Poster: A snowHead
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Hey peeps! First time poster, interested in getting some advice from the experts on Austrian snow.
I've done seasons in France (Bourg st. Maurice area) and love all kinds of terrain and always off piste if conditions permit. More freeride/freestyle focused, love terrain parks and tree runs. Last season forced me to focus on edge control and get carving as interesting as possible, as all of you who had to endure through the ice probably know about..
Travel time is from mid february to early march. Basically going to just snowboard each and every day, not much apres.
Interested in checking out Serfaus Fiss Ladis, Ischgl and if the winter's poor, probably many of the southern glacier spots. There are also many smaller resorts that seem nice. If there's fresh pow I always seem to migrate to a smaller place having had a lot of experience on pow wars (Les Arcs and other big French resorts). Competition ain't fun unless it's with friends.
So, where would you guys head in a storm? Any good tree run resorts near Haiming that are great when it's dumping? Where's the best freeride spots where a guide isn't mandatory (don't mind 30 minute hikes if it's worth it)? I can read conditions pretty well and am not dumb enough to jump off unknown cliffs. Long cruisy open fields are where it's at, though I love a steep chute every now and then.
Would any of the nearby smaller places, like Hochoetz, Hochzeiger, Kühtai, Venet or even See or Kappl be cool for avoiding traffic on pow fields or trees? Or do people generally avoid riding in Austria when the sun doesn't shine? If that's the case, Serfaus could be good!
Which are the best weeks to avoid bigger places like Sölden, Ischgl and Serfaus to avoid traffic or am I simply overstating the problem? I did spend a high peak week at three valleys and once you got through waiting for 30 minutes at the bottom, after that there were no wait times really as people scattered quite effectively in the huge resort. How is it in Austria?
Just from quick calculations I thought getting the Tirol snow card would probably be a good idea. Would love to check the lower Kitzbuhel and Ski Welt areas as well, if snow's good. Any better deals to consider than getting a day ticket each day? Obviously the Tirol snow card would exclude the Arlberg locations, but I'm coming back anyway so wouldn't be bitter if skipped those.
Sorry for the long post! Appreciate any input and if there are any shredders around the aforementioned hoods, hit me up!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@TiroleanTiger,
I drive to the Kitzbuhel area every February and there really isn't a lot traffic jams.
The main roads are along the valley floor, so relatively straight and level. The resorts are villages in the valleys so no steep mountain roads to climb and their are large free car parks at the lift stations.
Many Austrian resorts cater for day trippers from Germany and other parts of Austria. It really is in their interest to keep it as easy as possible.
Further west, I don't know about.
You could look at the Salzburg super ski card, if you were heading further East - it includes Kitzbuhel, SkiWelt , Saalbach and many other areas.
https://www.superskicard.com/en
Check the European school holidays. Best to avoid the school holidays of large German regions and the Netherlands.
Also Fasching is a busy week (w/b 10th Feb - this year)
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=128363
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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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@TiroleanTiger, for three weeks plus any deal would be better than no deal (ski pass wise ). I have always found the Tirol Snow Card too expensive for my needs (relative to the Salzburg Super Ski Card/Kitzbüheler Alpen AllStar Card). But that is largely because I live at the eastern end of its range and places like Ischgl and St. Anton are a bit too far away to be of much interest. However, based in Haiming, it may well be the best buy, covering everything from the Arlberg to Fieberbrunn (but not over to Saalbach this year, I believe, if the plans haven't been changed again - see Fieberbrunn in Tirol Snow Card (in German)).
Can't help about the areas local to Haiming - maybe clarky999 can. In general, there can be slow traffic at busy times, weekends, holidays and the like, but mostly it isn't too bad on the pistes (except perhaps first lift up in some places). After that folk spread out.
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@TiroleanTiger, sounds like we're into the same sort of thing - give me a shout when you're out here and hopefully we can make a few turns together.
Haiming should be a good base, and there should be a few Brit raft guides who stayed for the winter hanging too if you need riding buddies.
I haven't skied Hochötz, Hochzeiger or Vent (though I hear Hochötz is great on a powder day for the reasons you suggest) as they're not on the Innsbruck Freizeitticket (which unfortunately you won't be able to get as a non-resident), but See, Kappl and Galtür are definitely good options. There are some really nice tree skiing zones in Ischgl too that get very little traffic, but the obvious lines there are absolute armageddon on a blue sky powder day, with unequipped idiots dropping in everywhere. Kühtai has plenty of fun terrain, but it's not my favourite as it gets noticeably less snow than surrounding resorts and a lot of the runs are pretty short.
Will you have a car? If so there are a bunch of small areas either side of Innsbruck too.
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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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Thanks a lot guys!
I know these weeks tend to be busy. Our arrival is on the 10th.
@Drammeister, Thanks for the info. Unfortunately our base will be on the western side of things. Reason for Haiming was relativly well priced accommodation, close to the main valley road for easy access each way and last winter being a bit unsure snow-wise at least in France, so thought western Tirol would offer more rideable surface were that the case... I don't know if my reasoning is a bit off. If it turns out to be a great winter, a day trip or two east would definitely be on the list. All of the resorts seem relatively climb free, which is great when you're out with a car. Over ten resorts are closer than the climb from Bourg st. Maurice to Les Arcs is (though the funiculare was awesome for those with an apartment in the valley.
Maybe next season would be with the Salzburger card! Been to Bad Gastein which I enjoyed. Any reason you tend to migrate to Kitzbuhel every February?
@espri, Awesome, good to know. Yes, read something about resident season passes for really good prices. Can't do that unfortunately. I guess Tirol Snow Card is the way to go and I'm sure that would keep us busy for a bit over three weeks. We're very much prepared for some traffic, but good to hear the spreading happens here too and one can enjoy some stress free pow laps.
@clarky999, Awesome to hear. Seems my logic isn't too far off! Me and my brother are both equipped, I personally even have a Pieps/BD airbag. Most definitely down for a few or more turns! What's your local area?`
Awesome stuff. Thanks! Will read about the forum a bit more for useful tips etc.
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