Planning a trip in early March, and haven't been to Austria in a while so thinking about going there instead of our usual Italy. We tend to spend a lot of time skiing the areas off to the sides of the pistes when we can, and go further afield into the off-piste when conditions are right. Can anyone recommend some Austrian resorts where this kind of thing is good - i.e., lots of fun areas between pistes, etc., with some decent, preferably lift-accessible backcountry? Doesn't have to be epic, Mont Blanc style, just fun.
I'm keen to avoid busy places and places where there is a 'party scene' (I've always been dull and age hasn't helped ). Nice quiet resort with a bar or two would do us fine.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Ischgl, unless you are on a tight budget.
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?
Most Austrian resorts are a "party scene" from what I can make out. But it doesn't mean you have to party.
Most Austrian resorts are a "party scene" from what I can make out. But it doesn't mean you have to party.
Sure - believe me, I know how to not party! But some resorts tend to be busier for that reason, and that is absolutely not a draw for me.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:
I'm keen to avoid busy places
That makes it tricky... the obvious answer (to me) for off piste in Austria is St Anton, but that can be quite busy. Partying is entirely optional, don't worry about that side of it's reputation.
I found lots of nice but pretty easy off piste in the Ski Amadé area - e.g. the Schladming hills, Zauchensee, places like that. Much quieter than St Anton. To be honest, on a powder day I'd rather be in St Anton, but if you really want to avoid the crowds then worth a look. Also, Kitzbuehel has lots of easy access off piste, far fewer powder hounds than St Anton so it stays untracked for longer too.
You could try the Otztal valley, staying at Solden, Vent or Obergurgl. Their quite quite and lots of off piste.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Layne wrote:
Ischgl
Yep, plenty of direct access to interesting terrain that if you approach it sensibly is unlikely to hurt you. And there's more snow in Ischgl and less alcohol-testosterone fuelled cheesy gnar stories to listen to than in the bars of St Anton. Edit, or at least you might not understand them if you're not fluent in German
After all it is free
After all it is free
J2R, I was over in Saalbach-Hinterglemm last week and saw loads of inter-piste areas, especially over on the Leogang side. Lots of TOs going there. Plus it is a big party town if you are in the Saalbach-Hinterglemm part (not so sure about Leogang though.
Fieberbrunn is another good choice - specialises in Freeride so has lots of unpiisted areas to play in. Not a real party area though as far as I know but that may have changed since it started to be recognised as a good Freeride area.
Two snowHeads with masses of info about both places are Tatman Tours and espri. The latter actually lives in Fieberbrunn
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^
Yep, the Schattberg Ost area above SimalAlm @ Saalbach-Hinterglemm had some fine untouched snow when I was there over Christmas and the lines through the trees were very easy to scout from the chairlift. Choose your route in the area carefully though as I found there were a couple of fairly obvious terrain traps on the way down (gullys with no trees !!) and some unexpected cliffs/excavations to negotiate as you rejoin the ski run above the Limbergalm restaurant.
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.
There's hundreds of places, Arlberg is brilliant, last week we skied all day off just two lifts, with new lines and fresh tracks every run... Stuben would be a good base, playground on a powder day, and a lot quieter than than St Anton. As mentioned Ischgl and Saalbach also have plenty of offpiste potential, Zillertal valley (esp Hochfuegen) has a good rep, and though I've never been, I'm hearing more and more good things about the Montafon area... Lots of fun little places around the Salzkammergut, skied a tiny little place called the Zwoelferhorn one or two seasons ago, they had a policy of classing everything as ski routes so they could get away without grooming anything, very fun day. Pretty close to Krippenstein too, which seems to be something of an Austrian version of La Grave (though again, haven't got round to going there yet!). Loads of options at the small resorts around Innsbruck, Westendorf too...
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
There are many places you could try but Fieberbrunn is certainly one of them. There are plenty areas alongside the pistes, e.g. on the Reckmoos (Nord and Süd) or on the Hochhörndl as in this photo from last December...
