 Poster: A snowHead
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done a bit of a search but not really coming up with the answers i'm after so here goes...
myself and the misses have finally booked up for a trip to the ski welt in the coming weeks and having never been to the alps before (only ever skied in scotland and the usa and canada) i'm curious about the must do's and things to be aware of when it comes to austria, so folks impart your knowledge..........anything and everything
whats the must try foods?
whats the must try drinks?
what % is the normal tipping for serving staff?
doubling up on lifts done or not done?
are nude saunas really nude?
are lift Q's actually Q's or just a free for all as I've been told france is?
what can we expect from apres?
etc etc......
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
| whats the must try foods? |
Luv'em or hate'em : Germknödel
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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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whats the must try foods? Tirolergrostl, gulasch suppe,
whats the must try drinks? Bier
what % is the normal tipping for serving staff? 0% it;s not expected, I've received profuse thanks for €2
doubling up on lifts done or not done? done
are nude saunas really nude? yes, wrap a towel round nether regions
are lift Q's actually Q's or just a free for all as I've been told france is? never really been in much of a queue
what can we expect from apres? whatever you want - where are you going?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| enduroaid wrote: |
done a bit of a search but not really coming up with the answers i'm after so here goes...
myself and the misses have finally booked up for a trip to the ski welt in the coming weeks and having never been to the alps before (only ever skied in scotland and the usa and canada) i'm curious about the must do's and things to be aware of when it comes to austria, so folks impart your knowledge..........anything and everything
whats the must try foods?
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If feeling hungry at lunchtime - Tirolergroestl
If a little less hungry, Goulaschsuppe
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whats the must try drinks?
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I'm not sure there is anything that is very specifically Austrian, and worth drinking.
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what % is the normal tipping for serving staff?
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The majority of mountain restaurants are self service. When they aren't tip what you feel like.
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doubling up on lifts done or not done?
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Definitely done.
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are nude saunas really nude?
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Yes. In many hotels they won't actually kick you out for wearing a costume, but in some they will.
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are lift Q's actually Q's or just a free for all as I've been told france is?
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Not too sure TBH. The times I have been to the Ski Welt - one of which was the week commencing 21st March, - queues have been so small that it wasn't an issue.
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what can we expect from apres?
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Which resort are you staying in?
Soll has the reputation for having the most nightlife in the Ski Welt, but even so has less than some of the famous Austrian resorts.
The rest of the Ski Welt seems pretty quiet in the evenings.
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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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tip...dont eat the yellow snow
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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What do you mean by "doubling up" on lifts? Not a phrase I've heard before. There are, I've read here, some places where the very sensible "singles lines" exist for people with the emotional resilience to spend a few minutes without their Significant Others at their side, but they are few and far between. It's annoying, when lifts are busy, when four people let a chair go up half empty so they can all hold hands on the way up, but it happens.
At busy times there can be pushing and shoving in lifts everywhere in Europe - including lifts for ski buses (and the pushers and shovers are often foreigners to the country concerned, even - horrors - Brits!). In France, the places with the most foreigners are where the lift queues are the worst-behaved. In our (almost entirely French) ski area the only pushing and shoving tends to be done when the Parisians are in town - and anyone with any sense avoids those weeks. I don't think any European country has such orderly Qs as the US. The longest queues I've ever seen were in Scotland. But that was a long time ago and on a sunny weekend with nice snow.
BUT, as pointed out above, if you choose the right resort at the right time you need hardly ever queue for a lift. 
I'm sure you'll have a lovely time in Austria.
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The majority of mountain restaurants are self service.
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Not in my experience. I generally tip 10% ish.
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Bode Swiller, ^ +1
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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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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Quote: |
The majority of mountain restaurants are self service.
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Not in my experience. I generally tip 10% ish. |
Well quite a lot of my experience is in the are the OP is going to.
There are some "service" restaurants in the Ski Welt, but several times as many self service ones.
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Mountain restaurants tend to serve Goulaschsuppe and variations on 'Pig and Potatoes' such as sausage and chips, chips and sausage, leberkase (Austrian Spam) and saute potatoes, or Tirolergroestl (diced potato with bacon, onion and a fried egg on top). 'Farmers' Salads' are usually a plate groaning with cold meats and cheeses, accompanied by brown bread and a salad - nice washed down with a weissbier on a sunny terrace. From experience, I'd say that most Austrian mountain restaurants have table service, but it may be different in Ski Welt. The norm for tipping seems to be to round the bill up or add 5-10% if you think that the service merits it. Restaurants in the village and in hotels might serve something more interesting in the evening, such as huge mixed grills or various dishes based on Bambi - not a good place for vegetarians.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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enduroaid,
Goulashsoupe (lovely paprika) and various noodle soups. Strudels for desert with vanilla sauce.
Drink schnapps with little pear balls (Willies)
Haslenuss schnapps (hazlenut) is also lovely.
Q's fairly well behaved, apart from main holiday week hardly find any Q's in Austria.
