 Poster: A snowHead
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After our first 2 successful family ski trips to France, were thinking of trying out Austria next year, but are looking for some recommendations.
We like the convenience (and cost) of being able to drive - so hence west Austria.
And our kids are still quite young and very much beginners. They were confident on green runs this year, so hoping to progress onto blue runs next time.
But we'll also need some nice reds to keep me and Mr Katski happy while they're in ski school.
Possibly looking at Easter (depending on price - as we have to stick to school holidays) so high altitude would be good.
And extra bonus points for accommodation close to the slopes/gondola - so we don't have to traipse for too far with all the skis!
TIA 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
https://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/
This used to be a very good yearly book now moved digitally, worth checking it out it’s updated every year . |
+1 … there’s also a “WTSAB in Austria” book.
I would definitely look at Serfaus Fiss Ladis. A very underrated resort that not many Brits know about.
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Hoch Zillertal maybe of interest and more friendly on the budget than serfaus fiss ladis
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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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@Katski78, take a look at Montafon resorts - Schruns etc, near Bludenz, or Bregenzerwald - Warth/ Schröcken, Au
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@Markymark29, +1 for these small Vorarlberg areas. Have had lots of fun, especially around Bregenzerwald - Damüls, Au, Mellau, Schoppernau all great for families.
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Definitely worth getting a copy of the "Where to ski in Austria" book, you will get more rounded and detailed comments than on here. Not sure any of the Austrian resorts give what the French ones do at Easter (see current discussions on the Arlberg thread). Serfaus is the obvious suggestion, however negatives might be cost, not the snowiest spot and I have seen comments that the progression from the beginners slopes is not ideal. Ischgl is in many ways perfect though cost is again an issue and though the skiing is great (and open until the 1st May) the village is not to everyone's taste (certainly not mine). The various small Vorarlberg resorts could be excellent however Easter might be too late. Warth (part of the Arlberg) might work though costs again might be a downside, certainly plenty of skiing challenge to keep you going while the kids are in ski school. In a perfect world Lech would be first choice but "value for money" is not something that can be said about the place.
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@Katski78, don't discount Christmas. There are a number of points in favour of skiing at Christmas - the main one being that almost anything is better than spending it slouched in front of the telly eating too much.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| @Katski78, don't discount Christmas. There are a number of points in favour of skiing at Christmas - the main one being that almost anything is better than spending it slouched in front of the telly eating too much. |
Weird don't think we have ever had the tv on, on Christmas day.... except 2008 when for first and last time MIL actually agreed to visit us and insisted on watchig Queen's speech.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
when for first and last time MIL actually agreed to visit us and insisted on watchig Queen's speech.
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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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@NickyJ,
Can I ask which airport you're flying into?
I've heard Munich is probably a cheaper option for flights. So didn't know whether to check that out?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Katski78 wrote: |
@NickyJ,
Can I ask which airport you're flying into?
I've heard Munich is probably a cheaper option for flights. So didn't know whether to check that out? |
Yes flying to Munich. Also found it was cheaper to hire cars. Although Innsbruck or Salzburg will give closer transfers.
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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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Wasnt a similar question asked a few weeks ago? I remember saying Seefeld for beginners
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Katski78, if you are thinking west Austria then I’d suggest flying into Zurich with EJ or Swiss and catching OBB Railjet train, excellent service but not cheap.
Consider driving if you are used to long car journeys and have 2 drivers, it’s a straightforward route into Austria and would be much cheaper with a family, and a good idea to have a car so you can go to different places whilst there.
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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 suspect more and more people will drive as time goes on, given the cost of holiday time flights for a family. And perhaps with more people arranging their own holidays the availability of accommodation will become more flexible too. The tiresome French insistence on Sat/Sat makes for some predictably grim "transfer days" and isn't just about flights. Loads of French people drive to resort - but they drive on Saturdays. Astonishingly, even for motor caravans, Saturday is the big change-over day. Having a car to get to the slopes - and availability of parking - opens up so many more options. If I were driving to a new destination I'd seriously consider Switzerland too - and with self-catering accommodation and some judicious pre-trip planning the costs should be manageable.
