 Poster: A snowHead
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Title says it all really, can anyone recommend a high resort for end March/beginning April, good for families, preferably Austria or Switzerland... have been to Obergurgl twice and Whistler so crossing over from beginner status to intermediate (hopefully  Trying to avoid transfer times over 2 hours and long lift queues...and of course trying to keep the cost reasonable. thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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haggins, Saas Fee very family friendly, snow sure resort. Be sure to stay at the right end of the town otherwise you will have a long walk.
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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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Another vote for Saas Fee.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Transfer to Saas Fee was bit of a drag when I went there.
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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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Saas Fee doesn't really meet your transfer needs as it's 3 hours from Zürich's airport - though it is a simple journey by train to Visp and then bus to Saas fee.
Since your the only one who truly understands your requirements, I suggest you use this website to research the Swiss and Austrian resorts: http://www.bergfex.com/ - it has a map showing all the resorts.
For Swiss resorts, you can check the travel times here: http://www.sbb.ch/en/
Best of luck.
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haggins, based on some other recommendations we are looking to stay at Stuben this year, this hotel was also recommended and appears to be very kid friendly. Transfers about an hour from Innsbruck or Friedrichshafen (Ryanair were doing v cheap fares in March)
http://www.hubertushof-arlberg.at/
Or if you want to try france I can recommend la Tania and this company, http://www.familyfriendlyskiing.com, been with them for 6 years, hence trying something different this year!!
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haggins, I can recommend thoroughly Sportswelt Amade in Salzburgerland - 0ne hour south of Salzburg airport (Ryan Air, BMIBaby, and a couple of other cheapies fly there) Resorts include: Schladming, Flachau, Wagrain, Zauchensee, St Johann im Pongau Großarl and Bad Gastein amongst others. Then there is Zell am See and Kaprun - about 90 minutes south of Salzburg
Flying into Innsbruck you have no end of choice within an hours drive - Serfaus Stubaital (Neustift, Schlick 2000,) Pitztal, Östtal, all have glacier areas in case of a very warm Spring. Zell am Ziller with the Hintertux glacier at the end of a valley encompassing resorts like Mayrhofen, Finkenberg, Fügen, Hochfügen. The SkiWelt/Wilder Kaiser area is within easy reach of Salzburg, Munich or Innsbruck - Scheffau, Söll, Ellmau, Brixen in Thale, Westerndorf,
Then the whole Kitzbüheler Alpen area is also with easy reach of all three airports; so Kitzbühel, St Johann in Tirol, Fieberbrunn, Pass Turn etc.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm is another are that has good snow up to and after Easter as a rule.
Easily reached from Friedrichshafen (Ryan Air) are all the western areas of Arlberg and Vorarlberg and eastern Switzerland.
Tale a look at the Bergfex as it shows all the relative locations for both Austria and Switzerland and gives details on all the lifts etc. You will find all the resorts in Austria are very family friendly and kids are well looked after as well as welcome.
Sue 
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haggins, I would have to agree with Samerberg Sue, regarding Amade. I have sent you a PM in case this sounds like your sort of thing.
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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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haggins, Oberlech if you've got the dosh - probably my fave place for a family trip. Hardly any queues and doorstep skiing, oh and one of the best snow records in the Alps. As kitenski, says, Stuben is a cheaper alternative, and Serfaus worth a good look too.
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boabski, Happy Birthday
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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kitenski, I thank you. 38 - hated becoming 28 and am starting to feel the same about 38 
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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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Hi
We did a great very cheap DIY early April to Schuttdorf ? sp . Village very close to Zell am See. Public bus from the airport terminal to end of our appt road was incredibly cheap and fast. Snow was still great high up but they gradually shut the lifts down earlier than they had advertized on their website and we ended up taking the very crowded bus to Kaprun for some pretty bleak scenery but still good snow.So probably wouldnt recommend Zell am See so late
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So probably wouldnt recommend Zell am See so late
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Zell is a bit low and the skiing is limited (though it's a great summer resort)
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Salzburg airport (Ryan Air, BMIBaby, and a couple of other cheapies fly there)
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If flying to Salzburg, the cheapies are Ryanair from Stansted, Easyjet from Gatwick and Flybe from Exeter and Southampton. Jet2 also go from Leeds/Bradford, though the prices don't seem to be cheap. Then there's Munich and Insbruck, using Easyjet from Manchester and Liverpool respectively, and Aer Lingus from Gatwick.
The best transfer from Salzburg is www.transferservice.at for at least 3 people. If one or two, its www.holiday-shuttle.at which also ferries you from Munich (although, if it's Munich, the train to Zell or wherever is cheaper)
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You know it makes sense.
