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Looking to break free from France!!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
After skiing in France for the last 8 years I'm looking at taking the plunge and trying Austria in 2015. I have only ever skied in France (my wife has skied in Austria many years ago when she 12 and 13yrs old) so feels a bit like losing my comfort blanket, but we feel ready for something different.
After a bit of research we have decided on Saalbach and I was just after some advice/thoughts/confirmation that I have chosen ok?!?! Resorts we have skied in France and really enjoyed are La Clusaz, Chatel, Les Carroz.
We are a family of 3 adults who all enjoy cruising reds and blues with some adventuring onto blacks and the soft stuff. Any views from those in the know will be greatfully received!! Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Are any of your family vegitarian? Ham is generally considered a valid veg. option in Austria Smile
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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?
Mjit, France, especially in the Alps, isn't exactly great for vegetarians either. And in Spain it was suggested to my daughter that ham would be OK "if chopped very small".
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I've skied throughout the Alps over the years and I rate Austria highly - good value, some great skiing and lovely people.

I/we rate it to the point where we're seriously considering semi-retiring there in the future.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
pam w wrote:
Mjit, France, especially in the Alps, isn't exactly great for vegetarians either. And in Spain it was suggested to my daughter that ham would be OK "if chopped very small".

Laughing
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Cant comment on Saalbach but having skied both France and Austria Its Austria for me anytime. Lifts are generally good and modern, people more friendly and perhaps the best thing is the prices are far cheaper. €3.50 to €4.00 for a large beer for example. Being lower there is a risk of the lack of snow but all ski areas are well covered by cannons. Would recommend but Ski Welt or Zillertal Valley. Zillertal has more variety but you must be prepared to travel (about 30 min depending where you stay) using there excellent train and bus service which is included with the ski pass.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
When my veggie wife first moved here (Morzine) she sent back a "vegetarian salad" because of the bacon bits sprinkled on top. The waiter indignantly explained that "lardons don't count"!!! Laughing
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Saalbach /Hinterglemm is a great resort, I have been there several times competing in the RAF Ski/Snowboard champs. It is a fairly short transfer from Saltzburg, around 2 hours. I have been accomodated in Hinterglemm every time, usually going for a small pension. Hinterglemm itself is a quieter base than Saalbach apres wise so it really depends on what you want. Lots of good mountain huts for food and drink which are very reasonably priced. Try the Goatschtall on the home run back into Hinterglemm, if only for the dancing goats wink, the Hexenhaus is good too (but smoky). There is a great toboggan run on the (I think ) Reiterkogl where you get towed up the mountain in a cage behind a piste basher, spend a couple of hours in a mountain hut drinking and eating and then back down on the toboggan Cool
Loads of good reds to cruise in this resort, it is a very good place for intermediates and the lift system is fabulous, but..........
It is not a very high resort with Hinterglemm at 1100m and Saalbach 100m less, slopes going up to 2000m on the Hochalm and mainly south facing so the snow can be patchy and suffers in the afternoon turning very slushy in the sun on the home runs. Good piste maintenance and pleanty of snow cannons.
I have had a great time every trip and highly reccomend it.

ATB,
Andy.
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Quote:

It is not a very high resort with Hinterglemm at 1100m and Saalbach 100m less

If you want a more snow sure alternative, consider Ischgl. I've alternated over the years between big French resorts & Ischgl. Most of Ischgl's skiing is above 2,000m, it has a great lift system (mostly high speed chairs), a big enough area with to keep you happy for a week, enough variety for all standards, and a pretty village with good nightlife.
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I've mostly skied in France (a lot) but have skied in Austria a bit (Stuben, Lech, Sonnenkopf, Stubai, Wart Schrocken). France I've done the big ones many times and a couple of smaller ones. You will find some very polarised opinions on SHs aswell as some very balanced viewpoints. Personally, I don't care where I ski. I ski mostly in France because of the skiing and the convenience. I drive and self cater. I can drive say to La Plagne overnight and stay in a cheapish apartment and have access to a large and varied ski area. I virtually never eat on the mountain, in restaurants in the evening or go to bars. So for me all of those are non-factors. Lift pass can seem a bit pricey but the skiing is on the doorstep, high and there is lots of it. Austria often means car, bus, tram, trains to get to and from where you are staying or to different ski areas. I have done it (not with kids though) and it's not a killer but is a negative. If you want good cooked food on the hill, a bit of nightlife off the slopes, if the gallic shrug, etc. annoys you then definitely look to Austria and Italy. It really is horses for courses IMO. I hope to branch out in the future too. There are places in Italy and Switzerland I'd like to sample. But we'll see. But yes go for it. What have you got to lose. Sorry I don't know Saalbach at all.
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Austria is a Jägerland .

We hunt & eat meat Deer,wild boar we also eat a lot of calf (wienerschnitzel).

