 Poster: A snowHead
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Resort: Mauterndorf/Lungau
Country: Austria
Author: Draybs74
Dates: Mid March 2010
Website: http://www.mauterndorf.at/englisch/burg.htm http://www.lungau.at/de/winter/skiregion-lungau
Basics: 100 km or so south of Salzburg, access by efficient postbus, direct from Salzburg station, otherwise train to Radstadt and bus from there. DIY holiday - no tour operators that I know of, at least not to Mauterndorf itself. The Lungua ski pass gives access to Grosseck/Speiereck (above Mauterndorf), Fanningberg, Aineck, Katschberg. The Lungo ski pass also covers Obertauern, which I'm not going to cover as my opinions on the place are reflected in other posts (I will say that I didn't like it's commercialism in contrast to it's neighbouring resorts). I can't cover Katshberg either, as we didn't make it there!
Lift system: A real mix - Fanningberg is served primarily by a fast six person chair Grosseck/Speiereck by a fast gondola and mainly slow chairs, and Aineck by a slowish chair and long t-bars, and inexpicably, a fast gondola at the very top, only accessible to T bar.
The terrain: The Lungau area has 140kms of runs, so it's quite large but still exhaustable by very high mileage skier. We were a mixed group of second weekers and intermediates, and these resorts suited us well, as family type resorts. Fanningberg, GrosseckGrosseck/Speiereck and Aineck all have long meandering blues that suited the nervous amongst us, as well as fun, rolling reds for the intermediates. The reds were also good for progression, not being particularly intimidating. Beginners would do quite well in Fanningberg and Aineck, although progression runs on Grosseck are tricky to access. Advanced skiers would find a reasonable amount to amuse them, with several fun-ish blacks, but nothing too challenging, I have to say. Runs were pretty empty. Sweeping views - some of the runs were quite exposed, and snow fenced in, a bit like in Scotland. I would say the scenery was closer to high, sweeping moorland than your typical jaggedy peaks.
The snow: Very good, considering how warm it was when we were there. There seemed to be plenty, except on the St Michael side down from Grosseck/Speiereck, which was artificial and heavy. Still skiable though. With the Lungo pass you can access Obertauern easily, which is probably the snowiest resort in Austria.
Off-piste: Not my thing, but there seemed to be plenty off the top of Grosseck/Speiereck.
The resort: We stayed in Mauterndorf, which is a beautiful village with castle and lots of very old buildings (ours was 13th century apparently) and a river running through it. Still, it has it's functional side, with a car dealership and a funny industrial building. Still, it felt very rural and 'authentic'. A truly lovely place. Nightlife is not really our thing, but we did find a nice contemporary bar that played music from the last 100 years, and we were happy (sorry I can't remember its name). Other places were very much in the 'slightly scary old fashioned Austria' mould. No turbofolk, except on piste. One supermarket, which was well stocked. St Michael not quite as attractive, but still not spoilt. St Margarethen also looked quite nice, as did Mariapfarr. These are all real villages, and the whole area feels rather undeveloped, with the possible exception of St Michael. The local ski bus was pretty efficient, also linking up with Obertaurn every 30 mins (IIRC)
The food: As a vegetarian, Austrian cuisine is never going to win me over. There are only so many Margarita Pizzas a man can eat.
Accommodation: We rented a 3 bed, 2 bath private apartment through www.mauterndorf.at for 70 euros a night in the centre of town. It was very tasteful and roomy. Excellent value. PM me if you want the exact name.
Costs: Food and drink reasonable at 7-8 euros a pizza, on and off piste, 3.5 euros a beer. Accommodation an absolute steal (see above) and lift pass 156 euros for six days.
Conclusion: An excellent area for people like us who like their skiing quiet, rural and low key, forget it if you want wild nights out!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great report. Some pictures will be nice.Thanks.
I looked at this area when I was in Obertauern some time ago.
Hopefully I can make it one day if I manage to go on the road trip 
I like the look of Grosseck and from what I've heard they will extend this gondola in Aineck to the bottom station in the next stage.
Apparently the run under this gondola and down to the St. Margareth is very very long and nice.
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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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Nice pictures, a day trip to this area will make a good change for anyone staying in Obertauern.
Long, empty runs against short and busy pistes in Obertauern. Well, hopefully next time.
Just dug up on Germen forum they also have plans to connect Fanningberg to Mauterndorf with gondola, but apparently short of funds now.
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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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That might not be a bad thing as Fanningberg was completely empty - just as I like it!
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That might not be a bad thing as Fanningberg was completely empty - just as I like it!
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Definitely. Empty is good but only if they get enough profits to run the resort.
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