 Poster: A snowHead
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We are thinking of going to Austria next season (for a weeks hol) and the TO page says drinks are around 3euro a beer, 10euro a bottle of house wine, 7euro burger and chips etc, but I was wandering what the real average mountain restaurant prices were. On this years trip to Les Arcs, the prices in the TO book werent anywhere near what they were charging on the slopes, and ruined it a little as couldnt afford to drink/eat out all the time. (The TO said bottles of wine were around £14/£17/18euros - the cheapest we found was 25euros. Also, add the extra on for meals etc, the TO is well out
SO, was just wandering if the prices quoted in the TO book are realistic for Ellmau/Skiwelt or is it quite expensive in most mountain restaurants/bars
Also, while Im here, what are the runs like there? Are there nice long coasting blues, ideally surrounded by trees
thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jon Ford, Beer 2.50 - 3.00 for a small one. Hearty main course 10 - 15 depending on what you want, snacks 5 - 8. You won't be subject to high prices on the mountain, it's excellent value
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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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thanks holidayloverxx,
what are the runs like
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Jon Ford, plenty of tree-lined runs and a superb large ski area but in fairness I didn't really find much difference between the blue and red runs, all were fairly cruisey and easy. Excellent lift system and some fantastic friendly mountain huts. I'd definitely go back to SkiWelt.
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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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sounds like just what we are after. Shame its lower than likes of France, but been told dont need as much snow fall as France as more grazing fields rather than ones filled with big boulders. Booking in November, so hopefully by then will have a better idea of the conditions ahead. Think holidayloverxx, and queen bodecia, have just sold Skiwelt to me. Now just to fine a nice accommodation!
thanks again
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Jon Ford, I skiied both the Paradiski (mid Jan) and Ski Welt (mid march) last season the foremost as a family half board trip and the latter a lads week based in Soll.
Ski Welt suffered with a lot of slush from late morning onwards but it was unseasonably very warm. The runs there are extensive and varied with lots of tree lined blues and reds. as stated above the lift system is excellent. The best of the runs we found were around Scheffau and Ellmau and conditions weren't so good around Soll itself but still enjoyable. Beer and food definitely much cheaper in Ski Welt and represented good value as Austria invariably does. Loads of great mountain huts. I never paid more than about 10 euros for my lunch including a small beer, all the usual stuff like spag bol, gulaschsuppe and Tiroler groestle always hit the spot.
I probably wouldn't choose France for a lads trip of self catering hols but it was certainly excellent value in La Plagne for the family and we are going back again in Jan.
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Jon Ford, re the snow, exactly. it's further east so you don't need to be so high.
as jirac18, says. it was a tad warm in March, but then it dumped it down again in early April - 'tis the way of the mountains...
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I skied Soll in mid/late March a while ago. It did get very warm down the bottom, and the slush froze overnight into large boulders of ice. Very unpleasant, but that was only at the very bottom of the home run.
The beer was cheap, and the pizza the best I have eaten anywhere.
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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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Thanks musher, jirac18, holidayloverxx, we would be going mid/late Jan so hopefully wouldn't be too hot/slushy. Skiid paradiski last season and loved it. Just put off by prices out there as well as cost for flights and accommodation. Would go back if cheaper. Skiwelt looks nice. Nice to have lots of ling coasting runs in a pretty town. Seen couple of nice catered chalets on the slopes. Not booking for a while yet but can't wait for ski 2013
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Jon Ford, I agree with the others, prices seem about right for Austria in general - perhaps with the exception of St Anton and Ischgl. Have been to several resorts in last 5 years (Zillertal, Saalbach, Ski Welt, Zell am See) and have joked with other half that lunch for two always comes to €20 (€16-€18 + tip) regardless of what we have. Far better value for money than France, excellent 'middle-of-the-road' skiing if you mainly want blues and reds, plenty of cosy and genuinely friendly mountain restaurants, good standard of hotels and Pensions or self-catering, many resorts reached within 90 minutes from Salzburg or Innsbruck. If you can get a good deal, by all means go with a T/O, but to be honest, it's as easy to organise it yourself.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Agree re the pizzas, musher, great value and usually freshly made and cooked in proper wood ovens. Food and drink great value over the whole area. Wasn't overimpressed by skiwelt though - fast lifts up from resorts but slow moving around within the area and shortish runs higher up unless you ski down (slushy even in January) to resort level eg Hopfgarten and Brixen and some horrendous lifts at the ?Going end. Might be tempted to sit in the middle of the whole area and go to Westendorf and get the extended pass covering Kitzbuhel as well and end up in Kirchberg and get the bus back to Westendorf or access Skiwelt by skiing down the long red from the Westendorf area to Brixen and returning to the Westendorf area by the gondola up from Brixen.
