advice on Maria alm

A snowHead

I'm back with another request. Picked up another brochure today (ski planning is an addiction!) And came across Maria alm in Austria. Sounds beautiful and brochure says ideal for cruising blues and reds. Prices seem good for.food.drinks and hotel and all hire/pass comes in around 1k each. Just on budget. I know not as big as les arcs but bigger than passo tonale (last 2 resorts). Is it a good place to ski. Would b there for a.week. both intermediate skiers but stay on blues.and easy reds only. Hotel thinking of is hotel niederreiter 50m from lifts. What are runs and lifts like. Can you ski the lot or have to bus between areas. Thanks for any info.

A snowHead

Jon Ford, You wil love it. It reminds me of the Dolomites, especially with the Hochkönig mountain range always in view on the other side of the valley. Beautiful and exceptionally good value as well as good long ski runs, mainly reds and blues linking you to two other villages (Mülbach and Dienten). Not many Brits and still fairly unspoilt and welcoming.

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Jon Ford, like Samerberg Sue says Hochkoenig is a terrific backdrop. You get a nice sense of travel moving from one village to another. Nice mountain restaurants. Not expensive.

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thanks Samerberg Sue, and nozawaonsen, it looks really nice. 150km of runs would probably suit us. We didnt do all runs in Les Arcs last season, so need to down size I think. As long as picturesque, good value, nice cruisy blues & reds, we are happy. Hotels look nice too.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

can anyone confirm the ski area that is covered on this pass. Neilson brochure calls its the Ski Amade pass but says has access to the Hochkonig ski area (150km of run), but other websites say the Ski Amade opens up to 865km including Kaprun and saalbach. Bit curious. Also cant book Maria Alm on Neilson website even though in brochure. Does this mean they wont offer it or does it come under somewhere else
Think this is the place we want to go now, but typical we cant get quotes. May pop into travel agent to see what they say

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neilson cancelled Maria Alm this season (gutted!) but read that the ski area (ski amade) covers Zell am see etc. Could somone confirm that if we stay here, we can ski into Maria Alm and the Ski Amade runs (all 865km) of them. I take it if we can, we have to get buses from resort to resort, and they are not all linked by ski runs? Sorry to ask, but different brochures say differnt things. thanks

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Ski Amade does not cover Karprun, Zell Am See or Saalbach.

You will need Salzburger Super Ski pass to have them all on one pass.
http://www.salzburgerland.com/en/ski-board/super-ski-card/salzburg-super-ski-card.html

Ski Amade 865km covers a few main centres: Schladming, Flachau/Wagrain, Maria Alm and Gastein Valley.
You will need a car to move between them, but they are all big enough in their own for a week.
Bus connection between those mentioned main areas are poor and you will waste half day Wink

http://www.skiamade.com/en/winter

If you stay in Zell Am See, I think the bus connection to Saalbach is good.
But I doubt it will be easy (if possible at all) to get to Maria Alm and other Ski Amade resorts from there.

PS
I guess it will be quite easy to DIY the trip as we did many times in other Ski Amade regions.
Quick and fairly cheap transfer from Salzburg airport. Plenty of flighs to Salzburg as well. Ski Amade resorts are withing 1h-1.5h drive from the airport.

After all it is free

Jon Ford, It's easy enough to organise a trip to Maria Alm yourself. Google is your friend.

Fly to Salzburg, then take a Holiday Shuttle / Taxi transfer to Maria Alm. Bus connections are not so good, but you could take the train from Salzburg to Saalfelden and a bus/taxi up the valley from there.

The Tourist Office have an online accommodation enquiry service - http://www.mariaalm.at/de/zimmeranfrageform - which will email you a list of available rooms. Alternatively, search online for hotels or apartments.

Maria Alm is part of Ski Amade, so the lift pass covers a number of resorts, but not Zell am See or Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang. To be honest, if you're in Maria Alm for a week, you won't need to go to outside of Ski Amade.

Likewise for a one-week holiday, if you choose Zell am See, there is sufficient local skiing in Zell and Kaprun without the need to go anywhere else. Same applies to Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang. (Unless you have a car or want to spend half the week on busses).

As others have said, the skiing from Maria Alm is great. You can see various photos if you look at the reports in the Ski Amade snow thread (probably best to search for Hochk, otherwise you'll have all of Ski Amade). Practically, you won't be able to ski the rest of Ski Amade unless you have a car (or can organise some taxi transfer). Maria Alm is the furthest west area in Ski Amade and probably about an hour away from, e.g. St. Johann in Pongau/Alpendorf or the Gasteiner Tal.

