 Poster: A snowHead
|
This looks a possibility for next year, but also looks very low altitude.
What's it like?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Search the archives - lots of details and several trip reports. It's a good place if you're prepared to get out early and stay late to beat the crowd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
no but I hear Saalbach is excellent
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Its fairly low but has a good snow record given its height. I was there at Easter and despite bright sunshine and very warm temperatures the snow cover was excellent. The skiing isn't very challenging on the whole despite having Austria's steepest piste so won't challenge experts or even good intermediates. If you like the French mega resorts with ski in ski out convenience, oodles of off piste, zero charm and prices off the scale you'll probably hate it. Personally, I love it. It isn't as inconvenient as many claim. A lot of hotels are close to the lift station, otherwise the bus service is excellent, it's picturesque, friendly, has typical tyrolean apres ski and is relatively cheap in terms of hotels, equipment hire and beer. It is also on the same lift pass as a number of other resorts, accessible by bus or the frequent train service, offering over 600 kms of piste in total.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
low? ignore the quoted 600m altitude. that's just the village. skiing is 2000m like many of the alpine ski resorts and there's a glacier at the end of the road.
3 resorts all with 150km+ in the same valley, plus the hintertux glacier. All on 1 pass. Mayrhofen's a bit more lively, Zell am Ziller less people, Hochfugen probably less people still?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Having skiied in Mayrhofen for 4 weeks many years ago, I rate it highly on Alpine charm, and it has the advantage that the skiing starts up the mountain rather than at village level, so the snow conditions are more likely to be OK when snow is generally lacking elsewhere. However, that advantage is also a drawback if you like skiing convenience and do not want to queue for cable-cars. It has some nice slopes, scenery, restaurants etc, but it's a limited area for anyone bar beginners and early intermediates, unless you get on buses to other resorts in the Ziller valley. Much depends on your standard - OK for first, second or third time skiers, but otherwise I'd go for somewhere higher, more convenient and more extensive. If you want charm, sensible prices and good apres-ski, I'd stick to Austria - the Ski Circus, the Gastein Valley, the Ski Welt, the Ski Amade, the Arlberg, etc. If France is an option, I rate the Paradiski and would opt to stay in Vallandry so as to be near the cable car over to la Plagne (as well as in the prettiest part of the area). Expensive lift pass though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
jb1970, I did this on a very late booking (e.g 3 days before) and went with Snowcoach but flew last March and had a fantastic time with brilliant conditions, snow every day and because they had a coach and guiding we were able to go to other resorts.
The local trains can be used to get to other resorts and there are ski safaris you can do to get to know the resorts.
There is always the potential to get bad conditions if you book early but that can happen anywhere?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
One piece of advice .Avoid the main lift in the centre of town and get the bus to the Finkenburg lift. Delivers you to more or less the same place on the mountain but without the huge line in town. And we`re talking 1 hour of Germainic pushing and bunking in at the front, not nice. Apart from that lots to explore. Dont buy the full valley lift pass, you wont need it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Don't be put off by the comments about Mayrhofen not being challenging for experts and good intermediates... If the pistes are too easy then there's plenty of 'just off the edge of the piste' variables waiting to challenge you.
| Quote: |
Avoid the main lift in the centre of town and get the bus to the Finkenburg lift
|
Agree with that, much quieter than the Penkenbahn in the middle of the town... Or, for variety, get the bus to the Hoarbergbahn, near Ramsau, at the other end of the Mayrhofen system - also quieter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| lordlaff wrote: |
| One piece of advice .Avoid the main lift in the centre of town and get the bus to the Finkenburg lift. Delivers you to more or less the same place on the mountain but without the huge line in town. And we`re talking 1 hour of Germainic pushing and bunking in at the front, not nice. Apart from that lots to explore. Dont buy the full valley lift pass, you wont need it. |
The queue for the main lift is manageable so long as you miss the ski-school rush. Even then in three trips I have never seen it at terrible levels, albeit my trips have all been low season. Any ski pass for 4 days or longer includes the full valley, and a 6-day full valley pass is €30 cheaper than two 3 day local passes.
