Kaprun

A snowHead

Hi, intermediate/advanced Aussie on the way to ski Kaprun just before Christmas - any tips appreciated.

A snowHead

If the snow is good, get over to Zell on the bus. There is only really a days worth of skiing on the Glacier, well worth going though. The skiing on the Schmittenhoe is far better, more varied and the there loads more Huttes to stop for lunch at. Wonderful place.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks very much [/spoiler]

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Check out the Zell am See website. It has a superb interactive map for all 3 areas and with a bit of research you can really plan where to go. I've never stayed in Kaprun but Zell is well worth the short bus ride. The town is beautiful alongside the lake.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Great - much appreciated

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@Devils playground, it's been a while since I was last in Kaprun, but the village has a nice feel to it and the skiing can be excellent if the conditions are good. As with all glaciers, being at 3000m in a whiteout at -30 on a featureless mountainside with high winds isn't much fun, and the number of drag lifts necessitated by the moving ice will be higher than in other places, but when the sky is clear and there has been fresh snow it can be wonderful, and the views from the top are stunning. Bear in mind that the uplift is constrained - your ticket allows one ascent per day if memory serves, so getting to the top and then discovering that you've left something behind is painful. That also means that there's a rush to get up first thing in the morning, and then a rush to get down again at the end of the day, and virtually nothing in between. There is no run from top to bottom - skiing starts at ~2000m, so once you are up you'll be there all day.

The Maiskogel in the centre of Kaprun is really a learner area - it's a great run for developing confidence and progressing to reds, but you'll probably not want to be on there at all unless you want to sneak in an hour at the end of arrival day if your timings allow.

The bus to Zell takes ~10 minutes and will drop you either at the Areitbahn or at the bus station in the centre of town, a short walk away from the CityXpress lift. Both are busy at peak times, but not excessively so. The Zell area has a lot to recommend it - very scenic, good runs down the ridges and through trees, and the black runs into the central bowl are very good. Late buses run back to Kaprun, or a taxi will not be very expensive unless you're on your own.

Kaprun has a number of good bars and restaurants, and there's no real need to leave the village in the evening, but a trip into Zell is worthwhile. Kaprun also has the Tauernspa, which is one of the top spas in Austria and well worth visiting.

If the weather has been cold enough for long enough, the lake at Zell freezes over, and it becomes possible to walk across it. The path is marked with pine branches, and it is a great way to see the city and the mountains as well as experience something unusual. However, if the path is not clearly signed as open, do not walk on the ice...

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

That's an awesome amount of info - cheers 🍻

After all it is free

@motig, from http://www.kitzsteinhorn.at/en/skiing-resort/tickets-prices/winter/day-tickets-ski-passes

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Walking on the lake is excellent if the weather is clear - we had heavy snowfall, so the view wasn't quite as good:

Walking on the See at Zell

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Lots of info there @ousekjarr we were lucky enough to go to Zell am See last season,
and we were even luckier that the lake froze hard enough to be opened up for walkers and skaters on our going home transfer day.

I'm sure someone said it was the first time it had frozen in 4 years though Sad

At the Kaprun Gletcher there are two fast gondolas up to the middle station from the valley floor now, (the last time I went before there was a train, God rest their souls).

Kaprun village had grown considerably since I was last there ... Its a resort town in its own right now.
I'm particularly fond of the Pavillon Apres Ski Bar.
That place has grown considerably as well, it was like the Tardis.

We could do with a place like that in Royston.

Also worth a trip,
Take the train from Zell to Leogang then ski over into Saalbach.

I'm not sure when it will open but a lift is being built to take you back to Zell am See again.
Thats would be a good day out, and I think the lift pass covers it.