 Poster: A snowHead
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We will be flying into Munich. Looking to stay in Austria. Prefer staying in the town/village with ability to walk to the gondola or lift (10 min max). Prefer someplace with apres ski scene and good restaurants. We are a couple in our 50's travelling with no kids. What do you recommend?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pgswan, Welcome to Snowheads. In no particular order:
Flachau/Wagrain/Schladming (Ski Amade)
Saalbach-Hinterglem
Zell Am Zee
Kitzbuhel
If you're staying for two weeks or more, get the Salzburgerland Superski Pass and split your stay in any of the above.
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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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@pgswan, Welcome to SH's.
I'll go to the west of @RedandWhiteFlachau's suggestion and offer you a Tirol based location like Mayrhofen and the Zillertal. 1 valley and 548km of skiing on 1 lift pass with the use of the local train line plus buses which are included in your pass.
Mayrhofen is well known for good apres ski, and many restaurants.
Plus, you have the glacier up at Hintertux.
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@pgswan, welcome to snowHeads 
As mentioned above, Saalbach Hinterglemm offers some great options. I’d also consider Mayrhofen, and the Zillertal - again as recommended. Both places will tick the boxes more than adequately, regarding plentiful and varied skiing with good Apres. I’d expect there to be enough accommodation choices within a 10 minute walk to the lift stations/uplift, in January.
There is a deep well of info on Saalbach in the Resorts section on snowHeads….might take some wading through!
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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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We are a couple in our 50s and this year skied in both Mayrhofen and Saalbach.
We had a nice time in both, but would 100% go back to Saalbach, whereas I'd only go back to Mayrhofen if I was tagging onto a group trip (ie - I wouldn't voluntarily go back there). There was nothing wrong with it, but I just prefer other places more, and have plenty more places to see, so there's no 'need' to go back.
The ability to just ski for miles in different directions was what we loved about Saalbach. And a much better mix of reds and blues than Mayrhofen (where all the blues were roads, and were horrendous).
I think Mayrhofen is perhaps nearer to Munich, but I'd still transfer a little bit further out and go to Saalbach.
We have also skied in Zell am See, but it's another 'it was nice but don't need to go back' place. It was a while ago now, but I seem to recall it felt a bit small (it was before the days when it was linked to Saalbach). And we've been to Kitzbuhel twice, which was also good. We skied Maria Alm, but with only 3 weeks' skiing under our belts, so didn't really get to experience the area much.
My rank order of Austrian places (that I've visited) would be:
1 Saalbach
2 Kitzbuhel
3 Mayrhofen
4 Zell am See/Maria Alm
(Slight caveat on Mayrhofen - we only skied in Mayrhofen, not the wider Zillertal. We were in a group, and bound by ski school, so it was easier to just stick to one area. I fully appreciate there is more to explore! The advantage of Saalbach over Mayrhofen on that front was having all 3 lifts going in different directions straight from town, rather than the need for a train or bus to explore different areas)
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@pgswan, Both the Zillertal & Saalbach are perfectly good options. I would say that the Ski Amade area is a bit far away from Munich though again it is a good option. Kitzbühel is a nice old town and I think the skiing is better than in either Saalbach or Zillertal (though "better" here depends on what sort of skiing you are after). It probably has a better selection of restaurants though the apres is somewhat more sedate than in many places in Austria. In January watch out for the Hahnenkamm ski race which takes over the town one weekend. You dont mention your skiing level or preferences. If you want something a bit more interesting than straight forward piste skiing then look to either St Anton or Ischgl. Both are a fair way from Munich though St Anton is very easy on the train. If you are coming from far away and experienced skiers then these would be better than some of the "typical" Austrian areas mentioned above. Many of the areas now are part of the US Epic or Ikon setups though sometimes only for a limited number of days or with specific hotels.
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Lots missing from the brief … how long are you staying and are you relying on public transport. I have stayed in Zell am See in January for the past three years and it has not let me down, but you can ski it all in a couple of days, so it is best as a base to loads of other resorts which are within an 30 minutes drive or bus or train. All of the hotels (and there are a lot of them) are within 10 minutes walk of the main lift. Some have Taxis.
If I was looking to stay in one place for a week and not get in a car, train or bus, I would probably opt for Saalbach.
Ischgl is very extensive and plenty to keep anyone busy for the week. Very lively apres ski, I like apres ski, but Ischgl apres is beyond my idea of a good time. Town is very brash.
