 Poster: A snowHead
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Wow, been ages since I've been on here. Used to be all fields when I were a lad.
So I'm venturing out onto the snow again with my daughter and a friend. Only going for a few days from 21st-25th Jan. Have booked flights into Salzburg and now looking at resorts. I was going to get a hire car but:
a) by god they're expensive!
b) daughter will be in morning snowboard school (at same location each day) so no advantage in driving to different resorts unless we find accommodation out of centre and even then, probably a skibus, right?
So maybe somewhere easy to get to on public transport will be more cost effective?
Any ideas/thoughts and/or recommendations? Or simple abuse?
No, I'm going nowhere near the snow forecast thread 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| carled wrote: |
| No, I'm going nowhere near the snow forecast thread |
Spoilsport!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@carled, Radstad is rail linked to the airport. Nice short transfers. Very modern lifts, 10min bus ride to Zauchensee if you want to ski there
Snowhead runs Haus Suzanne
http://www.austrian-adventures.com
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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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@carled, radstadt..flangesax's place.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just pm-ing Flangesax but availability calendar says no-go. Hopefully there will be some insider knowledge. Nice to see some old faces still around here
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Schladming.
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@carled, If flangesax can't help then Flachau is an alternative (only 10 mins drive from Radstadt anyway) - hour or less transfer from Salzburg (I used http://www.huberreisen.at/ last year).
Ski area directly connected to Flachau is big enough and you can get the free bus up to Zauchensee/Flachauwinkl.
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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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Hmm. I did a multi-resort trip a few years ago (Maurienne Valley) where we drove out to different resorts each day. Really enjoyed it, but the crucial difference on that trip was that no-one was in lessons. My daughter will be in morning lessons for snowboarding each day and they will (logically) be in the same location each time, so every day will start with us having to get her to the meeting point, then me & friend will be free to buzz around for a couple of hours before meeting up with her again at lunchtime and *then* we could (theoretically and if it doesn't eat up too much time) venture to another location. Therefore we'd need to avoid too-long bus rides out to other resorts.
The flip side to this is that it makes a "whole area" pass a bit of a waste of money as we just won't have the time available to make use of most of it. The difference between a large resort 3-day pass and a small one doesn't appear massive (c. €120 vs. €150) but it's significant enough. This seems to come back to us needing a decent amount of piste (I'm happy redoing runs I enjoy, so I'm not a "can't ski the same run twice" guy) in one location (60km+ at a guess) or closely linked areas where the bus trip is only 5-10 mins (maybe Schladming/Wagrain sort of thing). There will undoubtedly be other areas but it's difficult for me to pick them out as maps don't always give the full story.
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Hey @carled, I was just about to write a PM but I'll chuck it on here!
Yep... we are full (sorry!). It is the Schladming night race that week so we have a mix of regulars and friends (some of you lot can worry about who is who!! )
Schladming area will be very busy over this time but nowhere as bad as the super peak weeks!
Ski Amade does a good job at spreading the load piste goers... busiest areas are the larger towns (Flachau, Schladming, Wagrain).
The smaller areas (Radstadt, Filzmoos) probabaly have enough to float your boat.
It may be worth considering the Hoch Koenig region (Muhlbach) as this will be quite a quiet area around your dates, is extremely beautiful, has lots of blues and a modern lift system.
As for finding accommodation, just use the usual airbnb, booking.com skiamade.com etc..
You can easily find transfers from the airport for all areas ( http://www.salzburg-airport.com/en/passengers-visitors/arrival-parking/bus-train-taxi/taxi-transfer-service/ ) prices vary due to distance, group size and private or shared.
For trainable destinations, Radstadt, Schladming, Bad Gastein (all have directish routes from Salzburg).
Train and taxi opens up ore areas but will probably make the price almost the same as a transfer anyway!
Good luck in your search! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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treble post!
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 5-01-18 11:30; edited 1 time in total
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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.
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double post!
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Fri 5-01-18 11:29; edited 1 time in total
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Cheers Flangesax - I just had an email from an apartment owner in Schladming-ish mentioning the night race and busy-ness so that rules out an area at least! Kooky has said her place in Altenmarkt is free but I'm a bit concerned over the half hour bus ride each way to the main Zauchensee area from there. Not sure I fancy spending an hour on the bus every day.
What I have noticed in looking at airport transfer costs is that the car hire is not going to be a whole lot more (less in some cases) and opens up a lot more possibilities and freedom. So looks like I might be better off with car hire anyway. (example, car hire for small-ish car for the period + fuel is about £170 approx, one-way minibus shuttles are £40-ish per person, so £40 x 2 x 3 is a significant amount more than £170!)
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You know it makes sense.
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@carled, tranfers with Huber Reisen, who we have used with success are €50 return to Flachau/Radstadt
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| @carled, tranfers with Huber Reisen, who we have used with success are €50 return to Flachau/Radstadt |
Which is nearly the same as a hire car and gives us less freedom anyway - so no real benefit that I can see.
edit: for all three of us, that is...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As suggested by@flangesax, Hochkoenig area worth looking at. Good connected system, decent size but not massive. Lots of reasonably priced mountain restaurants for lunchtime rendezvous. We stayed in Maria Alm - a couple of runs from the village itself but most people take the ski bus (5 minutes) to the Aberg lift which connects with the whole lift system.
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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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Hockkoenig seems very elongated if that makes sense? So getting any sort of mileage is a case of going "to and from" somewhere rather than taking different routes down a mountain. Fine in principle but a nightmare if high wind/poor vis shuts a connecting lift somewhere!
