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Skiwelt / Kitzbuhel - Any thoughts?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
First time poster and was hoping to get some advice from snowheads familiar with Austrian Alps.

After an amazing time at St Anton/Lech last year (Efficient/Modern Lifts Systems, Huge Ski area, The Apres) we want to look for something similar in Austria and stumbled across SkiWelt and Kitzbuhel. My missus and I are confident piste skiers who loves to "explore" all the various "marked" runs. With the Salzburg ski card this will give us access to >400km of piste within 5 min drive by using either Brixen Im Thale or Kirchberg as a base.

1) Is it a straightforward drive from Salzburg and most likely without the need for chains? There shouldn't be a problem with finding free parking at the lift stations?
2) Our trip between 13-21 Jan coincide with the Hahnenkamm Race. Is it worth buying tickets for the race? If so, any tips where/how best to watch the race?
3) Curious why SkiWelt/Kitzbuhel rarely gets mentioned, is it just lack of marketing/branding? From the reviews the resorts seem to be well rounded and promising.
4) Any other tips would be much appreciated!

If there are no deal breakers think I am going to pull the trigger in the next couple of days before the remaining decent hotels get booked up! Razz
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Hybrid713,
1). It's a straightforward drive, but is about 1h30. You need winter tires, but rarely snow chains.
2). Hahnenkamm race is worth watching. I've always stood just below the Mausefalle fairly near the top. I've never paid though so no idea how much it costs and whether it's a good deal or not.
3). It does get mentioned. Kitz is one of my favourite ski areas both for on and off piste. If you liked piste skiing in St.Anton then you will love Kitzbühel/Kirchberg. Combined with the Ski Welt it's a huge area. More than enough to keep you busy for a week.
4) Just enjoy the views from the top of the Fleck valley run down to Kirchberg. In the right light the view across to the Wilde Kaiser is brilliant. It's a much more laid back atmosphere than St.Anton IMO.
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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?
Was there week after the Race last year. As Steilhang says, compared to St Anton, Kitz town is much quieter/more civilized, skiing is easier*, lifts similar quality, mountains less hard core /dramatic. Lots of mileage to go at, especially with Skiwelt (you can get a train from Kitz toward Brixen and ski back). Some very nice runs and restaurants/huts. Well worth ticking off the list.

*Except the top and bottom sections of the Streif when its scraped ice, obviously.

Im sure you'd enjoy a different experience but still great.
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Kitz is far classier than St Anton and with the right conditions just about as good as it gets. Have skied all parts of Ski Welt and you get a great sense of travel. KiWest run at the far end of the Westendorf area linking into Kitz by bus is surely one of the best runs in the Alps. IMHO of course.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I think it's a great area, loads of variety and the ski routes are pretty good too.. Can't comment on the race period as I've not been there, but I can't imagine it has much impact on the rest of the ski area..

Ooo, heated leather chairlifts anyone? They even left one up the top for the photopoint thing... luckily, no idiots came along and abused it Very Happy

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Lots of big / fast / modern / heated lifts in the Ski Welt. Well worth a visit. Great apres in Soll too.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
wib wrote:
KiWest run at the far end of the Westendorf area linking into Kitz by bus is surely one of the best runs in the Alps. IMHO of course.


Definitely agree with this part. To be honest I think Westendorf is by far the best of both the SkiWelt and Kitzbühel, at least in terms of piste skiing.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
The SkiWelt is definitely worth a visit, but I would only do Kitzbuhel as a day trip, and would only do so if the conditions were very good. See my report from 2012 for an explanation of why - http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2089397&highlight=kirchberg#2089397 - this was an unusually bad season across much of Austria, but even in good conditions I would have reservations.
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Skiwelt is tamer than St Anton in terms of skiing but still offers both charming and lively Austian apres ski. Much of the skiing is short blues and reds. As others have said Westendorf offers the most exciting skiing. Having said that a tour of the SkiWelt is a really good days skiing. Journey from Salzburg is easy.
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@ousekjarr, I would actually do it the other way round, spend my time in Kitzbühel and Pass Thurn (doing some of the wonderfully un-dangerous off piste runs down to the valley) and only do a day over at the SkiWelt, maybe with the exception of Westendorf. Each to his own I suppose, but you really can't take a winter where there is no snow as being representative.
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Steilhang wrote:
@ousekjarr, I would actually do it the other way round, spend my time in Kitzbühel and Pass Thurn (doing some of the wonderfully un-dangerous off piste runs down to the valley) and only do a day over at the SkiWelt, maybe with the exception of Westendorf. Each to his own I suppose, but you really can't take a winter where there is no snow as being representative.


+ 1

OR have a look at Ischgl.

Your problem is that St Anton/Lech [ + Rendl ] is probably the biggest and definitely the best Austrian resort so everything else will be a little less impressive. [ Dons flame suit and stands by for INCOMING ]
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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.
@TQA, true. But St. Anton is really only great for lift served off piste. For piste skiing there are better places imo.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
We have found kirchberg ideal for exploring both areas. Nice town, less flashy than kitzbuhel, with many varied access points to the ski areas and some interesting Dutch apres!

The down side, for some is the necessity to get a bus to the lifts. On the plus side you can choose between the fleckslmbahn, maierl, ski rast, ki west or even Brixen (limited bus service for the latter but still free - beware the school bus on the way home!). The train is even free if you fancied a trip to say st johann in Tirol.

