 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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mauddib, welcome to snowHeads....we do (mostly) play nicely.
There have been a few similarish threads recently as it happens and some useful info provided from some snowHeads resident in Austria - hopefully they'll be along shortly with plenty of ideas.
Good luck 
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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.
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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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What sort of skiing do you want to do, and would you consider public transport?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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+1 for mayrhofen! You can get there on the train too, changing at Munich Central and Jenbach, which works out quite cheaply, although it'll take longer than 2hrs.
There's some really good skiing and nightlife in the zillertal-one of my favourite places to ski in Austria all round. Saalbach is worth a look too, though, although the snow isn't as reliable there (should be ok in Feb though).
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Zell am See and Kaprun combined will give you some great terrain and decent nightlife.
Did a lads trip there in Jan (11 of us) for a weekend, and had a belter. Easy drive from Munich - around 2 hrs. Can get the train, but takes a touch longer.
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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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Another vote for Mayrhofen. Zell's nice but bigger ski area in Mayrhofen plus you have the rest of the Zillertal valley. Mayrhofen's nightlife is better too.
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Adam123, either you broke every speed limit in the book or your idea of a couple of hours is not the same as everyone else! I live a good hour closer to Zell than the airport and it can take me about 2 hours on a good clear run!
It can easily take an hour in the ski season just to drive from the Bischofshofen interchange to Zell. They have also had some serious landslides along the B311 recently and there are several, sometimes long delays at temporary trafiic lights near Taxenbach and one of the tunnels between Schwarzach and Lend (turn off for the Gasteinertal).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Schladming ? About 2 hours 15 minutes on a good day but as everyone says Munich to anywhere in Austria on a Saturday in Winter can be a lot longer than you expect. Best bet is often to arrive into Munich around 7 or 8pm. You should be in pretty much any resort by 11ish latest.
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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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Hi All
Thanks for help all
We're flying in on a Weds evening at 9ish or a Thursday AM at 10ish and travelling back late on the Monday, so traffic shouldn't be an issue, but that's worth remembering.
As far as the type of skiing, pretty much a bit of everything. It's a mixed group, but everyone can cope with pretty much everything on piste (although one or two may struggle with some of the really steep stuff) and some of us like to venture further afield, but no serious back country stuff, well not yet anyway 
I've looked at Mayrhofen and Zell and I think you have to get a lift down at the end of the day don't you? Does that get painful with excessive queuing? I'm guessing it's also ski bus to and from the hotel, so do they get busy too?
I also liked Hochfugen with it being that bit higher up the valley, but is this actually a village or is it just a group of hotels?
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You know it makes sense.
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| mauddib wrote: |
I also liked Hochfugen with it being that bit higher up the valley, but is this actually a village or is it just a group of hotels? |
In point of fact the Hochzillertal ski area is reached from the Kaltenbach gondola station which is lower down the Zillertal valley than Mayrhofen, and is the first large ski area you reach on entering the valley from the Autobahn exit or train station at Jenbach at the bottom of the valley. If you look at the piste map link you'll see that Hochfugen which is part of the ski area can also be reached by a road that goes up from the town of Fugen (and until a few years ago when the ski link from Kaltenbach was put in, that was the only way of getting there). Hochfugen itself is very small with just a few restaurants/cafeterias for the day visitors, plus a couple of hotels, so if you were to stay at Hochfugen it would be very convenient for the skiing, but very quiet in the evenings.
If you were to stay at or near Kaltenbach then there is a 8km long run the Stephan Eberharter Goldpiste that comes all the way back down to the bottom. Right at the bottom of this piste is the Postalm which has some great apres ski. 
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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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mauddib, You do have to get a lift down in Mayrhofen unless you ski down to one of the outlying villages and get a bus or taxi back. In Zell you can ski back down. Personally I've never found a problem]getting the lift down. If it is busy you can always have a beer or two and wait for the queue to die down. As for buses they are very frequent and although they can fill up, you are only talking very short journeys. Of course, you can always book a hotel near to a lift.
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Poster: A snowHead
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mauddib,
Another vote for Mayrhofen! Great skiing and apres ski to match!
Yes - you may have to take a lift down if you ski at Mayrhofen but it's not a necessity. For example, you can ski from Mayrhofen to other villages in the Ziller Valley (eg Finkenberg or Lanersbach) and then take one of the frequent buses from there back to Mayrhofen. It's a short trip back.
Even if you choose to take the lift down to Mayhrhofen don't let that put you off. We were there last January and never had to wait more than a few minutes for the lift down at the end of the day. We skiied until the other lifts closed and it wasn't a problem at all.
