 Poster: A snowHead
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resort report 14 march 2010, snow conditions exellent, could ski all the runs including back to the valleys, soll seemed to cater for everybody, loud bars if you wanted or quiet restaurants, my only grumble and this will stop me going anywhere in austria again is the smoking, everybody smokes, and when you buy your meal in a nice mountain restaurant and have to go past a 70 year old women chain smoking at the till its very off putting, but for skiing and scenery soll is lovely.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lighten up on the smoking. Its only a few years ago you could not leave a public space in England not stinking of fags.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sombrero Sue. No I have never smoked and I think it is a disgusting and stupidly expensive habit. But strangely I like the smell of certain type of tobacco. I like the smell of fine cigars (although I choked when I had a puff on one) and I like the smell of pipe tobacco. I hate the ash smell of burn paper you get with cigarettes.
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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 also find other behaviour more offensive than smoking, so I am more likely to leave a bar because of certain other types of behaviour above someone haveing a quiet smoke. Although I accept the health risks of passive smoking are scientific fact. But its too late. I spent years of my life and a small fortune in smoky pubs and clubs before then ban.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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when you ski from the Ellmau side of Ho Salve around to the left towards Soll, if instead of turning to Soll you go right, I forget the name of the run there is a great little place on the left. Very small, outdoor toilet on a balcony. Does great sausages and breat with mustard. Not smoky at all and in a nice little sunspot, if its sunny. I love the runs down from Ho Salve (Spelling) you can get some great speed and its a different standard to the runs down the Hartkaiser, completely different. So down there 2 or 3 times, stop for a sausage and beer and then off to Soll.
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Yuk to people smoking in hotels and restaurants.
Also hate dogs in restaurants, hotels, trains - dogs seem to be everywhere in france where we have skied recently.
Intresting to read the report on soll - hope to ski the ski welt some day!
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Interesting that we're supposed to be a nation of dog/animal lovers yet dogs seem to be allowed anywhere in France & Austria (my last two destinations). I tend to find the dogs that are taken into bars and restaurants are impeccably behaved and no bother to anyone (no doubt more boisterous dogs are left at home).
I didn't find smoking to be a problem in any of the huts especially amongst staff, although we sat outdoors most days. Some of the bars in town were a bit different though - but at least that wasn't around food.
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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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Just back from Soll myself and had a fantastic time....Myself and Mrs Dover covered pretty much all of the Ski Welt! Really good snow considering its March (Also have to recommend the hotel Eggerwirt btw) Having been to ADH in January I'm really stuck for next year as I loved the skiing/snow/altitude in ADH but I also loved the Apres in Soll.....Re; the smoking mentioned by the OP, in Ireland we adopted the whole non smoking bars and restaurants earlier than the uk so it was a bit strange to go back to smelling smoke off your clothes the next morning but whatever about the nightime, I had absolutely no problems in the mountain restaurants, yes there people smoking but it never posed a problem, even the one time that we ate indoors........
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i can cope with people smoking outdoors, but when i find what looks to be a nice mountain restaurant and when i walk up to the till the woman blows smoke all over my spagetti bolognese its not on, and yes i didnt pay for it and walked out. i want to go to the mountains for nice clean air.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I didn't realise you could still smoke in bars in Austria. I was deliberating between Austria and France - it's now a no brainer - Austria it is 
Although, even as a smoker I'm not keen on some old granny blowing smoke on my food!!
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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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We got back from Soll on 6th March and it had just started snowing, prior to that temperatures were in +6 range, freeze thaw conditions, and very little at base. We loved the skiing in SkiWelt area, but found the red runs above Soll testing, so opted each day to take a taxi to Sheffau, and ski there and in Ellmau, the runs there seemed far nicer, with better snow conditions.
Our one criticism of the whole area is the piste map, I call it a 'map' in the loosest of terms, it's nothing more than a directory of lifts, showing runs that may or may not exist, in colours that may be different to those indicated on either the main notice board or the smaller piste boards, and lift numbers that appear out of nowhere half down the runs that are not on any maps or boards! The anxiety of getting lost in poor visibility hindered many skiers venturing out on the day the clouds came down, and time spent in general trying plan routes was disproportionate to the time spent skiing. If there was one topic of conversation you could guarantee you would hear, it was complaints about the piste markings and map! Even the locals admitted they never used the map as it confused them  . I did write to the Tourist Board to pass on my observations (and those of many others), they replied saying that as the area was the 'largest connected area in Austria', they could not number the actual runs!
Much as we liked the skiing in this area (and the scenery was amazing) as we are not in our first flush of youth, and require a more relaxed ski experience, the frustration and anxiety of being unable to determine at a glance that we were skiing on the grade of run we wanted, in the right direction, especially at the end of the day, in such a huge area, tainted our enjoyment. So unlike our other ski holidays in Austria, where we have returned to the same resort more than once, we will give the SkiWelt a miss  even though the Hotel Eggerwirt is totally none smoking 
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sharon1953, One thing to know which makes it much easier is that in the Ski Welt (except for some of the runs in the Westendorf area), the numbers of the runs are all the number of the lift they go to.
And since the lifts are all numbered on the piste map, that makes it relatively easy to get to a particular place you are aiming for. I agree that the colour markings on the piste map don't always agree with what you find on the ground though.
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You know it makes sense.
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alex_heney, but there are multiple blues, reds and sometimes a black run that all go to the same lift, we often found we were on the wrong colour run too late to turn back! Runs also branched off to different lifts without warning, one taking us to a very, very long, steep T bar that we wanted to avoid! When they change the system - we might change our mind!
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