 Poster: A snowHead
|
TLDR: We had an amazing first family ski trip to Zauchensee.
When 19th-26th February 2022
Where Zauchensee
Who Our immediate family of 4 (me - intermediate, better half - very nervous progressor, boy - aged 10, girl - aged 6). Kids both complete beginners. Travelled with another family with pretty much the same combination. It was our first family ski holiday and I was keen to ensure everyone had a great time (and wanted to go back).
Transport
Travelled with Jet2 from Leeds Bradford into Salzburg. Outbound ran smoothly. Leeds airport a little busy, but was easy through security and could park right by the terminal (it's further than Manchester for us, but I find Leeds or Liverpool easier to travel through).
Arranged a private transfer through the hotel to take us to Zauchensee. On arrival, Salzburg airport was busy with a number of flights arriving together. Passport control queue was short, but baggage claim took a little longer. Ours were seemingly the last bags off. Our daughter then decided it was an opportune time to put the Austrian sewage system to an early test. By the time she was done, the airport was empty and I was worried our private transfer would have given up on us. Fortunately our man was still waiting patiently.....
Had our hotel arrange a private transfer direct to Zauchensee. It was an easy journey - little traffic, mostly motorways, nothing especially winding - took about 1 hr. The minibus was pre-equipped with child seats.
Note that the return transfer took longer - 1hr 45 - due to traffic on the motorway heading back north to Salzburg, Munich and beyond.
Hotel
After much searching, we settled on Zauchensee and stayed at the Zauchenseehof. It's part of the Familotel group of hotels aimed typically at families with young-ish children. Initial impression was that the hotel felt very slightly dated - but this is just the traditional Austrian style and we loved the place. We picked it for:
- Ski-in/out convenience - the ski school meeting point is right outside the locker room.
- Half board catering (which is actually all-inc for the kids and also includes free soft drinks for adults)
- Spacious rooms - we had a family apartment which consisted of a large double room, with a bunk bed room accessed off an internal hallway (the bunk room also had a fold down bed so this setup would work for a family of 5). It was very spacious, had plenty of storage space, was comfortable and the bathroom was brand new. There was sometimes a bit of evening noise from kids in the corridor (our room was near the main kids play room), but this quietened down early enough.
- Off slope activities - swimming pool, bowling, climbing wall, soft play, spa / relaxation areas, table tennis, table football,
Food and service were excellent. Breakfast was buffet style. Evening meals consisted of a starter, soup, main course and dessert (plus help-yourself cheese buffet). You generally had a choice of 3 or 4 of each option. One of our party has a few food allergies and these were very well catered for. There was a gala dinner which had an extra course and fancier food - scallops, fillet mignon etc. But we felt the normal meals were of a high standard. Kids food was generally a choice of 3 or 4 mains from a buffet. They were always happy with it.
The general ambience of the hotel was very family friendly with good quality traditional Austria service. Does it wow you with glossy/modern interiors? No. But it has everything you want and more for a family holiday. Reception arranged our lift passes. There was a daily programme of kids activities - given it was Dutch school holidays, the cinema nights were in Dutch - so little use to us. However, we did join in the marshmallow toasting one evening and did a bit of sledging on the foot of the slopes. All in all, would highly recommend the Zauchenseehof. In fact, we have tried to book for Feb 2023, but they're already fully booked for our half-term week.
Ski Hire
We booked via Sport 2000 which was directly facing the hotel, so very convenient. Fitting was efficient and equipment good quality. We collected it on the afternoon of arrival, ready for day 1 in ski school the next morning.
Ski School
We booked the kids into the Top Alpin Walchofer ski school. As mentioned above, the meeting point is outside the hotel ski locker room, so very convenient. The kids were broadly allocated into different beginner groups based on age, then moved depending on how they were progressing. This ended up meaning some groups had around 10 children in, others as few as 4. Initially they work on a (very) small but private beginner area, starting almost flat, then moving up to different magic carpet lengths / gradients.
Our 10 y/o had a meltdown after day 1 and was insistent he didn't want to go back on day 2. It took some serious bribery and cajoling to get him in, but eventually he did (although it was touch and go for a while and I thought our skiing was over before it had started). Once he went in on day 2, I was asked by his instructor to get his lift pass for the afternoon as they were going up on the mountain. My daughter went up on the mountain for the start of day 3. Once they were up on the mountain, they were absolutely hooked.
Generally, the ski school was good - but it is the luck of the draw with the allocations / group sizes. The most important thing is the individual instructor - some are better / friendlier than others - which is important when settling kids into ski school for the first time. It was mainly Dutch / German children - English kids the minority, but lessons were given in English.
My wife also joined the early intermediate group and enjoyed it and liked the instruction. She progressed well.
