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Austrian resort recommendations near the Munich -Innsbruck train line?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Having had a brilliant family ski trip this year, thoughts are already turning to planning for next year.

We've decided we'd like to try the nightjet sleeper train, particularly if the direct Brussels-Innsbruck service really does become a daily one from next December. Normally a longish transfer isn't a huge problem for us, but if we've already had a long journey, it would make sense to pick a resort that's not too far from either Rosenheim (Bavaria), Jenbach, Wörgl, Kufstein or Innsbruck.

So far, I'm considering Alpbach, somewhere in the Zillertal, Kirchberg, maybe Lofer.

I'd be grateful for any thoughts on these or further suggestions.

Main priorities are lots of blue runs, a family friendly resort, pretty village.

I also quite like somewhere that's not too manic in half-term or maybe a bit off the beaten track.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I would suggest either Brixen or Kirchberg (which means SkiWelt / Kitzbühel), easy to get to from Wörgl as there is a train line up the Brixental or one of the villages in the Zillertal, again train connection from Jenbach. Alpbach has a reputation as a very pretty village though does not have extensive skiing. If you want a short transfer then I would not go further than St Johann in Tirol (so not Fieberbrunn, Steinplatte, Lofer etc) though if you are going to contemplate a slightly longer transfer you might want to check out the Hochkönig area (Maria Alm, Dienten etc).

I would suggest you get hold of a copy of "Where to ski in Austria" https://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/the-book/ which has details of all these resorts and more.
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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?
Thank you for your advice munich irish. I will have a closer look at the resorts you suggest. Interestingly, I had already considered the Hochkönig area, so think I'll take a closer look, and check out timings etc.

I've already got a book about Austrian ski resorts that the Austrian tourist board sent me a couple of years ago, but that one you recommend looks great too, so I'll see if i can get hold of a copy (especially as the earlier version of that book that we have is about 15 years old!)
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Try this site

http://www.2thealps.com/

Also seat61.com gives good advice on routes/booking and other practicalities
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
We've just returned from a half term week skiing in Kitzbuhel (travelling by train back to Munich at the end of the week). We stayed in Oberndorf, which was 8 mins by train to the Hahnenkamm lift every morning, and easy to get to Worgl for the train home at the end. Depending on what you're looking for, that could work well for you. We stayed in a self catering house (6 adults, 2 kids), which was 5-8 mins walk to the train. There was a train to the lift every hour, so we could get there for ski school every morning.

We have also stayed in Kitzbuhel itself (2 years ago), again self catering, and there was a v efficient ski bus to the lift.

The ski area is brilliant there - great for all abilities (with blues everywhere so you can easily get about). And ski school is 6 hrs, so the parents get to have a good ski too. We didn't queue for a lift all week, apart from max 10 mins to get up the Hahnenkahm gondola on a couple of mornings. It's worlds apart from half term in France!

We cooked in most nights (so we could get the kids to bed early), but did eat out twice - once in Oberndorf and once in Kitzbuhel. There wasn't much choice in Oberndorf, so you would have to plan carefully.

Our friends stayed in Kirchberg last year but didn't use the trains at all - just the ski bus to get to the Fleckhalmbahn lift.

We would go back there again, without a doubt.

We went to Maria Alm about 10 years ago, and really enjoyed it. But we haven't been back again with the kids because the ski school was some way from the main places we wanted to ski (we didn't have any kids in the party when we went). The town was lovely, but it doesn't work for us now.
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The Zillertal would be perfect.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Garmisch, up the Zupspitze. The snow is superb. Only blues and Reds.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Should have clarified, that is of course Germany, but not much further on. The Rosshütte at Seefeld is well worth a day too.
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Which month of travel?

Makes a big difference to the suggestions.

For example, Alpbach is great in Feb, useless in Apr (no snow).
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If staying in Garmisch several smalll resorts in the Zugspitz Arena are on the same lift pass. Particularly good for families are Ehrwalder Alm and Lermoos, a short free train ride from Garmisch.
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Thanks for the suggestions.

Unfortunately we'll be going during February half-term week, which is why I'm keen to avoid somewhere too busy (I know it's a busy week, but so far, we've been fairly lucky and never had to face ridiculous queues).

I do like the look of the Garmisch area, particularly the Ehrwalder Alm, but the train journey to get there is surprisingly long.

Seefeld looks a bit too too limited, I think and I also only really want to be based in one resort, rather than do day trips. This year we had ski in/out accommodation and it was brilliant.

I was keen on Kaltenbach, but have just read a really negative review which has put me off a bit!

Kirchberg and Brixen are the current contenders I think. Or maybe Alpbach.
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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.
I've flown to Munich, hired a car and driven to Saalbach whihc was easy enough had a great time there and would definitely go back again.
My other favourite is Schladming well worth a trip
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@schifoan, What was negative?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Garmisch cannot really be described as near to the train line, personally I think it is a bit limited, OK for day trips from Munich not sure about a week. Seefeld is not too far from Innsbruck but it is a bit limited in terms of skiing more a winter holiday location. Not sure why there would be a negative review of Kaltenbach but you can have a bad experience anywhere, it is a pretty good spot but like everywhere has its plus and minus points. There is not much ski in / out accommodation in Austria certainly hardly any in the places under discussion here.

