 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, well we are thinking about next seasons trip, and just wanted some info from those in the know as to which resorts would be the more appropriate.
We are two begginer snowboarders. We took a weeks holiday last season in Sauze, which had terrible snow at the time, and Sauze certainly wasn't suited to begginer snow boarders. So because of that we probably didn't progress to the level we should have. And I gave up and went back to skiing after 4days. So we are hoping for something more appropriate this time.
So we do have a budget to work too, so the likes of St Anton are not going to be an option.
We had been looking at Soll, Zell Am See, Kaprun and Kitzbuhel. Does anyone have any idea on the suitibility of these? Obviously the brochures are a little biased.
Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks 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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jopo,
I am a skier, but was in Zell this March and would say it is pretty snowboarder friendly.
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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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jopo, I was in Schladming season before last. Glorious snow and liver killing craique, but some (and only some) of the links are a bit flat so good wax or Teflon pad is needed. Other than that, bloody wonderful.
Oh, last thing, if you're a vegetarian you'll get the same disgusted sneer you get in France 
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 28-06-06 17:06; edited 1 time in total
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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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Friends of mine (boarders) went to Saalbach and raved about it. Good snow, plenty of terrain for beginners and inters, good lift system with relatively few drags, and those that had lessons said they were fine (don't know the school name tho).
I am not sure you will beat those other resorts on price but it is worth a look.
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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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the ice perv,
Can Highly recommend Saalbach. Went there for a day trip in March. Great skiing
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Done Saalbach and Schladming. Both are good but Saalbach has the edge. Much more variety of terrain and better links. Another option is St Anton which has loads of kms to cruise around on and great apres
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In Kitzbuhel, the smaller of the two mountains, the Kitzbuhler Horn, is devoted (not exclusively) to boarding; I have no idea if it's any good. In general, there are few T bars in Kitzbuhel, and they can almost all be easily avoided.
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Zell am See would be fine. I've boarded for about a week and a half (if you add up all the days), and found Zell to be fine for me. We spent most of our time on the Schuttdorf slopes (because we were staying there!!), and there is a nice blue run to get started on. You can do a fair amound of blues & reds by using the gondolas (I still haven't cracked getting off a chair  ), and the terrain is friendly. There are also a couple of blacks if you progress and want a challenge.
From Zell, you can also get a pass that covers Kaprun and one that includes Saalbach. Kaprun has a glacier, so is snowsure....but has a lot of drag lifts. My 1st days boarding was done on the glacier....I managed to avoid the t-bars by using the cable car to the top.
I haven't boarded at Saalbach...only skied....but it's a good resort, I'm sure you'd get on fine there.
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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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We went as a mixed group of boarders & skiers to Mayrhofen - and there were no complaints from the boarders. I can't remember any flat bits, plus there's the glacier at Hintertux or down the valley at Zell am Ziller - plus Mayrhofen is quite a cheap resort, well it was when went there!
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Thu 29-06-06 11:21; edited 1 time in total
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So because of that we probably didn't progress to the level we should have.
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You didn't say whether you had lessons. Some people can teach themselves, but most of us get on better with some lessons - just having one tip at the right time can make all the difference (like when I could turn OK in one direction and was absolutely hopeless in the other - the instructor spotted right away what I was doing wrong and saved me hours of pain and frustration!). He also sorted out my board set up, which wasn't quite right for me. You can get into some bad habits which get you down easy slopes but don't lay a good foundation for progressing. I hope you get on better next time, jopo, but if not, ski-ing's not so bad either!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm a skier but have been away with boarders.
I'd recommend Mayrhofen, both for a lack of flat bits and value for money! Plenty of chair lifts and wide runs.
Saalbach is brilliant and would be ideal but it's not cheap. You may want to try a DIY option or look at Hinterglemm near by.
Zell would also be good. Can't see you having any major problems there. you could base yourself here and take a day trip to Saalbach also.
Kitzbuhel - was suprised at the number of flat bits and had to do some poling in and around the lifts, but some snowboarders thought the Horn was great.
Soll - some flat bits, especially between lifts, saw a few boarders walking at times but had friends who learnt to board and it was ok but they were a bit restricted after a few days. They ended up getting a taxi to Scheffau some days as the runs are much more boarder friendly in that part of the ski welt.
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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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Had my first boarding holiday in Soll - and it was more than adequate - however wasn't really going very far in that first week, so not sure of its status for someone thats better than a beginner.
Second week in Kitzbuhel - as mentioned the Horn part of Kitzbuhel is fab for boarders - lots of nice wide reds (reds seem to be better to learn on for a boarder than blue!!!!) although its not a huge mountain - more that you can easily go up and down and learn on runs you keep repeating - but at least they're nice and long. Also nice big empty snowpark if you are into the jump thing!
When we did venture to the main part of Kitzbuhel - found some narrow flat bits and one killer lift. (No warning at the bottom, and when you get to the top it doesn't have the usual flat run off - but a steep straight hill - great on skis - nightmare for a learning boarder!)
We did a day trip to Westendorf and that seemed lovely - again some wide slopes and a range of jumps/rails - so that may be worth a bit more investigation, and also it was very pretty - with trees at the tops of the hills!
Currently considering Obergurgl for next trip - but not investigated it properly yet...
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i love obertauern and its easy to get to from salzburg.. ok for beginners and great for intermediates..
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You know it makes sense.
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If you're a serious Freerider you must checkout Obertraun, it's small and unspoilt. The 'Krip' is the best freeride arena in europe.
We stayed at a fantastic b&b called Haus Hepi www.haushepi.com run by an English couple who now live there
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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jopo, NOT Lofer for snowboarding. There are a few 'flatish bits' and the boarder who was with us spent a lot of time looking like he was training for the sack race - hop, hop, hop, hop
Oh how we laughed and laughed at him !! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you are beginners, Zell am See is ideal, Saalbach is superb if you are a bit more experienced - lots of more challenging runs and amazing free riding - but linked by (easy) ski roads which can be offputting if you're not used to them! As a beginner I would recommend Zell as you'll be able to master the easy runs and then progress as even the blacks aren't too difficult. The lift pass is linked to Kaprun so you could spend a day over there, either on the Maiskogel mountain or up on the Glacier if the weather is good. Kitzbuhel not ideal for beginners in my opinion.
Oh yes, and invest in lessons to save a lot of frustration!
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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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