 Poster: A snowHead
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I am trying to plan a trip to Austria in Feb 09, any suggestions of good places to go to? We'd like a good mix of skiing and partying, we are both fairly accomplished skiers although not that experienced at venturing off piste. Any suggestions would be really helpful! Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Lech and St Anton are the best resorts in Austria.
Saalbach is also a good option, based on your requirements.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Welcome
there's lots of good places in austria. I think you need to be more definite in your requirements to get a more sensible recommendation.
For basic background info then check out http://www.wtss.co.uk or http://www.ifyouski.com/Resorts/Country/Austria/
If you are DIYing then figure out via www.skyscanner.net to where you can fly easily/chepily and focus on reorts nearish to those access points - for example you wouldn't want to fly to salzburg for st. anton for example..
You'll have fun wherever you end up...
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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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For good piste skiers who like to party, Ischgl and Sölden are also good options.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi Stanner, the best combination for you would be Ischgl, Solden or Mayrhofen. Austria simply has no equal for apres ski.
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Key resorts for good/plentiful skiing plus nightlife are St Anton, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Ischgl, Mayrhofen, Kitzbuhel, Obertauern, and Zell Am See (not pimping, my pad is booked up), and many others but these are the ones I can think of right now!
Of those, I would say that there are a few pros and cons for each one, and to discover all of those you will need to do a bit of research on t'internet, but in my very humble opinion, I would say:
St Anton - I have never skied there myself but it has a great reputation for on and off-piste skiing, although apparently it can get very crowded during high season, and is a bit more pricey than more eastern resorts like Saalbach. However, hopefully someone who has skied there will be more informative on this one.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm - big extent of skiing, great villages (Saalbach 'younger', Hinterglemm more family oriented), goo nightlife, cute and Austria looking, is fairly low altitude and most of it (although not all) is south-facing so snow can suffer on very warm sunny days, but in Feb you should be fine.
Ischgl - I adore it, fab skiing and village and great snow, is a bit more pricey than Saalbach.
Mayrhofen - big village and quite touristy (lots of brits) but good skiing (although no skiing back to the village from the main Penken ski area), glacier up the valley, good snow on Penken usually, fun resort if a bti rowdy, some accommodation (the cheapest) can be a bit of a trek to the lifts but there is a bus.
Kitzbuhel - great skiing and loads of it, and fab resort, rather full of russians these days. Good party town and great skiing heritage. Is low altitude so snow can suffer, but the liftpass is huge so will always cover somewhere where the snow is better, and again, Feb should be fine.
Obertauern - again great skiing, not as massive extent as it looks, but lots of variety, another party town, but a new-build resort not as 'pretty' as older more traditional places. High altitude so great snow.
Zell Am See - smaller in terms of extent but quite varied skiing and lovely Austrian town and good apres, quite low altitude but again snow in Feb should be fine. Glacier at Kaprun nearby.
Lech as mentioned by Whitegold is lovely and has a great reputation but isn't really a party town particularly and is very expensive and likes to see itself as 'exclusive'. Schladming is another option but quieter in the evenings so might not meet your partying criteria. Bad Gastein/Bad Hofgastein have loads to offer and a mix of skiing and apres would suit you, Flachau is less well known amongst the english but very popular with other nations and has quite good apres and is part of the Ski Amade lift network so masses of skiing....I could go on forever!
This is all of course as stated my very humble opinion. There are literally hundreds of resorts in Austria, so perhaps with this info and some web research you might be able to narrow it down to a shortlist and we can advise further?
HTH
D
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stanner, Would agree with Whitegold, on this one and add Ischgl to the pot. Lech is great for a romantic holiday or family but St Anton is a much better base for apres. Not been to either Saalbach or Ischgl, although both are on my radar. My brother in law, who I go away with most years with the boys, has been going to Austria for around 20 years, visiting most of the resorts mentioned above. He loved Saalbach but has found his valhalla in St Anton.
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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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St Anton & Mayrhofen get my vote, Mayrhofen for a weekend, St Anton for a week (based on my experiences of obtaining accomodation and the price thereof). Best value in St Anton is probably a late deal from a TO in a Chalet.
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thanks everyone for the suggestions, has been a great help!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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stanner, Ski Welt resorts also very good for intermediate piste skiing and livelt nights - Ellmau and Soll would suit I think...
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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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Ischgl is top class, it's not the toughest skiing in the world but a good place to start venturing off piste, lift network is amazing, huge area and reliable snow. I went with a group of late 30 something lads who are more into our skiing than nightlife these days but we got well and truly sucked into it, Pascha is the Carlsberg nightclub!!!!!!!! For a group it works well, it's actually quite cool to go somewhere where there aren't too many Brits as well for a change.
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stanner, Ischgl - Just go.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mayrhofen - big village and quite touristy (lots of brits) but good skiing (although no skiing back to the village from the main Penken ski area), glacier up the valley, good snow on Penken usually, fun resort if a bti rowdy, some accommodation (the cheapest) can be a bit of a trek to the lifts but there is a bus.
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How are the towns surrounding Mayrofen? Can you find places near the party but then escape the crowds and noise?
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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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asland, there are villages throughout the Zillertal (valley), including e.g. Finkenberg, which also has lift access, but I haven't stayed in them so not sure what they are like after hours. If you want partying then Mayrhofen itself is probably right up your street, but hopefully someone else who has stayed in the other villages will be able to advise...
D
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hey Asland, Mayrhofen is pretty easy to escape the apres ski noise and it is a fairly upmarket resort in fact. The pockets of apres ski are superb though if that is your thing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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asland, I've been to Finkenberg several times, and it strikes a good balance - there are really only 2 bars, one of which (Laterndl) is very loud from 4pm to 8pm and then settles down to just the heavy partygoers, and the other (Finkennest) is more laid back until about 8pm, and then gets more noisy as people come out to play. Several of the hotels have excellent lounges with open fires and a welcoming atmosphere, so if you prefer a quiet night in with a good beer there's plenty of options.
Finkenberg also has no lift queues, a great hire shop 50 yards from the lift, and more of a village atmosphere than Mayrhofen, while still being on the main bus routes. A fleet of free minibuses runs around the town to get people to the lift, as it is either a steep uphill walk, or a slide down to get to it otherwise. The buses stop at 8pm, which is why the party shifts to the Finkennest - people go back to their rooms, shower, and then go back to the nearest bar, which in most cases is the Finkennest.
From either place, you can escape the noise within 20 metres of the walls - I have no idea what they use for soundproofing, but it is very good.
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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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My vote goes for St Anton. Six villages on 1 lift pass: StA, St Christoph, Stuben, Zurs, Lech, and Sonnenkopf. I believe you can also ski at Pettneu on the same pass, but I have not done it yet. About 280km of piste and almost "unlimited" offpiste.
For those who like that sort of stuff, the apres at St A is also pretty good.
It is also easy to get to - with a station in town - about 2 1/2 hours by train from Zurich, and a little over an hour from Innsbruck.
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FAQ
, not able to advise - only having been once to Austria, as a beginner - but I'm sure you'll get plenty of 