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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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Thanks countryman, and quinton, still don't know where to book. Got new brochures and hard work trying to weigh up pros and cons of each resort. Still looking into couple if Italy resorts or may even push the boat out again and go France. Will keep looking and reading
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Jon Ford, just seen your Milky Way thread and replied. Soll was good this year as a base for Ski Welt. I personally wouldnt want to stay as far over as Ellmau, Scheffau maybe but from Soll you can access the whole area easliy either by chairing round the main mountain or using the Gondola up to the top of Hohe Salve and then taking the good reds and blacks off the back down to Brixen and Westerndorf.
Ski hire from Edinger at the main gondola station in Soll was first class set up and second none. Cheap rates bookable on line too
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks jirac18, suppose would b a pain spending half day getting to good runs. The wife has just stolen the new brochure so hopefully she will find somewhere
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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 wouldn't say it would be a pain exactly but it does get hard if snow isn't great and with lots of slush low as we had in March to do a lot of miles. Just think if conditions not great then Soll might be best bet as you can get right up on Gondola and then take your pick which direction to go each day. There is also a good two stage gondola up from Scheffau which take you to Brandstadtl. A great restaurants up there and its a fantasic point from which to venture out on good surrounding lifts stunning views across to St Johann and Kitzbuhel. Some excellent but short reds around the bowl off Brandstadtl even in poor snow conditions there stay pretty good
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Poster: A snowHead
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Jon Ford, you can ski excellent runs from anywhere in the Ski Welt area. I don't know where you get the idea that you need to travel to one particular spot from all the other areas. The best runs are not around the Söll end, they are actually over the back from Ellmau/Scheffau going down to Brixen im Thale and there are also excellent long runs to be found on the Choral in Westerndorf.
I live just 40 minutes away from Ellmau and drive PAST Söll to access the slopes either at Scheffau or Ellmau depending on who I am with and what I want to do. One of my favourite huts (the Reigi) is on the Höhe Salve above Söll though.
You will get excellent value for you money and off all the villages, I like Ellmau the best. Söll is a downmarket version of St Anton in that it gets a lot of "lads" trips who are out on the lash but cannot afford St A nor actually ski all that well for the most part.
The snow was soft in March this year as we had an unexpected warm spell. I suppose jirac18 was unfortunate in that sense, but it is certainly not the norm. After their little slushfest, we had some fantastic dumps of snow and it was great in April. As you are thinking about mid January, the slushfest is something you most definitely do not have to worry about.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Maybe the "lads trips out on the lash" is a bit of an out dated image of Soll apres scene? I have heard this said of Sauze d'Oulx in Italy too which I also found to be quiet in early March. My visits to these two resorts has been the last two seasons and I'm wondering if the recession has hit folks into not spending a fortune on apres.
Soll this year was anything but lively or raucus. It was just simply average apres with a couple of large gatherings to watch a couple of the Six Nations rugby games. Jon Ford, don't allow misconceived opinion based on past decades to put you off either Soll or Sauze. I am 42 and travelled with a group of similar aged "lads" all of whom can ski all that well thanks Samerberg Sue, and we thoroughly enjoyed Soll without sight of any rowdy behaviour on or off the slopes. I have read on SH that St Anton is the place to go if you want to get smashed by idiots going too fast and can't ski.
Agree that the Reigi was a very nice lunch stop and yes we were unlucky with the slush.
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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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Jon Ford, As you asked about Ski Welt, I also prefer Ellmau or Westendorf/Brixen to Söll. But if I was planning a first trip to Austria, I'd actually go to Saalbach/Hinterglemm.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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It was astonishingly hot all over in March this year, whereas March often sees the best conditions, with good snow and nice long days. You can go high and be frozen and blown to misery, or you can go high and think thankfully about the slushfest at lower altitudes. It's luck, at the end of the day, and no place is good for everything, all the time.
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may even push the boat out again and go France
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keep away from the big names full of package tourists and you won't have to push the boat quite so far. But much of France was a slushfest in March, too!
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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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Thanks again everyone. Trying to narrow down. Ski welt sounds good, but so does the milky way. Think either of them would do us. Anywhere with lots of blues and light reds really. Not bothered about condition of lifts as doesn't bother me that.much to have slow ones, and hopefully as will b going in Jan we shouldn't suffer from hot weather and slush. Thanks again for all comments. Will hit the internet tonigt and start pricing up
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