 Poster: A snowHead
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For those in the know, I'd really like to get your feedback on Kleinwalsertal, Grossarl, and Hochkonig.
How would you rate:
1.) Village
2.) Scenery
3.) Apres
4.) Snow
5.) Lifts
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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I can help you with 2 out of 3, Vgunn. The best person for Kleinwalsertal is Steilhang as he has family there and knows it very well from an insider point of view.
Großarl is a lovely wee village at the end of a valley just south east of St Johann im Pongau. It is very popular with families and has a really good atmosphere. Scenary is like all the resorts in Salzburgerland, simply breath-taking. I don't know about the Après as I always drive so don't often stay for more than a swift coffee or chocolate. But I imagine it is not as full on as St Anton and Saalbach for example, but it will be there. Snow is excellent, backed up with outstanding snow-making facilities. The lifts are all very modern
Hochkönig is a region rather than a single resort - 3 main villages: Mülbach, Dienten and Maria Alm, the latter is by far the prettiest. Scenery is also outstanding, I am always reminded of the dolomites when I ski there. There are 2 resident experts (both have property there): CraigJ and , Gnarbeque. The snow (and snow making) is par excellence I ski there most seasons at least 4 or 5 times I love it. The lifts are on the whole very fast and modern chairs and gondolas. There are a couple of T-Bars and older 2-man chairs but apart from one you really don't have to use them if you don't want to.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 9-10-14 5:29; edited 2 times in total
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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, you are such a fount of knowledge on all things Austrian....always amazes me..... you wouldn't happen to know of any slightly-off-the-beaten-tracks Austrian resorts for UK Feb half term for a family of four OK intermediates who are not fussed about resort mileage would you?
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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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dobby, I put up a thread recently about an area called Silberregion Karwendel where there are free kids lessons. A bit disconnected but seems fairly family orientated. I was listening to a radio report about it on my local German radio.
You could also take a look at the Katschberg area, there are a couple of trip reviews here from people who've taken family there the past couple of seasons.
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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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Vgunn, can only comment on Grosarl and only on skiing as we did day trip there while staying in Bad Gastein.
Lifts - modern, runs - lots of great ones and worth repeating, scenery - excellent, if you lucky with fresh snow and restaurants - seems like there is a lot, some nice rusty huts with amazing food and we even encountered live music in one.
We did not ski down to the village.
Snow was good when we were there although it seems like Dorfgastein side is not so good at keeping snow on the valley level. Looks like it might be a bit green there quite often. That should not affect the skiing though, it is just the valley.
If you can ski quick maybe day trip to Bad Hofgastein will be doable (and worth it) or on the other side, maybe there is option for a bus or drive to Alpendorf and Wagrain area.
Overall, looked like a great place and skiing area, but you can ski all in a day or two if that matters for you.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Vgunn, Kleinwalsertal:
1.) Village : There are several! The main one in Kleinwalsertal is Riezlern, which also has direct access to the main ski area Kanzelwand / Fellhorn. You can also get into that area from Oberstdorf in Germany via the Fellhorn lifts
2.) Scenery : Great. Really.
3.) Apres : Relatively quiet. Deffo not the place for you if ski boot table dancing is your thing.
4.) Snow : Very reliable. Basically as the crow flies the area is only a few Kms from Lech & Warth, which are the most snow sure places in the Austrian Alps.
5.) Lifts : Generally there are chairs of varying vintage everywhere. Some queueing during the crazy times between Xmas & New Year or over Fasching, but normally not.
Other than that: Not many Brits go there. Don't know why. You'll hear a lot of Swabian German spoken ( more of an illness than a dialect really ). It's what would be termed a family oriented resort, but there are plenty of nice off piste variants ( lift served ) and relatively steep pistes if that's what you are looking for. The only real downside is that the resort has a total of 5 ski areas which are only partially linked, so if racking up very large numbers of Kms / day is your thing then this is not the right place for you. Actually including the Nebelhorn in Oberstdorf it's 6 areas.
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dobby, you might also take a look at Oberstdorf / Kleinwalsertal.
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+1 for what Samerberg Sue said, Grossarl and Hochkonig are beautiful!
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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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Hi Samerberg Sue, Hi I have really been enjoying exploring parts of the Amade region, mainly the Gastein valley and now wish to visit some of the other valleys. I have done the odd day to Wagrain and Hochkonig and now have a week booked at Schladming in January. Is there a regular bus service that links all the areas in the Ski Amade region so that I can visit different areas on different days? Just how practical would this be? Thanks.
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The best people to answer that question are flangesax and Wayne, the latter because he has a place in Schladming. flangesax runs a B&B/chalet in Radstadt.
We regularly ski from Reiteralm across the 4 valleys to Hauser Kaibling for example, but we've all got wheels so don't need to rely on the buses. There are regular buses, but I think you have to pay for the Postbus links between the larger settlements. I think you can also use the trains between Schladming and say Bischofshofen (if they run at convenient times) then pick up the ski buses say at Altenmarkt for Zauchensee/Flachauwinkel and at Bischofshofen for the Hochkönig and the St Johann end. Having a hire car is actually much better and probably less stressful though.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Steilhang, cheers
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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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Vgunn, I have skied in all three areas but only actually stayed in the Kleinwalsertal - and that was many moons ago (about 30 years), so I expect things will have changed a bit there. When we were there, we mostly skied over the Fellhorn runs to Oberstdorf.
Nowadays I ski the other two areas and enjoy both. From Grossarl you can ski over into the Gasteiner Valley (Dorf Gastein) - interesting pistes. And I frequently enjoy skiing the Hochkönig circuit from Maria Alm to Mühlbach.
As others have said, all three areas are picturesque. You could have a good holiday in any of them.
dobby, you might like to add Fieberbrunn to your list of possibilities (I may be biased, living there  ). Not too big but with fine pistes.
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scootsman1,
Having been in a few places in Ski Amade I would not count on bus service - especially between bigger regions.
I would stick to:
Schladming - and explore linked 4 mountains (Hauser, Reiteralam etc...). Enough for a week. Nearest to Schladming will be Radstad/Altenmark but even there the buses will waste a lot from your day.
Flachau - ski to Wagrain and local short bus to Flachauwinkl/Zauchensee. Again plenty for a week.
Gastein valley - as you already did. Explore with local buses.
Maria Alm - again probably enough for a week (the only one still to visit for us).
I believe there is no reliable bus service between those big resorts. There are some but often rare and taking long time with change overs etc....
By having a car I guess you open a bit more for a day trips.
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You know it makes sense.
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Tom W, there are regular bus and train services but they are primarily there to serve the permanent population, not the skiing holiday makers. Saying that they appear to me to be a bit like the services in my village - mornings for workers and school kids, midday for school kids, and evenings for workers and students. We don't have any public transport services after 17.30 at all! 
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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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Thank you both... Samerberg Sue, Tom W, well I guess I now have an excuse to do a couple more weeks in each region! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks all!
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