 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm planning to spend at least a month skiing in Austria this winter. The amount of information is overwhelming. I landed somewhat randomly on St Johann as a good option, but I'm not married to it. I'm looking for input about that town/resort/area. I'm also attracted to the idea of getting the Tyrol pass (yes, I do know something.... but still not a lot) and go through various towns. Is it true that you can ski from town to town via lifts in some places? What would be the sweet spot that is, like, right in the middle of all the best ever ski resorts in Austria, where I could have one place to stay but also have the freedom to hang out in a bunch of different ski areas and towns?
I'm an intermediate skier, expecting to get better, single, mid fifties. (this is turning into a dating profile) You will definitely find me at a bar or restaurant in the evenings.
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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@robahas, welcome to snowHeads! 
Austria has lots of fans here on sHs, and I'm sure people will be along with suggestions. One large area of skiing is Saalbach/Hinterglemm which is now lift connected with the Zell am See ski area I believe.
Just one point - you mentioned St. Johann as an option, be aware that there are in fact two St.Johann ski area in Austria, St.Johann in Tirol (next to Kitzbuhel) and St.Johann im Pongau in the Salzburger Sportwelt/Ski Amadé region. Both are nice ski areas.
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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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| Quote: |
| Just one point - you mentioned St. Johann as an option, be aware that there are in fact two St.Johann ski area in Austria, St.Johann in Tirol (next to Kitzbuhel) and St.Johann im Pongau in the Salzburger Sportwelt/Ski Amadé region. Both are nice ski areas. |
Thanks! Yeah I was confused about that for a while. To clarify I was talking about the one in Tirol.
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@robahas, depends if you have a car or not (although trains and buses work v well). St Johann (in Tirol) probably has the cheapest accommodation in that area but it's a bit on its own. In one direction you have Fieberbrunn to take you into the Saalbach Hinterglemm circuit. In another direction you have Going to take you into Ski Welt. And then of course you have Kitzbuhel just up the road and all that huge area. You might want to look at the pass that also covers places like Saalbach - All Star Pass? Hopfgarten or Brixen also a good places for a long stay - out of the two I'd be going that way. Kirchberg also worth a look.
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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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St Johann is quite Central.. So could Fly into Innsbruck, ski one direction all the way to Salzburg
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not sure exactly what you have in mind, staying in one place for a month or staying a week and then moving on. St Johann in T. is a pretty good location for visiting a number of nearby areas. The St Johann local slopes are OK but a bit limited, Kitzbühel is an extensive area, Ski Welt too (though not really much challenging skiing) Fieberbrunn is a link into the Saalbach Hinterglemm area. There are some smaller areas such as Steinplatte too. There is lots of skiing further afield though maybe better to move bases. Not sure what area the Tirol card covers, I think it covers much of the Salzburgerland too. If so maybe consider a week based in say the SkiAmade area (eg Flachau), a week in St Johann, a week in the Zillertal and a week in the Ötztal or Paznauntal. This would allow you to see a wide variety of the various resorts.
If you want to spend your time based in one location with a few days out to different areas then maybe consider Brixen (middle of SkiWelt which is linked to Kitzbühel and good public transport between the two, probably works better than St Johann but element of personal choice) or Flachau (reasonably central for SkiAmade, easy to get to Salzburg when you want a day off from skiing).
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@robahas, We're based in Flachau and I'd echo previous comments. The Salzburgland Superski Pass covers Kitzbühel, Zillertal, Saalbach etc and many others outside Salzburgland, but the key is probably how much skiing are you actually going to do. I'm mid-fifties too and even as a Ski Instructor I'm pushed to cover more than about 80km on piste per day. So that would be 10 days just to complete the Ski Amade pass area and ski every run. I'd recommend at least 1 day rest in 7 assuming no injuries and a travel day isn't a rest day! Certainly consider a multi-resort trip as stated above, but you'll get a better deal on an apartment if you stay in one place. Which month are you looking at?
