 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Looking for some help working out the best village/town in the Ski Amade (or anywhere else in Austria) to stay in for New Year week 2015/16 and any accommodation recommendations for 3/4 people (prefer self catering). I am self driving to Austria again this year after Zell am See last year - I always miss the cheap flights!
Originally, a few weeks back I wanted to stay at Chalet Tatman in Saalbach but I had left it too late, but as the OH is off that week anyway we are still wanting to go to Austria.
- Must have good nightlife both post skiing and later on after an evening meal.
- Must have good non-skiing interests (spa, shops, cafe's)
- If my OH isn't skiing she would like to be able to meet me on the mountain for a meal.
- Prefer to be within 5 mins walk of a ski lift
- I may be skiing solo at some points so would be good to meet up with other Snowheads if anyone is out then.
I would be very grateful of any help.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@AthersT, take a look at Altenmarkt. I stay here for both the Christmas and New Year weeks (up to the 6th January): http://www.gasthof-rosner.at/ The location is perfect and although I don't do any evening apres there are a few places within easy walking/staggering distance  There are lots of sHs based in and around that area, and the prices stay the same all through the winter (75€ per night half-board).
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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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Flachau.
We stayed with Flangesax in Radstadt and loved the ability to go somewhere different each day with only a few mins drive. But as you are wanting somewhere with a few mins walk of a lift with nightlife then Flachau seems the most obvious option.
I'm hoping we'll be in the area at some point over Christmas/New Year too.
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@hammerite, @Samerberg Sue, Cheers guys, I think we are going for Flachau. We will probably drive around different resorts too, but also like the option to be close enough to stagger back from an apres session so Flachau seems like a good option. Hoping to tryout Zauchensee but it might be a bit early in the season for that fabled tree skiing!
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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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AthersT Loved Flachau for a birthday weekend mid-Dec ski trip a few years ago - total powderfest  .
Great ski area, quaint little village with a few nice restaurants - happy memories.
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@AthersT, let me know if you want any help, I'm in Flachau every weekend looking after apartments for friends!
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@AthersT, my apartment is in Flachau. Happy to answer any questions, although @Samerberg Sue is the expert on the actual sking
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@holidayloverxx, Just a few of quick questions, were looking to have the apartment booked in the next day or two though the choice available in Flachau at the moment is not much. Is it likely that some local apartment owners are yet to advertise? As in other places I have visited in Austria they seem to wait until after the summer finishes before advertising their apartments.
Also my other half is a fair weather part-time skiier and some days just likes to mooch around shops/cafes is there much of that available in Flachau? Is there the opportunity to meet up in a restaurant up the mountain as a non skiier also?
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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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@AthersT, There are not a great number of shops suitable for "mooching around" in Flachau to be honest, which is why I suggested basing yourself in Altenmarkt which is more of a town.
As for meeting up at lunchtime, it is usually possible for walkers/non-skiers to access the same main slopes anywhere in the region, although if she has a ski pass it is not a problem any way. As the uplift from the valley bases is now all gondola/chair lift based, there is not a problem arranging this. There is a useful App you can download to your phone from the ski Amadé web site which will help you identify which lifts are available for non-skiers.
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@Samerberg Sue, Cheers, will look at Altenmarkt then, we will just have to get the Postbus back after going to the Dampfkessel or Hofstadl :]
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@Samerberg Sue, its not my bag really! Thanks for the tips. I will consult the OH this evening and make our decision. The other option we have would be Schladming still in the Amade just, and we can still drive to Flachau/Zauchensee.
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@AthersT, taxi to altenmarkt is €18. The town is very nice but not actually at the ski mountain. The shops can be done in a day.
My apartment has been booked for months. It's the first week to sell.
In Flachau your wife can get the achterjet gondola to the ski area also the starjet chair lift as it does allow pedestrian download.
Personally I love the Dampfkessel and haven't noticed the prices being any higher than anywhere else.
If your wife wants easy access to the mountain then Flachau is a winner, the slopes at radstadt altenmarkt are lovely and are easily reached on the postbus
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You know it makes sense.
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@AthersT, if you are driving around then Altenmarkt makes way more sense as it is about as central to the whole area as you can be. I even buzz over to Saalbach (via leogang) from there in about 30 minutes. Lots of us based in that area as well. It would also give you a better price probably although I'm not sure what kind of accommodation you are after.bHowever it gets booked up quickly because of its position, especially that particular week. Contact the tourist office for a list of apartments or hotels in your price and size range.