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| Tatman's Tours wrote: |
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So probably wouldnt recommend Zell am See so late
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Zell is a bit low and the skiing is limited (though it's a great summer resort)
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Salzburg airport (Ryan Air, BMIBaby, and a couple of other cheapies fly there)
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If flying to Salzburg, the cheapies are Ryanair from Stansted, Easyjet from Gatwick and Flybe from Exeter and Southampton. Jet2 also go from Leeds/Bradford, though the prices don't seem to be cheap. Then there's Munich and Insbruck, using Easyjet from Manchester and Liverpool respectively, and Aer Lingus from Gatwick.
The best transfer from Salzburg is www.transferservice.at for at least 3 people. If one or two, its www.holiday-shuttle.at which also ferries you from Munich (although, if it's Munich, the train to Zell or wherever is cheaper) |
There are other airlines beside the UK-based ones that fly in and out of British airports you know Tatman! Just as there are other excellent resorts in Austria that are not called Saalbach-Hinterglemm, where you just happen to be trying to earn an extra crust as a property owner.
The original poster wanted SHORT transfer times (less than 2 hours) - Salzburg, Innsbruck and Friedrichshafen provide quicker access to resorts than Munich. If you are travelling on a standard change-over day in the ski season, a transfer from München can be an extremely long one unless you have extremely late or early flights! Also not very family friendly. It is not ski season yet and it still took me over 2.5 hours to drive home from work along the same route last night due to long term roadworks and accidents. Another point the OP made was that they wanted to save money, so long transfer costs probably do not feature in there budget.
Zell is perfectly OK at the time of year mentioned, but not exactly an easy resort for families, especially if the children are very small which was why I did not list it. As a rule you do have to do a fair bit of bussing around to access the lifts. Saying that the bus system is excellent and part of the ski pass.
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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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Samerberg Sue,
!. Could you please enlighten us on where you you can catch a BMIBaby flight to Salzburg?
2. Have you actually read the OP's requirements - a high resort in late March/early April?
3. Since when have resorts of the altitude of Soll, Kitzbuhel, Zell am See and many others you have recommended been regarded as "high resorts" and been "perfectly OK" for snow conditions in late March/early April?
4. Would you seriously recommend a friend to plan his/her family skiing holiday in early Spring to those resorts?
5. If not, why are you recommending them to Haggins? (who I hope knows better than to listen to you)
6. You DID list Zell am See as one of your recommendations (despite its low height, and it not being "an easy resort for families", and the fact that you have "to do a fair bit of bussing around...")(and despite now giving us reasons why you "did not list it"!)
7. You're the one who recommended the "taboo" S-H ( but only taboo to me apparently), not me, so why the uncalled-for, mean-spirited, snide comments?
8. I mentioned Salzburg, Munich and Innsbruck and did not suggest that any paticular transfer was shorter than another - obviously it depends on where you are going!
9. Presumably even you are not suggesting Friedrichshafen as a suitable destination airport for anyone trying reach resorts in the East, so why say that it provides "quicker access to resorts than Munich"?
10. I did not recommend any particular resort - I was merely trying to correct the misinformation that you seem intent on spreading and to provide some further information, based on my own local knowledge of flights and transfers to my particular area of Austria.
11. What is the expression "long transfer costs" supposed to mean?
12. Before criticising, have you bothered to check the prices of flights to Munich, compared to the other airports you have recommended?
13. Before criticising, have you bothered to check (at www.oebb.at) the length and cost (to children, as well as adults) of rail transfers from Munich to Salzburgerland resorts?
14. Apart from the intriguing BMIBaby flights to Salzburg that you have mentioned (and will no doubt tell us more about), you have referred to only Ryanair and "a couple of other cheapies". I'm sure we would appreciate some pearls of wisdom from you about these non-UK based airlines that you haven't seen fit to name? (I'll start you off...Air Berlin to Munich).
15. As you seem to be critical of my failure to mention these unidentified non-UK based airlines, have you bothered to check their prices, compared with Ryanair, Easyjet and the others I mentioned? If you have not, and the possibility is that they are horrendously expensive, why criticise?
16. Since you give your location as Austria, are you not able to better advise Haggins on a suitable resort for early Spring and involving a short transfer? Do you seriously think that it was helpful to simply reel off a long list of about 30 resorts, as well as whole regions of Austria and Switzerland?? (c.f. hbunny's advice)
Incidentally many of us contribute our own local knowledge and experience to this forum, when we think it may be helpful to other contributors. If you think that I am going to keep quiet when I see information that I don't agree with, just because I happen to own a couple of apartments in my own village, you are mistaken. Any caustic sniping from the likes of you is more than counter-balanced by appreciative comments from others.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Tatman, it appears you have a remarkably thin skin - Schade! This is an open bulletin board - expect it! You were warned early on here about shameless promotion.
