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?
Really interesting discussion.
Very much "each to their own" and also a case of what do we want out of a ski area?
For me, I want good snow, variation of runs (on and off-piste) and some half decent affordable hütten for lunch or coffee.
I don't even mind older lift infrastructure (hell give me an old T-Bar with some decent runs!) if the queues are minimal compared to somewhere with high speed, heated infrastructure but with huge queues.
Apres ski - totally depends on the crowd I'm with, but generally in Austria most resorts will have a bar somewhere that ticks that box, might not be Ischgl or St Anton standards but fun can still be had!
Some of my favourites include:
Kitzsteinhorn: Somewhere I'm never disappointed!
Schladming: underrated for Apres Ski
Tauplitz: Great Variation of skiing and incredibly snow secure for its comparative height (shh keep that quiet,)
Arlberg: It's expensive, it's fancy and if you're not quick enough tracks out way too quickly - but there is something special about the place.
Arinsal - Andorra: exceptionally good value and surprisingly good skiing!
However I've got some resorts on my wish list!
Dolomites
Nassfeld
Trysil
Are
Wildkogel Arena (seems very unknown in British circles)
Just read some very negative reviews on Wildkogel on Dutch forum, extremely busy lots of near misses.
When in Pyrenees, cannot afford to miss the jewel in the crown, Baqueira.
Strange, missing the nicest resorts in all of the southern and western Alps like
-Serre Chevalier
-Montgenevre
-Sauze
-Val venis
-Valloire
-Gressoney
-Madesimo
-Andermatt
-Livigno
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
OK I know it’s not Austria but I lived near the Pyrenees for a while and visited lots of tiny resorts each weekend in the ski season and had a magic time. Having a car and being able to access these resorts gave me opportunities that would not be so readily available if flew out on a package holiday. So I would advise that if you have the opportunity go and sample smaller resorts – you will be pleasantly surprised. My favourite resort is a little place I only visited twice and found perfect weather and snow conditions each time.
@skilehrer89, interesting that you’ve mentioned Arinsal. On a good day (cold and fresh snow) it can be fun. Far too often it’s warm, sunny and slushy. It’s usually the first place to close here (and currently has the worst conditions - of a pretty bad bunch). Most of the time, I find it a bit dull. Although, if you add in Pal then it does make things a bit more interesting.
They’re putting in an alternative to the cable car link between Arinsal and Pal which will in turn open up a few new pistes/off piste. This terrain is a bit steeper so should add a bit more variety and challenge to Arinsal.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Something that I’ve noticed time and again over the years is that resorts tend to get the credit, or the blame, as the case may be, for the prevailing weather and snow conditions at the time of a particular visit.
Hence someone might enthuse about a particular resort, because they were fortunate in experiencing good conditions during a visit, or alternatively they might warn people against going to that resort and advise them to go higher, because e.g. it was too warm, and the pistes were slushy and mogully - and then you remember that there was one of those stubbornly persistent anticyclones, hovering over the Alps and producing unseasonal conditions. It seems to take very little to turn someone for or against a particular resort, and that applies also to skiing journalists and professional reviewers, as well as to ordinary punters.
Just an observation.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 13-12-23 12:17; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
tatmanstours wrote:
Something that I’ve noticed time and again over the years is that resorts tend to get the credit, or the blame, as the case may be, for the prevailing weather and snow conditions at the time of a particular visit.
Hence someone might enthuse about a particular resort, because they were fortunate in experiencing good conditions during a visit, or alternatively they might warn people against going to that resort and advise them to go higher, because e.g. it was too warm, and the pistes were slushy and mogully. It seems to take very little to turn someone for or against a particular resort, and that applies also to skiing journalists and professional reviewers, as well as to ordinary punters.
Just an observation.
Very true
Plus many can't wear the large number of hats / see the differing perspectives & needs which represent the clientele of a particular resort in their reviews.
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.
My nearest ski area (as the crow flies) is Gerlosstein. I suspect come February when the hordes are here and I can only ski weekends, this will be my go to.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
That looks sweet, @swskier. There is a tendency amongst some Brit skiers to assume that anywhere which Brit skiers haven't heard of will necessarily be quiet even in holiday times. But sometimes they are full of bloody foreigners, enjoying themselves like anything with a few good runs and a couple of charming restaurants.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
pam w wrote:
That looks sweet, @swskier. There is a tendency amongst some Brit skiers to assume that anywhere which Brit skiers haven't heard of will necessarily be quiet even in holiday times. But sometimes they are full of bloody foreigners, enjoying themselves like anything with a few good runs and a couple of charming restaurants.
