Just back from 3 days skiing based at the Tirol Lodge in Ellmau. At least one person has asked for a review of the Lodge, so here goes.
TIROL LODGE
The Tirol Lodge is relatively unusual in Austria in that it says it is ski in/ski out. This isn't strictly true; you need to walk 50m to 100m to and from the main Hartkaiser gondola in Ellmau. The gondola is fairly new and replaces the old funicular which was there on my last visit to SkiWelt in...the 80s. The photo on the hotel website purporting to show skiing out is a bit of a fix - they are shown leaving the lift to the underground car park, and they've put snow in the lift.
However, it is very convenient; it's a decent home run too in Ellmau so there's very little walking needed. Furthermore, and I wish everywhere did this, the lift opens at 8am so I was the first person on the slopes.
It has six(?) blocks of rooms, away from the main building each with 48 rooms I think. Each block has its own ski room at the bottom. Double key card entry (to each set of 4 rooms, then your own room) means its pretty secure; no safe in the room. The rooms themselves are modern Austrian - lots of wood, but also sliding glazed doors for (a very very good rainfall) shower and toilet. Bed is obviously an Austrian twin. Loads of lights and somewhat confusing switches, too few sockets and no USB sockets which is an omission in a modern build. Large flatscreen (but almost no English content - CNN), and a Nespresso machine. Overall pleasant and clean - maybe a touch on the small side, but it was just me so was fine.
The hotel is by a massive car park and there's 4 traditional chalet type lodges opposite which I think were just bars; they may do food I guess. Board is only room only; food is offered in the main hotel building (light breakfasts for abour €15 were ok, but.. a bit light), or the Tirol Grill at the bottom of the lift has a much better typical Austrian buffet style breakfast for €16.99. I recommend that. Evenings again is fairly light in the hotel (anti-pasti, or thin pizzas etc), or more substantial off menu at the Tirol Grill where the food was good, not too pricy, but a limited menu (8 mains). I'm not sure of other eatery options; the hotel is a good 10min walk from Ellmau itself.
The hotel has an outdoor pool (at 33°C...not very green really), and a sauna etc, but of course with the satellite building set up, you have to walk outdoors in dressing gown to either.
In summary - a perfectly good hotel, an excellent location. I've booked again for next January and it's about £1000 for 7 nights, so it's not cheap especially for one person, but not ridiculous.
SKIWELT
My first visit for 35 years - I remember little of it apart from slopes above Soll.
It's a very easy skiing area; virtually everything is blue or red (there's a couple of blacks off the Hohe salve, a good but short one above Ellmau, and some in Westendorf but I didn't go there in the 3 days.) Runs in general are pretty short, though a bit longer down to mid stations above Brixen and Itter - these were probably the best cruising type runs and they are south facing but were in excellent condition. Two good longer reds above Hochsoll also in very good condition, but a bit straight and constant gradient.
In general the reds were quite easy, and in better condition than the blues as Ski Welt seems to be very much an area for blue-preferring skiers. On the Ellmau home run, the red was barely skied and a much better choice.
On home runs, did Ellmau, Scheffau and Soll - all very good - avoid the blue option at the top of Scheffau as it's one of those paths that is steeper and narrower than is entirely comfortable.
Lifts are a real mixed bag in Ski Welt - some really modern ones in the Scheffau/Brixen area - black 8 seat fast chairs. Elsewhere mostly fastish chairs of various vintages and makes. The odd not so fast quad chairs, and some real cranky old chairlifts in the area between Soll and Brixen - you know the green ones, that seem fast when they pick you up, but so slow when you are on them. Generally no, or very short queues, even on a sunny Sunday with fresh snow, apart from the occasional pinch point in transferring between resort areas. Signage is rather confusing and they've tried a green and orange Ronda type signage which is not very well thought out as arrows can point both ways depending how far round the Ronda you are as there are crossover points.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Did you get to have a pillow fight in your underwear though?
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?
@buchanan101, 7th photo down on the hotel website.....
