 Poster: A snowHead
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We’ve just had a good family ski trip to Obergurgl – personally I’d happily return next year, but others in the party feel like they’ve done it and want to head somewhere different.
Things we liked about Obergurgl:
- Lots of cruisy blues that are good for building up the confidence of our son
- Plenty of off-piste next to the runs
- Not a busy resort, lift queues generally ok
- Austrian alpine ambience
- Good snow conditions
We’re based in England and organise our holidays independently – avoiding air travel. In terms of budget – Obergurgl was towards the top of our budget range. Any suggestions?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lech is a close fit - including the budget, mind you.
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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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Galtur with Ischgl,Kappl and See on the same lift pass.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Obertauern ?
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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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| Technician wrote: |
| Lech is a close fit - including the budget, mind you. |
I've seen Lech mentioned in similar threads - but was under the impression that it was more expensive than Obergurgl?
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| harvey13 wrote: |
| Galtur with Ischgl,Kappl and See on the same lift pass. |
Thanks for the reply - I've had a look at the piste map for Galtur - appears to be mostly reds?
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| Garfield wrote: |
| Obertauern ? |
Obertauern looks like a potential fit - with around 45 minutes additional travel
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Yes I've just looked at the Galtur piste map.More reds than I thought! But to be fair, it's a pretty tame hill and I dont remember anything difficult there.My 11 year old son skied Obergurgl and Solden last year and Galtur is similar in terms of steepness, just smaller.Think it sells it self as family friendly.
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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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@rh8mpo,
It must be Lech!  Especially since you're going DIY (Lech is all about DIY, very few TO get in)
Lech is a larger -and much more atmospheric and prettier- village than Obergurgl. And yes, it does have quite a number of 5***** hotels that are among the most expensive hotels in the Alps. But Lech has a huge number of Austrian B&B pensions, and 3 and 4**** hotels too that are in the same league as Obergurgl.
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1. Lech
2. Davos
3. Sauze d'Oulx
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rh8mpo wrote: |
| Garfield wrote: |
| Obertauern ? |
Obertauern looks like a potential fit - with around 45 minutes additional travel |
We have skied both a few times and prefer Obertauern
Not sure why but feel Obertauern is better connected with the runs though they are not the longest.
If someone is picking up the tab I would return to both.
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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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@rh8mpo, Lech is expensive though if you book early you might find cheaper options. It is actually relatively easy by train, to St Anton or Langen with connecting buses. Not convinced it has lots of "cruisy blues" there are some. It is a beautiful place and the Arlberg has an almost infinite amount of skiing to keep everyone else happy. I would also suggest looking at the Zillertal too, perhaps more easy skiing than in any part of the Arlberg, potentially cheaper, train works and plenty of variety for everyone.
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this year we saved money by staying outside of Obergurgl in Zwieselstein - I don't mind a short bus ride if they are free & frequent. Are there potential options like this in Lech?
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You know it makes sense.
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@rh8mpo, Not really, Lech is fairly isolated and the neighbouring villages are either inaccessible in winter or even more expensive! For the wider Arlberg it would be possible to stay in Langen (Lech/Zürs side) or Strengen (on the St Anton side) you would really need a car as the bus options from that far out are limited and not free. Lech really isnt a budget option, if that is a big issue for you look elsewhere. The combination of blues / off piste / quiet is not very common! You might be better off widening your search to include Italy and France. I would suggest the Dolomites as much of that is very "Austrian" but off piste is usually limited though huge amount of piste skiing
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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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@rh8mpo, If a daily bus isn't really a problem then you could look at the Neustift valley and buy the Innsbruck city ski pass. That way you get the option of a bus to the Stubai glacier for guaranteed excellent snow on and cruisy blues or tree skiing in Schlick 2000 plus a load of other resorts.
There are also options to bookend the trip with nights in an Innsbruck hotel close to the rail station (the Ibis is very close) and going to one of the local Innsbruck resorts (Nordkette, Patscherkofel) for a day if you want to shorten the rail journey to start/end in Innsbruck, it took about 17 hours last time I did it from Seefeld.
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Poster: A snowHead
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there's some nice resonably prices hotels in the kitzski area. lots of cruising runs and side off piste. Lods of mountain huttes. The kiwest and skiwelt areas on the lift pass. you'll have loads to go at. We've stayed at Kirchberg a few times giving good access to all of the above
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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- Not a busy resort, lift queues generally ok
- Good snow conditions
these two it is really difficult to find them somewhere else.
Obertauern has good conditions but its more busy
Lech also.
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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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| Henwc wrote: |
@rh8mpo, If a daily bus isn't really a problem then you could look at the Neustift valley and buy the Innsbruck city ski pass. That way you get the option of a bus to the Stubai glacier for guaranteed excellent snow on and cruisy blues or tree skiing in Schlick 2000 plus a load of other resorts.
There are also options to bookend the trip with nights in an Innsbruck hotel close to the rail station (the Ibis is very close) and going to one of the local Innsbruck resorts (Nordkette, Patscherkofel) for a day if you want to shorten the rail journey to start/end in Innsbruck, it took about 17 hours last time I did it from Seefeld. |
We used to do Innsbruck - taking along the grandparents to do the child minding. However, those bus journeys tend to be a bit longer than I'm looking for.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks for all the replies - Lech and Obertauern are the leading contenders and I'm sure both would result in a good holiday. Sometimes it's best not to over-think things, so I'll look into the accommodation options then take the plunge. 
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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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Another recommendation for Obertauern, and I’d also mention Zillertal (mentioned above) for lots of cruisey options.
A bit left field but, you could also look at Bad Mitterndorf with skiing above at Tauplitzalm. It’s got a great snow record (reasonably high) and is a cruisey skiing paradise. Plenty of easy off-piste adjacent to the runs.
Bad Mitterndorf has a fairly traditional Austrian small town feel and is charming in Winter. The uplift is excellent and, depending on ski holiday timing, often has skiing all the way down to the valley station at Bad Mitterndorf.
The only very slight downside is that one has to take the (free) ski bus from the town to the mid station for the uplift. It’s about a 5 minute journey, max.
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Given the reviews they get on here, would it be worth looking at Serfaus/Fiss/Ladis?
Having done Ischgl recently I would say it's a step up from Obergurgl in terms of difficulty.
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