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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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@Kooky, I go to Leogang, I don't bother going the whole way to Saalbach girl. With the new lift it is a breeze to get into and you can enjoy a really good late lunch in the Alte Schmeid or Asitzbräu (the chicken guy is usually shut or sold out by then!). After the beer it is a leisurely ride down the gondola for me although the new run down may be nicer and quieter than the usual run down to the Leogang nursery slopes. Maybe a wee bit over 30 minutes, but definitely less than an hour the last time I drove over (via Bischofshofen and Maria Alm), but I did not encounter any Bullen with hair-dryers though
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think I read somewhere that Zauchensee is higher than Flachau and we did find the snow there in late Feb even better and runs less crowed as we hit the Dutch holidays! The whole area is wonderful though - Flachua was the best resort and skiing we had in 15 years of skiing and our hotel was amazing!
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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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@sharon1953, Zauch is higher, and then Obertauern is higher still but not on the Sport amadé pass!  My favourite area is the old-fashioned 2-man chair and T-bar resort of Forstau/Fageralm, never crowded (because people don't like the T-bars or the open chairs probably). I also love the Reiteralm area again rarely crowded even in the busiest season and has an amazingly long season (usually from November to end of April depending on the snow).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Samerberg Sue, I think we must be related or something. Of all the places I've been Fageralm and Reiteralm are my favourites too. The Tyroler Grostl in the hut half way down ( the one with the ski jumping memorabilia) is just the dogs bollo*.
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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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@briand6868, meet you there next season then!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Been to Obertauern 3 times but we found the runs too short and not a very big area, but snow record is 2nd to none.
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@Samerberg Sue, @briand6868, sssshhhhh you two!
(BTW, best ribs in town are definitely to be had at the Trinkeralm, but again, ssshhhhhh!)
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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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How about Wagrain?
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@sugardaddy, my second home!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Samerberg Sue, I'm really in a similar situ. Have flights to Munich mid Jan. We are taking our two sons (6 and 10, the younger will be skiing for the first time) and my mum (doesn't drive). My wife has 4 weeks experience (and has v. recently confessed that she's afraid, last year her ski school group was too fast and the lower group was boring and too slow). So we need a village that is nice to walk around (decent chance of snow in the village is a big plus), my mum can easily come up to the ski school area and there is enough skiing close by for me and my wife to remain close enough in order to meet the children at lunch. Looking at Wagrain and Schladming (more expensive) right now. Flachau really falls on the village criteria. Do you know the Reiter Alm area? How is the village at the base area of the Silver Jet? How far is it from Schladming center? Any tips on Wagrain areas (apartment location)? Ski schools?
Thanks
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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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@sugardaddy, Either Schladming or Wagrain would suit your needs. Reiteralm has very little in the way of a village to walk around although the beginners area at the top of the Silver Jet is superb and it has a really good progression further up the mountain as well. However nervous skiers are well advised to download at the end of the day as the two runs that return to the base are long and tiring which ever route you take down. There are others here who can give you more accurate descriptions of Schladming and the ski schools so I'll leave it to them. I have skied there a lot but do not base myself there for longer than a day. I have spent a couple of week long holidays and thooughly enjoyed myself but that was way back in the mists of time (last century )
Wagrain is great and I actually base most of my skiing there throughout the winter. It is very central for skiing, I know the pistes like the back of my hand and can reach anywher I want within 30 minutes. I have always worked with the Rot-Weiß-Rot ski school, but the Wagrainer Ski school and Rudi Hüber ski school are also very good. They all do ski school and ski hire packages. The progression is excellent and beginners really do get the feel of travelling around a mountain wherever they go. As for accommmodation you really need to contact the Tourist Office to get their list and then just fire off enquiries. There is lots of accommodation in the Kirchboden area which orientates you to skiing primarily from and around the Flying Mozart lifts. Other than that there is good accommodation outside of the main village, but it is not as easy to get around without a car. A friend stayed in Moadörfl last Christmas in an apartment house where the accommodation was very generous and modern. They came down to the Graffenberg lifts each day by bus with his children, the shuttle buses run very regularly during the day so it is not difficult. His 2 children did brilliantly and were whizzing around the slopes by the end of the week and did not want to go home, despite the tears and tantrums at the beginning (an 8 year old and a 5 year old). They are returning this coming christmas I think and will be staying in the same location.
