 Poster: A snowHead
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This is our third visit to Zell, but I doubt that I will come again.
On arrival we took a Taxi to the pension, I know it was not a long way but it is if you have children, luggage, skis, grandmas & Grand dads.
We had the grumpiest woman taxi driver you could imagine pick us up. She was really hacked off because we were a short ride and she was hanging around the station waiting for a long trip. I said to her .. (Vicky's Taxis) if you don't want to take us, don't... we'll get the next taxi.
But no, she took us the 1000 metres and grumbled at us all the way for not walking up there.
"Welcome to Zell"
The airBnB we had was OK ...
Its up the main street to the Schmittenhoe lift.
The bus stop was not more than 100 metres away, but the paths are icy and the road is particularly busy.
The bus timetable shows buses run every half an hour but in reality it runs a bit more frequently at peak times.
But the buses are a nightmare, it takes substantial local knowledge to work them out.
They are not free, they are only free if you have a valid ski card, which nearly everyone gets ... but your stuffed on arrival, until you have one.
My wife has given up skiing this year so she wanted to go hiking.
You need a lift pass to do this.
I could find no reference to a hikers lift pass on the website and was informed by the lady selling the lift passes I would have to buy a full 280Euro pass.
She booked a guided snow shoe walk (which was free) just the hire of the snow shoes a modest 6Euro
When she arrived she was told that she did not need the full lift pass she could have a "3 from 8 days Hikers pass" for about 70Euro
Wonderful !
That was until the bus driver said it was not valid for the bus 
We had bought the wrong pass, we could have got one that included busses but we did not know.
She had to buy a Wochen Card for 19Euro.
The snow shoe trip might have been good, but the weather closed in and the guide decided to nip home and abandon the walkers.
Anyway the holiday is nearly over now ... just one more day 
The big challenge now it to manage to catch the 6:02am train to Salzburg on Saturday.
I know I can't rely on the taxis to turn up to take us to the station so I plan to take our luggage to the station the night before and leave it in a locker, then walk down in the morning.
I know skiing is a phaaf ... but it does not really have to be.
I suggest the tourist board gives the taxi drivers a good kick in the exhaust pipe and subsidise all the busses properly and have them run every 15 minutes, you need it in the middle of the day as well, because the 660 to Kaprun is busy all day long.
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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, I have never had to show a lift pass on the bus. I have a season ticket for all public transport anyway, but the ski busses rarely seem to check.
Sadly grumpy taxi drivers exist everywhere. In winter many seem to be drafted in from Croatia, Hungary, etc. and don't always speak German, which is interesting!
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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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Sorry to hear it wasn't the most enjoyable holiday.
| DrLawn wrote: |
I suggest the tourist board gives the taxi drivers a good kick in the exhaust pipe and subsidise all the busses properly and have them run every 15 minutes, you need it in the middle of the day as well, because the 660 to Kaprun is busy all day long. |
Probably worth emailing that to the tourist board. Unlikely they have much to do with running the bus service, but they could at least feed it on to the various taxi firms and I'm sure they'd be interested in how they can better communicate/simplify the lift passes 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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@DrLawn, I agree with you about some things. Others are just what is?
The pavements on the Schmittenstrasse are never properly cleared unless there is a complete town level melt. It has always been thus IME and its a real PIA in ski boots. Something that they could and should sort easily. For the benefit of those who've never been Zell is an old (Medieval) town and the streets are narrow. The road in question is very busy and has its worst funnel point in the 150m or so between the very centre of town and the main lift from town. The pavement is also narrow, literally single file if you're carrying skis. I think the problem is that most of town is treated with stone chips over fresh snow but the narrowness of that part where the roadway is brined means that water form the road splashes onto the snow which partly melts and then freezes overnight turning it to ice and making the chips useless.
As for grumpy taxi drivers a newly landed alien could be forgiven for thinking that was a prerequisite for such employment?
I also agree about the mountain company cashiers albeit I've never met a helpful and cheery one anywhere. Its seems to be accepted that they sell you the most they can and will never suggest the cheaper alternative. Maybe they are on commission? The ones in the City Express at ZamS are a right set of grumpy bovines though.
Please email the tourism folks and feedback. Unless we all do that nothing will change?
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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,
I sympathise with you on several of your points. Maybe a bit of prior research online might have helped you in relation to hiker lift passes and bus travel. There’s plenty of hiking to be done in the area without the need for lift passes. Having been told that a weekly lift pass for hikers was €280, you could have instead chosen to have purchased tickets on a daily basis as and when needed.
What time is your flight on Saturday? Have you considered the 260 bus from Zell direct to the airport?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi @Austrian Seagull,
Sorry, I just didn't study their website hard enough did I?
We did by a 3 in 8 eventually. But thanks for digging deep enough. I think I may have asked the forum about it.
Still, returning as we type via OBB, DB bahn, SNCF and at this moment Eurostar.
Started off at 6:02
Good news...
We found the back road down to the town from St Georg hotel, much safer than the main drag.
We padded gently on the spitstiens timmidly this morning and extracted our luggage from a locker which managed to hold it all for a measly 3.50e
I did email the tourist office to see if they could recommend a taxi firm and had a whinge about Vicky the Valcerie . But they never replied yet.
I was amazed at how good Sport Brundl are...
Seem really top class and helpful hire shop even if a bit on the pricey side. The new shop at base of Maiskogel is a work of art... Almost an Alpine Harrods.
Couple of good restaurant experiences so going home in one piece. My kids and Granddaughter made me do the Trass. Which I would not have done on my own.
I must not slag it off too much. But it would be a much better place with constant running free busses.
This in turn would make the Taxi drivers a bit more compliant.
Not far to go home now, ... Never used my phone to post before... So please excuse typos and thanks all contributers to thread.
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@Austrian Seagull I've searched the https://www.schmitten.at/
and I found what I was looking for immediately with your link, but I still find it totally confusing.
I don't think I would have ever found it without your link.
Another point ...
Whats this about:
Power of Zehn
For kids and teens: Only EUR 10 for a whole day at the three biggest ski resorts of Pinzgau!
When you delve into it at:
http://www.powerofzehn.at/
Its a a pass for Saturdays only, nice but its usually change over day.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away 
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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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| DrLawn wrote: |
@Austrian Seagull I've searched the https://www.schmitten.at/
and I found what I was looking for immediately with your link, but I still find it totally confusing.
I don't think I would have ever found it without your link.
Another point ...
Whats this about:
Power of Zehn
For kids and teens: Only EUR 10 for a whole day at the three biggest ski resorts of Pinzgau!
When you delve into it at:
http://www.powerofzehn.at/
Its a a pass for Saturdays only, nice but its usually change over day.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away |
A large number of foreign visitors ski on changeover day, whether it be their arrival day or departure day. I appreciate that it doesn’t help Brits with Saturday flights, but the vast majority of visitors to Zell get there by car, train or coach. Many travel there overnight on Friday and arrive in resort early on a Saturday morning. Likewise, on departure, they will check out early on Saturday morning and head off skiing.
Other resorts have similar offers.
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