 Poster: A snowHead
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News from ropeways.net that Kitzbühel and Westendorf are to be linked this winter. Does this mean that Westendorf will move it's allegiance from Ski Welt to the Kitzbühel Ski Circus?
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Kitzbühel-Skiwelt/Austria: Cable way closes the gap....
Now it’s definite!! The new cable way is under construction and at long last, the link between Westendorf, the SkiWelt and Kitzbühel will become reality!
The construction of the 8er-cable way from Aschau to the Gampenkogel in Westeondorf began on Saturday 23.7.2005. The cable way will be completed by December!
The cable way will be called "KiWest". The name is a combination of the shortened forms of Kirchberg or Kitzbühel and Westendorf. The valley station is at Kienzingbach, on the road from Kirchberg to Aschau. A three kilometer long cable way will bring skiers up to the Gampenkogel in the Westendorf ski area
"The ski piste is around four kilometer long and snow canons will be in place," reported Hansjörg Kogler (Cable way boss).
The special thing about this lift is, that it completes the link with the Kitzbühel ski area. The connection from the valley station of the new cable way 8EUB KiWest to the valley station of the 8EUB Pengelstein I on the Kitzbühel side, will be made by bus.
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I skied Kitzbühel many years ago as a begginner so never got over to where the link will come from, but have done some summer walking in Westendorf I can visualize where the link will come in, should be an impressive addition.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm off to Westendorf in January...I'll have to inspect! We've been there a few times and I have some idea where the Gampenkogel end is.
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Does this mean that Westendorf will move it's allegiance from Ski Welt to the Kitzbühel Ski Circus?
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Interesting question, Ski Welt is currently a shortish bus link from Westendorf, a ski link to Kitzbuhel would be more convenient...what's the ski-ing like over in there?
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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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Ian Hopkinson, the skiing in Kitzbuhel is very attractive but not notably challenging (although it does have a 35 degree slope, as established in another thread!). Most of it's low, so a lot is in the trees, and there are plenty of decent boozers/restaurants on the slopes, pretty much like most of Austria, I suppose. Off piste is fairly limited, SFAIK, but what there is seems to stay untracked for quite a while. There's a bit too much poling for my liking, but it's not ridiculous; boarders do not approve. The lift system seems pretty decent and a snazzy new mega gondola was installed last year to make the 'safari' from end to end reversible.
It's not a resort for those who want to track up milies and miles of piste nor for those who want to leap into couloirs (not a couloir to be found, not that I looked), but it's great for an enjoyable, fairly low key, week. The town is attractive too.
What's Westendorf like? Will it fill any of Kitzbuhel's gaps? Does this new link bring Kitzbuhel into Ski Welt? Presumably not really, if it's a bus link from Westendorf.
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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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If they linked Kitz with the Ski Welt (not just Westendorf) that would be some ski area - one to rival the French ski areas in terms of size/piste area I'd have thought, though perhaps not difficulty or off-piste.
If you want a challenge in Kitz then ski the Hahnenkamm! richmond, has pretty much covered it really. The ski area over towards Jochberg is higher and above the tree line, it's also quieter. There are some really good long reds and blues around the Kitz area but generally I found the skiing more crowded compared to Saalbach (which is better IMO).
The town is really nice with a good mixture of typical cheesy apres ski pubs and more upmarket bars and restaurants.
It is well worth a trip to Kitz, as it's one of the prettiest towns you'll come across in the alps and I think every skier should have a go at the Hahnenkamm!
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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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richmond, I have a soft spot for Westendorf, since it is where I learnt to ski! Kitzbuhel ski=ing sounds similar in style to Westendorf and the rest of Ski Welt. I'm not sure what the relative piste mileages are, but Westendorf has some fine mountain restaurants. I felt Westendorf was a bit quieter than the rest of Ski Welt.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ski welt has 250km ski area including Westendorf and Kitz ski area has around 170km of piste.
