 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Snowheads. After taking the kids for their first few ski holidays to Combloux in France and getting very comfortable there, we're thinking of trying Austria this Feb half term. I know there is a wealth of advice already available on the site but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed!
The kids are aged 12 and 10, both got their 3rd ESF star last year so they can get about most blue and red pistes although nervous on steeper reds. I'm reasonably competent but increasingly a bit nervous, my husband would like some blacks or itineraries to chuck himself down. I prefer it if there is a decent amount of skiing in/around the tree line. The ski area in Combloux is around 100km (without having to bus between areas) so anything around that or above would be fine.
We will be driving so I think we'd prefer to be in the west to avoid a much longer drive. We're happy to drive to the pistes/lifts and would prefer that to buses. We would like a good ski school for the kids and even better if there's a chance for them to meet/hang out with other kids at the accommodation. We've stayed in a hotel and self-catering accommodation and would consider either but would prefer to be in walking distance of shops and restaurants if self-catering. The 2 bed apartment we have provisionally booked in Combloux is €2200 for the week so I guess that's the budget (plus an allowance for meals if any are included at a hotel).
I'd be very grateful for any recommendations! Thanks very much in advance. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A couple of places worth considering. Serfaus / Fiss, this is one of Austria's biggest resorts but little known in the UK. It is well known for being very child friendly though plenty of more challenging skiing if you want it. Montafon, a collection of traditional ski villages in the very western end of Austria. Other places might be, Lech - absolutely ideal but not cheap, Saalbach - Hinterglemm - would probably suit very well but it is more to the east, Zillertal (Mayrhofen etc) - lots of skiing up and down the valley though you might find it all a bit spread out after a smallish compact resort
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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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Thank you, will have a look at those.
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If you are driving and are a bit adventurous, have a look at the multi-area passes in Austria. These give access to loads of different ski resorts which are often just a few minutes drive apart. It means that you can stay in a town which doesn't necessarily have all the skiing you want for a week but will allow you to try a few places nearby. I do this a lot in the East of Austria with the Salzburg Superski Pass, but the Snow Card Tirol covers more areas to the West. I would say that you should have plenty of budget for a decent apartment, even at half term. We have done Hinterglemm and Soll for less than €1500 for the week for a two bedroom place.
https://www.snowcard.tirol.at
https://www.superskicard.com/en/superskicard.html
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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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@Klamm Franzer, travelling about isn't really possible when you need to ski school your kids.
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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'm going to double up on the recommendation for Lech, it's brilliant. And if you're driving you could stay a little way out so it might not be so expensive.
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@NatalieG, I would echo @munich_irish, recommending Serfaus. I would also look at Kirchberg. Driving to both is doable in a day, but if you can it's better to have an overnight stop. Both trips were Feb HT's. Going to Serfaus we did it in one hit leaving on early tunnel c5am and arriving around 7pm, and for Kirchberg we stopped in Gunzburg as the Friday was a teacher training day.
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Thanks everyone. I have found and booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Ladis for the same price as our slightly smaller Combloux one. Excited to try somewhere new for the first time in ages and I've never skiied in Austria before.
We will probably put the kids into ski school for the first 3 days and then see if they want to carry on after that. I had a chat with the ski school on the phone and they seem very flexible and user-friendly which is great.
I suspect we will be fine with skiing in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis area for the whole week but if we get itchy feet, does anyone know if you can upgrade to try a different ski area in the Snow Card Tirol area for a day for a supplement?
Finally, does anyone know if there is a wellness/spa place in or around the area? Either a public one, or one in a hotel which welcomes day guests (preferably including children in the pool). The last couple of years we have used the "Balneoforme" at the Megeve sports centre and it makes a nice midweek treat for the kids.
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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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| NatalieG wrote: |
I suspect we will be fine with skiing in the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis area for the whole week but if we get itchy feet, does anyone know if you can upgrade to try a different ski area in the Snow Card Tirol area for a day for a supplement?
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I think you'll find that you have plenty to ski around at SFL. From above Ladis across to the Pezid area. It's varied from tree runs to steep bare mountainsides.
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agree with@knackered knees, massive ski area. more than enough for a week. we stayed in Serfaus about 15 yrs ago. really great town.
didn't even get to ski Ladis as we had enough in Serfaus. a few nice steep blacks in Serfaus. don't know if cost is an issue for you but from a few enquiries I think it has got more expensive in resort as it seems to cater more for well to do Germans.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks both. I'm hoping it's still a bit cheaper than France but we'll see. Also, if anyone has any recommendations for restaurants on the mountain or in Ladis, please share!
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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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@NatalieG, Samnaun (the "Swiss" bit of Ischgl) is not far away. In the right conditions you can just about ski there off piste / touring though a guided trip only. St Anton is not far either. I thought that the Tirol snow card was full season only, but could well be wrong. Pretty sure St Anton is not on any of the area passes, so you would have to pay for a day ticket and you would need to get there fairly early as the day car parking is limited and is often full. As others have said Serfaus is a pretty big area should be more than enough for a week.
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@NatalieG, the Frommes Alp is in a nice spot right at the side of piste 7. Well worth a visit but can be difficult to get a table outside for lunch on a sunny day.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks. It sounds like we will have plenty to do on the local ski pass. Thanks for the Frommes Alp tip.
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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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For a quick lunch with the kids (or not), there is a great soup place "Suppenkasper" in the Komperdell top station complex. Very affordable and lots of choices. I liked the Leite Wirt for a beer, just above the Köningsleithebahn chair bottom station. Good tree skiing getting to it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The Leithe Wirt is a great place for a beer or 2 on the way back into Serfaus at the end of the day. The food is pretty good too.
One of my friends would often ski from first thing in the morning, skip stopping for lunch, and have a soup stop at that Kasper place at 3ish before doing the home run back into Serfaus. He loved that place.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Aargh, the place I booked through Booking.com has now been cancelled (after being confirmed) - the owner had forgotten to update his Booking.com account and has already rented it to someone else that week. Unfortunately/fortunately, I've already cancelled our Combloux accommodation so we may yet end up in Ladis, although it looks like it's going to cost a bit more if we do. It was all too easy!
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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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@NatalieG, have you tried searching for accommodation on the SerfausFissLadis website? We've booked via that route a few times.
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Thanks for the tip @Jagerbull, I thought I had looked there but maybe only in Ladis. I've booked somewhere in Fiss now which looks much better value than anything I could find on booking.com.
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