I'm not au fait with the current names of airlines flying out of the UK regional airports, I was quoting the names given to me by people who come to visit me. The names change - FlyBe took over the BMImy Baby flights I believe. The point I was trying to make was look for lots of option in order to save money. There are many options available using even some of the big names if you are prepared to look beyond the most commonly named. Air Berlin, Condor, BA and Luthansa to name but a few. My company is constantly coming up with cheap options for business flights by looking at all the airlines that fly into the destination airport. And just to remind you, business flights are usually considerably more expensive than holiday ones.
The original poster is somewhere in Oxfordshire - I have recently read of flights from that neck of the woods, although I have no idea which regional airport. I just remember being surprised by the writers comment - flying from Oxford.
They also stated Austria OR Switzerland so I listed places I know are easily within a short transfer of the airport. I did not purposely add Zurich to the list as I do not know if the cheaper airlines fly there, nor do I have any up-to-date information about eastern Swiss resorts. It is up to the OP to really look at a variety of resorts and then maybe come back and ask for opinions on named resorts they have on a short list. I have to drive every day to and from as well as around/through Munich as I work to the west of the city. Believe me those of us who commute regularly know exactly how long it can take to traverse that particular axis in winter. We also know how to avoid the inevitable delays that ensue because we have to in order to carry on with normal lives. If you can avoid flying into Munich on a Saturday in the ski season I would recommend it as the transfers are not guaranteed to be short as the tour operators claim them to be. Consequently tour operators factor in very early flights, but Munich has a night flying ban so no landing before 06:00 a.m. By the time all an operators flights are in you'll be lucky to be away before 07:30 and by then the roads are starting to back up all around the city. Their alternative is to use very late flights and hope to travel on the back of the wave of traffic jams, but again the night flying ban means few arrivals other than intercontinental flights after 21:30
Yes I did include Zell an See in the original listing but I did not really rate it I just mentioned it in passing, it was later when I was reflecting on what had been written that I felt it was better to point out its disadvantages for families without their own transport. Not all the hotels are badly placed for families though, it really depends on which part of town you are based in.
If you promote a particular resort more than any other here and have the name of that resort in your signature then you are touting for trade. Otherwise why include it in your details? You promote Saalbach as the panacea of all evils of early/late/middles season, just look at the percentage of your posts mentioning it. Yes it is a good resort and it has a party reputation, personally I find the skiing good but the villages soulless as they have no real heart, being strung out along the road as they are. Hinterglemm has more character than Saalbach in my opinion, but of all the areas, for some reason I prefer Leogang.
You really got your knickers into a twist didn't you. Sorry you had a bad day somewhere along the line, but really your personal attack on me is rather silly and somewhat over the top. I hope you felt better after letting all your frustrations of the day out on me.
I don't need to check prices of flights - I do not fly to the UK any more if I can possibly avoid it. I do not return to the UK much either because I no longer consider it my home, nor a very nice place to visit, even though my Euros will buy me more. Your tirade just helps reinforces that opinion.
I hope you have a better day today.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
Tatman, it appears you have a remarkably thin skin - Schade! This is an open bulletin board - expect it! You were warned early on here about shameless promotion.
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And he has generally stopped doing it.
<snip>
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If you promote a particular resort more than any other here and have the name of that resort in your signature then you are touting for trade. Otherwise why include it in your details? You promote Saalbach as the panacea of all evils of early/late/middles season, just look at the percentage of your posts mentioning it. Yes it is a good resort and it has a party reputation, personally I find the skiing good but the villages soulless as they have no real heart, being strung out along the road as they are. Hinterglemm has more character than Saalbach in my opinion, but of all the areas, for some reason I prefer Leogang.
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That is rather harsh Sue.
Most of the people who have a ski related business include a link to it in their sig. That is generally considered acceptable, and there are dozens of people with such links.
He is a lot more careful now, and does only generally say much in his posts about Sallbach when it is genuinely relevant. In this particular case, he didn't even mention it.
Yep, he certainly got slated for over-promotion of it in his early posts (including by me). I'm glad to see he has taken those criticisms on board and I don't think that particular criticism of him was justified here.
Your other points though did seem valid. There certainly isn't much point suggesting Munich when the OP had specifically asked for transfers under 2 hours.
You really got your knickers into a twist didn't you. Sorry you had a bad day somewhere along the line, but really your personal attack on me is rather silly and somewhat over the top. I hope you felt better after letting all your frustrations of the day out on me.
