 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello! I hope this is the right place to post this. My GF and I are looking for a Resort in Europe to try Ski and Snowboard for the first time. I've been researching a lot, but I get overwhelmed with all the information, as well as all the requirements I'm trying to get for the trip, and also I get really confused about how to reach the resorts (train? bus? shuttle?), where should I stay (in the resort? In a city near?), etc. So I hope I can get some advice on where to go.
I'm looking for a place with these characteristics:
1) Super beginner-friendly
2) Ski and Snowboard private classes
3) We're going from Frankfurt, so I will need to reach the place by plane, bus or train (no car)
4) We're going in early December (specifically, from 8th to 15th), so somewhere with early snow
5) Ideally, I would like the place to have other things to do apart from Ski/Snowboard
6) Ideally, a not-super-expensive place (I know I'm asking too much now)
7) Equipment rental available (we only have the clothes)
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Obergurgl in Austria. Not much to do apart from ski/snowboard though.
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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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Budget for your stay? Might help folks - eg, Switzerland is more expensive than Austria.
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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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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Obergurgl in Austria. Not much to do apart from ski/snowboard though. |
I will look into this one! I guess the best way to reach is a plane from Frankfurt to Innsbruck? Or there's a better place to arrive?
| Scamper wrote: |
| Budget for your stay? Might help folks - eg, Switzerland is more expensive than Austria. |
I don't have a budget, mostly because I don't have a proper idea of how much should ski trip costs, so I'm really opened to thoughts and ideas. However, being this the first time, I guess I don't need a luxury place, for instance, I was hoping to pay up to 600-700 for a 1-week hotel/Airbnb stay (is that ok?) (without counting classes, equipment, food, etc).
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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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How about somewhere close to home like Garmisch-Partenkirchen?
You can prob get there just as quick by train, than flying somewhere.
https://www.gapa.de/en/Sports-and-nature/Wintertime/Skiing
https://gapa.panomax.com/kongresshaus
Other options maybe Kirchberg or Brixen & you could spend a day or so in Kitzbuhel.
Another option from Innsbruck is Seefeld or you could just base yourself in Innsbruck itself & use the ski bus to nearby resorts (Stubai Glacier is an hour away - with a few other closer resorts).
All should give a christmasy feel with the markets & gluwein.
Salzburg maybe another option - go skiing for 4 days (maybe Zell am See/Kaprun) & have the last 2 days in Salzburg before flying home. Saves on 2 days of rental/lift pass, etc.
look on snowtrax & Sunweb as they do a lot of accommodation with lift passes, etc. Tend to work out a lot cheaper as well.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Fly to Innsbruck and base yourselves there ?
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| Mr.Egg wrote: |
look on snowtrax & Sunweb as they do a lot of accommodation with lift passes, etc. Tend to work out a lot cheaper as well. |
He means SnowtrEx not SnowtrAx.
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@mikeycharlton, 
Snowtrax being a Ski Shop..
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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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| albob wrote: |
@mikeycharlton,
Snowtrax being a Ski Shop.. |
It's also a dry ski slope in Dorset. Even less use to someone in Frankgurt trying to organise their first ski holiday.
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Tignes, in France. Plenty else to do, including great indoor sports complex. And some extremely good ski schools - for beginners, the quality of the ski school is paramount and at that time slopes will be very quiet, and ideal for learning. Fly to Geneva and get a transfer - various options there.
If you want ski school your best bet is to fly Saturday/Saturday, which is more expensive but will also maximise your choice of accommodation and transfers. But your Sunday/Sunday plan would also work, as you will be able to get ski school starting Monday.
Ski hire not a problem in any resort, anywhere.
For beginners, staying somewhere very near the ski school meeting place makes life a lot easier - walking in ski boots with skis on your shoulder is hard work. Don't go anywhere where you need to be climbing on and off buses and be aware that not all the resort buses will be running in Tignes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In Europe we tend to stay in the resort and just walk to the slopes.
I'd take the train from Frankfurt to Somewhere in Austria that has a station nearby.
St Anton comes to mind, its not well known as beginners resort though. But they do have nursery slopes.
There will be plenty going on and it has that European Austrian atmosphere which will make you want to come skiing in Europe all the time.
I'd try to go somewhere like Stubaital which has really easy glacier skiing.