Flachau is a good base for skiing, but for facilities for walking around and generally window shopping, there's not too much to do really, but then Wagrain is not really much of a "town" either. It does have a good public swimming pool, Wasserwelt, which Flachau sadly lacks and Wagrain has more of a living all year round settlement feel to it. I think the skiing pogression at Flachau is very good, but in peak season it does get crowded around the top of the Achter Jet which is where all the ski schools have their high level beginner areas. There are some lovely empty areas there even in high season (for example the runs going down to the Space Jet 1 chairlift), but the intimidation more nervous skiers feel in the middle area where all the top runs converge is pretty bad. Even as a fairly competant skier myself, I don't like skiing here in high season, so I usually approach from a different start point and avoid the top of the Achter Jet as much as posible until the season quietens down.
Ask away as there are several of us who are either living in the area or are based for skiing there all season. We all have our favourite areas and bias based on where we are happiest. I've been skiing in the area for nearly 30 years now, so have seen it develop both in terms of infrastructure and popularity. But there are still areas I'm not as familiar with which is why i like it so much.  
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@Samerberg Sue, thanks. We're looking at mid January so the crowds should be less of a problem. I've been to the Wasserwelt a few years ago (it was a lad's trip and we stayed on a farm outside Flachau. I saw a few nice apartments in the Kirchboden area. The Wagrainer ski school seem to have a beginers area there? For my wife I think that maybe a few private lessons are needed. Maybe with a woman instructor/ The ski bus is not a problem per se. Rather, we'd like to be able to meet the children mid day (to eat lunch or take them back to the apartment) with minimum ski time lost. How is Kirchboden to walk around? Just hotels or are there a few coffee shops and "souvenir" shops for my mom to browse by herself?
re: Reiteralm, that was my impression
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You know it makes sense.
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@sugardaddy, Kirchboden is basically a housing area not much else there apart from the hotels. But the shuttle buses between Flying Mozart and the Graffenberg lifts take you down to the main village, about 5 minutes walk from the lift station. The same goes for the Hofmark area, it is a walk down to the village from there.
I can recommend a couple of really good instructors who are amazingly patient and I can also ask my friends for some recommendations. I think if you orientate yourself towards the Graffenberg side for the ski schools you will have more choice as well as it being easier to get to a variety of huts for lunch. The children's beginner groups come down the mountain and eat in the Kuhberg Alm initially. It has a big area reserved for them or if it is quieter they may go to the Graffenberg Alm at the top of the main gondola. Once they have mastered snowplough turns they usually eat in the Hachau-Hütte at the bottom of the beginners chairlift.
I don't think it really matters too much where you are as the buses buzz around between the Flying Mozart and Graffenberg lifts, Graffenberg/FM and the Rote 8er, etc. All free, all of a high standard and comfortable, rarely over-filled even in high season. there are depots where you can leave your skis and poles at the base stations. I would not leave my boots in them if they are not heated (even if they are I prefer to bring my boots into my room). If you have a locker it means you can store shoes/snow boots there during the day as well.
Are you travelling by car from Munich Airport or are you doing a transfer?
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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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@Samerberg Sue, thanks. We'll be travelling by car. I hope to have at least one day at another area, at least go to Zauchensee
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Samerberg Sue, thanks!
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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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We stayed in Kirchboden last week (left on Sunday). Depending where you are looking at staying you could end up very close to the Graffenberg or very close to the Flying Mozart or somewhere in between. Lovely area, close for town and close for Wasserwelt. Have a look out for apartments that have a ticket for Wasserwelt included as it works out very handy. We stayed in Apartmenthaus Kristall, it was lovely. New kitchen, very well provisioned, clean towels mid week, no deposit and just a cleaning charge, games room for the kids, enough parking, bread delivered every morning if you want. The owner hardly spoke any English but put up with the OH's German (which I think is ok, but I'm clueless!), the owner was very friendly.
Apologies if this reads as rambling, writing on my phone at Eurotunnel terminal! We've had an intentionally slow journey back home.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@hammerite, hope you finally made it over with few problems at the Tunnel. Hopefully see you inthe winter sometime in our neck of the woods.
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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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@hammerite, oh we've had a few non english speaking zimmer owners the years. All have been great. At one time I even thought that the non english speakers are nicer, until I realised that all the non english speaking ones were from the mountains and that the less nicer owners were from Vienna and it's surroundings
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Samerberg Sue, thanks. We're possibly going to try and make it over again to look at some properties in the summer (if anything suitable comes up). If we don't have anything of our own to stay in by Christmas we're thinking of returning to the apartments we've just stayed in.
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@hammerite, I'll be out 3 separate weeks during the season...my first season ticket!!! Hopefully we'll see you at some point
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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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@Kooky, I can buy mine now...I think
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FAQ
Only 3 months til we can get our grubby mitts on our passes 