Pure number crunching, skiing is 2300-1600m in the main sector, 2500-1300 'over the back' at Rastkogel and Eggalm and 3200-1500 at the Hintertux Glacier. The Ahorn valley run to 630m was open and skiiable at the end of March despite being so low (shaded, north facing) becoming soft towards lunchtime so in midwinter I forsee no problems 
Hope this helps.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 30-07-09 16:48; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Been several times to Mayrhofen. The main lift is not as bad as people make out...it used to be a whole lot worse! Never had a problem with snow cover..
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
I went there last night, 29degC, I did a klettersteig (Via Feratta)
looks very low, 600m base, very scenic though
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Sue
I was living and working in Friedrichshafen last winter, so saw plenty of snow and ice, very cold compared with UK
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| Quote: |
Avoid the main lift in the centre of town and get the bus to the Finkenburg lift
|
Just get there for when the lift opens and you'll be fine. And at the end of the day don't spend *too* long partying at the top of the mountain before coming down. We were there for two recent Easter (during Snowbombing!!) and had no issues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
repeated
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 3-08-09 9:17; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Mayrhofen is one of the 5 larger areas in Zillertal Valley. Think there are Ahorn and Gerlosstein too which are smaller. One has to pass most of the other resorts before reaching Mayrhofen which is within the walking distance to Ahorn.
Fugen/Spieljoch (Zillertal Valley)- 21km - Not liked
Hochzellertal - Kaltenbach - 134km - including Fugen/Spieljoch
Mayrhofen - Penken/Horberg/Rastkogel/Eggalm - 157km - Zillertal has 452km
Hinterlux - 86km - in a glacier
Zellertal arena -Zell/ Gerlos/Konigslieten/Krimml - 163km - Supposed 560km if added together
There are 560km piste to be had in that valley and Mayrhofen isn't the biggest but it is best packaged with a good mixtures of terrains. Plenty of hard core drinkers in the Mayrhofen town centre. It is a place well worth of a visit. If I remember correctly any ski pass bought for 4 or more days at any of the 7 unlinked areas will entitled the holder to ski the entire valley, as I ran round the valley to check and collect the individual ski maps.
By comparison Saalbach/Hinterglemm/Leogang look more civilised. Skiing in both resorts are good but Mayrhofen has several challenging black runs. Hintertux is a windy glacier that has to be seen to believe.
Mayrhofen spreads out in one direction from Horberg, Penken, Rastkogel and Eggalm which all have their own lift stations to the 2000+m level. Saalach and Hinterglemm is a valley where one can ski on one side and return from the other side. Leogang is an off shoot from Saalbach. The skiing is easier in Saalbach which is a nice cruising resort. It is possible the skiing loop within Saalbach to Hinterglemm Valley is the biggest in Austria.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 3-08-09 9:22; edited 3 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| lordlaff wrote: |
| Dont buy the full valley lift pass, you wont need it. |
You don't have a choice.
If you are buying for 3 days or less, only local area passes are available.
If you are buying for 4 days or more, only the whole valley pass is available.
And you get quite a bit more variety, plus some quieter slopes if you do ski some of the other areas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I have also visited Mayrhofen during the snowbombing festival in late March/early April. It really dumped with snow!! Half the week was a white out and we even had snow at resort level, which doesn't happen every day. As has already been said, most of the skiing is above 1500m, and with a glacier up the valley, you will be fine even in a lean snow year.
The town is long and thin, but with a good veriety of well priced apartments and hotels. There is also a number of lively bars and a couple of nightclubs, but even during snowbombing week, there are quieter places if you wanted to avoid the crowds. The main lift is at one end of the resort, so it is a treck or a short hop on the free ski bus if you are staying at the other end of town. The town is pretty, quite tirolian in character, with good food!
