaning we couldn't ski back. So we spent a great afternoon in Hochfugen on great snow and then took a very full bus down to Fugen and train back to Mayrhofen (turned up a minute or two after the bus got there). Ended up getting what felt like a full day's skiing in, which really didn't seem likely in the morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@JimboS, every weekend pretty much.
I'm training to take the ISIA speedtest as part of the instructor qualification. I don't think I'm close enough yet to warrant the expense this season, albeit there was a noticeable improvement this weekend.
There's also a Tirol masters series, but again I've felt too far off the mark to warrant entering this season.
I also just really enjoy skiing gates too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Been in Hochzillertal today. According to he previous post I've been very lucky. In the morning I manage to ski all the pistes all the way to Cristalhuttev and when I returned back to Sonnenbahn they completely shut down the whole area. I managed to ski down to the Hochfugen and return back to Hochzillertal. Only ten minutes later, when I was already downloading by gondola back to the Kaltenbach, I learned they shut down the link between Hochzillertal and Hochfugen. Incredible luck.
Foehn really picked up after 13:00. Before that it was very strong around Kristallhutte, but okay-ish elsewhere.
Bottom line very good winter ski day on the mountain and full spring in the valley.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just noticed the weather has changed dramatically next week for Zillertal valley. Mayrhofen looks like its getting warm and rain due up the mountain. Should we be worried about the rain??
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
ECMWF for Mayrhofen forecast precipitation next Sunday to Tuesday, in the town temps +3c to +13c.
Possible big snow dump on Penken?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Despite living fairly locally, I've never skied in Zillertal (it's not on my pass), but I will be rectifying this in a few weeks with a 3-day break. If the weather looks good, I'll get a 3-day Zillertal pass, which I understand is valid in all of Hintertux, Mayrhofen, Kaltenbach, Fügen, and also Gerlostal? Is the boundary at Königsleiten then?
We're staying in a B&B in Mayrhofen, but I'd like to see a bit of the area, so I was thinking a day in each of Penken, Hintertux and Hochzillertal/Hochfügen – does that sound like a good combo for spring skiing, or would somewhere else be better? I'm not expecting to visit every lift or piste as the area is massive, but I'd like to get a feel for it, and have a car to get about. Which area offers the best options if the weather comes in? Best area for fresh powder?
I think there's a recent thread on here somewhere about the best mountain huts, so I'll dig that out, but we will also need feeding in the evening in Mayrhofen, so do let me know if you have any recommendations for either. Bonus points if the menu is more varied than the usual meat, bread and cheese dishes that we get everywhere.
Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Any truth in the rumours of a recent outbreak of Norovirus in Mayrhofen?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@kb36,  which hotel? Where did you hear this?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Think it affected a couple, i queried directly with hotel who said there had been an issue, curious if it was particularly localised or wider issue in area
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@Scarlet, yes the 3 day pass covers everywhere in the valley as you mention. You're also correct that Königsleiten/Hochkrimml is the boundary in that direction.
I'd say your idea on those 3 areas makes sense. Mayrhofen/Penken is probably my least favourite in the valley, and it's the busiest. I'd swap it for Zell am Ziller personally but as you're staying in Mayrhofen it makes sense to ski there.
If the weather is bad and there's fresh snow you could consider skiing at Gerlosstein. That will depend on what dates you're here though as it closes end of March. It's tiny, but tree lined and you'd basically have the place to yourself, as long as you're ok with lapping the same runs as it's so small.
In terms of evening meals, Edelweiss does nice food, Perauer also has nice food. There's a sushi place on the main street that looks fancy but haven't eaten there. El Toro is nice according to a colleague, steaks and tapas. There's also a Chinese restaurant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@swskier, Great info, thanks. No, we don't mind lapping the same runs if the snow is good, so I will keep Gerlosstein in mind should we get some snow. Am I right in thinking you access the area from Ramsau? The website suggests it's open till 1.4, so that's fine for us (I love the map animation on the website here https://www.zillertalarena.com/en/winter/ with its little upside-down buses, so cute!).
I'll keep Zell am Ziller in mind too, depending on how the weather goes. I'm not a huge fan of glacier areas (and also having spent too much time in Stubai this season, out of necessity with conditions), so might swap it for Hintertux.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@Scarlet, no you access it from Hainzenberg, it's probably a 5/10 minute drive from Ramsau up the road towards Gerlos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@swskier, Ok thanks. On Google maps, it looks like it’s connected to Ramsau as well, but then Google still has the Patscherkofel lift in Igls 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@Scarlet, I think there used to be a single chair that went up to the Sonnalm area, but that doesn't exist any more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hi to the 'locals'
What are conditions like at the moment on piste, looks like some light snow this week and then a warm up, are the pistes holding up ino the afternoon?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
The first hour was pretty good at Eggalm, although the visibility was just good enough to ski. The vis has improved now, but the snow is pretty choppy up high and soft down low. Surprisingly crowded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Scarlet, Just back form my first week in Mayrhofen and would highly recommend Zell am Ziller. The glacier was great as we had perfect weather but I loved the zillertal arena for the scenery and variety, albeit with a couple of longer lift queues on our way across the valley towards Gerlos, but that might have been our timing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Dubmuffin, Sounds lovely, I will probably check it out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A quick question. Is it possible to ski from Mayrhofen to say Tux and get the bus up to the glacier? I'm guessing it'd be a long day but assuming we were up for that, is it something you'd recommend?
Thanks very much
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@Scarlet, Re eating out - we couldn't get into the most popular places e.g. El Toro Tapas and Goldkind so worth booking early if you want to try them - but we enjoyed meals at Mr Lei's Japanese/Sushi twice! This is run by the same people that have the Chinese which we tried once but I much preferred the sushi. We had two meals at the Restaurant Metzgerstube at the top by the Bruck & Stadl, it is big and always busy, but fitted in 5 of us with no notice. We also enjoyed Ernesto’s Lounge, an easy going place by the station, depending what end you are staying and how much walking you want to do!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@grumpygargoyle, yes. You can ski down to Rastkogel and bus from there. I’d go early. Some might say just take the bus from Mayrhofen, but myself, I’d rather ski it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