Indeed or full of locals .
Friends of mine who lived near the Pyrenees said their local resorts were bliss midweek, but school holidays and high season weekends they were virtually unbearable because of queues,
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.
The comment that people "look down their noses" at smaller resorts is a pure straw man. I guarantee that 99% of SnowHeads have had great ski days at small stations, and lousy ones at big stations. I'm perfectly content to ski a smaller station, conditions being equal.
Smaller stations tend to be harder to get to -- or impossible if you don't have a car -- and if you have only a week or two a year to ski, many people want to maximize their time on the snow rather than driving around. But not all, of course.
Small stations also tend to be lower down, because to invest in infrastructure at 2,000 meters plus you need a lot of money, so to make back your investment you need a lot of lifts/pistes/hotel rooms etc. So there's another reason why you might avoid them. I've had some great days in the past at small stations like Abondance that are either out of business or barely hanging on.
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
Quote:
Indeed or full of locals
But locals ARE bloody foreigners to many British tourists.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Smaller resorts are the way to go for me. They are just more fun, and less posey, Favorites are :
Warth Schroeken, Although it is tagged to the Arlberg super region, there is so much fun to be had without going on the Auenfeldjet.
Damuels, bloody brilliant, has Faschina, and Mellau on the same pass.
Galtur/Kappl/See, superb small areas not physically connected to the Ischgl monster. Great terrain, and powder that stays untracked, and they are empty.
Zauchensee, The first place that I realized you don't have to stay to the recognised runs on a mountain, you can ski everything, cliffs, lift lines, trees, superb.
Mauterdorf, A very quiet, a good family area, with enough to interest the more adventurous, I think its available as one of your days if you have an obertauern ski pass.
Obertauern, before it discovered commercialism..... Used to be a great sometimes isolated area back in the 80's ans early 90's.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
T Bar wrote:
pam w wrote:
That looks sweet, @swskier. There is a tendency amongst some Brit skiers to assume that anywhere which Brit skiers haven't heard of will necessarily be quiet even in holiday times. But sometimes they are full of bloody foreigners, enjoying themselves like anything with a few good runs and a couple of charming restaurants.
Indeed or full of locals .
Friends of mine who lived near the Pyrenees said their local resorts were bliss midweek, but school holidays and high season weekends they were virtually unbearable because of queues,
I tend to head to the smallest area here at half term - most of the season I can only ski weekends, and being a teacher I get stuck with my midweek skiing being during school holidays. I dread when it’s local half term, Toulouse and British half term all at the same time! That said, Arcalis is a bit of a trek to get to if you don’t have a car so only a few holiday tourists bother.
It is definitely busier there at half term too, but no more than a few mins waiting in a lift line. The Grandvalira can get ridiculously busy then.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The biggest area I can go to has 3 chairlifts and about 4km of groomers
Most of the alternatives don’t even have groomed terrain, and only rope tows.
You’re very lucky in Europe to have these kind of first world problems.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Onnem wrote:
What counts for me is
2. Length of the slopes. Prefer 3000+ feet vertical (Alpe d'Huez!)
3. Spectacular mountain scenery. Much prefer MonteRosa's 10.000 foot wall, over "the grass molehills" in Austria
Agree on these. Not sure size is everything - Andermatt and Engelberg 2 examples of superb terrain but not big resorts.
Also North facing slopes that don’t get sun baked.
A big height differential typically gives you options, ski low down under tree line in bad weather, or up in high alpine in good weather / when it gets warm. This is increasingly important with the erratic temp spikes
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?
BobinCH wrote:
Onnem wrote:
What counts for me is
2. Length of the slopes. Prefer 3000+ feet vertical (Alpe d'Huez!)
3. Spectacular mountain scenery. Much prefer MonteRosa's 10.000 foot wall, over "the grass molehills" in Austria
Agree on these. Not sure size is everything - Andermatt and Engelberg 2 examples of superb terrain but not big resorts.
Also North facing slopes that don’t get sun baked.
A big height differential typically gives you options, ski low down under tree line in bad weather, or up in high alpine in good weather / when it gets warm. This is increasingly important with the erratic temp spikes
Ditto that.
As you can see, Andermatt is on my list of favorites. And Madesimo too.
Although in Madesimo the jewel in the crown - Groppera cable car - is now closed because of renovation.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
