 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi Everyone. We are two couples. The men ski quite well and the women are beginners. We are going the last week of February to Zillertal and we are trying to decide on the right "base". We have a car. We are not planning to ski together. The men will ski alone while the wives take lessons and practice. Probably last day we will ski together with the hope that by then our wives can make turns on a blue piste.
So we are looking for the right base. We want to make it fairly easy on our wives - find a place with good beginner slopes and a good school but also make it easy for us to go elsewhere such as to Zillertal Arena and Penken. Hochzillertal came to mind but my issue with it is that Kaltenbach does not really give you any kind of "ski town" feeling. So now we are also considering Fugen and Hochfugen. I've never been to them or their pistes. Also I don't know how bad would it be to make the drive down in the morning if we stayed in Hochfugen.
Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@Sgebay, Fugen is as you say a larger town than Kaltenbach, so has more shops and restaurants. Hochfugen (along with the linked slopes at Kaltenbach forming the Hochzillertal ski area) has some great skiing, with both beginner slopes and more advanced runs, as well as off piste if that's your thing. However if you stay at Hochfugen then once the day crowds have gone home it is very quiet and isolated. Also as you say it is a bit of a drive down from Hochfugen to the valley at Fugen before you go onto your destination for the day.
I've stayed at the Hotel Alpina in the village of Ried near Kaltenbach, which I can highly recommend, the food is excellent and it has a wellness centre including an indoor pool). I posted a fair amount of information about Kaltenbach, ski schools and apres-ski places on this thread.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Kaltenbach is the best area for the learners - ski school right next to the top of the access gondola, then a couple of very gentle runs down to a decent hut and from there there's access to a couple of steeper blues that I'd expect they'd be happy on by the end of the week. They'll probably be able to get to the Kristallhutte by the end of the week and that will give them a feel for skiing a fair way across the ski area (as well as being able to have lunch in a brilliant hut).
Hochfugen links to Kaltenbach but the link is by red runs - good for you but not the beginners. Nice area but it's a drive up from the valley so you'd be much more limited for getting to other areas. Most of the accommodation is in pretty wooden chalets and I think there's two hotels. Wouldn't expect to find many british people staying there.
The Fugen ski area is tiny - had an enjoyable New Year's Day there a couple of years back but it's only really a couple of runs.
Aside from Mayrhofen all the towns in the Zillertal are pretty quiet. I stayed in an apartment in Stumm once and it was very convenient for getting to Kaltenbach and the other areas but only has a couple of hotels/bars and they're pretty quiet at night. Best après in Kaltenback is on the mountain and in a couple of the bars in the carpark at the bottom of the gondola. Not much after that.
Big advantage to Kaltenback is that it's the best learner area. If you stay there then the women will be able to walk to the gondola and you'll be free to drive to wherever you fancy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Kaltenbach would be my choice. Certainly for the beginners. Then if driving, drive to Zell am Ziller or Horbergbahn (for Mayrhofen) carparks (all free, at least during the day).
Gerlos has nice, possibly the best, big wide open beginner friendly area (other than Ahorn), and it's always sunny when I'm there. Might be an option for everyone on the last day with no lessons, for something different?
You can ski there from Zell am Ziller, but imho the link is not brilliant for learners (a mix of flat cat track and icy freezing cold steepish bit, and guaranteed moguls on the way home).
And the other bit (Königsleiten?), has some ace easy reds, but the only link is via a Black from Gerlos (at least if coming from Zell am Ziller).
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 20-01-16 11:32; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Sgebay, There are positives and negatives for each place... Most of which have been covered already!
I teach skiing in Hochfügen - for quieter beginner slopes go to Hochfügen or Fügen (ski area called Spieljoch).
For perfect beginner terrain choose Kaltenbach.
If you're thinking of going to other areas don't stay in Hochfügen - driving down the road in the morning would be irritating. Saying that, the Hochzillertal ski area (Kaltenbach and Hochfügen) has plenty of interesting skiing, so maybe you wouldn't want to go anywhere else anyway.
If you need more specific information, please ask. I'm in the area and know it pretty well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I'd recommend fugen with a lovely small ski company called "redpoint" (no connection or interests other than as a happy customer). Greg And Nina there are excellent, are ski instructors and will look after you All  .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you all very much for providing detailed answers so quickly! This definitely helps.
If my top priority is the convenience of the learning spouses, do I understand correctly that Hochzillertal is the better place to learn over Hochfugen and Fugen? One is a complete beginner and one has a week under her belt and can make snow plow turns but she is very tentative and gets nervous on "bluer" blues.
What if we stayed in Fugen but learned in Hochzillertal -- is there a ski bus or would we need to take the car? Not a big deal just trying to weigh the benefits of Fugen vs. Kaltenbach.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Sgebay, The terrain is better for beginners and beginner intermediates in Hochzillertal though it can be busier than the other places.
There is a train from Fügen to Kaltenbach that goes every 30mins. There is a Ski Depot at the bottom and at the top of the gondola in Kaltenbach so you would be able to catch the train in normal shoes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I am in Austria at the moment and have skied all three areas.Fugen is not suitable for beginners, it is all red runs with one tricky short blue. Hochfugen is a nightmare four mile switchback up from Fugen and even with snow tyres on my Skoda Octavia it was very slippy and icy. Kaltenbach is ideal with big car parks and two gondolas taking you up to the main ski area where there are a number of easy blues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Can't see that anyone's said it already, so here's one caveat: never, ever, ever ski back down to Kaltenbach base. There is quite a bit of apres goes on up the mountain followed by booze-fueled, testosterone-laden, high-speed carnage on the narrow piste down. Even as a very experienced skier, it's not pleasant. Had 2 friends taken out quite nastily and seen too many other instances and near misses.
Other than that, it was a favourite destination when we lived in Munich and both Kaltenbach and Hochfugen have a little place in my heart!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Many thanks for all the replies. My conclusion is to look for a hotel in Fugen, take the car in the morning to Hochzillertal, drop off the spouses for the lessons and then either ski there or continue to wherever we feel like skiing.
@grazzenger, that red home run looks nice...If we ski it in the morning presumably it would be okay?
PS-- is night skiing available in the area? what days?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
That home red run is a black run, and yes, bits of it are nice (the top bits).
If I ski that again, it'd be in the morning, then go back up the gondola (there'll be no queue - longest wait I've ever had at around 9:30-10:00 is 2 cabins, and that was to not barge in on other people).
At the end of the day, it was a disaster zone of people way out of their depth in snow cannon slush puppie moguls, especially in the narrow bit near the bottom. People giving up, taking skis off, then sliding down on their back sides. Which means I can't ski that narrow section until they've all cleared it, because I have no idea if they or their skis are going to shoot off like an out of control sledge.
Because it's a named run, I think people have to tick it off their list.
PS Zell am Ziller also has a home run now, I believe, rather than a home run down to the mid-station, where you barge your way in to a gondola cabin with a spare seat. I have no idea how good or bad that one is, but again I imagine the bottom sections might be a bit squishy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
As Andy says, it'd probably be a good ski in the morning if the conditions to the valley floor are good but we never did it. I think we did it twice at 'rush hour' with 2 friends taken out from behind and from then on downloaded. I'd compare it to the crowded experience of the red down Solaise into Val d'Isere at the end of the day but far longer, narrower, twistier, steeper and with a massive apres bar at the top of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
, it's better imv to take the gondola down".
Note that the night skiing is not included in the normal lift pass - apparently it costs 
