 Poster: A snowHead
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Am considering going to Austria next year, for somewhere in the 8-12 weeks range. Time off depends what I can swing from work. Anyway, here are my initial thoughts;
* Get A Salzburger earlybird pass. For about 800 Euros, it covers loads of resorts, so can move around, depending on weather, etc.
* Am very average skier, nearly 50, reasonably fit. Would be alone, but have visitors some weeks. Plan to go after Christmas, perhaps mid January to late March.
* 'Borrow' my ol' dear's car (07 A Class Merc). It needs new tyres, so I thought I might persuade her to buy some all season jobbies. Already have my own snow chains. We have a Touareg, which would be great for the snow, but brutal on fuel. I live near Guildford, so under 2 hours from the Channel Tunnel. Plan to drive, obvs 
* Time to buy my own boots & skis. Have 'problem' feet, so would go to one of the places you guys recommend. Have no idea about one ski from another. How do I know what to get?
* Apartment rental. That seems so be the big one. I use the same old sites every time for accommodation- Booking, Vrbo (y'what?), AirBnB. Would like something fairly central to most of the resorts covered by the pass. Most seem to be around a couple of grand per month. I read (some years ago) on here, about renting a non- holiday let. The example was a big old house for about 500 Euros. Any idea how I might get some kind of deal on a rental property?
Basically, what do you think? Any aspect that you care to comment on, plus those that I haven't thought of yet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I am in Oberau at the moment, there was over a foot of snow last night, I am very glad I have proper winter tyres. Chains don't cut it, nor do all season tyres. There aren't any Austrian using them, they all have proper winter tyres.
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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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We've done something similar(ish) this year. Currently in a 6 week trip in Tirol (bought the Snowcard Tirol pass rather than the Salzburg one), and intend to come back for another 4 weeks in April. This trip we flew and rented a car, as driving wasn't possible due to French and Dutch Covid regs.
You'll need snow tyres (legal requirement). My view is that proper snow tyres (rather than all-seasons) would mean you hardly ever need to use chains, and are a better option that all seasons. There are others on this forum who know a lot more on this.
Accommodation: We did an initial 4 weeks in one area, then 2 weeks elsewhere. I was initially intending to book via AirBnB as there were options for significant monthly (28+ days) discounts, but when I tried to book the first said the monthly discount was a mistake so rejected the booking. Instead we've used booking.com. The main reason for using that was we wanted a decent amount of space, and it was relatively easy to check this. I was considering one trip for ~10 weeks, but that didn't seem to work out any cheaper than monthly rents.
Skis: Most ski shops will let you try different skis for ~3 days for free if you then buy some. Providing the snow conditions are similar on each day, you should be able to make a judgement on what you like. If you arrive in January, it will be quiet, and most ski shops will be willing to spend time chatting about what you want
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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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@faithsdaddy, as said above get proper winter tyres, the all season ones might pass the legal test but whilst they are fine for the odd trip into the mountains on main roads, if you are in the mountains for an extended period in winter they are pretty necessary. Unless you are planning driving up out of the valleys on farm roads or tracks chains are unlikely to be of any use, four wheel drive better if you do have a period of "stau" snow conditions.
You might want to think about Tirol rather than Salzburgerland (nothing wrong with Salzburgerland at all but the geography might work a bit better in Tirol). There are a number of non ski towns up and down the Inntal, Innsbruck being the prime example, where apartment rental will be easier & cheaper. Public transport is good, so access to the various areas is easy, with a wide variety of areas in reach from St Anton to Kitzbühel.
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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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Would proper winter tyres be ok to use year round, when the car is back in the UK?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I use mine all year, no issues, have done for a few years now, 20 k miles from them. I find them quite good off road when I'm launching my boat.
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I'd suggest having a winter set and a summer set of tyres. Assuming you keep the car for several years, doing reasonable mileage, then tyres will need replacing anyway, so you should get reasonable life out of each. It used to be that tyres didn't take well to being swapped on and off wheels (so you'd have 2 sets of wheels, as well as 2 sets of tyres), but my understanding is that that's no longer an issue.
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@faithsdaddy, We have done multiple seasons in the alps with all season tyres. Ours at least (marked as full winters) were just as good as normal winter only tyres.
We did the same 12 weeks in Salzburgerland a few years ago. The season pass, early purchase was 700 then. We rented a Snowheads apartment for a reasonable price for some of the time while she wasn't using it ( no longer available), the other weeks we rented small apartments in smaller resorts for 250 to 300 per week.
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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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A general point about boots, I thought I had "problem feet" (wide, very flexible) then in 2009 I invested in a custom made liners in an expensive ski shop in St Anton, an impulse buy! The outer shell is a Strolz, but that's not the important thing.
The best skiing thing I ever did.
Never an ache or pain since, they fit like a snug glove, even when not worn for a year.
Making skiing more enjoyable and in my opinion technique improves as you're as one with the skis.
This service is also available in the UK at various shops.
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The Salzburger Super Skipass offers a massive range of ski options. I’m sure you’d have a blast. I think I’d base myself somewhere in the Schladming valley - there are plenty of decent sized towns with great access to the main road system for travelling and exploring.
Definitely Winter tyres! No question.
Boots. Given where you’re based (Guildford area), try ProFeet in Fulham. Of course, everyone has their own experiences but, generally, the consensus here, over time, seems to suggest they’re pretty good. My personal experience was outstanding. As you’re spending a fair length of time away, it would be worth testing any new boots out at a snow dome prior to going. Just in case you need any adjustments. Probably easier than waiting until you’re in a different country with less easy communication. Unless you’re fluent in German, of course.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| faithsdaddy wrote: |
| Would proper winter tyres be ok to use year round, when the car is back in the UK? |
Ours last set of Winter tyres lasted 3 years before changing them. We don’t do huge amounts of mileage - perhaps 5-6k per year!
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FAQ
