Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Mayrhofen: Stay in Finkenberg or Vorderlanersbach?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We are going to Mayrhofen area mid february 2019. I am in doubt where to stay. I rule out Mayrhofen town itself due to missing valley run. But how do Finkenberg compare to Vorderlanersbach with regards to valley run/ski route, accessibility to the full resort, shopping/restaurants?

Bonus info: We are experienced skiers. We don't bring a car. We need to rent the equipment.

Here is my list of pros and cons so far:
Mayrhofen
    CON: No valley run! (Edited: from Penken, thanks @HutToHut)
    PRO: Most restaurants and shops
Finkenberg
Vorderlanersbach (bottom of Rastkogelbahn)
    PRO: Valley run
    PRO: Old village, more compact than Finkenberg?
    PRO: Short transfer to Hintertux
    CON: Too long skiing over to Penken and Ahorn?


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 2-09-18 20:40; edited 1 time in total
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Using the piste map on bergfex.com, which is usually upto date. There looks to be a (black) valley run from Ahorn to Mayrhofen. The run to Finkenberg is not shown, IIRC it was a ski route and may have been closed when the new lift from Fink was built.
ski holidays
 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?
Just stay in Mayrhofen. The valley runs in the Zillertal aren't usually all that great as the valley floor is pretty low. They do a decent job of keeping them open but they're often a ribbon of slushy snow with grass on either side. They're also often chaotic, with lots of folk attempting to do the home run when they're not really capable.

If you stay in Mayrhofen then you're best placed to get the train to the other Zillertal resorts. Kaltenbach is my favourite (with the best valley run), followed by Zell am Ziller. Actually, just stay in Kaltenbach or Zell. If you're not bothered for the big town and big après of Mayrhofen the ski areas are better further down the valley.
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Valkyrie wrote:


If you stay in Mayrhofen then you're best placed to get the train to the other Zillertal resorts. Kaltenbach is my favourite (with the best valley run), followed by Zell am Ziller. Actually, just stay in Kaltenbach or Zell. If you're not bothered for the big town and big après of Mayrhofen the ski areas are better further down the valley.


Wot Valkyrie said. Smile
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'd ignore the valley runs too. Well, do them as a run early in the morning, but then download at the end of the day.
Kaltenbach one is on the map as a black run (although arguably a red really), but is total carnage at the bottom at the end of the day as most people are totally out of their depth in the short narrow bit. Mayrhofen valley run randomly changes between red and black on the map, but has never been open on a day I've skied that hill.

I tend to go to either Kaltenbach or Zell am Ziller rather than Mayrhofen. Kaltenbach and Mayrhofen have the train stations closer to the lifts. Zell am Ziller needs a shuttle bus between the 2. Both Kaltenbach and Zell am Ziller have double gondola up/downlift at start/end of the day (only ever had to queue whenever there was an event on). Not used the new Mayrhofen gondola, so can't say what that's like (I drive and go to the other gondola that links in to the same area (Horberg?), also with no queue either way).
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
The Finkenberg ski route was dubious at best when I visited in the 00s - over 4 years, it was open for about 3 weeks in total. Almost all of it was a forestry track, about 3 metres wide and with ruts, rocks, bare patches and in some cases entirely missing bits where a thaw had caused a stream to wash away all of the snow. I did it twice, and wouldn't do it again, especially if it is no longer marked, as that may mean you find fallen trees, barbed wire fences, or other obstructions have encroached on it.

If you want to ski to the valley, the Zillertal is not the place to choose - the skiing starts from about 1800m upwards, and the village is at 630m. The valley run from the Ahorn is great, but the lower third is almost always artificial snow. Zell am Ziller has runs to the valley, but they're out of town. Vorderlanersbach has proper valley runs, with the valley at ~1200m, but you asked about restaurants and shopping, and it has neither.

Also, don't think of the Zillertal as a resort - you can access all of the valley on a single pass, but in reality it is 6-7 different and unconnected areas - Hintertux, Eggalm, Penken/Rastkogel/Horberg, Ahorn, Zillertal Arena (Zell->Gerlos), Hochzillertal, and Spieljoch. Plan to explore as much of it as you can - the runs from Zell to Konigsleiten and back are excellent, and yet too many people are fixated on Mayrhofen and the Penken area. Yes, you can ski from Lanersbach via Penken to Schwendau, but it's a bit of a trek and involves several ski routes which may be closed...
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
If you want shopping and restaurants - bin the valley run requirement and stay in the Hof. Everywhere else is a bit small and weird (as full on ski resorts go) though if you are cosseted in the Stock 5* resort etc then Finkenberg is probably perfect.
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
ousekjarr wrote:
Vorderlanersbach has proper valley runs, with the valley at ~1200m, but you asked about restaurants and shopping, and it has neither.

I have stayed there when skiing at Hintertux in the summer, it has at least one bar/restaurant and a small shop.
ski holidays
 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.
@rjs, it's not exactly a heaving metropolis, and it is split between the two lifts and strung out along the road between them. If you are happy to eat in a hotel (assuming they can accommodate you) rather than a dedicated restaurant you could eat in a different place every night. If not, you have a choice of 3-4 if you are prepared to walk 1.5Km on an unlit main road to cover all of them. Buses from Tux to Mayrhofen are OK in daylight, but while there is a late apres-ski bus from Tux to Finkenberg, it stops there rather than continuing into Mayrhofen, so the valley is fragmented and it may be necessary to resort to taxis if you fancied a night in town but were staying in Vorderlanersbach.
latest report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@stavn, what do you want to do in the evening? Others have given the pros of each skiing location but if you want any nightlife or choice of restaurants then Kaltenbach or Mayrhofen. Zell is less than 10 min drive from Mayrhofen (I like the valley run) but the lifts are not actually in the village. Kaltenbach valley run is often full of drunk idiots and it’s dangerous. Best to get the lift down. Hopefully you won’t need the glacier in Feb but you wouldn’t drive to it from Kaltenbach. It’s 35 mins from Mayrhofen.
latest report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks for all your valuable information and opinions.
I am leaning towards Vorderlanersbach. We mostly prepare our dinner in the apartment and then a few restaurant visits, at least now I know there is a market.
We have done Kaltenbach/Fugen and Zell/Gerlos before and I am always looking for new territory. Most important to me is the skiing, I am mostly worried about the distance/skiing time to Penken/Ahorn areas - being close to Rastkogel/Horberg/Hintertux.
ski holidays
 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.
I don’t think the Ahorn is practical from Eggalm end but you could do it then get the bus back.

It takes about 45 mins to get from Eggalm back to the top of Penken. Depending on the lift queues. Horberg would be similar I guess.

One benefit is the slopes at that end are always empty even at busy times so you would have them to yourselves. If you fancy a trip to Hintertux it would be easy on the sportsbus.

There are a couple of decent bars on the home run too Smile
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy