 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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huwzie, welcome to snowHeads. No info on Crystal unfortunately, but there are some around here who know the resort quite well. I posted a report here that has one or two pointers from a few contributors.
You could also try Trip Advisor (Mayrhofen section) - I obtained some info from there prior to the trip.
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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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huwzie, welcome to  ! We went on an allocation on arrival guesthouse holiday in Mayrhofen a few years back. We stayed at the Birkenhof which was perfectly adequate if slightly inconveniently situated on the other side of the railway. The accommodation was basic but perfectly fine, breakfast a bit limited etc. but really for a bargain holiday, nothing to complain about!! You will be fine, accommodation in Austria is on the whole of a high standard so even in the more basic places, you know it will be clean and comfortable etc.
They have lots of different pensions that they use for this deal though so it's probably highly likely you will not be in the same place!
D
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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huwzie, Welcome to there is a great pizza place beside the board park on the hill amazing pizza for about €6-7 from when we where last there. Great resort with plenty to do. make sure you get up to the glacier for a day it is spectacular and is covered on the pass. Enjoy
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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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I've stayed under this arrangement before in a "small and friendly" snowhome allocated on arrival. Can't recall if it was with Inghams or Crystal. I travelled alone and was allocated a place on the edge of town, close to the train station, think the place is called the "Birkenhof". Room was OK but no en-suite, could easily have been a converted shoe cupboard and had to go to shared bathroom on another floor for a shower so not great. Maybe I drew the short straw that week as I spoke to a couple with the same rooming arrangement and their place was fine, apparently. If I were you I'd phone the tour operator to enquire about en-suite etc, just be a bit pushy and see what they say. I wouldn't go with this arrangement again as it seems to be such a lottery, especially if you're travelling alone as I think (rather cynically, perhaps?) that tour operators view single travellers as those least likely to whinge if things aren't ideal.
Welcome to snowheads 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Deliaskis, just noticed your post
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Thanks for your responses guys.
Im not really worried about the accommodation to be honest with you, i'm easily pleased on that front as long as im in the mountains thats all that matters. Was just interested where they place you around Mayrhofen if you do book an allocation on arrival.
Another question i'd like answered is about the lift passes.
Do you have to buy one that covers the whole zillertal area or can you buy a cheaper one that covers a smaller area?
The reason why i'm asking is my mates have been there and have said you dont have to buy the pass that covers everywhere because they did and they didnt get full value out of it.
Now obviously i dont know what they are on about so ive tried finding out about what they meant and ive found nothing at all on the internet.
So if anybody can shed some light on the subject i'd be grateful..
thanks a lot
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huwzie, good question. I tried to find some info on that too, again without success. The official site, where one would expect the full range of options, doesn't suggest any alternative AFAICS.
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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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| huwzie wrote: |
Thanks for your responses guys.
Im not really worried about the accommodation to be honest with you, i'm easily pleased on that front as long as im in the mountains thats all that matters. Was just interested where they place you around Mayrhofen if you do book an allocation on arrival.
Another question i'd like answered is about the lift passes.
Do you have to buy one that covers the whole zillertal area or can you buy a cheaper one that covers a smaller area?
The reason why i'm asking is my mates have been there and have said you dont have to buy the pass that covers everywhere because they did and they didnt get full value out of it.
Now obviously i dont know what they are on about so ive tried finding out about what they meant and ive found nothing at all on the internet.
So if anybody can shed some light on the subject i'd be grateful..
thanks a lot |
For anything over 3.5 days, only the whole valley pass can be bought.
For anything under 4 days, only the single area passes can be bought.
Two 3 day Mayfhofen passes would be €208, while one 6 day Zillertal pass is €186.
Anyhow, unless you are a beginner skier, you will probably get a lot more out of the trip if you ski more areas than are covered by just the Mayrhofen pass.
The "Ski Optimal" area accessed from Kaltenbach, and the "Zillertal Arena", accessed from Zell am Ziller are certainly each worth a day or more of your trip. To reach either, take the train which is included with the lift pass.
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huwzie, I think when we booked allocation on arrival they said to us that it would be no more than a 10 minute walk to the centre of town. And it wasn't, so you won't be out in the sticks somewhere down the valley anyway. The Birkenhof was more than a 10 minute walk to the lifts, but only a couple of minutes walk to the ski bus so not too big a problem either way.