To ski hard & survive we need protein, lots of it. Vegrtarian diet will not hack it im
afraid....
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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.
stanton wrote:
To ski hard & survive we need protein, lots of it. Vegrtarian diet will not hack it im afraid....


rolling eyes

Someone clearly forgot to tell Bode Miller this
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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
Sideshow_Bob, so that's why he's gone off the boil Laughing
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:

Someone clearly forgot to tell Bode Miller this


Is this why he could only muster a bronze at the Olympics - and he is only 36. A mere youth.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Mjit wrote:
Are any of your family vegetarian? Ham is generally considered a valid veg. option in Austria Smile
corrected your spelling error too! wink

A somewhat antiquated view! I've just returned from a 10 day trip with a friend who is vegetarian and she skied the legs off me as she was eating so well. Vegetarian options are common place and on all hotel/Gasthof menus. These are proper options as well, usually locally sourced and made from scratch. I often choose the veggie option as well.

Despite what our ignorant Dutch troll spouts, the general populace does not eat meat every meal every day - lots of Käsespätzle on offer as well as omelettes with delicious fresh salad or perhaps just a cheese platter for lunch. The food tends to be filling that's for sure - Kaiserscharrn anyone? Or Salzburgernockerl? Razz
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Did the OP say anything about being vegetarian Puzzled Laughing Not sure the OP needs to hear about stanton eating lots of calf - just recommendations for some nice cruisey red/blue resorts with the option to do a little bit of adventuring onto blacks/side of the piste.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Samerberg Sue wrote:
The food tends to be filling that's for sure - Kaiserscharrn anyone? Or Salzburgernockerl? Razz


Ooh, Salzburgernockerl, nom nom....

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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?
Quote:

Austria often means car, bus, tram, trains to get to and from where you are staying or to different ski areas


But not in Saalbach! Saalbach / Hinterglemm is one large connected Ski Circus, with something over 200 km of linked pistes. A free bus runs between the villages, but lifts start in the middle of both villages, so pick a central location and you will rarely be more than 5 minutes walk from the nearest lift. As for altitude, although the villages are at approx. 1000m, almost all of the skiing is above the mid-stations of the various lifts at 1500m+. The area also links to Leogang, so there is plenty of red and blue cruising for a week.

spottyboy101, You will of course have seen this ever-expanding thread > http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2402083&highlight=saalbach#2402083
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quinton, fair point and worth highlighting that of course everything is a generalisation for which there are exceptions. For example Chamonix is not a linked set of resorts and requires a bus or car to get between them. That said for the most part the generalisations good and bad apply.
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Thanks for the great responses!!! I can confirm none of us are vegertarian so Austrian ham is good for us and I read that the chicken man at the top is not to be missed!! We generally go for 2 weeks so one of the appeals of Saalbach is the chance to purchase a lift pass that gives access to Zell am See and Kaprun, which just adds even more variety for a 2 week stay. We always go last week of Jan/first week of Feb so would hope in a 'normal' year that snow, even at low levels, should (everything crossed) be ok. Accomodation wise I have found some really nice looking self catering apartments halfway between Saalbach and Hinterglemm (is this a good spot??) I know Austria is very popular with pensions but S/C works for us as we like to have the option of a private quiet night in with the TV, but also get out and about to sample local restaurants. We will probably have a car so getting around won't be a problem.
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In general, Austria = easier skiing, lots of meat, lots of men, lots of buses but nicer accommodation. France = rabbit hutches or catered chalets and a ski 'holiday' which in my opinion is the best holiday you could have in the alps.. I've done them all but if you're adamant about not doing France, why not Italy?
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Layne wrote:
quinton, fair point and worth highlighting that of course everything is a generalisation for which there are exceptions. For example Chamonix is not a linked set of resorts and requires a bus or car to get between them. That said for the most part the generalisations good and bad apply.


Agree, Chamonix definitely has the Austrian vibe about it in that respect. A lot of Austrian resorts are busier in summer and if I am not mistaken so is Chamonix? I do feel both lend themselves more to summer?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Layne, also not in many of the Ski Amadé areas - Flachau, Wagrain and Alpendorf are now all connected by lifts. The missing link has been filled by the aptly named G-Link (or G-String/G-Spot as it is already affectionately known) Appropriate because it links the Griesskareck area with the Graffenberg one. The Hochkönig area is not served by any shuttle buses linking along its length as I found out to my cost when I wanted to bail out on the return trip of the Königstour. I only got as far as the lift serving the exact piste I wanted to avoid! rolling eyes

Schladming is another big area where you do not have to use buses to ski the 4 mountains from Reiteralm to Hauser Kaibling, There are many other areas as well such as the Ski Welt, St Anton, Kitzbühel, St Johann in Tirol, all of which feature in UK Tour operator brochures.
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PS haven't given up on Austria yet - really fancy ski amade
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AsterixTG wrote:
I've skied throughout the Alps over the years and I rate Austria highly - good value, some great skiing and lovely people.

