 Poster: A snowHead
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Greetings from the Ice Coast of Canada! I am losing my mind trying to plan a family ski vacation in March 2025 in Europe and hoping for some help. My family of 4 will be meeting my dad and stepmother who live in the far south-west of Germany and would like to spend 4-5 days skiing. Our group consists of:
- Two intermediate/expert skiers (happy to ski intermediate runs)
- Two beginner-intermediate kids (ages 6 and  . At our tiny local hill they can do snowplough turns on blue/easy red runs and take t-bar/chairlift (with supervision).
- Two non-skiers who like winter walking
- A medium sized friendly dog (my family are the kind of dog owners who won't leave their dog behind, sigh)
Needs for the resort:
- Snowsure in mid March
- Within about 5h drive from south-west Germany (for my dad/stepmother who will drive to meet us)
- Accessible by train or bus from Zurich or Munich (for me, DS and kids who will fly in from Canada). We don't want to rent a car and private transport seems very expensive.
- Self-catering accommodation at approx 400 Euros a day (for a place that can house everyone)
- Would prefer half day ski lessons then easy skiing with kids in afternoon
Is this an impossible proposition?? I have looked at so many resorts but just end up more confused. Currently considering Arlberg region (with St. Christoph for the kids), Sölden, Obergurgl. I also thought of Zugspitze but it seems extremely cold/windy even by my Canadian standards. Lech and Zermatt seem far outside of our price range. We don't need to stay very close to the lifts as the non-skiers can drop off the skiers in the morning and pick up in afternoon.
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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 went to Westendorf in SkiWelt by train. I think it stops at a few other SkiWelt towns also. Snow was awful last season everywhere but they had certainly been manufacturing it to keep people happy. With these warm winters I’ve no idea what it would be like when you visit. Cute bunny slope for the little ones though.
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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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forget Zugpistze (i suppose you mean the highest mountain in Germany). It is to small, and they are operating a few lifts (3 i think)
For Mid March and accesible with train, i think Arlberg is a good option from Zurich
Another good option is Zillertal. Also accesible with train from Munich, and a littlbe bid cheaper als Arlberg.
I suppose in Zillertal you could find a small house or a really big appartment.
St. Cristoph is only a bunch of hotels, i dont know what are the accommodation options. I dont know if they have Self-catering accommodation. There are some appartments but if will be a bit difficult
Obergurgl is another good option, but mostly for hotels. There not so many appartments. In Sölden you could find something i think, has more option from Obergurgl but is also more crowded
have in mind that in Zillertal and Sölden you have to take the gondel to go to the main skiarea.
In Arlberg and Obergurgl you have direct acces to the slopes etc
For a two non skiers it will be a bit difficult.
What do you mean as winter walking? they want a village etc or walking paths in the forest etc?
Maybe it is possible with train from Munich to Radstadt and then with bus to Zauchensee. There are some really big appartments there (but not so many) and it is really nice for kids, and also for walking round the lake in winter
Pay attention : i think the first week of March 2025 is the carnaval week in Germany. Avoid this week.
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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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1. Lech
2. St Moritz
3. Davos
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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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Mellau-Damüls.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@nanarama, The dog is unlikely to be an issue practically every apartment will be dog friendly, though sometimes there is a small charge. If you want to go with train then Zürich better option than Munich, much easier to get to main line trains (some direct from airport) and a wider selection of easy connections. Many good Swiss options though cost might be an issue for you. Look at Grindelwald, Arosa / Lenzerheide or Davos. In Austria the obvious spot is Lech (train to St Anton, connecting buses to Lech) but finding suitably priced accommodation might be problematic, St Anton might be too much for your kids (though if sporty will thrive and have fantastic time) and not so good for winter walks etc again cost of accommodation might be an issue, maybe Stuben might work if you dont mind a small quiet spot, would not recommend St Christof (there is nothing there!!). Look at the Montafon area (train to Bludenz from Zürich, Schruns is probably the best location) might be a very good fit https://www.montafon.at/en/mountain-experiences/snow/ski-snowboard, very near the Arlberg similar snow conditions but far less known, probably better for non skiers and closer to SW Germany. Also not far from Bludenz is Damüls, supposedly the snowiest village in the alps, smallish area but might suit. Personally would avoid Sölden etc but perhaps being unfair. If you go with Munich, Zillertal probably best option for train / snow reliability though as pointed out above the skiing generally not to valley level. Snow at Garmisch is not reliable enough except for tiny area on Zugspitze.
Best place to look for accommodation in Austria is tourist office website eg https://www.montafon.at/en/hosts/all-accommodations/accommodations Switzerland used to be same but not tried for a number of years so might have changed.
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Thank you for these terrific responses everyone! This is an incredibly helpful community.
I am also looking at Saas-Fee, any thoughts on that?
@turms2, by winter walking, I mean paths to walk the dog. I suppose that could be in the forest.
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Oops never mind regarding Saas-Fee. Just searched the forums and it seems there is limited beginner progression slopes, that's exactly what my kids need. Thanks again everyone!
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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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@nanarama,
Zermatt would meet your requirements of snow sure and rail access (especially from Zurich). It is also good for non-skiers wanting to join skiers for lunch up the mountain (even over in Italy). It is, however, car free - those driving would have to leave the car in Tasch & take the train the last few miles.
For driving times in Europe try:-https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/
For train travel:-https://www.seat61.com/
If looking at Zermatt, or other Swizz skiing:-https://otp.co.uk/viewer/winter-skiing/zermatt/
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The aforementioned Lech or St Moritz are probably the best bets, if you can find budget-friendly accommodation.
Wengen could be an option. Train via Lauterbrunnen from Zurich. Drivers would need to leave the car in Lauterbrunnen since Wengen is accessed by train only.
Pro's:
* Hiking trails to enjoy and easy to meet skiers at Kleine Scheidegg via hike/train
* Usually some budget-friendly self-catering accommodation
* Pretty, car-free village
* Nice beginner slopes that go from top to bottom (to Wengen or Grindelwald)
* Decent size ski area
Con's:
* Not as snow-sure (or snow-likely) as higher resorts, being at 1300
* Drive to Lauterbrunnen is 5 hours from Munich + the train to Wengen (for this reason Grindelwald that Munich-Irish mentioned may be preferred, though I prefer the village of Wengen)
* Pretty much zero apres if that's a requirement
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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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Gonna go a slightly different route here. I would suggest that instead of picking a resort, since you will have transportation once you are there, that you pick a central location. Then you get to check out a variety of resorts.
For this, I would suggest basing out of Landeck. Very easy to get to by train. Once there, you are within a 30 minute drive to places like St Anton, Ischgl, Serfaus-Fiss Ladis, See, Kappl etc. Even Lech is only about 45 minutes if you didn't want to ski over from St Anton. All of these resorts are worth checking out. And staying in a proper town would perhaps open up more accommodation options for you too.
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To the "pros" for Wengen I would add superlative scenery with the opportunity for non skiers to get right up in amongst it (for a price....).
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You know it makes sense.
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Kleinwalsertal. About as far southwest Germany you can get. Train into Oberstdorf from Munich airport. is very cheap as you are within Germany. Stay up the valley in Mittelberg which is just over the border in Austria Beautiful small village
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