D
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi, went for Christmas week with Crystal on same deal. Took us just over 20 minutes to walk to the centre of town not 10 as the guesthouse was right on the outskirts - about 1/2 mile further out than the Birkenhoff already mentioned which was a jaunt. A ski bus stopped quite close so ok in the day but ski buses stop at around 5pm so on the night we had to walk quite a way to get near to things so good snow/walking boots a must!
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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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huwzie, I think you should be concerned about where they place you, don't let them mess you around. As Deliaskis, says the Birkenhof is quite close to town but requires the use of the ski bus. This is fine on the way in as the Penken lift is the first stop, as far as I remember but at the end of the day the bus does an extended tour of the town to get you back there. Also, it's too far to walk in ski boots, after a couple of days I booked a locker in the place at the foot of Penken as I got fed up with the bus journey. Over new year I stayed in the Vier Jahrezeiten, a small guest house close to both Penken and Ahorn, this cost less than the advertised "snowhomes". My room was small but had an ensuite and I didn't need to take the bus or pay for a locker at Penken.
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Regarding the distance to the lifts, we booked with Crystal the time we went and I think the lockers at the bottom of the Penken were pretty cheap. So we did the 10 minute walk in ordinary shoes at the beginning and end of the day, which was not too bad.
D
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You know it makes sense.
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thanks for your inputs,
what time do you recommend getting to the penken in the morning? I heard that it can get very busy.
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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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| huwzie wrote: |
thanks for your inputs,
what time do you recommend getting to the penken in the morning? I heard that it can get very busy. |
Depending on whereabouts in the town you do finally end up, you might well be better not using the Penkenbahn at all. If you are on a bus route to the Horbergbahn, that is a much quieter way into the ski area.
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Poster: A snowHead
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hi - new user - do not know what I am doing.
However, want to ask question: Going to Finkenberg, have couple of piste maps picked up on web, but can not work out if you can get from Penken to Rastkogel. On one map it looks real close, just a walk to the lift, but on another map it looks miles away. Can anyone help
Shehog
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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shehog, welcome to SnowHeads!
From the Finkenberg lift to Rastkogel is a bit of a trek, but it can be done - from the top of the main Finkenberg gondola, take blue 14 down to the T-bar lift (or walk to the top of the lift - 75m slightly uphill), then pass through the top of the lift onto a skiway on the other side. This connects into the Penken area halfway down the red 3 run. Continue down red 3 (can be icy in the mornings), and fork to the left across the black run to head for the Tux 150 lift. Take this to the top, and the Rastkogel area is laid out before you. From the top of the Finkenberg lift to the top of the Tux 150 takes about 40 minutes, and the return can be done in 20 down the red run, or 30 via the Tux 150 again.
To get back, either take the Tux 150 back down, or red 16 down the ridge, and head for the Nordhangbahn lift. This exits above the Finkenberg lift, and gets you back to your start point.
From the bottom left of Rastkogel, there is a skiway from Heidi's Skistadl which runs to the Eggalm area, but this is only open when the snow cover is good - don't rely on it, but don't ignore Eggalm - red 4 and 5 are excellent runs, and the postbus from Finkenberg gets you to the lift in less than 10 minutes.
See http://www.mayrhofner-bergbahnen.com/en/100301/100232/interactive_panoramic_map_skiing_snowboard.html for the best maps of the area. The interactive map can be slow, but is useful, while the JPG file has everything you need in a static format, albeit 9Mb of data.
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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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| huwzie wrote: |
thanks for your inputs,
what time do you recommend getting to the penken in the morning? I heard that it can get very busy. |
8.30 should be fine. The Yellow line bus would probably be your best bet. Stops outside the Sports Lounge and the Penken lift is 50m away. Failing that, if you are down near the station, you could take the Green Line coach to Tux Vorderslanersbach, a 15 minute journey, and have a queue free ascent on the Rastkogelbahn. Or take the coach to Finkenberg (closer) and the Almbahn bubble.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Agree with ousekjarr that the Eggalm area is great, and pretty quiet compared to Penken, so don't ignore it! We were there the first and second weeks of March one year and the snow past Heidi's hut was fine, I guess it is the luck of the draw though!
D
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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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stayed in guesthouses with crystal 4 seasons ago. couldnt fault them. we werent even ten mins walk from penk lift. im going again tomorrow, flying out of belfast with inghams on a similar allocated on arrival guest house deal.
get to the lift for opening time, or if you have a sore head leave it till after ten cause the queues are bad.
ice bar for lots of apres ski at bottom oflift, this p;ace is alao mad!
mo's bar isnt bad for food and few beers
or i do like spotland yard, bit of a boarders hang out
hope you have a good time
ps if anyone's going this weekend, if you see a guy if a gamey knee, please give me some space lol 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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huwzie, zigman, shehog, Welcome to s.