I/we rate it to the point where we're seriously considering semi-retiring there in the future.

I agree, I can't understand the snowheads fascination with france. As for food, well Austria has some fantastic foods.
[/spoiler]
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Quote:

Schladming is another big area where you do not have to use buses to ski the 4 mountains from Reiteralm to Hauser Kaibling, There are many other areas as well such as the Ski Welt, St Anton, Kitzbühel, St Johann in Tirol, all of which feature in UK Tour operator brochures.

Love Schladming. We are off week after next for the annual family trip....5th year running in the Alpine club....partners brother with a broken leg from a solo skiing trip to Italy a couple of weeks ago.......guess who looks after the kids all week whilst the rest of us are skiing ....... Twisted Evil

ATB
Andy snowHead


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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.
The food is awesome - good hearty stuff.

Some of the portions you get are certainly 'man sized'!
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 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
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Quote:

France = rabbit hutches

only if you haven't the wit to rent a decent apartment - there's this thing called "the internet". You'd be surprised what you can find there. wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Samerberg Sue,
Quote:

Layne, also not in many of the Ski Amadé areas - Flachau, Wagrain and Alpendorf are now all connected by lifts.

Another good point. Don't assume everything stays the same Toofy Grin

Quote:
There are many other areas as well such as the Ski Welt, St Anton, Kitzbühel, St Johann in Tirol, all of which feature in UK Tour operator brochures.

Don't know about the others but as regards St Anton, it depends on whether you are talking about St Anton or the Arlberg.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Sideshow_Bob wrote:
Someone clearly forgot to tell Bode Miller this


He must of let his guard down because whenever he was in town (St Anton) he was a regular at the Funky Chicken ..
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Have to say I really enjoyed my first trip to Austria this year. St Anton has a rep for being fairly expensive but I still found it cheaper than the resorts I have been in France (which admittedly are all big ones - various parts of the 3V, Paradiski and Chamonix). Also the beer, generally speaking, was much nicer than the wee wee water you usually get in the French mega resorts.

I want to try Italy next year as well.
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spottyboy101, Is there a lift nearby? Otherwise it will mean getting the bus to/from the nearest lift (it's been a long while since I've been to Saalbach). Personally, I'd prefer to stay nearer one of the centres. Maybe look for a Guesthof?

Andy382, Do I know you? AKA Doptrack on another well known forum.
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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?
Congratulations you have seen the light, Austria just beats France hands down IMHO. Having skiing in a number of Austrian resorts now over the last 6 years (having skied France for as many) I think Saalbach will serve you well, great resort 200km skiing, half price food and drink compared to France and if you like après just no comparison, but it's optional !
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Skitrack........Not sure, doesn`t ring a bell though.

ATB
Andy. snowHead
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Quote:

spottyboy101, Is there a lift nearby? Otherwise it will mean getting the bus to/from the nearest lift (it's been a long while since I've been to Saalbach). Personally, I'd prefer to stay nearer one of the centres.


Quote:

halfway between Saalbach and Hinterglemm


This can be a bit of a no-mans-land. There are some nice apartments located between the villages, but what you might save in rent will be spent on taxis and hassle - the free ski busses start at 09.00 and stop running around 17.00, risking severely curtailing your après activities. It is very easy to fall into the Hinterhag Alm, Bauers, Spitz, Goasstall etc and not be able to find the exit before 19.00.

Try looking for apartments nearer the centre of Saalbach. Tatman's Tours (you can PM him) has a couple directly opposite the Kohlmais lift. Aparthotel Astrid is ski-in/ski-out 5 minutes walk from the centre with an excellent restaurant attached (Kohlmais Stub'n), there's an English instructor who manages some apartments (www.ski-apartment-saalbach.com) or look at the booking service on the tourist office website (www.saalbach.com)
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I stayed once in this "no mans" land quoted by quinton, The free ski busses are indeed a hassle. One morning while waiting to get to our private lesson we waited about 2 hours before one came along. Apparently it snowed during the night and it took them a long time to get the chains on. But it was a long time ago and they may be more reliable now.
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johnE, The busses are very reliable and they have increased the frequency this season, but they start late and finish early. Also, if you stay between the villages you risk that the early busses to Hinterglemm have filled up in Saalbach - and of course the busses to Saalbach have already filled up in Hinterglemm meaning that you might not get on. Some of the hotels and guest houses have solved this by running their own minibus service. Hotel Sonne does this, as does the Good Times Hostel (do not be put off by the name, it is actually a very clean and tidy apartment house with a supermarket and ski rental almost next door).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
pam w wrote:
Mjit, France, especially in the Alps, isn't exactly great for vegetarians either. And in Spain it was suggested to my daughter that ham would be OK "if chopped very small".


Fair play - always have to respect out continental cousins to their robust attitude to foodstuffs. It's all just protons, neutrons and electrons after all.
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spottyboy101, Saalbach is great. You will enjoy it.
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