Timing is important. Ski Juwel, SkiWelt and to a lesser extent Kitzbühel are fairly low. When the snow is good, generally mid January to end of February but it does vary from year to year, these are all good spots. Outside of this peak period the snow can be very variable. If you are looking at Christmas or March I would suggest the Zillertal is a better option.

Brixen & Kirchberg offer access to pretty much the same skiing (SkiWelt and Kitzbühel are linked) with plenty of straightforward piste skiing on offer. I think Brixen is the better location as Kirchberg is a bit strung out (I assume apres is not a consideration) though the run down from the main SkiWelt area to the gondola is not great (best get the gondola back). When there is lots of snow it is possible to ski across some fields back to Kirchberg rather than the lift stations on the outskirts of the village.

Alpbach is a lovely village and lots of folk return year after year but the skiing area is not large and is fairly low. If you are used to the large french resorts it might seem rather limited though it is ideal for youngsters learning to ski.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:

@schifoan, What was negative?


Everything!
I know it's only one person's opinion, and I shouldn't let it put me off, but it was such a damning trip review! I read it on alpinforum - in German, link below https://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=57468&p=5118658&hilit=Kaltenbach+breite+pisten#p5118658

Basically said it was hell on earth, too industrialised, too big a discrepancy between lift capacity and piste size, pistes rammed, badly prepared etc. Mind you, the attached photos make it look quite nice!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I've only ever skied in Austria! My husband has been to loads of the big French resorts, but he now prefers Austria too (or Switzerland, but that's a bit too expensive, sadly).

We went to the SkiWelt (Ellmau) a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, so for that reason Brixen appeals. This year we were in the Ski Amadé and thought it was brilliant - just a bit too far by train, perhaps.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I wouldn't let that spoil it. Nobody posts positive reviews on the interwebs.
From Kaltenbach, it's best to ski over to the Hochfugen side, which is mostly empty.
The other bonus is you can visit the other villages in the valley and ski there too. Zell am Ziller is good too (although I prefer the Gerlos side, with a compulsory black to get there), Mayrhofen I've not skied in a while though (mainly cos Kaltenbach is the one with a free multistorey carpark by the lifts, and it's usually snowing, so no need to clear car at the end of the day Smile )

It used to be that the queues were huge but they've replaced the lifts 2x since then! Now it's all heated 8er's etc., and double gondola uplift on to the mountain. Is that what they mean by "industrialised"?
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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?
Weirdly the complaint was that there are too many fast lifts!! I think the poster felt that this led to too many people on the slopes.

I'm glad you like the resort though. Hochfügen does sound good. I've found some nice looking accommodation (with swimming pool etc for the kids) that is between Kaltenbach and Zell am Ziller, so we could potentially explore both resorts, although we'd have to have one as a main base for ski school.
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@schifoan, If you liked SkiWelt no reason not to stick with it, Ski Juwel might seem a bit small after Ski Amade. Brixen allows you to easily ski the Kitzbühel area too and Kirchberg allows you to easily ski SkiWelt too, there is not much to choose between them. Probably more down to what accommodation you can find that appeals.

The point being made on the Alpinforum thread is probably a fair one. One of Kaltenbach's plus points is the ease of access whether by train or by car. The downside of that is that it can get busy with day visitors. Do you prefer older slower lifts or more efficient ones which move more people but mean more folk on the pistes? Like most of the Zillertal Kaltenbach's skiing is almost all above the tree line, good for being snow sure but not so good in bad weather.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Good point. I think personally I'd opt for slower lifts and emptier pistes. And my husband does like tree-lined slopes, so perhaps not Kaltenbach. The children are getting quite good at skiing, but not so good at looking where they are going! I spent this last holiday terrified that my youngest was going to take someone out as he bombed past them!

Plenty of room on the pistes would definitely be a good thing for us.
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@schifoan, If you like the idea of Zillertal, have a look at staying in Fügen. The Spieljoch ski area, above Fügen, is fairly small which means it doesn't attract masses of people. Of course at half term it gets busier but not as crazy as Hochzillertal. From Fügen there are free ski buses to Kaltenbach and Hochfügen. You can also ski down to the Geolsbahn at Spieljoch and use the shuttle bus to Hochfügen.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
If you are thinking about going between Xmas and NY, Kaltenbach certainly got busy by the day after Boxing day the time we went.