Finally kirchberg is Home to the sonnleitstadl one of our favourite apres ski huts. Unassuming small hut busy with both Huber Weiss bier and buchteln with custard!

6 days skiing 3 in each area.

We went by train from Munich, but driving from szg is straightforward with no passes or hair pins.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Forgot to mention plenty of parking at various base stations.

Not been to kitzbuhel downhill but have arrived that evening and it’s very busy. As a warm up to the weekend they tend to do a night slalom at westendorf, tho not a World Cup race and not quite schladming night race (do that next year! - you should look up the Ski amade if you want piste skiing and have a car, closer to Salzburg)
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
If you liked SkiArlberg, then most likely you will find Kitz/Skiwelt-skiing too tame and too low.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
It's funny, I've never found skiing too low. Always a bit of a high for me.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Skiwelt is quite popular in UK, but most TOs just say "Soll" or "Ellmau" so it is not so obvious. We stay in Westendorf quite often. It is a fairly quiet village so not the best for full on Apres (unless you are Dutch in one week in March!) but has very good skiing and the village is right on the slopes. You can ski to the main Skiwelt or, with a short bus trip, into Kitz at the SkiRast access. The ski busses also run all along the valley from Kitzbuhel to Westendorf and the train is free with ski gear. Soll, Ellmau etc on the other side are not bus linked and are more remote from Kitz. Brixen and Kirchberg are both options, Kirchberg is the better one but Brixen would be the cheapest option race week I should think.

Enjoy!
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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?
clarky999 wrote:
To be honest I think Westendorf is by far the best of both the SkiWelt and Kitzbühel, at least in terms of piste skiing.


I agree - and it's also the nicest SKi Welt village
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Thanks all, think it’s a winner given this time it’s just with the missus and we’re more keen on the size / quality area served by modern lifts. Will probably do 50/50 between the 2 resorts and definitely checkout westendorf.

I can’t wait Very Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I’ll be the heretic and say that I found much of the Skiwelt disappointing compared to lots of others in Austria. I find a large proportion of the pistes to be very short. Granted the runs down to the villages are longer, but there’s only 1 long run down to most of the villages.

We really enjoyed Kitzbuhel though.
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Stayed in Scheffau once a few years back. Pretty good although runs short and the quality of pisting was a bit poor in some of the village's areas - noticeable steps between piste basher lines which was a PITA on frosty mornings when the piste had consolidated.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@hammerite, yep short runs in the SkiWelt, and only really a couple of decent blacks off the top of the Hohe Salve, and almost no off piste worth speaking of. Westendorf makes up for it though.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Hybrid713, The difference between Ski Arlberg and Skiwelt is real and huge. it is not marketing. Silly thought! (what kind of society have we become that people believe such nonsense?)
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We were in Kitz this Jan the week before the race and had a fabulous time and plan to go back. We asked about booking a room for next years race and was told there was about a 5 year waiting list (Sports Hotel Reiche).
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Langerzug wrote:
@Hybrid713, The difference between Ski Arlberg and Skiwelt is real and huge. it is not marketing. Silly thought! (what kind of society have we become that people believe such nonsense?)
Like I said, for piste skiing the difference is not so huge. In fact skiing pistes in St.Anton quite often sucks cos the area gets seriously crowded. Even Rendl is crowded these days, and I suppose the Albona will be if they build a lift from Alpe Rauz (a huge shame imo).
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Tried SkiWelt for first time last year, based in Westendorf. Greatly enjoyed it. Huge area, lots of long red pistes - I echo the comment about the KiWest run being epic, but also the run from the Hohe Salve down to Hopfgarten, the unpisted itinerary down to Scheffau, the run down from Westendorf to Brixen, and the long runs down to Kirchberg on the Kitzbuhel side. You can really travel huge distances around the circuit. However, beware the piste map and signposting which are worse than anywhere I have ever been - I have rarely got lost before, but here it was a regular occurrence...

The downside I thought was that there are a lot of short linking runs and a lack of any really challenging blacks. Westendorf itself is pretty quiet, so if you are looking for Mooserwirt-style apres, this would not be the place.

Going back for a 5 day trip this year, which probably says it all.

You should probably also consider Saalbach Hinterglemm, especially if Apres matters to you...
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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.
Ski Welt is one of the largest connected ski areas in Austria. The disadvantage comparing to St Anton is low altitude. Most runs are between 1300 and 1800m. There are very few above 1800. This means that on a warm day the south facing slopes become slushy after 10:30 and everyone goes to the north side which makes it a bit crowdy. Kitzbühel is slightly higher but not by much. The Streif is great fun but the most challenging parts are not open to the general public, because the fracture clinics in the vicinity tend to overload.

I agree that Ki West is the best run followed by the home run from Choralpe to Brixen. All runs from Hohe Salve are worth doing. Soll's area is perfect even on warm days.

Black runs worth mentioning 2, 42, 60, 80, 112 plus few in Kitz ski area. Best strudel - at Talkaser in Westendorf area.

Kitzbühel is the place with nightlife matching St Anton, the rest are smaller and quiter, but the food is always nice.

St Anton/Zürs/Lech provides a lot more off piste lines serviced by lifts, Ski Welt and Kitz are mainly piste areas.

The infrastructure in Ski Welt is one of the best, even in Half Term never had to wait more than 5 min on a lift.
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