Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Planning a Europe Trip- Need Help

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum and was wondering if any of you could help me plan my first European ski trip. I am looking to go in the next few weeks. I am currently studying abroad in Vienna and am looking to do a 4-5 day trip. I'll hit Kitzbuhel and some other nearby resorts at some point, so I'm fine with traveling a little ways for this trip. As far as me and my skiing goes, I'm a level 8 skier (advanced to expert), ski pretty aggressively, and I like all sorts of different terrain. I can enjoy long groomers, steeps, trees, bumps (anything really, I like to mix it up). I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to return to Europe, so I'd like to make this trip as memorable as possible. Right now I'm looking mainly at St. Anton and Zermatt, but am open to other suggestions (I've heard the Southern Alps are the place to be). I'd also like to maybe do a day of guided skiing (I've heard that you shouldn't tackled the off-piste stuff alone, especially if you are new to Europe). I only brought my boots with me to Europe, so I'll need to rent high-end skis and a pair of poles. My main priorities for the trip are:

-Cool, lively ski town/village (I'm looking to get the European ski village experience)
-Terrain variety and challenge (I don't want to get bored, and I want access to some very unique runs as well as some very challenging ones)
-Ease of transport from Vienna (I don't want it to take 24 hours or 6 train connections to get there)
-Overall Experience

In addition to these, it should be noted that while I am looking to get the best experience possible, that I really don't care about my lodging. I am looking for cheap lodging with easy access to the mountain (I don't want to have to call a cab or anything) and decent accommodations, but I'm not looking to blow the wad on lodging. Also, I only speak English as of now (I'm not sure whether this factors into things or not).

If you guys could provide me with some info or some experiences of your own it would be much appreciated. Anything helps (snow conditions, recommendations for lodging/guides/restaurants).

Thanks so much,
Tyler
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I am no expert, but Vienna is a long way from the bigger resorts that it sounds like you want. You also need to think about when you are going-the later into April, the more it sounds like you need somewhere high with a glacier. If you are looking for english speakers then the bigger resorts are no problem, and these days you can usually get by in most places.

St Anton would tick most boxes, though they have not had as much snow as many areas this year ( I am sure there will be enough, but watch the end of season dates). Lots of off piste guiding available, and the lift pass gets you over to Lech too. You can get a train directly into the town. Off piste might be a bit skied out, but then you might be lucky and arrive around the time of a good dump. Guiding with english speaking instructors not a problem- we used pistetopowder.

Once you head towards Switzerland the overland travel time racks up (just googled train to Zermatt from Vienna-over 11 hours and pricey, a flight via Zurich or Geneva and then the train may be more sensible!). If you can stand the cost of the journey and the time, Zermatt would be a good option for late season. There is a youth hostel in the town so accommodation can be done on a budget (the rest of the Zermatt experience tends to burn a hole in your pocket!).

We have just had a fun weekend in Engleberg-a place to go for off piste mainly, but a nice town at the bottom of the hill (but not chocolate boxy). It has a glacier so you can ski late into the season.

How about flying to Geneva and heading to Chamonix (an easy transfer by bus, about 90 mins) or go through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur? You could do the Vallee Blanche from either side. Chamonix is more towny that many ski resorts, but it's lively and I am sure you can find some reasonably priced accommodation. The ski areas are rather disjointed compared with other places-I think most people either love it or hate it. You can also easily pop through the tunnel to Courmayeur for a taste of Italian skiing. You can ski Courmayeur in a day, but the runs are lovely!
Verbier is easy to get to by train from Geneva too, and would definitely tick the box for party town, big ski area and challenging skiing.

I can only speak of places I have been. My own preference from that list would probably be Zermatt. But then I'm a sucker for pretty buildings and the amazing sight of the Matterhorn. That's not to say it's my fave resort, but for what you are looking for it sounds about right!
ski holidays
 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?
Vienna to St Anton is straight-through on the train. About. 6 1/2 hours. When I left there last week, there was still a heap of snow, both on and off piste, albeit the warmest winter I have seen in 12 visits.

There are now 8 villages on the same pass... St Anton, St Christoph, Stuben, Lech, Zurs, Sonnenkopf, with Warth and Schroken being the new additions. Off piste is, to all intents and purposes, "unlimited".

My only concern for you... It has been a light snow year, so do not leave it for too much longer.
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Zillertal is pretty easy from Vienna. 4 hours direct to Jenbach and then change and get on the valley train. There is a hostel in Mayrhofen for cheap accommodation, the pass covers the whole valley and depending on how late you go/snow conditions there is also the glacier at Hintertux, which is a free bus ride away.
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
If I was you I'd go to Mayrhofen. The Zillertal skipass covers a huge area and it's easy to get to the different resorts by train or bus. I'd stay in Mayrhofen for the nightlife but actually prefer the skiing in Kaltenbach. For a day's guiding I'd speak to Roy - contact details at http://www.zillerthriller.com/snow.html
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Hi - general advice for a late season trip (not sure when you're going exactly) is to make sure there's plenty of skiing above 2,500m but you probably know that already. I've been to Zermatt and St Anton, and must say I much preferred Zermatt. Much more spectacular (Matterhorn is incredible), and you've got Saas Fee round the corner for tons more high altitude skiing.
The SkiRail Map of the Alps is pretty handy for planning trips like this. Shows how all the ski resorts are connected by train.
www.rogerlascellesmaps.co.uk/SkiRail_Map_Main.aspx
Also available as an app https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-alps-ski-resort-rail-map/id610342489?mt=8
Good luck!
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Dolomites have a lot more snow than most of the resorts around here (incredible how much difference a 1.5 hour drive makes), and LOADS of obvious (and mostly easily accessible) offpiste terrain. Every lump of rock you look at has at least 10 incredible climbable/skiable couloirs; the potential is just insane.
snow conditions



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy