 Poster: A snowHead
|
Folks
Looks like I've got a work trip to Trieste in easternmost Italy first week of May. I've found that http://www.mallnitz.at/en/winter/skiandboard has a glacier and is about a three hour drive, via Lublijiana. Aside from how to sort out car hire across two borders, has anyone been. Searched the forums and drew a blank. Any insights much appreciated.
Cheers
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Hi, Mölltaler is not the best glacier for skiing in the alps, but for a few days if the weather is OK its works fine  But for me its seems to far to go from Trieste, and its takes longer time to drive, I think 3h30min from Trieste one way, Guide Michelin is not to trust all the time,
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
SussexSnow, Take a look at Bergfex I think you'll find that the general consensus about the glacier skiing at Mölltal is better than freeheelskier's. It is often used for early season and inter-season snow training by the Austrian ski teams as well as many others.
Summer skiing (which it may well be by then) is a different kettle of fish to the usual winter fun. The area is much smaller and you are often skiing earlier (I'm usually at Kaprun around 07.00am for example) and finish earlier and move on to something else (biking, hiking, or just being lazy in the sun if that is your thing. you do need to check when they are closed for maintenance work on the lifts though - they have to do this twice a year and they usually shut-down at the beginning of May (people have finished by then) so that they can open for the Whitsun holidays (big holiday period here in the mountains.
No need to go via Lublijana as far as I know: take the Autostrada to Udine and then north over the border to Villach. It looks a "longer" route but I've used it quite often to get to western Slovenia to go paragliding and we are over looking Trieste from where we are based. It is a very fast and easy route to be honest and removes the need to enter Slovenia and pay the tolls there as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Google maps is showing 6 mins diference between the two routes
2.54 via Lublijana
3.00 via Udine
Kaprun is another hour away and has a metre less snow (2m v 3m).
The locals at Kaprun say the best skiing is in April and May as the main tourist crowds have gone and there's often still a significant base. The Molltal Glacier could well be worth a trip providing it doesn't get too warm. As Sue says glacier skiing is generally morning skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Folks
Many thanks for the rapid and thorough answers. Once skied at Les Diabrelets in the summer and learnt my get up early lesson. Will play it by ear. I just know it will be maintenance week, don't you just know. And, thanks too for the Udine route will investigate
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Molltal is my "home" glacier, just a bit more then hour drive from my home... if I drive a bit over speed limits  It's not all that great, but in 15+ years I spent on glaciers (few months every year), I never saw glacier which would be great for skiing. But considering there's nothing else then glaciers at such time of year, I don't think Molltal is all that bad. When it's real summer, there's just one chair lift in operation with 2 tracks. At this time there's still everything open, and conditions are great. But "everything open" still means only about 30km of tracks and 3 or 4 lifts.
As far as going from Trieste to Mallnitz, I would still pick route over Slovenia. I just hate Italian highways in Trieste, Gorizia, Udine, Venezia region. Normally they are just 2 lain, full of trucks slowly overtaking each other, so average driving speed is max. 100km/h.. if you have good day. But on the other side, you have to count on getting highway vignette for Slovenian highways, if you will go through Slovenia (same goes for Austria), while in Italy you pay toll on few occasions.
PS: First week of May should still be ok, but there might be some more crowd (holidays on beginning of May etc.). If I remember right, Molltal is in operation till 15th of May, and then it's closed for month before it opens for next season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Primoz
THanks for the local perspective. Good to hear it will hopefully still be open.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