Ski Area
Zauchensee is part of the Ski Amade region which links an extensive area. However, with kids ski school running 10-12.30 and then 2-3.30, exploring the broader area was never really on the cards. The immediate Zauchensee slopes have some lovely long, wide blue and red runs, mainly tree lined, but some starting above the trees. For a beginner / intermediate family, the immediate area has plenty to offer for a week, with much more available in the connecting valleys. Despite it being half-term for the UK, parts of Holland and parts of Austria, the slopes were never as busy as I feared. This is probably due to the village itself being quite small and also being at the head of the valley (so no through traffic), with day trippers having easier access to nearby Flachau. The area had lots and lots of snow - both before our arrival and with more falling while we were there. This sometimes meant the pistes were not groomed overnight. On the Thursday, it was a beautiful bluebird day and noticeably busier (there were a few queues at the base lifts, but we're talking 5 mins or so). We also got the connecting shuttle over to Flauchauwinkl one day and it was busier on that side - but even then the lifts and pistes coped well (with no major queues to speak of). My favourite run was the red from the top of Rosskopf down to Flauchauwinkl - a beautiful long, winding red through the trees.
It's worth noting that the home runs in front of the hotel are fairly steep for beginners, but you can ski down further up towards the village and pole on the linking run across - it was no problem really.
By the end of day 4 in ski school we picked the kids up and took them up the mountain from top to bottom a few times. It was amazing to be able to do this together and the kids really loved being on the mountain with us and showing off their skills. Looking back at the videos of it, the pistes were completely empty by late afternoon.
Conclusion
After overcoming the (potentially terminal) wobble of my 10 year old, the trip was a huge success. Great hotel, great resort, great skiing, nice mountain huts. Importantly, the kids loved it and are desperate to go skiing again next year. I think we've now cracked the hardest part of getting a family skiing together. I'd never heard of Zauchensee before stumbling across it in this forum, so owe a debt of thanks to a few of you who recommended it. It's just a shame the Zauchenseehof is fully booked for our half-term week next year - I feel we may have aced the family ski trip on our first try, so anything else has a lot to live up to. We're weighing up Arc 1950 at Easter as an alternative (generally favouring Easter due to our half-term clashing with Holland, France, Austria, Carnivale, Fasching etc etc).
Happy to answer any questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
A good read. Thanks.
Glad you survived the wobble
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Quote: |
I think we've now cracked the hardest part of getting a family skiing together.
|
Yes, I think you have! Good to read.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Pippo9, great to read. When we went to Radstadt a number of years back, we booked the kids in for lunch as well with ski school, so that lets us drive to a other areas during the day.
One thing to note if looking at France for Easter is that ski school is typically half day rather than whole day.
For next Easter I have booked flights to Munich
while they are cheao and now waiting for accommodation to be released via Sunweb
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Good stuff! The first trip with kids is always an unknown but it's it's an investment in the future and family ski trips are the best holidays. Well done for dealing with the melt down! It sounds like the kids will be skiing with you or beating you down stuff in a couple more trips, it's remarkable how quickly they progress.
Agree that Austria in the same week as Fasching/Carnivale can be very busy but it copes better with the crowds than French resorts in a normal half term. France at Easter is cheaper and generally quite quiet, plus the longer days and sunny weather make for a relaxed trip. Sunweb and self-drive are good options.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Klamm Franzer wrote: |
Agree that Austria in the same week as Fasching/Carnivale can be very busy but it copes better with the crowds than French resorts in a normal half term. France at Easter is cheaper and generally quite quiet, plus the longer days and sunny weather make for a relaxed trip. Sunweb and self-drive are good options. |
well...as i usually ski in Austria i have to disagree....that depends on where you go
Zauchensee is a really good option. There are not so many beds in the village, and most of them are really expensive, and only a few appartments. Meaning that there is usually much better as the other resorts, either in High Season or Low Season
But if you will try e.g. Flachau, Kitzbühel, Ischgl, St. Anton, Zillertal etc in Faschings Week it will be almost shame as France.
The best option for High Season in Austria is East Tirol. But the skiareas are too small....for families perfect. But for ambitious skiers ....phui.....i dont think so
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@turms2, I've always fancied a week in Lienz with a car but not until the Drei Zinnen - Sillian link has been built. Lienz to Cortina is only 80mins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vis English Instructors. There are a few of us here in Ski Amade but as there are fewer Brits than you might find in France, we usually get reserved for Private Lessons. A lot of the Eastern European guests have English as their second language and request lessons only in English. The challenge is that we get booked for the Peak Weeks months in advance so book early. It works out at similar cost to Ski School if you're booking for a couple of families.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top TR - thanks for posting
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Yep, great report for one of my very favourite resorts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
), it’s where I proposed to Mrs Cacciatore.