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The Hahnenkahm has lots of rather dull road. No doubt taken flat out it's pretty stimulating, but it's not a great challenge skied normally. The unpisted cut offs which the racers use are pretty hairy, 'though; I had a bit of a moment on one earlier this year, all glassy blue ice, no snow, bumps the size of the Ritz, 5 times as long as I thought it was and my son stopped and took off his skis for a slash on the way down.
We're off there next Feb, so I look forward to checking out Westendorf.
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Most World Cup downhill courses are dull-ish reds. It is only when they are race-prepared (i.e. sheet ice top-to-bottom) and taken flat out that the wheat gets sorted from the chaff.
By way of analogy:- anyone can drive a hatchback round Silverstone at 70 mph; try it in a Formula One car at 180! 
Going back to the original thread: I wouldn't be surprised if Westendorf does break away from the SkiWelt. Linking up with Kitzbuhl would seem to offer much more in both skiing and marketing terms.
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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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I'm off to Kitzbuhl for Christmas so this sounds really good news.
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More info here, if you can read German:
http://business.kitz.net/westendorf/frameset_d.htm
It sounds like in the first instance there will be a shuttlebus from the bottom of the new lift to Pengelsteinbahn in Kirchberg, so there will be a link but of the same nature as the Westendorf / SkiWelt link.
This gleaned from the following paragraph:
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Die neue 8-Personen-Einseil-Umlaufbahnbahn „Ki-West“ führt vom Kirchberger Spertental zum Gampenkogel direkt in das Westendorfer Skigebiet. Zwischen der neuen Gondelbahn „Ki-West“ und der Pengelsteinbahn in Kirchberg wird ab diesem Winter ein Shuttlebus-System eingerichtet. Damit ist ab dem Winter 2005/06 erstmals eine direkte Verbindung zwischen 2 der bereits bisher größten Skigebiete Österreichs gegeben.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It's shown on the 3D Mount Maps thing as a gondola from the bottom of run 119, near the snowpark and the Brechhornhaus hut. From 2006 it says.
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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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richmond, don't agree about the lack of off piste skiing in Kitz! There are miles and miles of off piste to be explored. Try the runs off the top of the Steinbergkogel in the direction of the road leading up to Pass Thurn (Jochberg). That's a seven kilometer run in powder on a good day . There are also some fairly steep steeps, also off the top of the Steinbergkogel ridge. Not a couloir as such, but steep. There's plenty there to keep you happy.
The skiing in Westendorf is more limited, Although they do have one fearsome mogul field. I forget the name of the run, but it's under the main lift which brings you up from Westendorf.
I think joining Westendorf to Kitz is a great idea. Can't wait to try it.
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the ice perv, most of the Hahenhamm course isn't touched after the race so it becomes a huge mogul field mixed with powder and ice - serious thigh burn.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mike Lawrie, thanks for that. As I said, my knowledge of off piste is limited, more limited than I'd like it to be. I did a bit last Feb in Kitzbuhel, but it wasn't much more than the stuff at the side of the piste. Is there anyone there you'd recommend to introduce to off piste sking, hopefully in a bit of decent snow (as we had last Feb)?
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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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I assume that if the ski area is to be extended, they will probably put up the cost of a lift pass. Is there any news on the plans? Will there be an "area" pass and a cheaper local pass, like those available in Courchevel/3Valleys?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Kitzbuhel and the Ski Welt plus about eight other resorts have had a joint season pass for some years now so I think it could be that the lift is aimed at getting locals to buy the combined Kitzbuheler alpine pass. Usually the difference between a Ski Welt season pass and the combined pass is 100 Euros, this year the difference is only 50 Euros.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There's a further report here:
Skipressworld
I don't think it contains any new information but it does comment that the links out of the Westendorf area to both Kitzbuhel and Ski Welt are by (short) shuttle bus rides rather than ski lift linked. It also makes some comments on the comparative size of the areas.
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