Help! Italy or Austria?

A snowHead

@shockingmoment, if you do hire a car at Innsbruck airport, then avoid Megadrive at all costs, this is based on my experience and several others. See my post and Tripadvisor posts. They have an appalling reputation. Briefly, I was conned to pay out for accident damage that occurred after I had returned the car, whilst it was parked in the return bay. It was either that or there never was "accident damage". The supporting photos they sent were dated two days before the car was returned. I think they just contrived "accident damage", the photos seemed to show a smear across the top of the driver's door. I thoroughly checked the car before I left it, out of hours. The upshot was 400 Euros in their pocket and 400 Euros from my car hire insurance. Anyway, avoid Megadrive.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Zillertal is basically 4 distinct areas in 1 valley. 3 are linked by train or bus, and hintertux is linked by bus. whether you take train or bus really depends on where you stay in the valley, right in the middle of one of the main towns, or out of town.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@turms, looking at the piste map.... to get to the glacier blues we need to go up the Giggijochbahn lift, then ski / lift to the glacier?

I'm sure there are other routes but I want to avoid reds / blacks until she's confident... then I'll frighten the life out of her Toofy Grin

Looked at the bus timetables... I think we'll rent a car. Our return flight is 10.00 so we'd need to leave at 06.00 I suspect.

Thanks everyone

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@shockingmoment, easy runs to get up to the glacier link gondola - nothing going or coming back will frighten her. Better from the Giggijoch but not impossible from the Gaislachkogl. Trade off - Giggi area can be busy, Gaislachkogl tends to be quieter.

You'll need to Register first of course.

http://www.soelden.com/ski-area-map

Some lovely quiet areas on the Gaislachkogl mid area that are very good for restoring someone's confidence. Just don't take her to the top unless you are going to the posh restaurant up there wink

The runs back down from the Gaislachkogl are also more forgiving than those on the Giggi side.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Samerberg Sue, sounds like your know your way about Solden Smile

we are going in January staying next to the fenicular not sure on the best way up from there?

After all it is free

@Levi215, if you mean the funicular, then that only takes you up to Innerwald. which is quiet but it goes nowhere really. Either go to the Gaislachkogl if that is nearest and play up there. Definitely the quieter and more cruisey of the two areas. From the Innerwald area, if the run is open, take the double chair up to the middle area. Then you can play in the blues up there or go across to the Landegg 6-seater to join into the Giggi area

The queues can be "bad" at the Giigijoch at the beginning of the day if you miss time it and try to go up with everyone else, but "bad" is relative, I've queued maybe 20 minutes max, 30 minutes was the worst I think. It is a 8-man gondola and they are good at filling them, I use the singles line and meet my friends at the top if that's what we have arranged.

@Samerberg Sue, You know the area better than most of us. Is Solden usually OK for snow in March? The historical snow records don't look very encouraging http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/tyrol/soelden/historical-snowfall.html?&y=2011&q=base&v=graph

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@foxtrotzulu, this far out, who knows. To be honest the historical data is not worth that much these days as we have fcucked the climate so much it is getting crazy. It also depends on where you (or the data compiler) obtained the data itself. When I started we could be sure of snow late November and by March things were finished. Since then the season has shifted now December is so-so (still never not been able to ski over Christmas in over 40 years); and april is often great.

March should be no trouble. I've booked in a much lower resort for the 21st March and am anticipating no problems whatsoever. Toofy Grin

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Sue - thanks for the info.

I can't see how to get from Gaislachkogl to the glacier.

Do you get off at the mid station then ski to C31 Langegg?

Could help with choosing where we stay!

We're also heading that way end of March.

Thanks for the tip about Megadrive. Bit naughty. We always take pics before and after and mark every blemish on the acceptance form. We've never been stung like that though. Not nice.

Thanks everyone

snow reports

@shockingmoment, Yep did all that, reputable companies you stand a chance, but not against rogue outfits. Anyway, in the end Insurance4carhire paid the bill but I still challenged it as far as I could. Auto-Europe, the consolidator, absolutely useless in challenging it.
Enjoy Solden, several excellent ski trips there, quite some years ago though (1980's!!!), so can't add any current relevant resort info for you.

shockingmoment, yep, get off at the middle station and take Blue 6 down to the Landegg 6-seater (C31). Always way quieter and almost always queue free in my experience.

As you are going to hire a car, don't base your choice on nearness to either of the 2 main lifts. There is a huge amount of free parking available, both in the open air and in multi-storey car parks. If you tie yourself to one area by selecting walking distance to one of the lifts you will pay a premium at the Gaislachkogl end (because it is quieter at that end) and be in party central at the Giggijoch end. With the car you can be across the river (still within easy walking distance, I walked everywhere in October on the World Cup race weekend when the roads were chocker). If you go up one area and come down another the free buses will shuttle you back to the car park you started in.

Another reason for not using nearness of the lifts as a basis (with the hire car) is that you can pick and choose where you want to ski as the week progresses. The section between the 2 lifts is what I refer to as party central, anywhere between the 4*Superior Regina hotel at the Gaislachkogl end to the 4* Superior Liebe Sonne at the Giggi end. This includes the Tirolerhof, the Tirol, Bergland and a couple of other up-market places. These hotels are well sound-proofed but you pay for it! Some of them do have some good packages though, so it is worth looking if that is what you like and dealing direct. End of march often has some good deals.

You know it makes sense.

@schockingmoment --- yes the best option is from Gigijochbahn and then ski-lift up to the glaciers....there are ALWAYS blue slopes, not anything difficult. The slopes in Soelden are mainly wide and little bit flat....
of course on the way to the glacier avoid the 41 (black) and you will take the 38 through the tunnel...not something difficult.
Returning back, of course you will take the gondola to go back to take the Gletscherexpress and no skiing the 31 (another black)

i recommend definitely Sölden for beginners...you coud find in Glacier area some wide nice easy slopes, served with gondolas
The place is no1 for alpine snowboardes...not without reason...they prefer wide flat slopes for carving...and sölden is perfect for this

on the other side, you could take Gaislachkogl until mid-station then take the no6 and the lift Langegg...but you will be again in the same place. On the top of 23 slopes
The problem is that if you want to go back to Gaislachkogl from glacier you must go down the 30 slope
its blue but is a little bit narrow and usually full of people and sometimes with bumps...

Help!!

Help! Italy or Austria?

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