I don't need to check prices of flights - I do not fly to the UK any more if I can possibly avoid it. I do not return to the UK much either because I no longer consider it my home, nor a very nice place to visit, even though my Euros will buy me more. Your tirade just helps reinforces that opinion.
I hope you have a better day today.[/quote]
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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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Samerberg Sue, More or less what I expected - convoluted explanations/excuses and no apology for your initial bitchiness. I'm gratified that my 'tirade' may have encouraged you to keep out of the UK!
vman, Just as well you agreed with her!
alex_heney, Thank you for your fair-minded support - much appreciated. I did take on board the 'advice' I received from some of the self-appointed 'snowhead police' (even though some of them did come across as a bit insufferable). I now make a point of trying not to mention 'you know where', despite that natural human tendency (so evident on this forum) to show and share with others enthusiasm for places we like and know something about (though the particular place in question hardly needs any 'shameless promotion' by me). However, I'm blowed if I'll get rid of my link just to appease and avoid being insulted by the likes of this vexatious, anglophobic woman. Sometimes I do wonder why I bother, but on this occasion I just had to leap in and advise haggins against trying to reach a potentially wet and snowless (in late season) low-lying Austrian resort using an airline that doesn't fly to Austria! While I was at it, I thought that there was no harm in pointing out some of the alternative transfer options.
On the Munich point (and this applies also to other less obvious airports, such as Linz, Klagenfurt and Memmingen), as you will no doubt agree, it is sometimes worth spending an extra hour or two on the train in order to avoid very expensive flights to more convenient airports. Though it may not be significant in this instance, it can sometimes make a big difference when paying for a family, and the German/Austrian rail connections seem to me (although I'm willing to be corrected) very good, as well as reasonably cheap (particularly for children). My own experience of catching the train between Salzburg and Munich was that it was comfortable and relaxing, a scenic journey and relatively inexpensive, and I have heard the same from others. Although I recognise that there is a genuine issue here, I would not have thought that the OP should completely exclude the possibility (and I put it no higher than that) of rail and other transfers from Munich, particularly to north-eastern resorts. I actually know of people who regularly fly to Munich and think nothing of it. I would be very interested in any other authoritative opinions on this point.
And no, I don't have shares in Munich Airport, and I am not shamelessly promoting it!
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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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Tatman - not sure why I'm being dragged into the equation.
For a long while you bombarded us with nothing but Saalbach hinterglemm and you really were at the extreme end of over promotion of a single resort ....people start to get irritated very quickly. It is good that you appear to have moved on from this. I agree with your point re local knowledge - if you live there, then you have every right to promote the place when relevant.
People are generally fair handed on here as you will have seen from Alex defending you, so be pleased with that result and move on rather than the bitchiness of saying
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I'm gratified that my 'tirade' may have encouraged you to keep out of the UK!
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Do take on board some more advice, though. You posts are always incredibly long and you come across as being very thin skinned. I agree that you have been more cautious in your posts with more considered advice but that long list above just makes you look like you are shouting and ranting. You take so much so personally.
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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 think this is a classic case of thread-drift and overuse of invective. A complete over-reaction to a comment about self promotion. If you wish to get rid of your excess bile, carry on. It is rather amusing! Methinks the man doth protest too much! 
The OP wants a resort in Austria OR Switzerland that is under 2 hours from an airport and has snow in late season. This year Easter was mid-April, next year it is a week earlier (April 4th). Not too late for most resorts when you consider that in previous years they have snow enough to operate until the 23rd April (2006 - a mega season where we had complete snow cover from November to the beginning of May).
Haggins - are you restricted to school holidays? A week or so earlier and you will get better prices both for flights and hotels. I've got an option on a room booked in 5* hotel for €725 for the week of 20.3 or €692 for the 10.4. In between it goes up to €771. This includes a full area ski pass and half-board. There are cheaper hotels in the same area, this is one of the most expensive, but I like it.
Train is an option to beat the traffic jams and the weather, but it is not always easy for families because of the ticket pricing jungle and the number of changes of train that may be involved. If you do not speak the local language you are then dependant on the ticket office being bothered to give you the best information. Recent consumer organisations have blasted the information given in German ticket offices and the tangled pricing systems. Even the employees can't get their heads around them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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vman, Point taken - sometimes less is more, and, as for meekness, I'm afraid I shall not be one of those inheriting the earth. Still, no harm done - even she who struck the first blow in this little spat has found it amusing (as, all things considered, do I, considerig that I'm the only one in our exchanges not to have mentioned the 'S' word!). I guess Haggins got bored a long time ago!
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FAQ