One other point is that the village of Maria Alm is a short distance from the main ski area (starting at the Abergbahn) but there are regular shuttle buses (you can ski over from the Natrun lift in the village if the snow is good but not back).

A lovely area.

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thanks everyone. To be honest, even though it sounds lovely, its too much trouble for me to sort on my own (i will forget to book something and we will end up stranded!!) Like the convenience of the TO doing it all even if it costs a little bit more (but sometime cheaper!)
May resort back to original plan of Soll/Ellmau. Wife has said she doesnt mind staying in a hotel now instead of S/C so that opens up a lot more possibilities. May still do the Maria myself, but bit gutted its not all linked.
thanks again - really appreciate the support (cant find this sort of advice in brochures!!)

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Jon Ford, The links are good. The Natrun lifts are in the village and the Hinterthal lifts are off to one side and its slopes are used for training by many WC racers between races. The main Abergbahn links seamlessly right the way along the valley to Mühlbach via Dienten. There are shuttle buses as well running between the different centres meaning you do not have to ski all the way back if you don't want to. More than enough to keep everyone happy for more than a week.

If you go back to Ellmau or make the brave decision to try Maria Alm then let Espri and myself know and we'll try and come over and let you in on some of the secrets of the areas. wink

thanks Samerberg Sue, and espri, Currently reading every page of the brochure...again to find the best resort for us (loads to choose from though) Really want to go to Austria as done france and italy, and cant afford Switzerland!! will keep you updated on what we go for (as no doubt I'll be asking questions on it before we book!!)
Crike, dont get this hassle with a beach holiday...but nor do you get half the fun!

You know it makes sense.

Jon Ford, Define 'too much trouble'. You only need to book a flight to Salzburg (Easyjet/Jet2/Thos Cook/Ryanair/BA) then a taxi/transfer and a hotel/apartment. Half an hour on t'internet tops. In my experience far less hassle than having to deal with a TO. The main danger is that you'll get exactly what you want rather than what the TO wants to sell you wink

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

fair point quinton! We are now thinking of driving to Austria (in-laws have a motorhome) so just about to set up a new thread asking advice on that. May be able to drive to Maria Alm instead?

A snowHead

We have planned our own trip to Maria Alm for February. We are flying into Munich and hiring a car. Can anyone tell us the best route to take? I have heard that the most direct route takes you over the mountains and can be a bit hairy if there has been recent snowfall. Don't mind a longer route if it is an easier drive.

Also can anyone offer any tips for supermarkets for provisions and for eating out?

Thanks

A snowHead

The direct route from Munich is to follow the ring road clockwise until you reach the A8 towards Salzburg (basically, follow Salzburg signs - don't let your Satnav take you through Munich). Once on the A8 it's about an hour or so to Exit 112, the B306 for Siegsdorf. Beware - this exit comes up quickly after #111 and has a sharp right bend as you leave the autobahn.

Once on the B306, follow the signs for Inzell and Lofer. This is the main tourist route from Germany to Saalfelden, Saalbach and Zell am See and is generally kept clear, even in snow. There are regular signs for Zell am See, so just follow these. ***

The B306 eventually meets the 21, Salzburg - Lofer road. Turn right and follow the road past Unken to Lofer. Watch for the Zell an See sign just before Lofer. In Lofer, follow the road past Hotel Dax to the roundabout, where you follow the sign for Saalfelden and Zell am See on the 311. From there, it's 20-30 mins to Saalfelden, where you meet a couple of roundabouts at the bottom of the hill. Maria Alm is a left exit from one of the roundabouts (2nd one?) but well signposted. (There's a big Interspar supermarket on your right in Saalfelden if you want to stock up)

*** The alternative route, if you are worried about the conditions on this route, is to stay on the autobahn towards Salzburg, then turn off at Bad Reichenhall and pick up the Lofer road there. This requires an autobahn vignette, which is usually included if you rent a car in Austria, but you may need to buy one at the rental desk in Munich. You'll need to tell the car rental company that you are driving to Austria for them to include Austria on the insurance docs.

There are other routes for those with local knowledge - but I find these the easiest.

