 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi!
I'm heading to Kitzbuhel from the 9th to the 16th of February. Two of the group are beginners and three advanced and was wondering if anyone can say what the area is like for these levels. Particular for the beginners I would like some advice, as I think the nursery slopes are very low and i'm not sure what the snow will be like. Are there any slopes suitable for someone who can do very cautious snowplough turns higher up?
Also wondering what the off piste opportunities are like for advanced skiers who are just starting to explore?
Also if anyone is looking for a transfer from Munich airport to Kitbuhel or Kirchberg on these dates we have 3 places available. Price would be between 55-72 Euros return depending on how many people. Could also maybe do one way. Leaving Munich around 15:00 on the 9th and returning in time for a 14:25 flight on the 16th.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sar_m, there's plenty there for all levels up on the mountain(s). Don't worry. Kitz is a great resort and getting better all the time with the recent connections to Pass Thurn and the extension of the ski area to include Westendorf (OK, the connection isn't great but still).
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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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sar_m, Your beginners will most likely be on the Horn, which means they learn to ski in a high sunny bowl with a nice restaurant nearby. There is also the red Raintal run for your more expert members. It is a bit of a fag, esepcially in the middle of the day when buses are few, to get from the Hahnenkamm to the Horn, but not impossible.
Most of the more challenging skiing is on the Hahnenkamm. There are some nice "improver" runs up there. I recommend the Maierl III, but get your beginners to it via the Fleckalmbahn or they will be struggling with a bit of steep red on the way there.
Very nice place.
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We too will be skiing Kitzbuhel (staying in Kirchberg) from 9th Feb. It's about 8 or 9 years since we have skiied there, and a lot has changed since then. Apparently the best skiing for advanced skiers is at Ehrenbachgraben and towards Pass Thurn which is now so much easier to access.
Kitz has a fantastic atmosphere both on and off the mountain and is a very beautiful town.
We're driving out - 24 hours from Wales, to arrive 7am ish on Saturday morning. As we are staying in Kirchberg and have the car, we have been recommended to access the mountain via Klausen gondola outside Kirchberg, which is the least busy.
Our children skiied with the Rote Teufels (Red Devil's ski school). They had a brilliant time and well catered for. I believe their reputation for adult ski school is also very good.
Hope you enjoy the holiday. The conditions at present are not as good as earlier in the season, but still pretty good. I'm sure it'll be great by the time Feb 9th arrives. 
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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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To some extent it depends on what you mean by advanced. There is probably less seriously challenging on piste skiing than at many resorts, but I am told that when conditions are right, there is a good deal of accesible powder that doesn't get trashed immediately as Kitzbuhel is not a powder hound's resort. I wouldn't recommend it to proper advanced skiers who wanted to thrash for a week, but there are some testing runs. It's a great resort for beginners, plenty of pubs on the slopes for between run relaxation, and you can travel about a long way on blues and easy reds.
My kids have been there twice and loved it, but didn't want to go back for a 3rd year as they wanted more of a challenge. I'd happily go there.
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Hi again!
Thanks for all the answers. I'm pleased there should be enough slopes for the beginners, I'd heard kitzbuhel wasn't great for beginners and was a little worried they might get scared off skiing alltogether!
Does anyone know where would be a good place to start to explore the off piste possibilities (providing the snows good). I can get down any pisted slope with a reasonable technique but have only had a one hour lesson in deep powder snow skiing and spent a lot of that hour face diving into the snow!  . I am, however, determined to succeed and would like to know of good starting points that are easy to get to and not too far away from the safety of the pistes!
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After the initial gondola, don't you HAVE to take a Tbar (that's VERY steep) just to get up to the slopes? You did when I was there last year. While I'm an advocate of T's generally - that one would def put a beginner off because the gradient is SOOOO steep!
Sorry sar_m, I don't like K. Pass Turn for beginners, on the other hand, is MUCH better . Spend the first few days there and at the mid point, can't remember the name of that though.
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flowa, If you are coming from the Hahnenkamm kift, which is waht I assume you are describing, the steep T bar is a fairly determined turn right off the cat track to get to the top of a steep and swooshy red (well I like it, so it ain't that steep). If you carry on down that same cat track, you come to about 80m of steep red that will be a challenge to beginners. Once navigated however, and I'm not too proud to do the odd bit of sliding down on my bum, you are at a group of lifts that give you access to plenteous blues going all the way to the 3S and beyond. If you take the "infront of you" one then you are on your way to Penglestein via a nice sequence of not too tough blues. If you take the left hand one (which comes over the cat track and goes over towards the top of the Fleckalmbahn) then you are on your way to my pesonal favourite blue called Maierl III. This is a delightful blue that has the good manners to go flat/steepish/flat/steepish etc in a way that allows people to lose excess velocity quite easily. When bored with that, carry on down another gentle blue towards Penglestein again, though there is a need to catch a flat t-bar back. Personally, I find the flat t-bars more of a challenge than the steep ones, but you get used to them.
Most beginner lessons are on the Horn in a very gentle bowl.
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Chris Bish, ah, that must explain it. We were an experienced group and the snow conditions were rubbish so the ambition to get high and get on with it must have caused the direct route through the un-beginner friendly Tbar.
I still didn't enjoy K though - especially compared to St Anton, Zurs, Lech & Ober Lech!! - the pistes in Kitzbuhel and Pass Turn mostly seem to run straight back on themselves under the chairs.... BOR-ing!
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sar_m, I've done virtually no off piste in Kitzbuhel, but there's a cat service on the Hochetzkogel, on the Horn side of the area, which is supposed to be a good spot when the conditions are good. The ski school does powder lessons (as you'd expect).
I'm surprised that anyone would say that Kitzbuhel is bad for beginners. I don't know about absolute beginners (I have no experience of the ski school), but for quick learners and 2nd weekers, I'd have thought it was an excellent resort. The beginners' nursery slopes are in the town, after that it's a matter of going up the Hahnenkamm or the Horn. The runs down from the Hahnenkamm are not difficult in good conditions, but involve a fair amount of road, not every beginners idea of a good time. There's always the bubble (usually my preferred route down - I love finishing the day with a downhill lift).
There are hardly any T bars in Kitzbuhel now, and none that you have to take, unless you ski back from Pass Thurn to Kitzbuhel (you can take a bus) or if you go down to Jochberg. The others can be easily avoided if you don't like them. Pass Thurn is good, and higher than Kitzbuhel.
Unlike flowa, I do like Kitzbuhel. It's certainly not the most exciting ski area in the world, or the largest, but it's very pretty on the slopes, plenty of pubs and restaurants, pretty town centre. At half term it'll be very English, but which major ski resort isn't?
The connection to Westendorf is inconvenient but that's a great place for beginners, nothing remotely difficult with the possible exception of a short steepish, narrowish, busyish spot on the run down to the bottom on the Westendorf side. The run back toward Kitzbuhel is not hard but is quite long (I don't remember any pubs en route), so needs plenty of time for beginners. The trip involves buses between Kitzbuhel or the bottom of Pengelstein and the Westendorf lift, and the service is patchy.[/i]
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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FAQ
The run off the top of the Ehrenbachhoehe back into Ehrenbachgraben has some 
All in all I love Kitz, especially because it very rarely gets over-run, and it has it's own special non lager-lout atmosphere that is unique to Kitz.