Going for AOA can be a bit of a lottery! Can be great value! Have done this with both Inghams and Crystal and have had a mixed bag. Once got a 4* hotel, other times they have been B&B's and in France a shared apartment with others, which although I did not know anyone we had great craic!
I too got a B&B on the edge of town in Mayerhofen, cant remember the name of the place as TBH was only memorable for the wrong reasons! Will not go into it as do not want to rain on your parade! You could be lucky!
That place was inconvenient but you are getting it for next to nothing so you get for what you pay for in general.
Mayerhofen is great for the apres scene and the skiing is good too, but it can be inconvenient to get up to the slopes with long queues forming to get up to the slopes. Once up there did not wait on any lift too long!
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off to mayrhofen on the 31 jan for the third time . ive only found the penken gondala to be a problem on the first (sunday) morning as everyone is heading up to their lessons for 9 - 9.30 . the first time i went (5 years ago) it took us over an hour to get up the gondala , which ment we missed the lesson time and had to have afternoon lessons all week . anyone having lessons is told to be the for 9.30 then the allocate them to the lessons , it may be am , it may be pm . i think this causes some of the rush on the first day . i could be wrong , or it may have changed now . if your not having lessons then why not head to one of the other ski areas like kaltenback or gerlos on the train for the day . or just spend the morning on the ahorn , drop back down into town for dinner then head up the penken in the afternoon. hope this helps , as i say things might have changed since i was last there but it,s a great resort so have fun . tim .
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[Thanks for your help. The map you suggest below is the one that makes it look easy to get to Rastkogel, but another map shows Rastkogel further round the mountain. What we really want is a group of blues together so we can try out a few runs. I dont mind some simple reds, but my husband needs the blues!!Read about 8 man chair to Horberg accessing blue 8. Again, can you get to this chair from the top of Penken? Sure we will have a great time no matter what!!
From the Finkenberg lift to Rastkogel is a bit of a trek, but it can be done - from the top of the main Finkenberg gondola, take blue 14 down to the T-bar lift (or walk to the top of the lift - 75m slightly uphill), then pass through the top of the lift onto a skiway on the other side. This connects into the Penken area halfway down the red 3 run. Continue down red 3 (can be icy in the mornings), and fork to the left across the black run to head for the Tux 150 lift. Take this to the top, and the Rastkogel area is laid out before you. From the top of the Finkenberg lift to the top of the Tux 150 takes about 40 minutes, and the return can be done in 20 down the red run, or 30 via the Tux 150 again.
To get back, either take the Tux 150 back down, or red 16 down the ridge, and head for the Nordhangbahn lift. This exits above the Finkenberg lift, and gets you back to your start point.
From the bottom left of Rastkogel, there is a skiway from Heidi's Skistadl which runs to the Eggalm area, but this is only open when the snow cover is good - don't rely on it, but don't ignore Eggalm - red 4 and 5 are excellent runs, and the postbus from Finkenberg gets you to the lift in less than 10 minutes.
See http://www.mayrhofner-bergbahnen.com/en/100301/100232/interactive_panoramic_map_skiing_snowboard.html for the best maps of the area. The interactive map can be slow, but is useful, while the JPG file has everything you need in a static format, albeit 9Mb of data.[/quote]
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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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shehog, For a good mix of blues and easy reds, Rastkogel is indeed the way to go, but if your husband can't cope with red runs, get the cable car back down.
The Tappenalm lift to the top of blue 8 is always relatively busy, as it is a gentle blue and wide, so is popular with the ski schools. It's also popular with intermediates as a speed run, which is OK until they get to the bottom of it and discover/remember that it has a sudden drop into the lift area, where another run joins it. Approach this ridge with care - boarders are bound to be sat just over the brow of the hill to watch the chaos where the red and blue runs join and arrive at the lift, without seeming to be aware that they are adding to it. Be aware of this, and you'll enjoy the run. Also, try the Gerent lift for red 7/blue 7a - long, cruising runs with great views.
Note that blue 2 and blue 20 are roadways for most of their length, so they can be tricky due to ski school crocodiles, and they also get rutted early, so just when beginners are trying to get the hang of parallel turns, these runs force them back to snowploughs to slow down, since there isn't space for them to get in their slow and wide parallels.
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FAQ
and i'm just fishing for tips to make my stay smoother.
