 Poster: A snowHead
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I've seen people mention Ski Amade in other threads but thought it was good enough to deserve its own
First thing to say is how convenient it is to get there and stay there, lots of cheap flights from the UK to Salzburg, hire a car and 40 minutes later your in the nearest resorts. No fixed saturday to saturday accomodation, lots of good quality B&B's at a great price. No tiny rooms like I seem to end up with in France.
Secondly is the service, I was actually treated like a human being - too often it seems the customer is an inconvenience especially in France. They actually seemed please I was there giving them the custom. This was everywhere I went form the B&B to the lift operators to the waiters in the restaurants to the Austrian people themselves who just seem ...well nice I guess.
The prices were excellent too, with a special mention to the mountain restaurants where for 15-20 euros you could eat very well for 2 people, big mention here for the Goulash soup, dont leave the mountain without it! I'm not especially rich so it made a change from 6 euros for a portion of undercooked pomme frites.
Finally were the slopes themselves, now I was there last week and the dump just before, the clear skies every day and the cold temps probably spoilt me a little as the pistes were just about perfect but the skiing is fantastic for anyone in my ability (intermediate - mostly reds) and definately as good as the 3 valleys last year.
Ski Amade is made up of a number of resorts, some big (Bad Gastein, Schladming) and some very small like Radstadt but all ocvered under the one lift pass. In all we spent a day in Schladming, 3 in Zauchensee (a great playground), 2 in Mulbach, 2 in Wagrain/Flachau and the other days just drove around, saw a piste on the hill and drove to it, parked up, got the skis out and jumped in the lift, if we didnt like it much we went somewhere else.
I would say you really need a car, it gives you the freedom and gets you away from the scrum of the ski-bus.
Another thing to mention is the queues, for half-term it was suprisingly quiet - would love to be there in March - you sometimes had the piste to yourself on some of them.
Before I sound like I work for the tourist board the negatives - the resorts are low so if we were unlucky we could have had rain, there are a few T-Bars in some of the resorts that are unavoidable if you want to get anywhere and a car is really necessary unless you stay close to some of the bigger areas. (in my opinion) You may also find it an issue that many people speak no English, but we found it easy enough to get by.
As you may have guessed though I cant recommend it enough, though one of the joys was that in the smaller resorts we didnt hear one other English voice so dont all go at once and turn it into Val D'isere.
Finally the flight times from Manchester at least meant we could go Saturday to a week on Sunday and get a lot of skiing in on both those days - now 9 days skiing instead of 6 was a real bonus on top of everything else.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Monkfish, ssh. Don't tell everyone!
Where about did you stay? I spent two weeks in Wagrain last Easter and loved it.
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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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Austria is my contingency as more France-going snowheads are now turning their attention to Italian Dolomites.
Please say something bad about Amade, like too many German, food too traditional, resort not mega size, too few English skiers/boarders in Apres, too many groomed piste, one ski pass for all not upmarket or exquisite enough, toilets too clinically clean, piste too quiet, motorist needs a vignette to drive in motorway, etc, etc.
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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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something bad about Austria ...easy
The Final Countdown
Rock Me Amadeus
"Hey Baby"
Mama Mia
on repeat in every Mountain Hut!!!
strangely it kind of worked, it was sort of comforting humming Mika tracks on a T-Bar
Stayed in Kleinarl, small, quiet, beautiful, couple of runs and your in Zauchensee 
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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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Beautiful area. Stayed in Altenmarkt and visited a different resort every day. Full of delightful resorts like Filzmoos, Wagrain etc. We had a car - makes all the difference.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Monkfish, couldn't agree more. We've had half a dozen fab holidays in and around SKi Amade, and we love it. There's so much terrain it's hard to get bored, and I love skiing different areas every day.
So please don't go there everyone!
D
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Monkfish wrote:
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I was actually treated like a human being - too often it seems the customer is an inconvenience especially in France.
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Yeah, I've noticed this, I've always put it down to the idea that the French are more ready to show their emotions including boredom, frustration, indifference, jealousy, etc whereas Austrians are more reserved and seem to be pragmatic enough to realise that their clientele pay the rent so it's wise to be polite to them.
But, I have also met some very charming French people at ski resorts, it helps if you make (feeble) attempts to speak French, they kinda warm to that.
Must try out Ski Amade some time, my sister and her husband skied a couple of days in Schladming last month, were very impressed, said they wanted to go back to explore more.
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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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Monkfish, excellent post and i'd agree with what you've said.
I've only ever skied in the Gastein Valley and it's a big ski area with plenty of on and off piste to be had. It is a bit more snow sure than other parts of the Amade area too because it is a bit higher. It sometimes gets bad press about the ski buses but i've never had any problems. There's lots of investment in the valley at the moment too. This year they improved the snow making facilities and cut a new ski piste down to the Angertal Ski Centre. Next year they'll be a new gondola above Bad Gastein which will really improve the flow of people around the mountain.
I'd recommend a visit to anywhere in the Ski Amade area. 