I have not checked the snow conditions in Austria as I'm off to Tignes in France next week, that would be good but you would would enjoy Austria a ;ot more for your first ski trip.
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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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I think @Mr.Egg is on the right track ...
With Salzberg, and then to Zell am See,
You can get there quite easily by train and there there is guaranteed snow on the Kaprun glacier.
And there is a great is a great beginners area in Kaprun too.
So thats my advice ... Go to Kaprun and Zell am See you wont regret it.
You can take a day off if you want in Salzberg ...
The "Sound of Music" place.
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If you are based in Frankfurt and dont want to drive the best option is likely to be somewhere in Austria easily reachable by train. Switzerland would be good also but it is expensive (assuming you get paid in Euros). The various French resorts could well be good but not so easy to reach for you.
Although there has been lots of snow it has not fallen everywhere so many of the spots that could be good for you might be too much of a risk if you want to go in a weeks time, there is little to no snow forecast for the next week. I would suggest that rules out many of the likely places such as Skiwelt, Saalbach, Kitzbühel etc.
The main train line runs through the Inn valley past Innsbruck and over the Arlberg and down to the Rhine, easy to get connections at either end (I would suggest either in Munich or Zürich). Resorts easy to get to based on this and that have high skiing with reasonable conditions at the moment would be Arlberg, Ischgl, Serfaus and Zillertal. Resorts with a longer connection to the train would be Sölden / Obergurgl and the various glaciers.
The Arlberg is potentially good, there is a train station in St Anton itself, the nursery slopes there are actually very good but St Anton is really not a good place for moving on from the nursery slopes. A better but more expensive option would be Lech, it needs a short transfer from the train station and there are both good nursery slopes and good options for moving on from there. Not absolutely convinced about the snow conditions, the resort is open with some decent snow but not sure how much of it will actually be open next weekend.
Ischgl could well be the best bet. The resort is already 70% open and more will open next weekend. For beginners it is ideal as the nursery slopes are at the mid station (thus good snow) and there are plenty of gentle slopes to move on to. The ski area is extensive the only real downside the home runs but they really are not suitable for beginners, get the lift down! I dont like the village at all and it is not the cheapest but it is very difficult to beat for early season skiing. You would need to get a transfer (about 45 mins) from the nearest station (international trains stop there) at Landeck.
Serfaus is nearer to Landeck than Ischgl, it has a great reputation for teaching folk to ski, it has a large ski area and is largely car free. It is not due to open until later this week so difficult to say how good conditions are (I guess OK). If I were sure about the conditions I would say this would be first choice but not sure.
The Zillertal has a number of resorts in the valley all with skiing above the tree line some of which are already open (there is a glacier area, Hintertux, at the end of the valley that has been running for a couple of months). Getting there is easy as there is a narrow gauge railway along the valley which connects to the mainline at Jenbach. Not sure how suitable it would be. Its a fair while since I skied in the valley and I cant really say how good the various areas are for beginners.
If you can cope with the transfer (I guess an hour or so) from the train station, Ötztal, then Obergurgl is probably also a good choice. It is high (the highest parish in Austria) and has lots of snow already. It is not a big place but that is not an issue for your first trip, plenty of gentle skiing to move on to from the nursery slopes. There is not much to do outside skiing, most accommodation is half board hotels, there are just a few bars etc. It is linked, by bus, to the neighbouring larger resort of Sölden.
Prices everywhere should be reasonable (by skiing standards), it is just about the first full week and many hotels will be offering deals. The lift passes are often a little bit cheaper too.
There is no problem hiring kit, lots of hire places in every resort.
For whatever resort you choose you should find a list of the ski schools on the tourist office website, choose one, contact them, say you are beginners and ask for advice about where to hire kit and what lift pass to buy (some places have cheaper tickets aimed at beginners).
Personally, given your parameters I would go for either Ischgl or Obergurgl.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
if you want to go in a weeks time, there is little to no snow forecast for the next week. I would suggest that rules out many of the likely places such as Skiwelt, Saalbach, Kitzbühel etc.
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If you are of an optimistic disposition and prepared to pay some heed to long-range weather forecasts, I recommend the 14 day forecast on www.meteoblue.com which predicts a mainly sunny week this week, but a snowy week next week.
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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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The more I think about it @MarkiMun,
I'd go for Kaprun.
Depending on what time you can arrive at Frankfurt Airport, you can either stop the night in Salzburg (Or even Munich) and take the train onto Zell am See in the morning.