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quinton, i tried to buy a vignette at the Munich car hire desk but they said they didn't do them there

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

quinton, Thanks for the useful information. I'm also going to Maria Alm for the first time (only booked flights to Munich so far) this season (January). I have hired cars at Munich airport before, not been offered the Austrian vignette as far as I can remember. Usually get one on the Autobahn at the services near Rosenheim. There are lots of places selling them.
Jon Ford, DIY is the way to go. Flight and car hire or flight and train / transfer. E-mail local Tourist Office (in English if need be) and they are always very helpful.

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JohnHSmith, Send me a message closer to the time and I'll give you the locals current route. The Siegsdorf route can be problematic and currently there is a bottle-neck at the bridge roadworks just before the turn off for Siegsdorf/Ruhpolding that is causing quite long delays when the traffic volume is high. There is also a nasty bridge building project on the B305 that has been a problem along this route during the summer.

There is another route which is used by us locals, it goes via Kössen and you can access it from a number of exits along the A8 or the A93.

The roadworks situation is currently fairly bad in terms of driving on days where there is a lot of traffic. That is normal here in October and November. But some of these are running behind schedule, the A93 down to Kufstein for example is not looking good, but who knows what might happen between now and the start of the real ski season.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thank you Samerberg Sue, and thank you everyone else.
Looking forward to this. Very Happy

After all it is free

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flangesax, holidayloverxx, Sorry chaps, you're correct. I've rarely done the longer route, so I forgot that there is a turnoff before the one between Bad Reichenhall and Salzburg Airport, and that it's still in Germany.

Sue, will the roadworks not be finished before the winter season?

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quinton, Difficult to say to be honest. The weather plays a huge role in this. If this cold spell lasts, then any concrete they have to lay (bridge structures, drainage ditches, that sort of thing) is not going to set properly. The periods of very wet weather we have had did slow things down, especially along the A93 between Brannenberg and Kiefersfelden. As for the roads through the mountains, like the B305 to Schnitzelreuth, there have been lots of landslides and washing away of the underlying supports, that sort of thing. I don't know if any of that has happened as I've not been along the road this summer, but have heard traffic reports saying sections are closed for roadworks all summer. As there is not too much traffic these days, the traffic reports are quiet meaning it is difficult to tell unless I pootle along there. With the cost of fuel here, I'm not driving around like I used to just for fun! wink

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Just read the last few posts , had put Maria back of mind as soll took over. Wwould still want to go as sounds nice. Don't want to drive from airport though, how easy is train to there or his much would taxi be to resort ,

Jon Ford, Depends on which airport.

From Munich, the train is a good option, realistically possibly the only option in terms of time and cost, getting off at Saalfelden and then a taxi up the valley to Maria Alm.

From Salzburg, although you can get the train to Saalfelden, the easier and quicker option is a minibus-taxi or Shuttle service directly from Salzburg Airport. See the Salzburg Airport website for details. 4-8 pers minibus-taxi from Salzburg Airport will cost between €99 and €150 each way, depending on which company and availability. This is the pre-booked rate - you won't get this rate from a taxi on the rank outside the airport.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks quinton, will look into

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Thanks quinton, will look into

A snowHead

We are off to Maria Alm for Feb half term and I need to book the kids into ski school. We are staying in the cente of Maria ALm.
Can't decide whether to go for lessons at Natrun or Arberg station. Kids are aged 5 ( 1 week skiing) and aged 8 ( passed ESF 3 star last year so intermediate). Ski school with lunch is 10am - 3pm
I have heard that Natun will be quieter but it will not provide enough skiing for my husband and myself who want to explore the villages so we will not want to ski natrun ourselves.
How well linked is Natrun to the rest of the ski slopes ? I have tried to look at the piste map but it it not clear.
We want to be off skiing once we have dropped the children at lessons - don't mind if that means we just have to jump on a gondola but don't want to be waiting for a bus from Natrun to get to the rest of the ski area.

Hope that makes sense. Thanks for your help

A snowHead

IwishICouldThinkOfAFabNam, as you say, the Natrun runs are separate from the main Hochkönig ski area (and the Natrun area is small). There is a piste, nr. 9, that leads down from Natrun to the bottom station of the Aberg lift (assuming enough snow, probably OK in February) but there is no way back from there (except round into the village by bus). If you want to meet the kids in the afternoon after the lessons, probably a base at the Aberg makes more sense. However, the buses between the village (the Natrun lift is right in the middle) and Aberg are pretty frequent, I think. Here's another thread from last season with comments on Maria Alm that may help you.

Help!!

advice on Maria alm

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