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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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@pam w, +1
Even for 2 people the days of a Friday evening Lufthansa/ Swiss flight, hotel stop over and a hire car or train transfer like we used to a few years ago are a no go, prices have gone crazy. We used to stop over each end at Zurich airport too at Radisson Blu hotel, much too expensive nowadays. We now just take the car on ferry and batter down the autobahns. Again not cheap but costs less than the flight options and much more convenient when carrying all our own ski gear. For a family tho this must work much cheaper.
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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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We are finding that airfares for our 2024 trip are about 40 - 60% more than this year and the pre-covid years.
One, self-described aviation expert claimed that collectively the airlines are down by about 13K planes and therefore the high airfares will continue into the foreseeable future. Don’t know how he arrived at that figure - the article did not explain - but I do know that both Airbus and Boeing are behind on their scheduled deliveries.
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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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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
https://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/
This used to be a very good yearly book now moved digitally, worth checking it out it’s updated every year . |
Just had a look on the site at Tignes & it had 'News 2018/19'.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@ulmerhutte, it always makes me laugh that the flight companies want to charge existing users more rather than going for higher utilisation and attracting folks back at more reasonable fare levels, and flying more full planes. Penalising current users seems a strange strategy. I wonder how they measure departed flyers like myself, we haven’t flown now for over 3 years and despite a hop to Greece in summer don’t have any other plans to fly in the immediate future. Nobody from Lufthansa/ Swiss or EJ has shown any interest in attracting us back.
Sorry about thread drift btw to OP….
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| franga wrote: |
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I would definitely look at Serfaus Fiss Ladis. A very underrated resort that not many Brits know about. |
Blues for the beginners few and far between...
Confusingly, the WTSASB page says both, 'Beginners *****'; and 'Not ideal for timid intermediates, because long, easy blue runs are few and far between.'
Both can be true, of course, the 3 blues might be five star, but there's only 3!
I made up 3, but there are't many.
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My kids Loved warth...many blues and enough reds sometimes Serving from same lift. Except that the slopes are north Faced and till mid April the are in gut shape
Minus it is too expensive to find accommodation
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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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| Markymark29 wrote: |
@ulmerhutte, it always makes me laugh that the flight companies want to charge existing users more rather than going for higher utilisation and attracting folks back at more reasonable fare levels, and flying more full planes. Penalising current users seems a strange strategy. I wonder how they measure departed flyers like myself, we haven’t flown now for over 3 years and despite a hop to Greece in summer don’t have any other plans to fly in the immediate future. Nobody from Lufthansa/ Swiss or EJ has shown any interest in attracting us back.
Sorry about thread drift btw to OP…. |
No worries.
It's true the cost of flights is crazy. So I do think we'll be sticking to driving.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I suspect Easter is much better time in to go in 2024 than HT. As Austria will be extremely bust with school holidays of all the countries/regions that typically go Skiing in Austria fall on the same week (Netherlands, Bavaria, most of Switzerland, most of Austria, and the UK (plus a few more)).
If going at Easter I think Ischgl is actually a great shout (subject to finding cheap accommodation near Fimba or Silvrettabahn). It might not be known as a family orientated resort and has much more reds than blues, however all blue runs are clustered around the central hub of the Idalp. Its perfect for progression as they have quite a few blue runs that are incrementally longer and slightly more "difficult" than the other. Perfect for learning. Further with high elevation (most slopes above 2000m) and NW aspect it holds snow very well, so is a great late season resort.
If flying, Stuttgart is a great airport for Skiing in western Austria. Typically you can find cheaper flights there than to Munich or Zurich, and car rental is cheaper there also. It is possible reach most western Austrian resorts in about 3h.
