 Poster: A snowHead
|
Previously we've really only gone skiing in mid to late March, so the general rule was go high or go home.
This time we're forced to take a January vacation, either 7-14 or 14-21 (to avoid the crowds).
Would we want a high resort to make sure conditions are good? Or a low resort, to avoid possible whiteouts?
The general plan is to fly to Munich and then take either a car or the train to a big resort in Austria.
We don't really care for crazy nightlife, but we do want fast chairlifts (with bubbles!) and no pushing on the slopes.
We are intermediate skiers, going mostly on red runs throughout the day and adding a few simple blacks in between for fun.
Easy access to the slopes would be nice, although I know there aren't too many ski-in-ski-out places in Austria...
We've been to Mayrhofen before and liked it, and wouldn't mind going back, but trying something new would be nice.
Looking forward to your suggestions, thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Gasthof Alpenfrieden in Kappl is right on the slopes. Great gasthof with excellent food. Ischgl just up the road.
Hinterglemm would be good too. Lots of hotels close to the lifts and excellent skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Hotel burghoff in mayrhofen i would recommend. Lovely holiday. Ski bus right outside to the lift. Away from the busy noisy bars. Decent grub.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Well @chenav I'm going to suggest Kitzbuel.
It has a station.
Its a town on its own not just a ski vilage.
The sking is enourmouse and varried from high windy spots to tree lined runs.
Great mountain restuarants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Been to the following in Austria in the week following new year and all were great and we always had great snow (all have great infrastructure). Our rule is always stay within 7 minutes walk of the main lift to avoid the need to have to get on a bus. It is generally a quite week so no need to stay somewhere far from the lift that dictates a bus ride.
St Anton (with a bit of Lech)
Mayrhofen (with trips up and down the valley)
Schladming
Zell am See (with a bit of Salbach/Hinterglem)
Ischgl
Next Jan we will be in Kitzbuel. The fact that Kitz is a town has always put me off, but having just been there in the summer I found out that it is a very small town with a real village feel.
Other great non Austria early Jan trips (which were equally as good) have been to;
Zermatt
Wengen
Selva
Once went to Les Gets that week about 2007, no snow, but I guess that was the same all over that year that week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@chenav,Not sure if 7-14th will be 'Russian' week? Sometimes they are not the nicest of folks...... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@chenav, Saalbach-Hinterglemm? Train via Salzburg or Wörgl to Zell am See then 30 mins in a taxi? This hotel is quite literally ski in and out of the very building http://www.hotel-hinterhag.at
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@robboj, The Hotel Hinterhag — fabulous hotel, a work of art by the owner. Stay there every year; highly recommended.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Ischgl would fit the bill - and where my friends and I will be heading in min-Jan. While there are some nice blacks/off piste areas it's more a blue/red resort. Very few old/slow chairs, most longer than you can throw a ski pole have covers and an increasing number even have heated seats. 3 gondolas up from the village with a travellator through the hill in the middle of town to minimize walking. Secure ski storage available both at the top and bottom of the gondolas if your accommodation is further than you'd like to carry (but most within 500m of a gondola)/you don't want to 'just pop in for one quick apres drink' and then spend 2hrs drunkenly wandering around town trying to find your skis. The resort also has huge snow-making capacity, so provided it's cold there will be something white to ski on - but given it's open Nov-May min-Jan's basically mid-season so not much of a risk.
Although it's (rightly) famous for it's apres ski you don't HAVE to join in/find a quiet bar and it's like someone flicks a switch about 7pm with everyone heading back to hotels/off to restaurants for food and many apres bars turning in to civilized restaurants for 8pm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FYI the last couple of years the number of Russians that week has really dropped off. We also found that Ischgl was fairly quite that week and did not live up to its extreme apri reputation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| JimboS wrote: |
| FYI the last couple of years the number of Russians that week has really dropped off. We also found that Ischgl was fairly quite that week and did not live up to its extreme apri reputation. |
@JimboS, that's interesting, although I've certainly thought there's been less of them later in January. Not been in the earlier weeks since 2012 when they were almost literally 'invading' Zell am See.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Thanks for all of your replies.
