 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, looking for some help skiing in the ski amadé area. I'm pretty new to the Europe ski scene, have been mainly skiing in the US/Canada/Japan. I was looking at Sunweb (greatly appreciate any feedback on this website too), and narrowed down to either Bad Gastein and St. Johann im Pongau. Will be on a 5 to 6 days trip in early Jan !
For Bad Gastein, how are the slopes/off-piste like? If I were to stay here (the thermal baths look amazing haha), is it practical to travel to the Sportwelt area ? I heard Flachau has pretty decent slopes.
For St. Johann im Pongau, it seems really limited so I was wondering is it possible to ski over to Flachau/other areas for better terrain, or is it only possible by bus ? Would anyone be able to let me know roughly how long it takes via ski (if possible).
Thanks all, appreciate any suggestions or experiences !!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@spankys ladder, you can ski to Flachau from St Johann but will take well over an hour I reckon. Look up the g-link wagrain. It is on the wagrain side of the Flachau mountain
Redandwhiteflachau is better placed to advise generally.
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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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@spankys ladder, you'll need to get the bus to Alpendorf (nice skiing in and of itself) to ski over towards Flachau and Zauchensee (probably an hour or so over for a good skier depending on how long you wait for the G-link), St Johan itself has a small area that's not linked and wasn't open at all when we were there last Feb. The bus is easy and quick but can be busy! St Johan is a little dead, good kebab shop though...
Bad Gastein gives you a lift link to Bad Hofgastein, and bus to Sportgastein - which I've heard is good for off piste - and Dorfgastein which is a really nice and less busy area. We only visited the amazing spa in Bad Hofgastein, sure the Bad Gastein one is as good! Seemed a nice town, Bad Hofgastein was also delightful.
Edit to add - it's a bit of a long schlep from Bad Gastein over to the Sportwelt by bus/train, I'd pick one valley and make the most of the various resorts there!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
@spankys ladder, you can ski to Flachau from St Johann but will take well over an hour I reckon. Look up the g-link wagrain. It is on the wagrain side of the Flachau mountain
Redandwhiteflachau is better placed to advise generally. |
just checked it up ! thanks for the help mate
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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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| ElzP wrote: |
@spankys ladder, you'll need to get the bus to Alpendorf (nice skiing in and of itself) to ski over towards Flachau and Zauchensee (probably an hour or so over for a good skier depending on how long you wait for the G-link), St Johan itself has a small area that's not linked and wasn't open at all when we were there last Feb. The bus is easy and quick but can be busy! St Johan is a little dead, good kebab shop though...
Bad Gastein gives you a lift link to Bad Hofgastein, and bus to Sportgastein - which I've heard is good for off piste - and Dorfgastein which is a really nice and less busy area. We only visited the amazing spa in Bad Hofgastein, sure the Bad Gastein one is as good! Seemed a nice town, Bad Hofgastein was also delightful.
Edit to add - it's a bit of a long schlep from Bad Gastein over to the Sportwelt by bus/train, I'd pick one valley and make the most of the various resorts there! |
Yeaa I agree with the travel time between bad gastein and sport welt. For 5days-ish, do you reckon the Gastein area will be enough (any tree runs, off-piste, nice pows etc.) ? Understand the area is smaller compared to other places (Val Thorens, Chamonix...) just wanna know if it would be suitable !
cheers
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@spankys ladder, St Johann was the first place I went skiing. That was 40 years ago so much has changed since then, the already small ski area (perfectly OK for beginners then) has been much reduced not sure how often the lift(s) now run if at all. The skiing there has moved to what was then a small satellite area, Alpendorf, which is basically a holiday village. This links in to the main Ski Amade area with skiing possible to Flachau & Zauchensee, which is a pretty big area with some decent skiing. There is a "backdoor" into the Gasteinertal skiing further down the valley at Grossarl (not sure how many if any buses) but it cant really be considered to be connected.
You mention off piste but neither of these places are really well known spots for that. Zauchensee certainly has a reasonable amount. In good conditions all of these areas will have decent tree skiing but that relies on heavy snow fall which cant be guaranteed. Maybe Sportgastein has some decent off piste. Perhaps hiring a guide would let you find some good spots. I would have thought there are better options if off piste is a priority. In the nearby area, Fieberbrunn (part of the Saalbach Hinterglemm area) holds a stage of the Freeride World tour so might be worth a look. Otherwise maybe look further afield to places like Ischgl or St Anton.
I can see getting a dose of radiation in the baths at Bad Gastein might be an attraction 
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@spankys ladder, We have a dedicated thread for Ski Amade here: https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=169914&highlight=
Short answers:
Bad Gastein is great for off piste and more than enough when combined with Dorfgastein/Grossarl for a 5 day trip. But it's a bit of a slog to the other areas.
Flachau is a better location to explore other areas within Ski Amade and Sunweb have lots of options here.
Snowspace Alpendorf/Wagrain/Flacahua/Zauchensee has 210km of piste all linked and the best off piste is in Zauchensee. The 12 Peaks Challenge will keep you entertained. My Ski Racing boys managed it in 3 hours.
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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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thanks sm for the links mate, managed to check them out 
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| munich_irish wrote: |
@spankys ladder, St Johann was the first place I went skiing. That was 40 years ago so much has changed since then, the already small ski area (perfectly OK for beginners then) has been much reduced not sure how often the lift(s) now run if at all. The skiing there has moved to what was then a small satellite area, Alpendorf, which is basically a holiday village. This links in to the main Ski Amade area with skiing possible to Flachau & Zauchensee, which is a pretty big area with some decent skiing. There is a "backdoor" into the Gasteinertal skiing further down the valley at Grossarl (not sure how many if any buses) but it cant really be considered to be connected.