Don't tip usually, just for proper restaurant meals (10% seems usual as per most Euro countries).
Go for a lively resort for apres, some family quiet places are just that... quiet. I like cheesy tunes, dancing etc.
Quiet mountain huts for a slow drink just before the last run down.
Very friendly country, pretty cheap to eat out and drink even on the mountian.
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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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| alex_heney wrote: |
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Quote: |
The majority of mountain restaurants are self service.
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Not in my experience. I generally tip 10% ish. |
Well quite a lot of my experience is in the are the OP is going to.
There are some "service" restaurants in the Ski Welt, but several times as many self service ones. |
I've only eaten in one self service place in the SkiWelt, although admittedly I spend most of my time there in Westendorf.
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| geoffers wrote: |
| Quote: |
| whats the must try foods? |
Luv'em or hate'em : Germknödel
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No - you need it with Vanilsauce!!! Lots of it!
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| What do you mean by "doubling up" on lifts? Not a phrase I've heard before. |
Glad you asked, I wasn't sure either.
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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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| enduroaid wrote: |
whats the must try foods? |
Loads. Strudels, gernknoedl, schnitzel, wildragout, hirsch, tiroler groestl... loads of good meats
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| whats the must try drinks? |
Beer (lager, dunkel (dark) and weiss (wheat), jaeger (jaegerbomb is flying hirsch), schnapps, and Stroh 80 (80% rum) if you're feeling brave...
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| what % is the normal tipping for serving staff? |
Similar to the UK, 10%. At least that's what I, and Austrian friends, do.
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| doubling up on lifts done or not done? |
You mean on T-bars? If it's buys, yes.
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| are nude saunas really nude? |
Yep. Kids can get away with wearing shorts/bikinis. Don't try this yourself - you'll just look like a tool. Wrap a towel round if you're shy.
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| are lift Q's actually Q's or just a free for all as I've been told france is? |
Sometimes empty, sometimes busy. I think the very very worst queue I've been in was maybe 15/20 mins - but that's rare. Not exactly a free for all, but you need to actively move and keep your place when it's busy. Imagine an excited queue in the UK for a... I dunno, whatever the latest 'must have' is.
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| what can we expect from apres? |
Fun, beer, jaeger, schnapps, brilliantly cheesy singalong style music, dancing on tables, more beer and jeager. You have to learn to love the music.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Doubling up, I assume you mean on T bars, in which case yes, as long as the other person is happy with it. It'll certainly make the liftie happy and those in the q behind you. It's the kind of thing which can result in the most interesting conversations too.
Gulaschsuppe is a must have, Gluhwein to drink and if you can fit it in Kaiserschmarn mit apfelmus.
Qs are hit and miss, watch out for rude little ankle biters (a well placed ski stick can help keep them at bay) but when busy it can be a bit push and shove. Tip of the day, always use the outside curve on a queue, as with rivers it always moves faster.
Apres, go the bar nearest the lift at the end of the day for seriously cheesy europop and possibly dancing on the tables, you'll know it's bad but you'll like it.
Above all, keep and open mind and set out to enjoy yourself and you will. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| alex_heney wrote: |
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Quote: |
The majority of mountain restaurants are self service.
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Not in my experience. I generally tip 10% ish. |
Well quite a lot of my experience is in the are the OP is going to.
There are some "service" restaurants in the Ski Welt, but several times as many self service ones. |
I've only eaten in one self service place in the SkiWelt, although admittedly I spend most of my time there in Westendorf. |
I tend to be over the other end most of the time, and didn't actually get to the Westendorf area at all this year.
But on this trip, I think I ate or drank (hot Chocolates) in about 7-8 different ones in the Ski Welt plus two in Kitzbuhel and one in Fieberbunn.
All the ones in the Ski Welt were self service, although I have eaten in a couple that weren't in previous years. One of the two in Kitbuhel and the one in Feiberbrunn were table service.
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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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alex_heney, Again, when I spent a week in Kitz only one of the places we ate was self service lol. Was skiing with my gf's parents though (they're Austrian, and have been skiing there for yonks), who know all the best places to eat.
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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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thanks for all the replys folks
heading to soll so should be good for a bit of a singing session, yes doubling up really only seems to be a thing we do in scotland for 2 man chairs and t bars, basically the idea of 2 singles jumping on the same lift to save time, i tried it once in the states with a two person chair and got a swift "eh this is my chair"......so not doing that again
not that shy about the saunas just didnt want a embarissing momment when i walked in naked and no one else was
tip wise i was just checking as alot of places over the pond are now suggesting 15-20% tip
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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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| enduroaid wrote: |
whats the must try foods? Gulasch (with noodles if you're really hungery), ham & pea soup (added sausage optional), currywurst  , kaizerschmarm (chopped up pancake with icing sugar), wienerschnitzel, tirolergrotsel
whats the must try drinks? pils, schnapps, sekt is pretty cheap and not bad as long as you're not a champagne snob
what % is the normal tipping for serving staff? 10% but not systemic like in the US
doubling up on lifts done or not done? If it's really busy.
are nude saunas really nude? Yep. Take a towel, wrap it if you're modest, sit on it if you're hung like an elephant
are lift Q's actually Q's or just a free for all as I've been told france is? If it's busy you need to keep up with the guy in front of you but in my experience people are civil and not too pushy
what can we expect from apres? crap music, good atmosphere and a sore head
etc etc...... |
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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enduroaid, you will enjoy your week no end! Don't panic and be yourself, the Austrians are very welcoming and want you to come back as many times as possible.
