 Poster: A snowHead
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Snowheads advice needed!! After spending the last few years skiing in France (with the odd trip to Andorra), I thought it was time to do something a little different next year and have been eyeing up Austria.
So what are we after:
- group of 7, abilities ranging from beginners to intermediates so slopes to suit.
- decent après ski
- no ski buses, so the ability to walk to the lifts from our hotel/apartment. Ski in/ski out even better!
- a big enough ski area to keep us intermediates happy (we've been to the 3 vallees in previous years)
- not crazily expensive, we generally try to do the holiday for under £850 a head.
I've looked at a few options and Saalbach seems to tick quite a few boxes but just wanted to check.
I'm also skiing Morzine in mid Feb, which would mean we'd go either late Jan or first week of March. The latter being the preference, as I like sitting outside in the sun with a cold beer! Saalbach is fairly low, would the slopes still be okay at that time?
Any thoughts/suggestions gratefully received!
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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'd say Saalbach or Hinterglemm tick all your boxes. Had a great week there with 2 of my kids and wife at start of Feb. Definitely returning next year hopefully with a few more folk to make the most of the abundant apres 🍻🍻
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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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Saalbach sounds like it fits the bill.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Handy Turnip, I have compiled a fairly comprehensive guide to Saalbach-Hinterglemm, which other Snowheads have apparently found useful. If you would like a copy, send me a PM with your e-mail, or contact me using my below website.
Incidentally, Saalbach is not particularly low for Austria and has a good snow record; also a state of the art snow-making system. The ski season starts at the beginning of December and ends after Easter, around the 2nd/3rd weeks of April. We normally stay until April and it has always been possible, in our experience, to find good skiing, and also to ski back to the village, right up to the end of the ski season. Early March is a good time to visit.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Snowheads advice needed!! After spending the last few years skiing in France (with the odd trip to Andorra), I thought it was time to do something a little different next year and have been eyeing up Austria.
<snip>
I'm also skiing Morzine in mid Feb, which would mean we'd go either late Jan or first week of March. The latter being the preference, as I like sitting outside in the sun with a cold beer! Saalbach is fairly low, would the slopes still be okay at that time?
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Early March is still high season for most Austrian resorts, including Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
If you are used to skiing France, then Austrian altitudes may look low, but geographical location means they tend to get more snow at lower altitudes, and they also need less snow to ski on, due to the different nature of the ground under the snow (more meadows, less rocks).
I've heard before that you should add approximately 300m to the Austrian heights to get an equivalent French resort. I'm not sure how accurate that is.
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| Quote: |
I've heard before that you should add approximately 300m to the Austrian heights to get an equivalent French resort. I'm not sure how accurate that is.
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I wonder where this came from and how they came up with the approximation of 300m, as opposed to say 500m or even 600m. It is certainly true that the snowline is much lower in Austria, and it would be interesting to see a proper comparison between eastern ski resorts and those in the western Alps and Pyrenees (closer to the Atlantic). The industry's most authoritative guide - the International Report on Snow and Mountain Tourism (http://www.vanat.ch/RM-world-report-2015.pdf) says very little:
"Although often important at a regional level, the altitude of a ski resort is not really an important benchmark worldwide, since at some places around the globe one can ski at sea level, whereas in other countries, one needs to be at the higher elevations to access decent snow conditions."
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Many thanks for all your tips and feedback - much appreciated! Saalbach looks like a winner!
Thanks Tatman's Tours - pm sent!
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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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The Hotel König might be worth a look (assuming hotels are under consideration) - with reasonable snow one can ski back to the boot room (it does involve crossing a road, but in decent snow, one can avoid taking one's skis off  ) Very handy if one is enjoying a bit of apres and then needs to get back for dinner...!
There is a beginner area behind the hotel with a short tow-rope that can get one pretty much up to the main lifts with a short walk and crossing the road mentioned earlier.
Great hotel, really good food, just off the centre of the town, so no more than 5 minutes to walk into the main area.
There seem to be plenty of options to suit most budgets/groups/preferences etc.
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@Handy Turnip, you won't regret Saalbach - ticks every single box.
I also highly recommend the Konig for the above reasons.
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