I'm very much leaning towards basing in Kitzbuhel, for two main reasons: relatively close to Munich airport (especially compared with St Anton or Ischgl), and has a ski pass which includes lots of areas (especially SkiWelt & Saalbach-Hinterglemm), so if we take a car we will have lots of possibilities to get a taste of different ski areas which is always fun. Even Kaltenbach is just an hour drive away, though not included in the regional pass.
But ... from what I see it's a pretty low resort, with the town lying at 800 m and the pistes never going above 2000 m. Compare that to Ischgl or Arlberg, where the towns are at 1300-1400 m and the runs go up to 2500-3000 m. What should I make of this? Will we enjoy the lower altitude in January, as maybe it will be less cold and windy and yucky in general? But are we giving up on the nice views and vistas from up high in the higher resorts, and maybe the snow won't be as good?
Also Ischgl and Arlberg look much more vast and interconnected, than Kitzbuhel and SkiWelt which appear (on the piste map at least) a bit more disjoint, and smaller in general. Is this an accurate description or am I being fooled by the maps of either of these resorts? We really like to explore new areas and enjoy fast connections between them...
Thanks again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Don't fall in to the highest == best trap. Sure you'd be taking a risk with a resort at those heights in the western Alps but the further east you go the lower he freeze/snow line falls. You might not have snow in the town but should be fine higher-up.
Look at it this way - if it was too low to get reasonably reliable snow cover they wouldn't have built a ski resort there! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
@chenav, If you go w/c 14/1 you will be there in the World Cup week so a good time to be there. Height wise I would agree with Mjit, the general rule of thumb is to add 300m to an Austrian altitude compared to south west alpine resorts. You couldn't guarantee snow in town but it would be unlikely for there not to be any. There would only be a problem higher up in a disastrous winter the like of which I don't ever remember?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@chenav, St Anton.....we'll be there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I would advise against going there during the world cup event unless you specifically want to see the event, it will be extremely busy/expensive that week and there will be closed pistes. I much prefer to watch from the comfort of my sofa.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| robboj wrote: |
| @chenav, If you go w/c 14/1 you will be there in the World Cup week |
Oh god, so that's why the town is 95% booked! And no reasonably-priced accommodations within a 15 km radius.
Well then I guess Kitzbuhel is out of the question now...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@JimboS, TBF two pistes are closed the Streif itself and the Gänslern. Agree that it will be dearer than elsewhere, although the Friday and Saturday apart not actually any busier.
@chenav, Saalbach would be a good option for you, huge area now linked with Fieberbrunn and shortish car travel to other resorts nearby although you would be have to be going some to exhaust it in a week. Plus the town is a wee bit higher at 1000m so 1300m in southern terms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
chenav, sent you a pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@chenav, Don't rule out Kitz, the w/c the 7th will be easy to book, there are also some great apartments just round the corner in Kirchberg I hear.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| chenav wrote: |
Also Ischgl and Arlberg look much more vast and interconnected, . |
St Anton/ Lech. Have been working on 4 new lifts which now connect the two skiing areas making it the largest ski circus in Austria. We go there each year in January and last year there were no Russians in town at all. ( it's a shame the nation has a bad reputation at ski resorts, I have some wonderful Russian friends).
As for distance from Munich, you could fly to Zurich. And there is a station in St Anton so no need to rent a car.
We stay at Pettneu, just down the valley and catch the bus in. It runs every 15 minutes. We leave our skis and boots in town so it's no bother on the bus. Bonus the village is quieter and cheaper. But we are oldies!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| chenav wrote: |
Also Ischgl and Arlberg look much more vast and interconnected, . |
St Anton/ Lech. Have been working on 4 new lifts which now connect the two skiing areas making it the largest ski circus in Austria. We go there each year in January and last year there were no Russians in town at all. ( it's a shame the nation has a bad reputation at ski resorts, I have some wonderful Russian friends).
As for distance from Munich, you could fly to Zurich. And there is a station in St Anton so no need to rent a car.
We stay at Pettneu, just down the valley and catch the bus in. It runs every 15 minutes. We leave our skis and boots in town so it's no bother on the bus. Bonus the village is quieter and cheaper. But we are oldies!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I`ve been to mayrhofen and schladming early jan and never had a problem with snow cover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
