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Austria resort recommendations for beginners

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,

I've been searching through the forum archive and struggling to get a conclusion..I'm planning next year's trip, the first one with kids who will be ages 9 and 7. I will also have a non-skier wife in tow.

Requirement is an Austrian resort where we can stay in close proximity to nursery slopes, good ski schools and lower cost than the "mega resorts". It will be for next February.

My current shortlist looks like this:

Ellmau - concern is it's way too low even for Feb, Weather this week for example is up to 10 degrees and raining, even with snow cannons they will struggle!
Saalbach
Kitzbuhel - but the nursery slopes not meant to be that good?
Obergurgl

Any opinions/recommendations appreciated. Thanks!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Alpbach
Hochgurgl

I love Obergurgl, but the runs aren’t wide, smooth greens.
Kitzbuhel, is similar.
I haven’t been to Saalbach, but aren’t the runs not ideal for beginners?
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2 of my kids learned skiing in Solden. Definitely cheaper (all aspects considered) and better for beginners than Obergurgl. Cruisy wide blues with easy gondola access.
Alternatives: Westendorf, it has more blue pistes at a higher altitude than Ellmau.
If you can check Lech for reasonable offers (I know...) then you have a winner
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Quote:

I haven’t been to Saalbach, but aren’t the runs not ideal for beginners?

Since the upgrading of the lifts on the nursery slopes and the plateau on the top of the Bernkogel mountain (all now served by chair lifts and no drag lifts), I would say that Saalbach is excellent for beginners.
For progression to blue runs, it helps to know which ones are most suitable, as there are 140km of them, and some are more challenging than others. But advice on this forum will always be happily be given (go to the specific Saalbach annual thread).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks. Anyone got any recent views of Serfaus? Also looks like a good possibility and a lot higher than Ellmau.
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@pctaylor,

Alpbach I've never been and Kitzbuhel I've only limited knowledge of.

Obergurgl is fine for beginners if they stay on the lower runs below the Höhe Mut, otherwise take the ski bus to Hochgurgl as the wide blues there are great, they may even progress to being able to use the blu-ish red that allows you to ski to the cross valley gondola direct to Hochgurgl. Presuming that is your wife is happy to chill in the hotel all week. As I'm sure you're aware there's limited alternatives?!

Saalbach would tick all the boxes for me, but maybe read some of the other threads on here about which hotels are affected by street noise in the evenings though?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
pctaylor wrote:


Ellmau - concern is it's way too low even for Feb, Weather this week for example is up to 10 degrees and raining, even with snow cannons they will struggle!


Don't think that's really true - they have 160cm snow at the top, 1m of snow on the pistes at the base, 40cm snow depths in the village at 800m, and yes it looks like they may get a bit wet at the very bottom this week but they'll still get new snow higher up. The current forecast looks like a max of 7°C in the village this week. They're nowhere near struggling and already have enough snow to last them through 'til Easter if need be.

Just as point of comparison, Tignes (which is normally considered on here to be very high and snow sure) is currently reporting just 130cm at the top and 105cm at the base (1850m). And their current forecast for next week goes up to 7°C on Friday wink

Altitude is generally nowhere near as big a deal/differentiator as many people think...

That said, Kitz would have much more going on for your non-skiing wife, Serfaus is generally considered one of the best resorts around for families and I reckon Saalbach has some of the best nursery slopes/is one of the best resorts to learn to ski.

So I guess I'm saying I'd skip Ellmau too, just for other/better reasons Laughing

Obergurgl probably not the best either - it might be too high/cold and if you get a Feb storm there's no trees and no visibility. Plus literally nothing for your non-skiing wife to do (other than head down to the spa in Langenfeld maybe).
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
pctaylor wrote:
Thanks. Anyone got any recent views of Serfaus? Also looks like a good possibility and a lot higher than Ellmau.


Shhhh, it's a secret.
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Quote:

Saalbach would tick all the boxes for me, but maybe read some of the other threads on here about which hotels are affected by street noise in the evenings though?

Easily avoided by not booking a hotel in the village centre (or asking for a bedroom that doesn’t overlook the street).
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We are in St Johann for the second year running. My 6 (nearly 7) year old son learnt here and my non-skier husband has just learnt this week (he was a non-skier last time and enjoyed that). The ski school is great and what I really like is because it’s small I can frequently ski past my son in ski school or see him under the gondola! Snow has been amazing and we’re about to book to come back next year Cool
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