It's a brilliant ski area as there are lots of great areas on the ski pass, including Zell am Ziller (linked to Koenigsleiten and Gerlos) and the Hintertux Glacier - which you MUST visit if you are in the Ziller Valley. The glacier scenery is stunning, the slopes are great and the apres ski in the glacier car park is legendary!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Both are great and you would enjoy either for a weekend or long weekend...
But if you are going for a week I'd recommend Mayrhofen.
And then ski more than a day in other areas in the Zillertal. You would be spoiled for choice and (as I mentioned earlier) the Hintertux glacier is a real must. That on its own offers more than some areas of Soll!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Well, Zell's a lovely town in a lakeside setting with a pedestrianised centre and has good nightlife. Its also nice to ski down towards it with the lake spread out before you. However, it isn't a particularly big ski area and there isn't much in the way of a challenge. To be fair, the skiing in Mayrhofen isn't especially challenging either but you do have the attraction of Austria's steepest piste, there is more of it and you have access to the whole of the Zillertal valley which brings around 600kms in total. Both have glaciers, at Kaprun and Hintertux but the latter is better in my view. I also prefer Mayrhofen as a resort - its livelier with better apres aki and a better atmosphere. Only been to Zell once and while I enjoyed it I probably won't go back whereas I certainly will to Mayrhofen.
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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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sorry m'bad!
when I mention Zell, I meant Zell am Ziller and not Zell am See...
So to ask again, whats the difference between Zell am Ziller and Mayrhofen?
Sorry!
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mauddib, No need to be sorry, someone else had mentioned Zell Am See and I just took it from there.
Oh and welcome to 
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mauddib, Zell am Ziller is smaller than Mayrhofen (but arguably prettier) and in order to get to the slopes you need to catch one of the very frequent shuttle busses from Zell town centre to the gondola basestation. Definitely worth a day's visit during your week (as is the Hochzillertal ski area from Kaltenbach) but I would recommend staying in Mayrhofen as it is bigger and has more apres ski. At Mayrhofen apart from the main skiing on the Penken slopes there is also a cable car goes up to the Ahorn area which has some gentle blue runs but also a nice quite demanding red that goes all the way back to the town.
With your Zillertal Superskipass apart from the free ski busses it also gives you free travel on the entire Zillertalbahn narrow gauge railway that goes from Mayrhofen all the way down the valley past Zell and Kaltenbach to Jenbach. During the day the trains run at half hour intervals, and from Mayrhofen station it takes 10 mins to Zell and 23 mins to Kaltenbach (from Kaltenbach station it's just a few hundred yards walk to the gondola basestation).
All the major operators go to Mayrhofen and there is a huge choice of accommodation. I've stayed several times at the Hotel Garni Obermair which Crystal and Thomson offer and I think is particularly good value. It has a small indoor swimming pool and sauna and they do a very good buffet breakfast. If you want half board you can pay a supplement to eat at another nearby hotel but personally I prefer the flexibility of being able to try out different places to eat in the evening. It's also near to the Mayrhofen station so that's convenient for any day trips down to other Zillertal ski areas.
Hope this helps!
Edit: I see that you're arranging your own flights, and going for less than a week, so obviously you won't be looking to book with a tour operator. You can arrange accommodation either through the Zillertal link or www.tiscover.com, these sites often have accommodation available for different periods rather than the standard Sat to Sat of the tour operators.
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| Corky wrote: |
| Well, Zell's a lovely town ... and there isn't much in the way of a challenge. |
Don't know what you look for as a challenge, Corky, but I find the black runs in Zell am See (pistes 13 and 14) quite challenging enough  And even the run down by the Areitbahn isn't that easy.
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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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Cheers Chaps
will prob be Mayrhofen me thinks
Grateful for everyones help
Snowheads FTW!
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
| Adam123, either you broke every speed limit in the book or your idea of a couple of hours is not the same as everyone else! I live a good hour closer to Zell than the airport and it can take me about 2 hours on a good clear run! |
no speed limit on the autobahn 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Adam123, you are so wrong in every way. The limit for a lot of the route you took is 120km per hour and in some places it is as low as 80km per hour.
The actual sections that are presumed to be without limit are actually very limited. In Austria you have a maximum of 130km/hour and large sections in Tirol and Salzburg where it is strictly limited to 100km/hour in the interests of the local environment.
