 Poster: A snowHead
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A bunch of us are heading out to Austria for a long weekend before Christmas. We haven't chosen a resort yet, as we're waiting to see how the snow looks.
We're all good skiers/boarders and like our apres quite a lot as well ... particuarly the traditional Austrian kind so we can still get some sleep in rather than hanging around in clubs till the early hours (all tho that's not unheard of).
Current plan is Ischgl (world capital of apres in my view) but it is a fair drive from Munich where we're flying to.
Saalbach's another option but a few of the group have been there a lot and are keen to branch out.
Obviously St Anton should also be mentioned but is even further than Ischgl and I'm not keen on Solden cos of the layout of the town.
So I was wondering if anyone's got any good ideas for any other good ski areas with enough for 4 days skiing and some livelyish apres ... altho I don't know if there's much going on anywhere in mid - December ??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RichA, Kitzbuhel is good for apres ski, particularly between 5 and 8pm, but I've only visited in high season. It's closeto Munich though and a reasonably large resort town so it's more likely to be busy in December I'd have thought.
There is loads of snow in the Tyrol and more expected in the Salzburg region at the moment so you can take your pick of places. I have to say that I loved the apres ski in Mayrhofen but it might be a bit far from Munich. Great choice of skiing though, but not as convenient as what Ischgl has to offer I believe.
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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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thanks Hayley, I did think of Mayrhofen but i hear the skiing involves a lot of buses ... when you say 'good choice of skiing' do you mean all the other places in the Zillertal like Zell or do you mean there's a good choice in Mayrhofen itsself ??
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Dont expect much Apres SKi before xmas it doesnt really start going till the New Year week. Some places do not even open open until after Xmas.
Also Xmas Eve nearly every place will be closed or very quiet due to oberserving Catholic tradtions .
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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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RichA, I'd try Solden. Lifely nightlife, and also very snow-sure due to 3 skiable peaks above 3000m and 2 skiable glacers.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RichA, Have you thought of soll? going to be quiet ,but great snow at the moment
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RichA, you do have to rely on buses in Mayrhofen to access the other resorts covered on the Zillertal ski pass. There is a good choice in terms of all the resorts covered rather than being tied to a couple of resorts, plus of course the glacier and they are an intermediates paradise. If you do not stay near the main Penken lift in Mayrhofen then you'll also need to get a bus to and from there. It's not too much of a hassle to be honest and each resort has fairly extensive skiing so it is worth the bus or train trip, all of which is covered under the lift pass. At approx. £110 for 6 days it's an absolute bargain. There is a good choice in Mayrhofen itself and it will probably be enough for a weekend.
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Mayrhofen... lots of busses? Not sure where you heard that. The Penkenbahn is right in the center, moments walk from many hotels. True some big hotels are the other end of the main street, and some small ones are up small streets, so the free bus makes it easier. No different to any other resort with a free shuttle bus going between the various stations.
Only ever been in Feb/March, so can't comment on the apres ski in december.
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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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RichA, you could try somewhere like Insbruck, it's a city with some reasonable skiing on it's own mountain and with a number of resorts close by. Stanton is right don't expect too lively a time, although going to midnight mass in an Austrian church can be a memorable experience.
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FYI Innsbruck has more bars than Vienna !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mayrhofen... lots of busses? Not sure where you heard that. The Penkenbahn is right in the center, moments walk from many hotels. True some big hotels are the other end of the main street, and some small ones are up small streets, so the free bus makes it easier. No different to any other resort with a free shuttle bus going between the various stations.
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Andy ... just looking at the ski map it seems you can't ski back to the centre of town but only to Hippach or Finkenberg and must then get the bus back to town ?? Is that right or is there a way to ski back to Mayrhofen itself assuming there's enough snow that low down ??
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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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RichA, you can't ski into Mayrhofen from the Penken, you need to get the gondola down and then walk or bus it to your hotel. The queues can be fairly big towards the end of the day, but I'm sure it will be much better in December. You can ski some of the way into Hippach and get the bus but it's easier just to get the gondola down to the bottom and get a taxi back to Mayrhofen for about €10. It's much quieter over this side. We did this a couple of times and it worked well as we stayed near the train station and it was on the right side of town for Hippach so it only took 5 mins to get back in the taxi.
You can ski all the way into Finkenberg and catch the bus from here to Mayrhofen. It's not far (3km) so a taxi wouldn't cost much from this side of the valley either.
For other resorts on the lift pass, you can catch the train, e.g. Kaltenbach, Zell am Ziller, which is good as it's quick but will involve a 5 min walk the other end from the station to the lifts. The skiing in Kaltenbach is excellent and well worth the trip. That said, it's probably more appealing while on a week's trip rather than a few days when there is more than enough in the immediate Mayrhofen area.
It's not that much of a hassle, it just adds more travelling time to your day, especially if you're used to ski in/out convenience. We're not to be honest and for the extent of the skiing on offer (600km on one lift pass), a bit of extra travelling is worth it. All buses and trains are included on your lift pass.
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thanks Hayley .. I'm convinced but now I'm having trouble persuading my buddies because of the restriction of one lift out of the town ... we had a bit of a mare in Cervinia last December when there was only one lift operating from the bottom and the queues were enormous.
What are the queues like normally on the main gondola in the mornings ?? (we're unlikely to be getting the first one!!)
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You know it makes sense.
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RichA, we made a massive (and I mean massive) effort to get there early (by 8.30 v.latest) and we queued for no more than 5 mins and this was peak season. I had also heard horror stories and was a bit worried but it was fine and I'm sure it will be in December. If you can't make the first lift, then go after 9.45. As I said, coming down was fairly busy but you can always just do a few more runs if that's the case or head over to Hippach where the gondola is quieter and get a taxi back into Mayrhofen. I'm sure though that it will be fairly quiet in December so don't worry.
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