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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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| rob@rar wrote: |
| carled wrote: |
| No, I'm going nowhere near the snow forecast thread |
Spoilsport! |
+1
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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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@carled, if you have decided on getting a car then you could consider taking Kooky's apartment and skiing in Zauchensee/Flachauwinkl as that area is pretty close to Altenmarkt. Zauch to Kleinarl and back is a pretty decent trip that you could do in a morning with an early start and still get back in time to meet your daughter for lunch. Might not float your boat but could be worth a look.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bus takes 20mins... dunno if that makes a difference?
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Train for Muhlbach would be Bischofshofen. Then a 20 minute cab ride.
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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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@carled, Wagrain would be a good option. Daughter can go for lessons, you and your friend could choose to either ski the Grafenberg in the direction of St Johann from Wagrain one morning or head over towards Flachau another morning. It’s easy to cover a fair amount of ground in a few hours and get back to meet your daughter.
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Another possibility would be Lofer with skiing on the Loferer Alm. An attractive small-ish area. I'm not sure what the best access method (without your own car) would be. The nearest station would be Saalfelden. Which would suggest yet another possibility, Maria Alm, opening up the extensive Hochkönig area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| espri wrote: |
| Another possibility would be Lofer with skiing on the Loferer Alm. An attractive small-ish area. I'm not sure what the best access method (without your own car) would be. The nearest station would be Saalfelden. Which would suggest yet another possibility, Maria Alm, opening up the extensive Hochkönig area. |
Or one up/one down the line from Saalfelden - Zell am See or Leogang.
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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.
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Yes I was just wondering about Zell am See or Leogang.
Normally I’d think Schladming given train connection, but...
With a car and the flexibility the Altenmarkt/Kooky option becomes tempting.
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Or Obertauern.
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You know it makes sense.
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We've changed around a bit. We're now back to public transport as we did a bit of research and it seems daft (in Austria, particularly) to faff around with a car (and possibly snow chains, etc) when there is such excellent transport around. And it will keep costs down a bit as Oebb.at costs are only €15-ish to get to most resorts from Salzburg Hbf. However, this then throws up the other problem which I mentioned to Kooky - my friend had bad experiences with long travels on ski buses and is concerned about the length of time from Altenmarket to the main Zauchensee area. I'm meeting him tomorrow to have a good conversation about it all but a brief messenger exchange seems to indicate he has travel sickness issues on buses (fine on trains) and is concerned he's going to be sick if he has to spend half an hour or so on the ski bus each way! I may find out more tomorrow.
He's obsessed with the Skiwelt region having had a good hol there years ago and apparently has found some "amazing" places to show me tomorrow. I literally can't wait - he doesn't have a good track record on this!
Zell Am See does look very easy to get to with public transport, so is definitely on the radar - but only if we could find something close-ish to the lifts, obviously.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Stayed at Kooky's and Flangesax's places - both great places to stay.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@carled, Pretty well everywhere is Zell am See is within a few minutes walk of a lift plus train is right into town. Saalbach is the same apart from the bus/taxi from ZamS.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@carled, understand what you say about car hire. However, what time are your flights? We’ve arrived on early flights and an hour and a half later been sat in a car park getting our ski boots on due to having a hire car. This would be unlikely if we got a train.
I always look at how I can maximise time on snow when looking at transport options!
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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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What are Bad Gastein and/or Hofgastein like? Seem to be some relatively cheap deals that way - looking for ammunition to counter the Skiwelt assault I'll get later!
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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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@carled, The bus to Zauchensee is 20 mins, Ive just checked for you. The bus to Flachau in the other direction is less, probably about 10-15 mins. Value wise, Kookys place is excellent, it's a beautiful apartment in the centre of town so perfect for the supermarket and restaurants, and ski busses. You might struggle to find a mid-weeks stay for that price, but like you say - your mate might have found the 'amazing' solution.
Also, there is the night race in Schladming on the Tuesday, that's an experience in itself! Its a shame we cant help you this time - let us all know how you get on. Ange - Mrs Flangesax! 
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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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If you going 21st-25th defiantly place yourself as close to Schladming as you can and go and see the Nightrace on the Tuesday evening. Amazing atmosphere and one not to be missed for ski fans
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| carled wrote: |
| What are Bad Gastein and/or Hofgastein like? Seem to be some relatively cheap deals that way - looking for ammunition to counter the Skiwelt assault I'll get later! |
We stayed in Hofgastein a few years ago. Nice town, good local bus service to the skilift. That takes you to Schlossalm area which would be enough for a few days. Not very long on the bus down to Dorfgastein if you wanted a change of scene. A longer ride up to Sportgastein which your friend might not enjoy!
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We went to Zell-am-See for a number of years and were lucky enough to stay at http://www.appartementhotel-post.com/ . It is centrally located in Zell-am-See, which is a beautiful town in summer as well as winter, about 2 minute walk from the lifts and 10 minutes walk (certainly walkable even with heavy suitcases) from the railway station.
It appears to have availability for your dates, but even if not it may be able to recommend somewhere else.
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Hire cars aren’t that bad - I’ve used Budget before out of Salzburg; they run from the Avis desk and are a lot cheaper. There are a number of car hire search engines that can give cheaper prices than Budget direct. Zell am See or Saalbach an easy drive, plenty of skiing especially in Saalbach but Zell fine for 3 or 4 days and lovely setting. So are no end of places. Kitz etc. Maybe 90mins from airport. I think Wagrain is the closest - certainly driven through it on way to Kitz I think.
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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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| wsirhc wrote: |
We went to Zell-am-See for a number of years and were lucky enough to stay at http://www.appartementhotel-post.com/ . It is centrally located in Zell-am-See, which is a beautiful town in summer as well as winter, about 2 minute walk from the lifts and 10 minutes walk (certainly walkable even with heavy suitcases) from the railway station.
It appears to have availability for your dates, but even if not it may be able to recommend somewhere else. |
Direct bus from the airport stops almost outside.
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FAQ