If swimming is your thing there is also an excellent indoor waterpark in the valley, a short (but infrequent) bus ride from Kaltenbach.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Do you need to get all the way there on the train? Fulpmes at the start of the Stubai area and Kuhtai are all a really short and easy transfer from Innsbruck station.
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No, definitely don't need it to be a train all the way. In fact, with all our luggage etc, a taxi for the last bit of the journey would be good. It was more that I don't want a 3 hour transfer after 20 odd hours of train travel. A 30 min taxi ride from our final station would be the ideal.

Fulpmes certainly looks very blue - just maybe a bit too limited. I realise I'm sounding fussy here!

I think I went to Kuhtai years ago for a day and enjoyed it. Do you think there's enough skiing there for a week?
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Zillertal is great for a week. You can get up and down between Kaltenbach, Zell and Mayrhofen on the train. Then there is the ski bus up to Hintertux for the glacier. Mayrhofen itself would be fine for a week for most people, plenty of variety for all levels of skier and a decent town as well. Everything on the same lift pass.
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schifoan wrote:
Weirdly the complaint was that there are too many fast lifts!! I think the poster felt that this led to too many people on the slopes.

I'm glad you like the resort though. Hochfügen does sound good. I've found some nice looking accommodation (with swimming pool etc for the kids) that is between Kaltenbach and Zell am Ziller, so we could potentially explore both resorts, although we'd have to have one as a main base for ski school.


It’s an interesting point about “industrialised skiing”. France took over from Austria in the late 80s/90s as the preferred destination for most Brits by industrialising the experience - lots of 4-seat chairlifts, ski in/out, motorway pistes etc. In the last 10 years Austria has fought back - loads of snowmaking, 6/8 seat heated chairs, jumbo gondolas from the resorts, ski depots, links to other areas to offer greater extent etc. Without this, i imagine that a lot of resorts in Austria would struggle to survive. For those who don’t like this approach, there are still dozens of smaller traditional resorts like Alpbach and Obergurgl.
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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.
@schifoan, Yes both are probably limited if you want a variety of skiing through a week.

We used Fulpmes as a base and skiied mainly at Stubai but had our own car and no kids so that was easy.

If you want something bigger and more varied you could always stay on the train past Innsbruck in which case you'd have the option of transfers to Solden, Ischgl, and Serfaus or of course St Anton but obviously that's more time on your journey. Next time we're back in Europe I'm planning return to Serfaus using the train but will do London-Paris-Zurich-Landeck with a stay for a night or two in Paris. This route is quicker for western Austria but there's no sleeper train option as far as I'm aware.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Serfaus has actually been at the top of my list of resorts to try for a few years now - although it always seems very expensive at half-term compared to other places. I think you are right that it would be better to go via Zurich for western Austria though.

I need to get the rest of the family on board for train travel, so I'm thinking that we need to make this year as easy as possible, and then I can explore other options for the future.

I'm actually coming back round to the idea of the Zillertal - mainly because I've found some accommodation that would suit us perfectly and I've since seen lots of really positive reviews which help to counteract the one negative review which put me off. I have to say that I see modern chairlifts and gondolas as more of a positive!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
schifoan wrote:
I'm actually coming back round to the idea of the Zillertal - mainly because I've found some accommodation that would suit us perfectly and I've since seen lots of really positive reviews which help to counteract the one negative review which put me off. I have to say that I see modern chairlifts and gondolas as more of a positive!


I'm a big fan of the Zillertal, I've been numerous times and would highly recommend it.
Incidentally, where is the accommodation you've found?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I'm glad you recommend the Zillertal, Alaistair.

It's probably going to sound crazy, but the accommodation I've found is actually a campsite! It's called Camping Aufenfeld in Aschau im Zillertal. It's got some nice looking apartments (so we wouldn't actually be camping!) but what I really like is all the activities for the children. There's an indoor pool with waterslides, skate park, soft play, climbing wall etc. My kids seem to have unlimited energy and never want to just sit down, even after a full day's skiing! It also seems very reasonably priced. I've looked at hotels or apartments with swimming pools, but they are always so expensive.

We'd need to get the ski bus, but it stops right at the campsite and we'd also have the choice of Kaltenbach or the Zillertal Arena.

I don't suppose anyone knows this particular campsite? I'm always grateful for other suggestions or thoughts.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@schifoan, I don't know the campsite, but I know a bit about Aschau - when the snow conditions are good there's a nice run (ski route 17 on the piste map) from the Kaltenbach ski slopes down to Aschau. From the end of the route there's a frequent ski bus service back to the Kaltenbach base station. Madeye-Smiley . https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/kaltenbach-hochzillertalhochfuegen-ski-optimal/trail-map/
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thanks, Alastair. That looks great. I hadn't realised we could ski back to Aschau.
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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?
@schifoan, it’s 5 mins from the lifts on the main road at Zell and 10 mins to the Horbergbahn for access to Mayrhofen and 10 mins to Kaltenbach lifts.

I have never stayed there but we quite often climb at the Kletterhalle at the camping site. Excellent climbing wall. Very high!! The skate park is outside but under a roof/cover so can be used all year.
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