With regards to SFL: Indeed doesnt have many blues and the ones that it does have tend to be lower elevation, so can get slushy very easily in warmer temperatures (main valley runs can also be quite busy). In general though the ski school there is very good and they have lots of fun little tracks for the kids to go down. So don't think it is a huge issue if the kids are in ski school for most of the time. Very family focused resort.
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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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| turms2 wrote: |
My kids Loved warth...many blues and enough reds sometimes Serving from same lift. Except that the slopes are north Faced and till mid April the are in gut shape
Minus it is too expensive to find accommodation |
+1
There is a lot to like about Warth/Schröcken. Long cruisey blues and reds. Predominately north-facing. Many side-pistes opportunities for those who want it. Significant investment in snow-making in the last few years. Queues are rarely “too bad”. Picturesque. The flip side is cost. We noticed the on-mountain food prices had jumped a fair bit over the last year. Over the years, they have gradually aligned with Lech/Zürs prices. It seems that accomm prices have followed.
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| ulmerhutte wrote: |
We are finding that airfares for our 2024 trip are about 40 - 60% more than this year and the pre-covid years.
One, self-described aviation expert claimed that collectively the airlines are down by about 13K planes and therefore the high airfares will continue into the foreseeable future. Don’t know how he arrived at that figure - the article did not explain - but I do know that both Airbus and Boeing are behind on their scheduled deliveries. |
Boeing are well behind on production and delivery of aircraft, in particular the 737 MAX, after the disasters. Airlines such as Ryanair are chasing Boeing for delivery of new aircraft that were due earlier this year.
Also, Covid led to cancelled orders at both Boeing and Airbus. Airlines and manufacturers are all playing catch up with the market.
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You know it makes sense.
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Seefeld was mentioned - it's very limited for reasonable intermediates; and likely to be very busy - as it is very easy access from Germany. Choose Seefeld if you want a winter holiday with some skiing, rather than a ski specific holiday.
Some ideas -
Kaprun - Maiskogl is excellent for beginners, and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier (lift-linked) has got something for all. Zell-am-See is on the same pass, short bus ride away, for more variety and (sort of) lift links into the Saalbach area.
Or pay a little more and stay in Zell am See - some good beginner slopes - with loads of mileage for intermediates.
Sankt Johan im Tyrol is a fantastic beginners choice, reasonable selection for intermediates - or buy the larger pass and day trip to surrounding areas loads by car, notably Kitzbühel which can be easily reached by train. A Dutch favourite - so expensive and busy in their halfterm.
Obertauern for the winter wonderland experience - large high area, loads of cruisey intermediate slopes, good beginner slopes. Even though a large area, the small town is central in area, so easy to return to at lunch or end of day. Nearly all accommodation very close or next to the slopes, as loads of slopes return to or through the town.
Bramberg (Wildkogl arena) truly superb for beginners and graduating into intermediate. A high bowl hosts great blues, a few reds, and one main black. Return to resort by gondola, long blue track, or red+blue track. Some separate nursery areas in the valley (useful for beginners on bad weather days). A little small for good intermediates - but bus or drive to Hollersbach (6 min drive) for gondola up into the Kitzski area. Neukirchen is the other base town - pros and cons of each. But for kids a huge bonus of Bramberg is the lift-served, 14 km long, floodlit, sledge run - longest in the world!
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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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Thank you for this some great info!
I'll be having a look at everything recommended
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Poster: A snowHead
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We went to Fieberbrunn in 22, staying in Sporthotel Fontana.4 men and 9 kids.Right on the piste,where the ski school meets.Apres ski bar is part of the hotel.Half board.6 kids in ski school, their 2nd trip.Perfect.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| harvey13 wrote: |
| We went to Fieberbrunn in 22, staying in Sporthotel Fontana.4 men and 9 kids.Right on the piste,where the ski school meets.Apres ski bar is part of the hotel.Half board.6 kids in ski school, their 2nd trip.Perfect. |
This sounds amazing.
And thank you for the accommodation recommendation!
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FAQ
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