 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
My wife and I are considering heading out to watch an FIS World Cup Ski event next season and wondered if anyone has any advice or tips.
For example, I imagine it will be quite expensive and wonder if you actually get to see much skiing. Which race would be best - obviously Kitzbuhel and Wengen would be great, but how practical is it and is it actually worth the effort.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Nick
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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nickr, I've seen a few races at Val D'Isere when I've been there anyway for early season skiing. I think I saw the men's GS one year and men's Combined another. I really enjoyed them, the atmosphere is fantastic. The beauty of those events is that you can see most/all the race from the bottom.
It didn't cost much for either of these as we were staying in Tignes and skied over for the races. If you want to ski as well the races do lead to various lift and piste closures.
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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 Nick,
My wife and I have been to both - most recently the Laurberhorn (stayed in Murren) last year :
Early AM flight to Zurich from Manchester on the Thursday
Train to Lauterbrunnen / cable car to Murren
Stayed at the Hotel Eiger (fantastic place)
Murren is a lovely / quaint place (15-20CM of fresh to welcome us)
Skied Murren all day Friday – easily covered tonnes of mileage as no one else was seemingly around
Grandstand tix for the DH on Saturday (think the tix covered the transport up to Wengen)
Back Sunday
Spent more or less the whole Saturday in Wengen – obviously heaving with people but all part of the experience.
You can also watch the race on skis higher up the course) and ski for the rest of the day but I think this only makes sense if you’re staying in Wengen - we opted for the more relaxed option mainly because we had another 2 ski trips coming up so not overly desperate to ski on both days (others may disagree …).
Both different but amazing in their own right.
Any other Qs please shout.
Tony
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Excellent stuff, thanks for posting. You have both confirmed what I was hoping - that its a great weekend away.
Do you have any idea when they will likely announce the dates for the 2014/2015 races? I assume I will need to get it booked fairly swiftly.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The Lauberhorn and Hahnenkamm races are pretty much the same weekends each year, my advice would be that if you are going for a week, do so privately, go for 10 days and arive in the resort on the thursday or Friday if possible, then you will get to see all the racing you might want and once everyone leaves on Sunday you will have wide open empty slopes, in the week before the race many slopes get shut because of race prep.
The Lauberhorn has a lot of viewing spots, and though you need a ticket for some areas much of the course is accessible by anyone on skis with a ski pass
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Thanks quinton, was trying to find this
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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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nickr, You could get a relatively cheap package for the World Cup opening races in Sölden which take place at the end of October and you get both Men and Women racing down the same piste. If you like the atmosphere then maybe one of the Classics would also make a good weekend/short break away as well. The Ladies races seem to be cheaper than the Men's and the Zauchensee/Flachua races are fantastic atmosphere-wise with good skiing thrown in as well!
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Of course, if you want pretty much all course access, helmets signed etc, meeting the crew in the café beforehand then Lake Louise, but its not really a weekend trip!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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nickr, If you can get to Kitzbuhel then that's the one to go for. Fantastic atmosphere, 50,000+ there for the Downhill. Brilliant weekend, street bars line the town. Stay a little out of the town as you will pay a massive premium. Get there very early to park or bus/train in. I stayed in my apartment in Zell Am See and drove in (around 1 hr) then spent the night after the DH in the Casino. I'm hoping to go there again next year and take in both Kitz & Schladming night Slalom.
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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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Meribel is hosting the FIS Worldcup finals 18 -22 March 2015.
Our apartment is Brides les Bains is linked to Meribel via a gondola. So anyone planning on going to watch this, please bear us in mind when booking accomodation. Will be much cheaper than staying in Meribel! Would love to go myself but have 3 children in school 
The merinet site says - "This international event, held 18 to 22 March 2015, definitely should not be missed. 9 events will take place including descent, super G, slalom, giant slalom and team races. The best of the best will compete: the world's 25 top skiers from each discipline, plus the European and Junior World Champions will battle for World titles on Méribel's pistes. This is a first for France, the only time a French resort has had the honour of organising all the events. We can expect a similar atmosphere to the 1992 Olympic Games in Méribel: a party atmosphere in the town, top level events to watch and unusually quiet slopes as a majority of visitors will be involved with the racing."
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| Plugboy wrote: |
| nickr, If you can get to Kitzbuhel then that's the one to go for. Fantastic atmosphere, 50,000+ there for the Downhill. Brilliant weekend, street bars line the town. Stay a little out of the town as you will pay a massive premium. Get there very early to park or bus/train in. I stayed in my apartment in Zell Am See and drove in (around 1 hr) then spent the night after the DH in the Casino. I'm hoping to go there again next year and take in both Kitz & Schladming night Slalom. |
+1. Fantastic atmosphere. We stayed in Hopfgarten and caught the train to Kitz.
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You know it makes sense.
