 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi,
I'm off to Ischgl next week, driving a hire car from Friedrichshafen and it's chucking it down with snow at the moment so looks like chains will be in order. If I was going to France I know I should be able to stop off at any big Carrefour or Leclerc and stand a good chance of picking up a set for the cost of hiring them from the rental company for 1 day, and also know I can have a quick Street View scan of the driving route to find a couple of likely hypemarkets. I'm not familiar with German/Austrian supermarkets though, and no Street View for Germany.
Does anyone know if Germany/Austria have the huge hypermarkets like France that stock chains or do I just have to accept getting humped by the hire company?
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@Mjit, Not sure re buying snow chains in Germany as never needed them, but you should be able to pick up at the petrol/service stations. Also, just because it's chucking it down now doesn't mean you will need chains next week or even today. Chances are you'll get to Ischgl fine on winter tyres which the hire car will have as standard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Unlikely to be on sale in places like that at this time year - ditto petrol stations, though possible.
Given the car will have winter tyres also unlikely you'd need chains on the road up Paznaunertal to Ischgl. Road is busy, often cleared, and generally not really steep (at least to Ischgl). When it does have snow related problems, it's usually due to avalanche activity/danger/control.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
You will not need chains
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Mjit, see https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=124035 - in short, there are lots of places you can buy them.
Having said that, I've driven throughout Austria over the last 15 years and the only time I've needed chains was to get up the steep hill to our apartment during a heavy snowfall as the road was untreated until about 20 minutes after I went up it in chains. The main roads should be OK on standard winter tyres.
At Salzburg airport in January, the car hire staff were pushing chains heavily on UK customers, telling them that with the recent heavy snow falls they were essential. I pointed out to a couple of people that the €30 per day they were about to be charged was unnecessary because the roads would be clear and even if it got very bad they could buy a set for €30 at most petrol stations. I also questioned why they were paying over €200 for chains that they had no idea how to fit. Like lemmings, they paid the extras. I didn't, and unsurprisingly didn't need them as every road was entirely clear. This is Austria, not the UK. Snow is not a surprise, and the roads are cleared quickly and efficiently. If the road is entirely white, winter tyres will cope unless the road is on a >20 degree slope or the snow has been compressed to sheet ice, which basically never happens because they are better at treating the roads than we are.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