It is fallacy that the autobahns have no limits and that can cost you dearly even when they impose limits on sections that are normally unrestricted. The A92 from the airport to the A9 interchange is limited to a maximum of 120km/hour, the A99 has variable limits according to the volume of traffic, time of day and the weather, just as on the M25. The section where the A99 meets the A8 is often restricted to a maximum of 120, sometimes lower if the volume is high. On the A8 between Weyern and the top of the Irschenberg the limit is 120 and 100 on the descent towards the Inntal interchange. The limit on the A93 is 130 for most of the route to the Austrian border, but is as low as 60 on the interchange itself. Once over the border the IG-L limit in Tirol is 100km/hour. Between the Inntal and the bridge crossing the Inn it is 120km/hour, then moving in the direction of Salzburg you have several sections where the statutory limit is 120 or 100. Once over the border you are stuck with a limit of 130 or if the IG-L signs are switched on, you have to stick to 100km/hour.
As I commute along this axis every day I am more than conscious of the speed limits and the idiots who think they do not apply to them.
I see many hire cars in the ski season belting along, tailgating in complete disregard of other traffic and the limits applied, remember if you have a hire car you can be followed for the fines. You will be fined if caught and it can be very expensive, especially if you are proven to have contributed to any incidents along the way!
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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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Mayrhofen. 2 hours 2mins seems a long time to get there, we certainly comfortably beat that most years (when weather is dry and clear). It is best to be back to Munich with time to spend in the Airbrau, got to be the best airport pub/restaurant in the world.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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to be honest, the fast lane generally scares us, and our hire cars rarely are a match for the speed of the VW's, Porsche's and Bimmers belting it along full whack.
Maybe it took us a little longer than 2 hours, maybe even as much as 2h 30 or 45 but no more than that.
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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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Bergmeister - Only a bit jealous
Can anyone recommend any hotels / pensions in Mayrhofen? Did a search on the site and ones that came up as available have all said they are full 
Tried Bruke, Landenhof and Strass, but was wondering if anyone knew of any others that might be worth trying?
Thanx
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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 could try here.
http://www.landhaus-carla.at/en
Its smaller than the ones you've tried but no worse for that. I've stayed there several times and really like it. Its situated just behind the bus and railway station. Nice rooms, good food and attractive bar. As I say its fairly small which lends itself to getting to know other guests. Its popular with locals for food and drink too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you would like somewhere off the beaten track, you can get the train direct from Munich to OBERSTDORF in the German Alps on the "ALEX" service (Landerbahn Express). I took the train with a colleague in Jan 2009 and the fare for a group of 4 is a total of 29euros (if bought from the self-service machine, more from the ticket office) for a day's Bayern pass - a bargain. It takes 2hrs 20mins. The station is at the end of the line right in the middle of town maybe 100 yards from the cable car. There is a ski hire place opposite the station.
There aren't fancy prices in Oberstdorf - I had a set lunch in the village for about 12 euros; we waited in a brew pub next to the station on our way back guzzling home-made lager from glasses so large they could only be lifted with two hands.
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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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Thanx Corky, will try
Ended up just emailing a load of hotels directly rather than relying on the availability search on the Mayrhofen website and 3 or 4 have come back with availability, so bit happier now
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hello, I always have a boys trip to austria every year. For the last 2 years we have done Obertauern. Fantastic skiing and fantastic Apres !!!!!!!
Google wintersonne - they are apartments away from the hotel whereby noise is not an issue. They do great 6 man apartments. We are going in March (12 of us)
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
Adam123, either you broke every speed limit in the book or your idea of a couple of hours is not the same as everyone else! I live a good hour closer to Zell than the airport and it can take me about 2 hours on a good clear run!
It can easily take an hour in the ski season just to drive from the Bischofshofen interchange to Zell. They have also had some serious landslides along the B311 recently and there are several, sometimes long delays at temporary trafiic lights near Taxenbach and one of the tunnels between Schwarzach and Lend (turn off for the Gasteinertal). |
just did this drive again... well Zell to Munich airport and thought I'd update.
2 hours 15 mins approx
very little traffic
speed limits respected
went via Kossen/Walchsee rather than the signposted route
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We usually do Munich Airport to the Hoff in 1 hr 45 respecting all (well most) speed limits. Have done it in 1 1/2.
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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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Adam123, that route is a really good one on a Sunday as the trucks are banned. It's a pig on a Saturday or in the ski season as all the locals use it and there are few overtaking opportunities on it.
Ghost Dog, not respecting the speed limits! Mayrhofen is a good hour from where I live on the Austrian-German border near the Inntal interchange.
Yes, on a quiet clear weather night with no traffic or road works and all the speed limits switched off, you could plausibly make it. However the reality is that you need to plan in at least 2.5 hours into your journey to be sure. In high season maybe 3 hours is a better guestimate.
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FAQ
If you've not visited the 
I picked my sister up from the airport on a Wednesday evening one year and it took 2 hours to get out there (rush hour) and 4 hours to get home 
(I live an hour SE of Munich).