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St Johann im Tyrol is on the railway so you can get to Kitzbuhel and Brixen relatively easily and, I think, Fieberbrunn but never done that. The last time I went the train to Kitzbuhel and Brixen was free with your ski pass. I dont think the bus to Going is free.
I love St J for a day or two - superb runs down to Oberndorf and nice bar restaurant at the bottom. I think the lifts have improved since the last time I went to St J as well
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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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St Johann im Tyrol is on the railway so you can get to Kitzbuhel and Brixen relatively easily and, I think, Fieberbrunn but never done that. The last time I went the train to Kitzbuhel and Brixen was free with your ski pass. I dont think the bus to Going is free.
I love St J for a day or two - superb runs down to Oberndorf and nice bar restaurant at the bottom. I think the lifts have improved since the last time I went to St J as well
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If you're staying for a month then I would say make a choice between the mainly Tirol pass https://snowcard.tirol.at/de/skigebiete/alle-skigebiete or the mainly Salzburg pass https://www.superskicard.com/
Both will give you access to way more than you can ski so choose the one that contains your must ski resort and the rest will be great. Both include Skiwelt, Kitzbuhel and a few others. Accommodation availability will probably help make the decision for you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We're doing something similar in January 2023; basing ourselves in Reith in Alpbachtal and using the train (really don't want a car) to head to the Ski Welt, Kitzbuhel, St Johann in one direction and the Zillertal resorts in the other direction. We have an apartment for a month and a couple of nights in guesthouses in Kitz and St Johann. The planning has been really good fun and interesting!
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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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if you want to base in a town/village and explore the areas round you there are many options
based in Radstadt with ski amade + obertauern near you
based in e.g. St. Johann with Skiwelt, Kitz, Fieberbrunn + Saalbach
based in Maishofen with Saalbach, Zell am See + Kitzsteinhorn
based somewhere near Landeck with many big ski resorts from Tirol round you
based in Zillertal and explore the Zillertal ski resorts
or
based somewhere in Arlberg (i quess Lech is out of question) and exploring the Arlberg ski area (probably the most expensive option?)
if you have a car all options are really good
if not then ....i dont know because i always was with car ....
according to where you wanna based you have some option for a saison pass
TirolSnowcard
SuperskiCard (i recommend SSSC and not Amade, althouth amade area is huge)
Zillertal Card
Arlberg Card
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St J is a pretty good location - largeish real town, right on railway, hospital, brewery etc. Good access West to Skiwelt and beyond ( Ischgl, Fiss, Soelden and everywhere non Atlberg on pass IIRC) and East to Ski Circus etc. Other "base" location I've contemplated assuming car is Saalfelden.
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You know it makes sense.
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| countryman wrote: |
St Johann im Tyrol is on the railway so you can get to Kitzbuhel and Brixen relatively easily and, I think, Fieberbrunn but never done that. The last time I went the train to Kitzbuhel and Brixen was free with your ski pass. I dont think the bus to Going is free.
I love St J for a day or two - superb runs down to Oberndorf and nice bar restaurant at the bottom. I think the lifts have improved since the last time I went to St J as well |
Driving past St J (and looking at piste map) it seems there are more lower runs than upper - (not always the case with resorts but very noticeable at St J). It IS north facing, but there may be a snow quality issue as the valley is low?
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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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@robahas, this is exactly the type of trip I dream about when/ if I get rid of the kids.
I also rate St Johann as a great base for all the reasons @Dave of the Marmottes, sets out. I did a week there and skied Kitzbuhel (v easy, short, free train), Steinplatte (free bus), Feiburbrunn (short bus trip), Zell am See (longer but easy train). To this can be added Ski Welt ( train or bus) and Lofer (free bus).
Of course this is a public transport selection. As had been pointed out elsewhere, if you have a car you have even more great choices. One benefit of St Johann is the accommodation appears much cheaper than larger linked resorts and its own ski area is lovely, if smallish- perfect for a half day or a warm up before moving onto something else
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