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| WoottonBecs wrote: |
(Slight caveat on Mayrhofen - we only skied in Mayrhofen, not the wider Zillertal. We were in a group, and bound by ski school, so it was easier to just stick to one area. I fully appreciate there is more to explore! The advantage of Saalbach over Mayrhofen on that front was having all 3 lifts going in different directions straight from town, rather than the need for a train or bus to explore different areas) |
This is a really important caveat. Mayrhofen is 100% the best village to stay in, it has the most going on. I'd also say Mayrhofen is the worst ski area in the valley. There's a reason I've skied 70+ days this season and 5 of those have been in Mayrhofen (2 of which were to teach my nephew who was a first timer and once was to check out the area to make sure it'd be ok to teach my nephew.)
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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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@swskier - I'm glad I added the caveat in that case! We may actually return to the area next year as the rest of the group are keen to, but I'd want to ski the Zillertal arena for a change of scene.
I'd still favour a resort/area like Saalbach where all corners of the lift pass are covered without needing to take a bus/train though, and where all resorts are linked by ski run rather than road (if we'd wanted to go to the glacier or the arena it would have added travel logistics to our day, whereas from our hotel in Saalbach we just stepped out of the door and had a 3-way choice of which gondola to walk 5 minutes to).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@WoottonBecs, well worth skiing Zillertal arena, and also getting the train to Kaltenbach, and skiing Hochzillertal/Hochfügen. Similarly a bus up to Hintertux is worth it on a nice weather day.
More logistics involved than Saalbach for sure, but my view on Saalbach differs to most people.
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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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@pgswan, I live in Saalbach and have compiled my own fairly comprehensive guide to the resort, which I would be happy to email to you, together with a few other useful bits of information. I’ll send you a private message.
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@pgswan, I live in Saalbach and have compiled my own fairly comprehensive guide to the resort, which I would be happy to email to you, together with a few other useful bits of information. I’ll send you a private message.
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You know it makes sense.
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I’m surprised that none has mentioned the Arlberg Resorts yet. St Anton is the biggest of the three main villages and has a very lively apres scene. Zurs is a small village of expensive hotels and can be a very cold place in January as it doesn’t get much sunshine at that time of year. Lech is my favourite village, both for the skiing and the village itself
You mention that you’d like a few good restaurants, but it’s worth noting that in Austria half-board is the norm. In my experience all the hotels have very good restaurants so there’s no reason to go elsewhere for dinner.
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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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@pgswan, Zell or Saalbach . . .Zell quieter and has a more 'mature/family' apres scene / range of restaurants but skiing in the resort itself whilst nice is a bit limited if you like clocking miles. Saalbach a bit livelier with a broader range of apres; it also has a much larger scope of easily accessible skiing (Ski Circus inc Leogang / Hinterglemm / Fieberbrunn etc) but can still be skied on the same pass and accessed from Zell on skis (Zell am See Xpress lift) and / or with the excellent and regular bus service . . . . Bus service back to Zell does stop circa 18.00 so if you've had a few and want to stay later its a 20min taxi ride . . . . .Kaprun and its glacier also available (although its closer to Zell actually more faff to get to / get skiing than Saalbach IMO) . . .Maria Alm (20mins) & Dorfgastien (30mins) are other resorts in the locality available on the super alpin card if you want even more variety / are staying longer than a week etc . . . . .Kitzbhuel also under an hour away if your mega keen . . .
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Belch, wrote: “
@pgswan, Zell or Saalbach . .”
Apples and oranges. Neighbouring resorts, sharing the same lift pass, but highly contrasting.
Zell am See:
Pretty, historic town and ski area, nice lake, great in summer. Some lovely views and a few charming mountain restaurants.
BUT: small, low, limited ski area (need to go to Saalbach or Kaprun for more scope and variety). Relatively antiquated lift system. Prone to congestion and queues in peak times. On the railway line from Munich and Salzburg. Not very suitable for beginners. No après-ski to speak of. No ski-in ski-out accommodation - a sizeable town, so invariably necessary to
do some walking to get to and from the skiing. Steep runs back to town.
Saalbach (Ski Circus):
Higher and much, much bigger (2nd biggest, interlinked ski area in Austria). Fastest, most advanced lift system in the world. 4th most visited ski resort in the world. Most gondola cable cars of any resort in the world (so crowds get dispersed and significant queues are a rarity). Suitable for all grades, particularly intermediates and beginners. World Cup resort, and includes Fieberbrunn which is on the World Freeride circuit. Underrated off-piste. Over 60 high quality mountain restaurants. Renowned, highly rated après-ski. A compact village (i.e.Saalbach - Hinterglemm has similar attributes) with village centre nursery slopes and a choice of five runs (3 blue, 1 red, 1 black) that end in the village. Plenty of slopeside and ski-in ski-out accommodation.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@tatmanstours, would you class Zell as low, given the top lift is at 2000m and Saalbach tops out at 2096m. It's hardly too much of a difference.
