 Poster: A snowHead
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With the cost of a week at Feb half term by coach in France now being over £1000, we are looking at Austrian resorts for 2014 to try to keep the price down. Any views on Shuttdorf and the Club Kitzsteinhorn would be very useful before we go ahead with our provisional booking. We always go for accommodation that is walking distance from the lifts and this seems to fit the bill.
How bad are lift queues likely to be? I can't find out much about what is in Shuttdorf apart from the lift station. Any info gratefully received.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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dw832, It's the residential village further round the lake at Zell am See. There are lots of holiday apartments and locals also live there; there are a few restaurants and bars but not much else. It's also where the retail park and car showrooms are as it is on the main route.
What are you looking for?
Can't comment on lift queues as I've always stayed in Zell
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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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Club Kitz is great accommodation for a school group. I've stayed there a few times. The hostel has great facilities so you don't need too much else in the village. There are a few shops, a bank and a chemist.
Lift queues at Schuttdorf during half term can be up to an hour long, so make sure you pick your timings carefully. The nursery slope is at the bottom of the hill (snow permitting) and there is also one at the 1st gondola station. Once up the hill queues aren't as bad.
One thing to watch out for if flying is that you won't be able to take the group into Zell without hiring a coach. This doesn't come cheap!
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One thing to watch out for if flying is that you won't be able to take the group into Zell without hiring a coach. This doesn't come cheap!
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If you need group transport once in resort - e.g. a coach to take the group into Zell or over to Kaprun - it's possible to hire a Postbus from the local bus company, who just happen to be based in Schuttdorf. They basically put on a 'Special' bus, so you pay by the trip without the need to hire the bus for a whole day.
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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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quinton, it's still not cheap. A group that was there at the time I was looked into it to take the kids to the ice rink in Zell. Was an eye watering figure they were quoted. A couple of other groups in the hotel had coaches that weren't being used that night, but insurance issues meant that they couldn't be subcontracted to the group.
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Thanks to all for the info so far. Transport shouldn't be a problem as we travel by coach. It's the lift queues that are the worry. An hour would be unacceptable and we will need to reconsider. Serre Chevalier a couple of years ago was bad, but not that bad. Sauze D'Oulx last year was virtually queue free and we're going back there this year. Perhaps we should stick with that even if it is more expensive.
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Sorry misunderstood your post, thought you were deciding to fly.
If you've got a coach then there are more options open to you, such as skiing at the kitzsteinhorn. You can avoid queuing that long if you time lessons well, but Zell is very popular with UK school groups. You'd be better looking at some of the less popular Austrian resorts (at least ones that less school groups go to) if you want no lift queues and not French prices.
Have you looked at any other Austrian options?
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The problem with most Austrian resorts is that you don't get slope side accommodation. A bus ride to the slopes is something we want to avoid. It's a real pain if somebody forgets something, has an equipment problem or doesn't feel well.
Unfortunately, we are always in the hands of the ski school when it comes to lessons - we have little say, if any, over timing. Think we will need to look again at French/Italian alternatives.
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Ski schools in Austria are usually far more flexible than in France or Italy. I've never not been able to pick my times in Austria, as usually the instructor only works with one school per day. It's one of the big advantages with school groups over the Italian system where you end up having a long lunch while the instructor teaches another class. (I've not done a school trip to France so don't know how it compares to there other than what friends have told me).
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The problem with most Austrian resorts is that you don't get slope side accommodation.
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Respectfully suggest that you've been looking in the wrong places. There's plenty of accommodation for school groups within 10-15 mins walk of the slopes, if not actually slopeside. Of course, the choice is much greater if you can accept a Jungendpension on the outskirts of a resort, but its not impossible to find accommodation close to the slopes or ski school. Regarding equipment, many Austrian ski schools are run by families that also have a ski rental business, so you'll often find that you have a package that includes equipment and tuition. Any equipment issues are resolved by just popping into the rental shop, which is often next to the ski school office.
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Unfortunately, we are always in the hands of the ski school when it comes to lessons - we have little say, if any, over timing.
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Again, not usually the case in Austria. I've worked with school groups for a number of years - apart from Day 1, the group leader and ski school supervisor/lead instructor agree the start time for the rest of the week. You want to start at 9.00 to beat the queues - usually not a problem, and in fact standard procedure at half-term to avoid multiple school groups all starting at the same time. As Elizabeth B, says, the instructors are allocated to your school for the whole week and don't teach anyone else, so you can vary start times and lunch breaks to suit your group and to make the best of local conditions.
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