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We've done it at Garmisch. Really easy from Munich with the train and a great fun atmosphere. Saying that, there's a Men's and Women's City Event in Munich on 1st Jan which could be fun if your NYE celebrations don't go on too late!
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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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We were in Schladming a few years ago when the night slalom was run. There were thousands there, it was an incredible atmosphere, and the whole town was taken over by stalls and bands during fasching week. Mario Matt won it in monsoon like rain, everybody was soaked but nobody cared.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kitzbuehel and Schladming are probably the best to aim at, within days of each other, Kitz friday-Sunday, Schladming following Tuesday night. Tickets for Kitzbuehel you can buy when you are there, unless you want finish area, then you will need to check website months before. Schladming night race tickets for the finish area go on sale in August, I think.
I can recommend the comfortable and reasonably priced Pension Schmidminger in Kitzbuehel, ten minute walk from Kitzbuehel centre. For next Jan contact them now.
We used it as a base for the two weeks covering the period. I found impossible to get rooms in or close to Kitzbuehel for anything other than complete weeks.
Great party atmosphere at both, lots of action in the towns pre-race.
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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,looking to go to kitz for next World Cup in January ,but struggling to find any accomadation around the area,any help much appreciated.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sadly what used to be an amazing experience has become more than an expensive bunfight. The actual race day is something to experience. However sponsorship by breweries has led to a lot of drunkeness and poor behaviour. I always attend the opening GS races at Sölden but will not attend the Men's race on the Sunday until they do something to control the idiotic drinkin.
Other good races to attend are Val Gardena, Cortina, Garmisch and, of course the Schladming Night Slalom. I also attend the training days for the Ladies speed races st Altenmarkt/Zauchebnsee. The Flachau Ladies n
night Slalom is also a good event to attend that does not break the bank (remember with the best will in the world any race can be cancelled due to bad weather conditions).
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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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@hes good, I have stayed at the Pension Schmidinger in Kitzbuhel, it's located about 10 mins walk from the old town. It's comfortable and not so pricey. However, the problem with accommodation for race weekend is getting a room just for that, say 3-4 nights. Pensions want you on a Sat-Sat basis, hotels that will give you the weekend nights will be very expensive and, for 2017, probably booked up by now. I have got round this by booking a pension for two weeks, middle weekend being Hahenkamm, then taking in the night race in Schladming (highly recommended) the following Tuesday, using the Kitzbuhel pension as a base. However, you obviously have to commit to a two week holiday rather than just the race weekend. To savour the fabulous atmosphere (part cup final, part grand prix, part NYE) you really do need to stay within walking distance of Kitzbuhel.
Disagree with @Samerberg Sue, Hahenkamm is without doubt party time, but no more drunk and disorderly than your usual Austrian apres, just on a much bigger scale and it is very well organised and programmed. Now Schladming can be a bit more of a bun fight, but nothing to touch it for atmosphere, especially if Hirscher is top.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| hes good wrote: |
| Hi,looking to go to kitz for next World Cup in January ,but struggling to find any accomadation around the area,any help much appreciated. |
If you can't find suitable accommodation in Kitzbuhel itself you could always try staying in Kirchberg (just a few kilometres away). From Kirchberg you can get to the Kitzbuhel slopes on skis using the Fleckalmbahn gondola, or if you're on foot there will be frequent bus services between Kirchberg and Kitzbuhel, or you can go by train from Kirchberg station and get off at Kitzbuhel Hahnenkamm station. 
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@davidthornton, the ÖSV and FIS are getting worried by the so-called "Kampf- Saufen (fighting binge drinking) many of the young people, particularly lads around 16 to 19 or so, are indulging in at these high profile events. With well over 50,000 fans at Kitz, the best way to get to the venue is with the special trains from Kufstein and the surrounding areas.
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| nickr wrote: |
Hi all,
My wife and I are considering heading out to watch an FIS World Cup Ski event next season and wondered if anyone has any advice or tips. |
Ski the course just before or after the race.
Organizers make the course icier than anything normos will ever experience in a typical ski day.
Puts a good perspective on what it takes to compete at the top level.
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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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when are the dates for the 2016/2017 released?
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@Jonny996, see above ... Released some time ago ...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Apologies I can't work that out, last year the Kandahar was in chamonix but it is not on the 2015/2016 schedule, likewise is it true that 2016/2017 no men's event in France
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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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@Jonny996, Try here. There are men's races in Val d'Isere next winter. The next WC races in Chamonix will not be until 2019-2020.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 30-05-16 19:26; edited 1 time in total
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@Jonny996, June.
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You know it makes sense.
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Not only are the races for 2016/ 2017 already announced, on the FIS website all the Tds, course setters, etc decided.www.FIS under look under "Calander" and you will see how much is already vent up to the race order for the next Winter Olympics
P 
Perhaps that's why the Vonnbot wants to be the oldest winner in a World Cup race 😄😄
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