 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Folks,
I'm planning our first family skiing holiday for next Feb Half term.
Could i have recommendations or advice for Austrian resorts please - meeting the following criteria:
Skiing for me (advanced skier) - some off piste if possible.
Skiing for my 15 year old son (first time beginner) - though will hope to arrange lessons for him on indoor/dry slope before we go, so not total beginner.
My wife won't be skiing (doesn't like the cold - let's not even go there), so plenty of other things for her to do.
Good snow record - does that necessarily mean it must be highish altitude?
Also would like the typical chocolate box Austrian village if possible.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Adam
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Zell am See. Right on the big lake, lovely town with plenty for your wife to do and good rail links to further afield if she fancies exploring. Ski area expanding towards Saalbach too so it will be a huge area soon. It's got the Kittzsteinhorn glacier on the same lift pass if the snow is dodgy but that's very unlikely in Feb, in fact the lake sometimes freezes over enough to walk on around that time.
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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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+1 Zell am See, It is VERY crowded at half term and the norm seems to be to stop and chat right across the piste...
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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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Chocolate box village with plenty of things to do for a non-skier could be a slight issue. Kitzbuhel is perhaps a good candidate for your tick boxes.
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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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There are quite a few spa towns in Austria that may offer plenty of alternative activities with only a relatively short trip to the slopes.
If somewhere like Bad Ischl might be of interest, for example, there are 2
-3 decent ski areas that are accessible within 30 mins. All offer good beginner skiing with off-piste options.
The town itself is charming and has plenty to do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks all for your replies.
Zell am See, yes I've skied there a couple of times, that's a possible.
I've never been to Kitzbuhel, so also worth considering.
I've just been reading an article about Alpbach. Does anybody have any experience of skiing there?
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Was skiing the Ski Juwel (Alpbach) area last week - nice area, but personally would go for the Ski Welt nearby (Soll, Hopfgarten, Ellmau etc), more varied skiing, and for busy times much more selection of routes so each piste is less crowded. Also Ski Welt was considerably less crowded than Kitzbuhel at half term this year.
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@se56, Alpbach would certainly tick the chocolate box. But I fear your wife might die of boredom. It does have the advantage of being about an hour from Innsbruck though. Plenty to do there and some interesting villages along the way. Depends how far you're prepared to travel for "plenty of other things to do".
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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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@RobinS, we visited Kitzbuhel at half term and it was rammed. Other resorts in the area were much better, barely any queuing.
Next year should be better as only one small German region is on holiday, two Austrian and one Dutch. This year was Fasching week and Bavarian school holidays, so extra busy.
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Kitzbuel is more fun than Zell am See,
It does not have the pretty lake to walk around or across if it freezes over.
But I think the party is better there for you to take the misses to.
Thinking about it, go to Zell and pray the lake freezes over, you can take a day off and show your wife around the expensive shops in Salzberg, you could take her up the CityXpress lift and walk around the trails on a sunny day and look down on the lake.
If your son is a beginner take him to the Maiskogel area of Kaprun. Its a great confidence builder for a beginer rather than the Zell area.
Don't bother going to the glacier a Kaprun unless its a really sunny day, you wont like it otherwise.
If you go to Zell, on Wednesday evening go up to the rooftop bar of the Hotel Heitzman, you can watch the fireworks and ski show at about 7pm.
But Kitz is more fun 
Do not go to Neiderau
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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DrLawn - why not Niederau? Apologies for jumping on here but I’m looking for very similar except my son will be nearly 7 and it’s my husband who won’t/can’t ski!
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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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Take a look at Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. Great family area and gold standard ski school. Very good infrastructure and great skiing over a vast area. We’ve been there for past four half-terms and we are noticing more and more Brits have discovered the area. About an hour’s drive from Innsbruck. We’ve stayed at both Serfaus and Fiss and we prefer the latter during half-term as slightly quieter.
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That's good to know, I am looking for a good place for next half term 2019, will check it out. Thanks Chris
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You know it makes sense.
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@Ozboy, +1, but as se56's wife won't be skiing and doesn't like the cold there may not be much for her to do. My wife doesn't ski and did do some walks around Serfaus, but doesn't mind the cold and is also happy reading in the apartment or café.
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