Lots of Austrian hotel websites seem to include photos of this 'activity'..........not quite sure why they do tbh
I suspect it's suggestive of other bed time activity
Looking at the photos i think it's only 4 blocks of 48 rooms; I can't remember!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
buchanan101 wrote:
The Tirol Lodge is relatively unusual in Austria in that it says it is ski in/ski out.
This is such a useless and wrong cliché. There are hundreds if not thousands of ski-in/out accommodations in Austria.
And "Tirol Lodge" is a terrible, anglophone kitsch-name.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Langerzug wrote:
buchanan101 wrote:
The Tirol Lodge is relatively unusual in Austria in that it says it is ski in/ski out.
This is such a useless and wrong cliché. There are hundreds if not thousands of ski-in/out accommodations in Austria.
And "Tirol Lodge" is a terrible, anglophone kitsch-name.
"Relatively". Of course there are hundreds (I've stayed in one that's more ski in ski out in Zell am See) but **relative** to non ski in, ski out, and relative to France purpose built resorts - hence "relatively unusual".
I didn't chose the hotel name, and yes their hashtags are horrid anglophone kitsch too. (#lovemylodge etc) So what? Take it up with the hotel!
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.
If you can get in the lodge in the corner nearest the hartkaiserbahn you can almost ski back in if there’s enough snow but does involve carrying a little too much speed towards the bar at the bottom and skiing along the path somewhat. It isn’t ski out though, it’s carry your skis to the lift. Not that it’s far in the grand scheme. We stayed there a few years back when it was new and did really like it/would go back and was perfect for a couple with unfussy eating/drinking/other activity requirements.
Do they still have the random chondola lift where you might get a chair or you might get a gondola cabin?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
That random lift is over on the Brixen side and it’s not random it’s 3 chairs/gondola cabin. Don’t know why!
The walk to and from rooms at Tirol lodge is really very easy in the scheme of things.
It’s a rather strange area at the bottom of the Hartkaiser; large modern hotel, big new lift then 4 old style chalets and one of the clunkiest lifts around to get to Going. Two seater chair with bubbles. Slow and long, then a looong path and steepish Red to get to the bottom of Going, then up the chair for the one decent run, then a strange red back to Tirol Lodge area. I’m not bothering going to Going again - no wonder it’s very quiet.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
buchanan101 wrote:
That random lift is over on the Brixen side and it’s not random it’s 3 chairs/gondola cabin. Don’t know why! And it’s two entrances so you know what you are getting
The walk to and from rooms at Tirol lodge is really very easy in the scheme of things.
It’s a rather strange area at the bottom of the Hartkaiser; large modern hotel, big new lift then 4 old style chalets and one of the clunkiest lifts around to get to Going. Two seater chair with bubbles. Slow and long, then a looong path and steepish Red to get to the bottom of Going, then up the chair for the one decent run, then a strange red back to Tirol Lodge area. I’m not bothering going to Going again - no wonder it’s very quiet.
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.
Great update thanks. We went to Ellmau a few years back now and I found the runs tricky tbh but then I am a nervous skier. That said it was end of season and the conditions were pretty bad; more green stuff than white. Stayed at the hochfilzer which was lovely.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@buchanan101, Going has some OK runs ("interesting" steep pitch just above the village out of character with the rest) with a somewhat idiosyncratic lift layout. There is a decent toboggan run though the one at Söll is probably better.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
munich_irish wrote:
@buchanan101, Going has some OK runs ("interesting" steep pitch just above the village out of character with the rest) with a somewhat idiosyncratic lift layout. There is a decent toboggan run though the one at Söll is probably better.
yes the run at the top was good - and very quiet, but short.. and the run back down to Hartkaiser was quite interesting.
I will probably give it another visit next year (if I finish early on the Hartkaiser) - just wish the 2 person chair up wasn't soooo slow.
I think the toboggan run is the one I screwed my left knee on back in the 80s on an 18-30s holiday in Soll. Doing it drunk in the dark isn't the cleverest thing to do...