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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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@swskier, often it’s raining in Zell when it’s snowing in Saalbach. The difference between 755m and 1,003m above sea level. Conditions lower down are bound to be affected.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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@Belch, always interesting to hear different perspectives.
I spend around 7 months of the year, living in Saalbach, and visiting Zell occasionally in winter, but regularly in summer.
As you say, it’s a working town, as well as an all year round holiday resort. It’s invidious to try to compare its attractiveness (in terms of prettiness and Alpine charm, etc.) with a relatively small mountain village.
But some things can be compared. My comment about the elevation and temperature difference (raining in Zell when snowing higher up in Saalbach) is based on personal experience (including recently this winter), when driving up the Glemm valley.
Only a couple of weeks ago, Saalbach was white over, with fresh powder down to village level, while the area around Zell and Kaprun was green and drizzly. I had actually contemplated driving over to Kaprun, until I saw the live web cams (and weather conditions up on the glacier weren’t great).
I agree that the lake is stunning, and I spend many happy hours by it in summer. And it’s beautiful to look down on from the Schmittenhöhe. Perhaps I haven’t discovered the après-ski of which you speak. When I go to Zell to meet ski instructor friends, who work there, they seem to congregate at the Castle Bar. They freely admit that there’s no après-ski of the kind that is ubiquitous in the Glemm valley. Also I have friends, who have holidayed in Zell and been completely underwhelmed by the après-ski at places like Crazy Daisy. But perhaps it’s improved? Or they went at the wrong time?
I read with interest that Zell is trying to appeal to a more sophisticated clientele. The Erlhof at Thumersbach, the other side of the lake, has had a good reputation as a restaurant for many years. It is of course the former summer residence of the Von Trapp family, where several of the famous singing children were born. I take friends and guests there regularly.
In summer Zell is, as you may know, overrun by visitors from the Arab states. Hijabs and burkas are more commonly seen than lederhosen and dirndls! Arabic signs are seen everywhere. I understand that its popularity amongst people from that part of the world stems from deliberate promotion some years ago. But I heard that it got too much for many of the locals, who felt that it was changing the image, atmosphere and culture of the town. A law was passed in Austria, prohibiting the wearing of face coverings. Then the pandemic hit, and everyone was wearing face coverings. The rest is history. But the response to the above mentioned law is that face masks are now routinely worn in conjunction with Islamic dress. I’m not sure whether anything else has changed. I was in Zell many times last summer, for the weekly street parties, and I had the impression that perhaps the throngs of tourists were a little more cosmopolitan.
Anyway, I’m straying away from the point of our discussion. I still take the view that the two resorts are very different and contrasting, from the winter holiday perspective. But there will be people who are attracted to both, for different reasons.
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@tatmanstours, Ski Zell every year - and always get over to Saalbach at least a couple of times during the trip - my sister is also a local but lives in Zell all year round and has done for the last 4yrs. Conditions have always been fairly similar whenever I've been - this season (late Jan); Leogang (only 1800M) had the squeakier snow but like anywhere its about 'finding' the good stuff if you're only there for a week - as stated I view the 'area' as one resort such is the ease of getting on a bus etc - it also helps that I have a personal taxi service!
I agree with your synopsis of Zells apres - Castle Bar is the place for all the ski-schools / instructors to meet and Craisy Daisy is not perhaps what it used to be. Orange Bar and Rubix are perhaps the best remaining remnants of small, smoky and rowdy (live music) if that's your thing; however far less choice than in Saalbach etc. I actually like the Sport Alpin Bar opposite City Xpress as its 'basic' and usually full of amusing drunk Germans by 4pm . . .
In terms of Zells 'transition' I do believe its directly related to their summer clientele on the one hand (as you mention the summer influx of Middle Eastern guests) but also the local council wanting to ramp up the hotel / restaurant trades (rather than more bars) to attract families / £ etc and create a point of difference (eg Obergurgl) from Saalbach which by the way my teenagers most definitely enjoy more.
I'm def in the camp that both resorts (and the area in general) are great and def worth a visit irrespective of where you're based; Might see you on the slopes next Jan!
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@tatmanstours, I've given up trying to convince the Zellophiles that there might be better places to visit. It's a bit like arguing with a Vegan but with Beer involved. 
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@RedandWhiteFlachau, 
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