Or go direct.
Trains are the way to go in Europe. you can get good tips on booking at Seat61.com
or https://www.bahn.de/
Zell am See and Kaprun are very close together and share the same lift pass. (and buses)
Kaprrun is a tiny Village but has a glacier so the skiing has been guaranteed ever year for the fast few million years.
As its so small, its sort of quaint.
Zell am See is a bit bigger and very beautiful. ... lots of Apres ski opportunities.
@munich_Oirish has given you a lot of good info about other resorts in the west of Austria ... I dont know how he forgot to mention this one.
@tatmanstours also has a good handle on the Salbach Hinterglem area (Which also now shares the same lift pass as Zell {I think})
And Salbach is just around the corner from Zell, I dont know how often the buses run.
Anyway .. I hope you have great weather werever you go and have a great and jolly time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@tatmanstours
Is Leogang open yet ? and would the nursery slopes be open as that would be a good spot for beginers and a train station?
But .. the nightlife would probably be a bit limited of course.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@DrLawn, It would certainly be an option, as the lifts on the Asitz are now open, and there is a little beginners’ area at the top, served by a little drag lift. Also there are plenty of other slopes to progress onto, in the bowl at the top of the Asitz, and around the Schönleiten area over on the Saalbach side.
Also the Hendl Fischerei and the Alte Schmiede, two of the best mountain restaurants in the whole area, are very handily located at the top of the aforesaid beginners’ area at the top of the Asitz.
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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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Actually, thinking about it, Saalbach would probably be okay for beginners. The extensive beginners’ area at the top of the Bernkogel is open, as is the rest of the run down to the village (piste 130). It’s only going to get better as the snow cannons do their thing (nocturnal temperatures are forecast to remain sub-zero this week, and there appears to be a good chance of snow next week, which could make high glacier resorts unpleasant).
Added to that, most of the village bars are open or opening, and the annual “rave on snow” festival, when the village comes alive, kicks off on 12th December till 15th.
A train to Zell am See would be easy, as would a taxi from there up to Saalbach (about 40 euros), or even better the local bus.
And, come to think of it, I have an empty apartment that week - not plugging it, but it’s available, and it would be churlish to refuse a fellow-Snowhead who might want to make use of it.@MarkiMun, PM me if interested. I can advise on equipment hire, lessons, etc.
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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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Actually, thinking about it, Saalbach would probably be okay for beginners. The extensive beginners’ area at the top of the Bernkogel is open, as is the rest of the run down to the village (piste 130). It’s only going to get better as the snow cannons do their thing (nocturnal temperatures are forecast to remain sub-zero this week, and there appears to be a good chance of snow next week, which could make high glacier resorts unpleasant).
Added to that, most of the village bars are open or opening, and the annual “rave on snow” festival, when the village comes alive, kicks off on 12th December till 15th.
A train to Zell am See would be easy, as would a taxi from there up to Saalbach (about 40 euros), or even better the local bus.
And, come to think of it, I have an empty apartment that week - not plugging it, but it’s available, and it would be churlish to refuse a fellow-Snowhead who might want to make use of it.@MarkiMun, PM me if interested. I can advise on equipment hire, lessons, etc.
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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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@DrLawn, Kaprun is not so easy to get to from Frankfurt, all the places I mentioned are relatively easy to get to using the train, without too many changes or transfers. Yes you can get a transfer from Zell but Zell is on a fairly slow regional train line a fair way from the Inntal at Wörgl. Also glaciers are not always the nicest places mid winter, often very cold and windy with no shelter. Learning to ski inevitably means a fair bit of hanging around, better to be somewhere with a few trees about and a gemütliche Hutte nearby for a hot chocolate or two.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Obergurgl (Austria).
Rent a winterized car with snowchains (Sixt).
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hi @munich_irish thanks for putting me right...
Of course its going to be absolutely freezing next week up on the gletchers.
I'd be a bit jealous of @MarkiMun if I was not off to Tignes next week.
I was just trying to imagine what I would do in his boots.
I would like to think that I could guide him in the direction of having the total European Experience rather than just the ski station.
I'm pretty jealous of you @munich_irish your living just a stones throw from Kitz, it must be great.
It was for me when I worked up the road in Nuremberg.
You are so well located to spring into the Tyrol every weekend.
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