As for tipping, forget percentages, always round up and add a Euro or two depending on how big the bill is. We all round up over here as we don't want any of the brown schrapnel filling up our pockets/purses! Do not leave the tip on the table as quite often in mountain restaurants someone else may clear your table. If you do not tip it is seen as being dissatisfied with the service, as is rounding up to the nearest Euro when the bill comes to X.80 or X.90 Euro.
quinton, Leberkase may look to you like spam, but it most certainly is not! It is usually finely ground good cuts of beef or veal and pork mixed with bacon and onions. Check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leberkase
If you think of it as fried spam then you have missed out on a really tasty and cheap snack! I like mine to be freshly baked (never fried), served with potatoe salad and with a freshly fried egg on top!
Germknödel are gross with the melted butter but delicious when served with vanilla custard (Vanillesauce) Another variation and equally as tasty are Dampfnudel. These can be sweet or savoury! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dampfnudel & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germkn%C3%B6del
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Oh - if you're buying something and expect change back, say 'danke' (thankyou) AFTER you get the money back. Otherwise it's like saying keep the change/tipping.
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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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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Oh - if you're buying something and expect change back, say 'danke' (thankyou) AFTER you get the money back. Otherwise it's like saying keep the change/tipping. |
Good point! That's caught me out before now.
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if offered obstler, don't drink it. it's a schnapps which is often homemade and deadly!
skied at skiwelt more often than i can remember as i lived in munich and it was our nearest major ski area. most of the tips have been given above, so i thought i'd give you a warning!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Practice playing "nails" before you go! Thanks handbag, I never knew the real word for it!
Jagertee is DIVINE
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I only came back to this thread to add jagertee 
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You know it makes sense.
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quinton, Leberkase may look to you like spam, but it most certainly is not! It is usually finely ground good cuts of beef or veal and pork mixed with bacon and onions. Check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leberkase
If you think of it as fried spam then you have missed out on a really tasty and cheap snack! I like mine to be freshly baked (never fried), served with potatoe salad and with a freshly fried egg on top!
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Leberkase tastes exactly like frankfurter meat without the skin. I think any manafacturer would be incredibly foolish not to use MRM and MSM. If you go to the right petrol station it may even come as in 'pizza' (with cheese and peppers in it) or maybe even 'scharf' with a few chillies in it - such a classy dish it is!
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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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Also as the days are getting warmer, you may not want to cram yourself with Austrian "stodge" , most huts do a "brett´l jause" which is a wooden board with a selection of cold meats, usually some smoked ham, pork and sausages, grated fresh horseradish and cheeses, butter and bread, some salad and a few gerkins. Usually the produce is home made, or made by one of the other nearby huts, and often there is enough for 2 people to share 
Must try drinks, Heiße Witwes, Willis, with the fruit, and Jagatee, but make sure you are not skiing after the Jagatee
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Anyone know what Kren is (in English)?
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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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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Anyone know what Kren is (in English)? |
Horseradish?
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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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Himbeergeist, erdbeergeist, kirsch (are you spotting a trend yet?), williams, honig schnapps I could go on...
Naughty sausages, better piza than the Italians make, if you like dumplings you will be in heaven.
Jagertee is a must before skiing those steep Austrian blacks
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 8-03-12 23:18; edited 1 time in total
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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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| musher wrote: |
| clarky999 wrote: |
| Anyone know what Kren is (in English)? |
Horseradish? |
Yep, horseradish
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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What you need is a good plate of Pinzgauer Kasnocken
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kooky, But I like jagertee as a lunchtime drink 
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| Scarpa wrote: |
| kooky, But I like jagertee as a lunchtime drink |
I agree. Warm up in the morning, a bit of Dutch courage at lunchtime, then it's off to Delirium Dive!
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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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kooky, best warn them about nipple rubbing if you are recommending heise Witwes 
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All very interesting stuff - have also been researching Austria and have come up with the Ski Welt area - Maybe staying at Westendorff or Soll - but not completely convinced about the snow sure thing as it looks to be a tad low - has anyone had a bad year here ? Also looking at the Saalbach area but not sure if is too low and people have said this and its neighbour Hinter... have a walk to get on the lifts from wherever you are staying. And finallly we usually go to France DIY has anyone rented an appartment - Many thanks if you can help.
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FAQ