EDIT: typos
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 20-02-08 11:28; edited 2 times in total
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I preferred Ski Amade to Saalbach, seemed much more Austrian if that makes sense, prices more reasonable, good skiing, lovely people who seem, in general, delighted that you chose to come visit them. I'm trying to convince my buddies that a sneaky weekend would be a good idea. Also, in Saalbach I was, on several occasions, driven out of bars because of the AWFUL Tirolpop assaulting my ears. In Radstadt I'd either acclimatised or it genuinely was not as bad. 
Charlatanefc, Who could forget the Eisbaren?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Eeyore, I loved that little Radstadt/Altenmarkt hill. Great for a day and a half, and Zauchensee 10 minutes on the bus opened up a whole new massive area. Even on the busiest week of the year it was great. The food and drinks were cheap, but odf a great quality. An experience we shall repeat next year. Am half way through my trip report 
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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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| Monkfish wrote: |
something bad about Austria ...easy
The Final Countdown
Rock Me Amadeus
"Hey Baby"
Mama Mia
on repeat in every Mountain Hut!!!
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Falco would of been 51 yesterday. It's the 10th anniversary of his death so there's a real re-surge going on, 'new' CD's and a film are out.
Now not a lot of people know this but there is a Falco skiing connection ......
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Johann (Hans) Hölzel (February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was a hip hop, pop and rock star. His albums and singles have sold about 60 million copies worldwide. He is one of the first white rappers with commercial success.
Born in Vienna, Johann (John in English) was the only survivor of a triplets birth. Graduating from the Vienna Music Conservatory in 1977, he lived for a short time in West Berlin, singing in a jazz-rock band. When he returned to Vienna he was calling himself "Falco," reportedly in tribute to the German skier Falko Weißpflog
Falko Weißpflog is an East German ski jumper who competed from 1977 to 1980. He won a bronze medal in the individual large hill competition at the 1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. |
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HERE is a rather superb report involving an American on a recent tour of Austria and the Ski Amade
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You know it makes sense.
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Frosty the Snowman, that's really not worth reading. He hated the area. No one would want to go after reading that 
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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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Eeyore, Frosty the Snowman, Must admit, really enjoyed the "hill a day" nature of the area, was definitely something different. As you say, the locals were fantastic, especially that geezer from the Roadhouse first taking us under his wing on the Saturday night and dragging us along to the big locals party, and then the night he appeared with his pal who's baby head they were wetting, and making us feel part of it. The Europop deffo wasn't as prevalent there (altho you lot did miss that night in Flachau), but the music in the Roadhouse was fantastic at times. Would deffo like to go back to the area and see some of the other areas.
Eeyore, my invite is in the post I trust?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Frosty the Snowman, Now that looks wonderful.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Frosty the Snowman, not that's a trip report and a half.
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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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| DB wrote: |
| Monkfish wrote: |
something bad about Austria ...easy
The Final Countdown
Rock Me Amadeus
"Hey Baby"
Mama Mia
on repeat in every Mountain Hut!!!
|
Falco would of been 51 yesterday. It's the 10th anniversary of his death so there's a real re-surge going on, 'new' CD's and a film are out.
Now not a lot of people know this but there is a Falco skiing connection ......
| Quote: |
Johann (Hans) Hölzel (February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was a hip hop, pop and rock star. His albums and singles have sold about 60 million copies worldwide. He is one of the first white rappers with commercial success.
Born in Vienna, Johann (John in English) was the only survivor of a triplets birth. Graduating from the Vienna Music Conservatory in 1977, he lived for a short time in West Berlin, singing in a jazz-rock band. When he returned to Vienna he was calling himself "Falco," reportedly in tribute to the German skier Falko Weißpflog
Falko Weißpflog is an East German ski jumper who competed from 1977 to 1980. He won a bronze medal in the individual large hill competition at the 1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. |
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Is there any relation to Jens Weißpflog?
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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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| Quote: |
| Secondly is the service, I was actually treated like a human being - too often it seems the customer is an inconvenience especially in France. They actually seemed please I was there giving them the custom. This was everywhere I went form the B&B to the lift operators to the waiters in the restaurants to the Austrian people themselves who just seem ...well nice I guess. |
This is my experience too. It appears the Austria has pride in delivering the service. The French are just after the money and don't the rest.
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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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saikee, I quite agree. What I really like about service in Austria is that over there, being a waiter or a barman or whatever, seems to be an actual profession that people respect and take pride in. So you get lots of fab people working in bars and restaurants, and doing so with a bit of pride.
It's nice to see - completely different to here!
D
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| ami in berlin wrote: |
| Is there any relation to Jens Weißpflog? |
I can't find anything else linking the two.
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| DB wrote: |
| ami in berlin wrote: |
| Is there any relation to Jens Weißpflog? |
I can't find anything else linking the two. |
Neither could I, but two East German ski jumpers with the same (rather uncommon) last name is quite a coincidence. I'll have to ask the missus tonight.
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i really hate living here!
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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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flangesax, tell you what.....how about we do a house swap? You could come and live in Sheffield and I could ski all winter
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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hmmmmm
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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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[crash] flangesax, glad you popped up - we are in Zell from this Saturday for a week. I think you mentioned a bit ago that you might come and join us for a ski away day - pm me if you fancy it. [/crash]
D
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Deliaskis, its in the diary - Im off to Ireland from Mon to Thurs so wont be then, but will try and pop over guests/missus depending on one of the other days- might even drag waynos along.
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FAQ
