 Poster: A snowHead
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I am enquiring on behalf of a friend - has anyone been, or have any info on this little known Austrian resort ?
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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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Markus, Nice pics 
Like Markus I have not been but have also heard that it's a really nice place and has a strong emphasis on family/children. I'm looking into going there in March for a week.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks guys 
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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 can only agree with Steilhand and Markus!
Serfaus is probably the least known big Austria ski resorts, especially in the UK, but I wouldn't consider this a bad thing.
One of the reasons why it is little known is that originally each of the two villages (Serfaus and Fiss) had it's own relatively small ski resort which was not connected to the other one. The link between the two resorts was only built a few years ago. This has the advantage, that the lifts in both resorts are stunningly new and comfortable (the smallest chairlifts in Serfaus are quads!!!!! and most of them are for 6 or 8 persons).
As Markus mentioned above, if you are an intermediate skier and enjoy perfectly groomed runs, then you will love Serfaus!
There are also more difficult black runs available (e.g. Pezid and Obere Scheid), but most runs are red and blue. Additionally Serfaus and Fiss are among the sunniest places in Tirol, making it even nicer to ski.
I've been there December last year and I've really enjoyed it (The only thing I missed in Serfaus were long mogul runs).
Be aware that though the resort is very snow secure in winter (because of the altitude and the lots of snow making) in late spring (end of March, beginning of April) some of the south facing valley runs (especially those from Fiss to Serfaus) can be closed.
If you have any more questions, I'm happy to help you.
Rgds,
kangaroo
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I was there the week before Christmas.
In Summary
=========
An ideal resort for the skier(s) who has to take the young family along but wants more than just blues and reds.
Large family resort (185 km)
Terrain to suit everybody from flat pistes for learning toddlers to steep black and offpiste runs.
Not cheap
Very little traffic in the resort as it has an underground tube system.
More Detail
=========
Serfaus is a family ski resort but unlike many other family resorts it has some expert terrain and a significant amount of offpiste. It's not small either with 185 km of piste (29 km of which are black pistes). That's almost as much terrain as Saalbach but with twice as many expert km's. The locals track out the powder at weekend but through the week very few ventured off piste.
http://www.bergfex.at/serfaus-fiss-ladis/
If you would like any more detailed info feel free to send me a pm
Here's a Serfaus pic from last December
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DB, that clinched it. Now to find a hotel that does three and six year olds 
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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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FYI
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is due to be linked up to See in the Silvretta (Ischgl valley) . Kappl is due to be linked upto Rendl in St Anton . This could happen by 2010-12 which would make the region the biggest ski area in the world.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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I am in SFL from Saturday this week, back in the middle of next week. I will report on the current condition with pictures.
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Is there any tree runs?
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
stanton
FYI
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is due to be linked up to See in the Silvretta (Ischgl valley) . Kappl is due to be linked upto Rendl in St Anton . This could happen by 2010-12 which would make the region the biggest ski area in the world.
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Great news!
On paper St Anton has 285km
Kappl has 40km
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis already fully linked to a total of 185km
Ischgl is already fully linked to the Swiss side Samnaun with 235km piste.
If they are all linked together the domain could be 800km+ with the possibility of skiing both Austria and Switzerland. That would certainly overtakes the French 3V.
Just one question. Is there any plan to link St Anton with its own Zurs and Lech?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Interested in Serfaus, looks really nice linked resort, and could convince Mrs to learn to ski in nice surroundings, while having enough to interest me on Reds & Blacks, without the crowds of the 3V's. Also never been to Austria.
Would be interested in more feedback on this resort since it is not featured in Where to Ski and Snowboard.
Are there any other big resorts within easy driving distance, if so how far?
Also if anyone has experience, are there any good English speaking schools/instructors?
Does anyone know of good quality accommodation or chalets or Hotels?
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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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Kappl's skiing and See's skiing are on opposite sides of the valley and several miles apart. They don't look very ripe for linking together to me. Ischgl's is furthur away still. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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See, Kappl, Ischgl and Galtur are on the same valley but Serfaus/Fiss/Ladis is actually in the valley next.
Distance wise
from to miles
Mathon Galtur 3
Mathon Mathon 0
Mathon Ischgl 3
Mathon Kappl 9
Mathon See 13
Mathon Serfaus 36
Mathon is in between Ischgl and Galtur. It is a lot cheaper to stay than Ischgl to ski all the areas.
See would be the place I would take a beginner to ski.
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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 really wanted to do serfaus this year in a nice 4 star hotel but as no major operators use it for packages yet it had to be done as diy and that put it massively out of my league. The cheapest I could diy serfaus was 4k so I got a package to obergurgl from neilson in 4 star for 2k. I may try again next year but suspect I'll give Canada a run instead. FWIW in all my research I failed to find a bad word about the place.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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saikee, They are the distances by road not the dstances between one lot of pistes and the next. Ischgl and Samnaun are miles apert by road but the piste network is seemless.