You mention off piste but neither of these places are really well known spots for that. Zauchensee certainly has a reasonable amount. In good conditions all of these areas will have decent tree skiing but that relies on heavy snow fall which cant be guaranteed. Maybe Sportgastein has some decent off piste. Perhaps hiring a guide would let you find some good spots. I would have thought there are better options if off piste is a priority. In the nearby area, Fieberbrunn (part of the Saalbach Hinterglemm area) holds a stage of the Freeride World tour so might be worth a look. Otherwise maybe look further afield to places like Ischgl or St Anton.
I can see getting a dose of radiation in the baths at Bad Gastein might be an attraction |
heard a lot about alpendorf too, will considering that as well. thanks for the other suggestions too ! after a long day of skiing the baths would definitely be a win haha.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| RedandWhiteFlachau wrote: |
@spankys ladder, We have a dedicated thread for Ski Amade here: https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=169914&highlight=
Short answers:
Bad Gastein is great for off piste and more than enough when combined with Dorfgastein/Grossarl for a 5 day trip. But it's a bit of a slog to the other areas.
Flachau is a better location to explore other areas within Ski Amade and Sunweb have lots of options here.
Snowspace Alpendorf/Wagrain/Flacahua/Zauchensee has 210km of piste all linked and the best off piste is in Zauchensee. The 12 Peaks Challenge will keep you entertained. My Ski Racing boys managed it in 3 hours. |
thanks for the info !! will check out the thread. much appreciated mate
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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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If your username is an indication of what type of off-piste you are looking for, then Ski Arlberg will be your best bet in terms of Austria. Solden maybe next best.
Gaistein has more than enough off-piste terrain for the length of your visit, but it is not Spankys type terrain.
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| spankys ladder wrote: |
Hi all, looking for some help skiing in the ski amadé area. I'm pretty new to the Europe ski scene, have been mainly skiing in the US/Canada/Japan. I was looking at Sunweb (greatly appreciate any feedback on this website too), and narrowed down to either Bad Gastein and St. Johann im Pongau. Will be on a 5 to 6 days trip in early Jan !
For Bad Gastein, how are the slopes/off-piste like? If I were to stay here (the thermal baths look amazing haha), is it practical to travel to the Sportwelt area ? I heard Flachau has pretty decent slopes.
For St. Johann im Pongau, it seems really limited so I was wondering is it possible to ski over to Flachau/other areas for better terrain, or is it only possible by bus ? Would anyone be able to let me know roughly how long it takes via ski (if possible).
Thanks all, appreciate any suggestions or experiences !! |
Why have you narrowed it down to St Johann if the slopes are limited?
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You know it makes sense.
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| TOLOCOMAN wrote: |
If your username is an indication of what type of off-piste you are looking for, then Ski Arlberg will be your best bet in terms of Austria. Solden maybe next best.
Gaistein has more than enough off-piste terrain for the length of your visit, but it is not Spankys type terrain. |
yeaa will probs check our Ski Arlberg in late Jan/early feb. thanks for the help! missing the runs in BC rn haha
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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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| buchanan101 wrote: |
| spankys ladder wrote: |
Hi all, looking for some help skiing in the ski amadé area. I'm pretty new to the Europe ski scene, have been mainly skiing in the US/Canada/Japan. I was looking at Sunweb (greatly appreciate any feedback on this website too), and narrowed down to either Bad Gastein and St. Johann im Pongau. Will be on a 5 to 6 days trip in early Jan !
For Bad Gastein, how are the slopes/off-piste like? If I were to stay here (the thermal baths look amazing haha), is it practical to travel to the Sportwelt area ? I heard Flachau has pretty decent slopes.
For St. Johann im Pongau, it seems really limited so I was wondering is it possible to ski over to Flachau/other areas for better terrain, or is it only possible by bus ? Would anyone be able to let me know roughly how long it takes via ski (if possible).
Thanks all, appreciate any suggestions or experiences !! |
Why have you narrowed it down to St Johann if the slopes are limited? |
I found a really good deal for accoms ! but seeing that time is of the essence I probs won't be doing that haha
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Poster: A snowHead
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| spankys ladder wrote: |
| TOLOCOMAN wrote: |
If your username is an indication of what type of off-piste you are looking for, then Ski Arlberg will be your best bet in terms of Austria. Solden maybe next best.
Gaistein has more than enough off-piste terrain for the length of your visit, but it is not Spankys type terrain. |
yeaa will probs check our Ski Arlberg in late Jan/early feb. thanks for the help! missing the runs in BC rn haha |
Try to do a day or two at Solden on that Jan/Feb trip too. Most of the resort is pretty boring skiing, but some of the lines you can ski off the Gaislachkoglbahn will MORE than make up for missing Spankys!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| TOLOCOMAN wrote: |
| spankys ladder wrote: |
| TOLOCOMAN wrote: |
If your username is an indication of what type of off-piste you are looking for, then Ski Arlberg will be your best bet in terms of Austria. Solden maybe next best.
Gaistein has more than enough off-piste terrain for the length of your visit, but it is not Spankys type terrain. |
yeaa will probs check our Ski Arlberg in late Jan/early feb. thanks for the help! missing the runs in BC rn haha |
Try to do a day or two at Solden on that Jan/Feb trip too. Most of the resort is pretty boring skiing, but some of the lines you can ski off the Gaislachkoglbahn will MORE than make up for missing Spankys! |
Gotcha, cheers mate
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