I did find the penken lift queues to be a bit tiresome, 45minutes at peak time in the morning, same again last thing in the afternoon before lift closing. If you time it right (not lesson time and not last thing), then the queues disappear, or do as others suggest and get the bus to nearby villages with quieter lifts.
I thought the skiing was pretty good, a good choice of runs, a few tree lined reds and blues just above the top station of the penken lift. There was a good blue/red/black long run over at Gerent, pretty scenery and some steep sections, so all abilities can tackle the same mountain and meet up at the bottom. There is a great restaurant about 200m down the start of this run..well worth the effort. There are lots of cruisy blues and reds at Penken, if thats what you like, and a few steep but short blacks. There is also a terrain park for those who enjoy free style. The off piste is good if you get a dump, a few tree runs, some chance below some of the main chairs. The Ahorn is a good place for beginners, a couple of safe, short blues but also a long and interesting red, which I think someone mentioned before, does go all the way back to the valley floor. The bottom half of this run was pretty icy when I went in April a few years ago, although the top section was great, with a decent layer of powder as it was snowing so hard! I think the resort could keep most people entertained for a week, but it is especially good for intermediates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out of interest, I've been to the Hoff in summer, and we walked from the top of the Penkenbahn back down into town. Arguably therefore if there are walkable paths down in summer it must be possible to ski down (off piste on said footpaths) in winter.
Anyone ever done this ? The footpaths were very narrow and very steep in places but it must be possible ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gazzza, there are forest roads down to Finkenberg and Hippach which are marked on the piste plan as ski routes, but nothing marked down to Mayrhofen. I suspect the reason for this is that the Hippach run is almost never open due to lack of snow at the lower levels, while the Finkenberg route opens rarely (maybe 2 weeks per season in a good year), and even then has rocks, tree roots and huge ruts to cope with on the way down. Finkenberg is 200m higher than Mayrhofen... Plus the drop down from Penken is steeper.
I've done the Finkenberg run twice, and wouldn't recommend it. Apart from the discomfort of having instructors blasting past you when you are struggling to cope with the conditions, it is very dispiriting to see them stop, remove their skis, and walk down a section of rocks. Add to that that you're unlikely to do the run back to the valley until the end of the day when you'll be tired, and it becomes a bit of a nightmare unless you are very confident and capable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
it is very dispiriting to see them stop, remove their skis, and walk down a section of rocks.
|
Are you sure they weren't just average skiing Scots. Those sound like conditions well in my comfort zone!!! It's that deep powder that I struggle with (Tartan snowhead emoticon required - preferably with a 'see you jimmy' bunnet)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I had a week in Mayrhofen in March this year and really enjoyed it. Town is lively, lots of decent bars. People here are friendly and prices much lower than France/Switz. Snowed most days, but the skiing was a bit same-same. Would be good for beginners and intermediates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
I loved Mayrhofen when I went. It's a fairly cute town, although there were some obvious hooligans/drunks/tosspots in attendence, but they were restricted to just one or two obvious bars and were easily avoided.
Main Penken slopes are pretty good, although I did feel I'd run out of things to do a bit after a few days. The other bit, the Ahorn, is underrated and therefore quiet, although mostly easy blue terrain.
Hintertux, just down the road, is better skiing and you'd be mental not to go there even if the snow conditions in Mayrhofen are superb. It's not a just a 'if all else fails' glacier option, it's a superb area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
jb1970, So glad you asked this question. I just posted one about Solden v Mayrhofen, as we can't decide which one. Having read this thread, it's beginning to look like Mayrhofen is winning, even with the busy lift up and down. Thanks snowheads, you never disappoint.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's all this stuff about runs, skiing and lift passes. It's all about the BEER, stoopid!
Great place, back again for boys trip in Jan 2010. See you in Scotland Yard!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Went there for a couple of weeks a few years back - had a SUPERB time! Great skiing, even better nightlife, highly recommended!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
