 Poster: A snowHead
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Im amazed this place isnt more prominent on the British ski radar. Its hardly mentioned ín the good ski guide but is a serious ski resort on the door step of Innsbruck. We have come with Crystal to the hotel Cervosa and its excellent. The place is more family orientated than its neighbour Ischgl but the ski area and lift system are just as good. We dont have the joy of skiing into Switzerland here with duty free shopping bút thats the only minor negative. With 185Km of intermedeate paradise piste above 3 villages its a Boutique 3 valleys. It would help to speak some german, which I dont, but everywhere we have gone people seem eager to please and practice their english!
RT
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SHHH Don't tell everyone! We have been to Serfaus several times now. (We tend to drive) It's great and even at 'peak' times like New Year and school holidays you can still find pistes with noone on and there is a huge area to explore. 
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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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RussellT, I stayed there a few years ago. If I remember rightly, the afternoon cake trolley was to die for. Serfaus deserves to be right up there with some of the "best" resorts but don't worry about letting the secret out of the bag... most Brits have only ever heard of France and enjoy being ripped off.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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RussellT, Are you there with kids?, it has been on my radar for a while and I thought it would be a good place to start my boy off skiing, is there much to do off the slopes?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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skiersmum, well, that's just what I wanted to hear. I was just researching the area for next season and it sounded ideal - now you have confirmed it for me! Where do you drive from? Do you have a suggested route rom Calais?
Also, do you have any recommendations or pointers for accommodation for about three family groups?
RussellT, wouldn't mind hearing a few more opinions about the place after your stay!
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Bode Swiller, so true 
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RussellT, Don't miss the night skiing and fireworks show I think it's on mid week. Go early for the skiing have dinner at the top and watch the Show.
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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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clive5, thanks for that tip. Any other tips/things you recommend?
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Tatty, If you drive or hire a car you can have a great day out in Ischgl by driving to samnauns about twenty mins away But take your passport as it's in Switzerland.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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clive5, yes, we nearly always drive so that 's useful to know
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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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cathy, make sure you leave your skis and boots at the shop by the main lift.
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You know it makes sense.
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| clive5 wrote: |
| cathy, make sure you leave your skis and boots at the shop by the main lift. |
Thanks!
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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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cathy, in good weather head over to the drag lift "Minderslift"...
Stunning, high alpine scenery, and due to the fact that its a drag lift and right at the extreme edge of the resort the piste remains delightfully empty... Due to be upgraded to a chair soon, so enjoy it in its current state while you can.
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis probably has the best lift infrastructure in the world in my opinion, nearly every lift is a 6 or 8 seater with bubbles, and there's loads of modern gondolas too...
There's a few good pictures here from early December when the snow was much worse than now - and it still looks acceptable 
http://alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=29303
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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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Cost wise Ischgl is cheaper which is a clue to why its not well know to most Brits
Just about affording our trip to Ischgl but going there is another notch up the cost ladder
Might get there sometime though
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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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Garfield, staying in Fiss or especially Ladis should be cheaper than Serfaus.
Thing about Ischgl is, any money saved can be squandered rather easily during apres 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Markus wrote: |
Garfield,
Thing about Ischgl is, any money saved can be squandered rather easily during apres |
I think thats my plan off there in March
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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 have stayed in Prutz and in Reid at the bottom of the valley. It seems to be cheaper. We are usually at the campsites in a campervan although motorhomes are sometimes at the Waldbahn carpark, but not many. The ski bus (or rather coach)from Prutz and Reid is very good, (both stop at the campsites) although if you get a bus to Fiss it is much much busier. We usually get the ski bus to the Waldbahn..no queues in the morning and a fantastic run to do especially deserted first thing. The Waldbahn or Serfaus is also a lot quieter on the bus to get down the valley at the end of the day. The Fiss bus gets busier but they do put extra buses on if it gets full.
You can pay a few Euros extra to extend your lift pass from Ladis-Fiss-Serfaus to also include all the resorts down the valley.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skiersmum, How long does the bus take from Ried to the cablecar? It seems like a good way to make the holiday somewhat cheaper...
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The coach journey is an enjoyable 20 minutes max depending on where you get on. We have never not got a seat together on the coach to the Waldbahn/Serfaus (Family of 3). Skis go underneath the bus. There are 2 coaches, the one to Fiss is usually very busy as that's where the ski school is. Alot of hotels etc. in Ried and Prutz give free boot/ski storage at Fiss (even the campsite!). The drivers are helpful and it is the same ones all the time.
The quieter Waldbahn coach also goes to Serfaus and you can get the underground railway (easy to use) to the gondolas at Serfaus. These gondolas are much busier than the Waldbahn Gondola in the mornings, but if you want ski school it is also at Serfaus.
My daughter (age 10) has done snowboard school at Fiss for one day and enjoyed it as there is a designated area for snowboard beginners, but most of the time we all just explore on skis. The 'animal' themed gondolas on the far side of Fiss are good fun for children, but you can get there from the Waldbahn Gondola.
I think the hotels in Prutz and Ried are cheaper than those in Serfaus and Fiss. One we noticed in Ried called The Mozart even had water slides for its indoor pool!
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Just back. RE kids Gsyfreerider I would say that Serfaus is THE place to start them off. If very young there is a small park just above the church and infront of our hotel Cervosa. It has a perfect gentle slope a couple of travelators about 50 yds long with a few soft toys to ski around and under. There is an associated kindergarten ski school. The kids love it when they have finished skiing out come the sledges which is so much more fun without the drag back up the hill. A few kids had to be dragged away at the end of the day kicking and screaming. Up the mountain there are more special areas and even a express chair that is dedicated to families.
Tatty re accommodation. Hotel Cervosa via crystal online was amazing value and the cake trolley is the best. Crystal have 4 rooms. The station for the underground is just below the park I mentioned above so you ski across the park to it. On the way home you can ski to within 70m by taking the left turn off the main run home.
Failing that my Swiss friend stays at the hotel Furgler. Its right opposite the Raike station on the underground and looks perfect for families. It even had 6 pushchairs for guests to use in the foyer.
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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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We stayed at the Kinder Hotel St Zeno in Serfaus last year, and thought it was one of the best resort s we have been to. The hotel is sort of all inclusive in that you get drinks free all day and they have the usual afternoon cake buffet as well. This hotel is ski in ski out if you are happy to ski down the toboggan run, it is not that difficult, my kids found it easy. The thing they liked about this hotel was the pool and the "zoo" outside with donkeys and rabbits!!
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Netballdi, How did you get to the lifts in the morning and how long does it take to get into town from there?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We skied down the toboggan run and then on down the road, you did have to walk out of the ski boot room and up the hotel garden about 20 metres, but you could ski all the way back to the boot room door!
The hotel is just out of town down near the main lift. It takes about 10 minutes to walk. The hotel had a minibus that would take you if you wanted. It wasn't a problem.
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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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[b]Markus, you seem to be really knowledgeable about this area. We are thinking of skiing there next winter and are finding it difficult to get a lot of info because it's not a place known to us in Canada. Can you advise:
-which town has the best access to the ski pistes?
-does Serfaus have only the gondola?.. if so, what are the lineups like?
-in Serfaus, how far does one have to walk in order to get to the lift
-in Fiss..same question
-are there shuttle busses in each town which take you to the lifts\-do you know of any town maps which show the service/routes of any bus system ?
Thanks for your info.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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this is really helpful. Thanks very much
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Poster: A snowHead
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Serfaus is not on the Crystal website. How did you manage that?
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FAQ
that's one long drag lift....... but I'm sure well worth it for the skiing 