My point is that whereas it might be pretty easy to chuck a quick lift up at the back of See to get over to Serfaus or up at Rendl to connect with Kappl but connecting Kappl and See in a meaningful way by ski lift rather than road would be a much larger undertaking.
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ollski, Inghams & Crystal go to Serfaus - we're going B&B with Inghams....ooh, at the weekend!
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T Bar,
I agree. That is why I ask stanton if within Arlberg whether Lech and Zurs has plan to link with St Anton. It is easy to talk about it but each operating company has its own agenda and the links are not always successful as they sound. If St Anton can't manage to link up itself internally what is the chance for it to link with another resort?
Having said the above the isolated beauty of Lech as an up market resort would probably destroyed if thousands skier/boarder can arrive by chairlifts everyday.
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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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| cathy wrote: |
| ollski, Inghams & Crystal go to Serfaus - we're going B&B with Inghams....ooh, at the weekend! |
They say they do but if you search the sites it is impossible to get prices and has been for a couple of months....perhaps they all sold out early?
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ollski, ah - that will probably be then because they have sold their allocation - they probably just had a limited number of rooms to test the water as I think it was the first year they've gone here. We booked quite a while ago. Inghams don't have a rep in Serfaus so they can't have many staying there
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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saikee,
I think I misunderstood your older post, Agree with what you are saying and am like you a bit sceptical to how they will all link up. Like you I would keep Lech Zurs apart from the rest of St A.
Keeps it a bit more isolated not sobothered about the up market bit, but a very pleasant place to ski.
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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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DavidYacht, You can ski Iscghl by driving to samnaun About 20km or you could ski St Anton about 25km away both very easy driving. Don't know about ski schools. Regarding accommodation have a look at web site map and I would pick one near a tube stop on the main road.
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cathy, go to show that they put on midweek it's great, and you can do the night skiing as well and there is no one on the piste.
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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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we also just finsihed a superb week, based in Fiss. I'll have photos soon, but the whole area was great! Huge snowfalls helped of course, but quaint villages, nice restaurants and extensive piste and off-piste are the fundamentals of a top ski area.
Cathy - never 'heard you'. In fact heard one american all week - only native english speaker we saw.
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Poster: A snowHead
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gortonator, ha - didn't know there was another snowHead out there! We didn't hear any other English speakers in Serfaus - I did hear a group of guys in Fiss but that was it. Ah - if you saw a black guy skiing (well, for the first half of the week...) that was half of us! We didn't see any other black skiers - and I don't think they were too used to it either! It was a really great week wasn't it, some lovely fresh snow and a great ski area.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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cathy, aye - top week indeed. Did glimpse a 'skier of color' (as they say in the good old USA!) at the top of the Schoenjochbahn, I think. Hope he's recovering ....
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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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Did any of you guys (or anyone) drive to Serfaus from Calais etc.? I am looking a a route down and there seem to be quite a few different options depending on the online route-planner used.. Also, any suggestions from anyone with super sneaky local knowledge on avoiding any persistent traffic blackspots en route would be most welcome.. 
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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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Tatty, tricky drive from Washignton State, I'm afriad 
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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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Tatty,
I always drive and have gone as far as Italian Dolomites. However I always start the journey at Amsterdam about 10am after a good night sleep in the ferry and would travel mainly via Germany.
When I did Serfaus I spent my first week in Mayrhofen and the second week in Ischgl. Thus I did serfaus on a day trip from Ischgl. From Calais I would think the best route would be to Basel, Zurich, Liechtenstein and enter Austria via Feldkirch to Landeck and head for St Moritz direction on A180. The route from Basel to Serfaus is relative free from traffic jams if you arrange yourself passing Zurich off the office hours.
Going via Reims, Metz, Strasburg, Karlsrule, Stuttgart , Ulm, Memmingen, Bregenz to Feldkirch is also a fast route.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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saikee, interesting - thanks for that - I'll have a look at those route suggestions
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gortonator, a little off topic, but would you like to share your secret on how you manage to spend nearly the whole season skiing around the world (or does it just look that way!) 
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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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Tatty, simple - moved from Sydney to Washington State mainly so we could ski as much as possible. Luckily I could get a pretty decent job here, and wife is a nurse, so she's flexible and just works 2-3 days a week. We're surrounded 360 degrees by ski hills - nothing too close (live in a desert!), but lots within 3-4 hours, and virtually everywhere in US/Canada west apart from Colorado is drivable for a long weekend.
Main part of secret - don't live in UK (or Australia)
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FAQ
It was great, although I didn't bother with the night skiing.