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
bambionskiis wrote:
Great update thanks. We went to Ellmau a few years back now and I found the runs tricky tbh but then I am a nervous skier. That said it was end of season and the conditions were pretty bad; more green stuff than white. Stayed at the hochfilzer which was lovely.
Thanks. Conditions probably then as the runs are fairly easy overall in Ellmau, though very few gentle blues; best runs are on the south side, which would obviously the have poorest conditions
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@buchanan101, The run in Söll now has floodlights which probably helps to keep down the numbers being carted off to the hospital in Kufstein I still have visions of my then 75 year old father in law being crashed into by a teenager, he enjoyed the experience but was banned from going again by my mother in law.....
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
munich_irish wrote:
@buchanan101, The run in Söll now has floodlights which probably helps to keep down the numbers being carted off to the hospital in Kufstein I still have visions of my then 75 year old father in law being crashed into by a teenager, he enjoyed the experience but was banned from going again by my mother in law.....
Well they had lights in the 1980s... occasionally, with tiny puddles of light
This was a single double loaded sledge accident
There were quite a lot of people using both Going and Soll tracks in the day time last month
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?
buchanan101 wrote:
My first visit for 35 years - I remember little of it apart from slopes above Soll.
I have been to Ellmau, just the once, well over 30 years ago. It was a fairly strange experience.
We were in a "Chalet", which was serviced by a very strange individual (I don't think the lift went all the way to the top). He was responsible for allocating the guests to the rooms and getting them breakfast. The evening meal was in a restaurant 5 minutes walk away.
He allocated the rooms - and after my Sister had unpacked in a very nice room, told her he'd made a mistake and she had to move....to a small dark single room - which resulted in a few choice expletives and a lot of complaining. Our room had a window that was stuck open - and when I mentioned it, he came in to fix it. He needed my help to do so. As I held the bottom of the window, while he violently shook the top and swore, I realised, by the over-powering smell of BO coming from his leg, he didn't wash that often (either himself or his clothes).
The upstairs toilet had a see-through glass door...and when we came down for breakfast, the whole dining room smelt of BO...and given the state of him, I think he often spent the night in there.
The liftpass was on an elastic cord and had to be inserted into a device at the bottom of every lift. If you weren't careful, it twanged out and smacked you across the face - painful on a cold morning....but did wake you up and got the blood up and had you swearing early on.
My Sister in Law went to Class lessons - where the Instructor would regularly take his small class behind an On Piste building and ply them all with alcohol that he produced from a flask.
My Parents, Sister and her then Boyfriend were staying in a much more sane establishment in Soll. When making a plan to meet up, the Lady looking after them, rang the chap looking after us. All she got was a strange rant....which resulted in her commenting that he was very (very) strange...but we did end up making a meet up plan.
At that time, the Piste map seemed to be made up of disparate images that didn't link to each other, have the same scale or drawing style - which made them hard to follow. The signs around the area were not that easy to follow (or even find) and pistes that ran out of snow were not closed, so you could (and I did) end up taking off my skis and walking down.
Somehow we did manage to meet up. My Parents, who lived through the war, were initially uncomfortable when they witnessed German speaking classes lifting up a ski and shouting "Ski Heil"....which sounded very like something more sinister. It was quite innocent - but unsettling for them nonetheless.
Lady F got new boots that year - a nice pair of White Nordica n 955 (the ones with the clicky dial at the back, that wound them up like a clock)....we didn't realise that we could have got them without tax....and the shop didn't mention it either. We discovered it when on the way home.
All in all, we decided not to go back.....which is probably a mistaken decision.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 14-02-23 16:00; edited 1 time in total
@OldFartbag I remember the elastic lift passes well. And the slopes ending on grass and long walks.. I had red Nordica's which had a pump to blow up over the top of the foot
This below was filmed in Soll in 1987, around the time I went (once each to Soll and Ellmau). They show the 2 man Hohe Salve chair lift - a couple of the lifts in the Soll area still seem to be about the same vintage
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I still have visions of my then 75 year old father in law being crashed into by a teenager, he enjoyed the experience but was banned from going again by my mother in law.....