Off the back side of the Hochhörndl, round towards the Wildseeloder, there are plenty more serious freeriding possibilities, some not too difficult, others moreso. I did a freeride course there last winter that tested me up to (and sometimes beyond) my skiing ability. There is a report with photos in this thread.
At the beginning of March, culminating on the 9th, the Freeride World Tour is in Fieberbrunn, so it will be pretty busy that week.
As well as the areas that have been mentioned above, others that come to mind include the Hochkönig. Look also at waynos' photos in the Ski Amade snow reports thread. For a small area I thought that Rauris looked attractive when I visited a few weeks ago.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
J2R, whatever you do, please do not go to Warth in the Vorarlberg. Ten good reasons why you should not go there:
1. It gets more snow than any other ski area in the Alps.
2. This means that it has sublime off-piste when other resorts have had their powder skied out.
3. The Brits don't go there but may do next season when the lift linking to Lech is opened.
4. Great hotels close to the base stations offering great food and spa facilities.
5. Modern lift system: fast lifts and no queues, providing good access to lots of off-piste options.
6. Friendly locals and great mountain restaurants.
7. Great ski school in the village which is always willing to help (guide costs 250-300 Euros for a day).
8. No garish bars/discos.
9. Easy to get to from Zurich and Friederichshafen airports.
10. Chocolate box charm.
Just a taster: http://youtube.com/v/NV2GJmpaNjk
So if you want something which ticks your boxes, do stick to the tired (Ed: Shome mishtake surely?) and tested options mentioned by others like St Anton, Stuben, Obergurgl, Ishgl etc etc etc.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
After all this, I'm salivating!
OK, DT68, I'll avoid Warth - it doesn't seem to have anything I'm after, such as crowds, loud pounding music, hostile locals, etc.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
DT68, If someone were to ignore your advice, where would you stay in the Warth area?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
sah, We have stayed in both the Steffisalp (last year and back next week for half term) and Lechtalerhof (twice). The Steffisalp is bang next door to the lift: it may give SCGB members a 5% discount if you ask (it is not advertised on either the Steffisalp or SCGB websites). The Lechtalerhof is 2 mins walk from the lifts and is family run and offers a 10% discount for SCGB members. There are other options both in and out of the village: the Jaegeralpe is on its own but has an express 6-pack next to it; the Adler is also on its own but has a run linking it to the Jaegeralpe base station. If looking for something more budget and you have a car, you could try the Tannberg in Schrocken (great food but you will need to make a 10 minute drive to and from a base station) or check out the other accommodation options on the Warth-Schrocken website.
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?
DT68, thanks Is Warth the best village to be based in then? Does it have much (anything?) in the way of shops / bars etc?
I did a few days in Wart-Schrocken about 7 years ago. We stayed in an apartment on the road between the Salober base and Schroken and bused it to the lift. We found some nice off piste. It's not that big an area from what I recall and some of the piste skiing was sketchy. I enjoyed the short trip there but it wouldn't be a stand out for me. But maybe I need to go again to be sure
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
sah, Warth is probably the best place to be. It is gloriously un(der-)developed (I was not exaggerating in my earlier post). There is a new bar in the village itself (have not tried it yet) and the hotels have their own bars which are generally good. There is also something semi-subterranean which calls itself Pub "Best Of" (or some such) next to the lift pass office but is so quiet that it is easy to miss (I suspect it is only really frequented by seasonal workers and it may become more lively late at night when they stop work and I have gone to bed ).
There is a Spar shop close to the church. There are ski hire shops at the Steffisalp, the Lechtalerhof and in the Hotel-Garni Knitel (which is also home to the Spar).
There is an ATM (accessible 24/7) at the tourist office in the centre of the village. There is a mountain cheese shop linked to the village dairy. And that's about it!
There is a zip wire across the valley which is open one night per week and is supposed to be exciting if you like dangling at 250' above the ground while travelling at 50mph. There is also a gloriously basic, long and hairy toboggan run which is open twice per week (you get towed to the top behind a tractor - helmets definitely recommended).
Layne, 65km of piste. I cannot speak for what it was like 7 years ago, but I personally think there is more there of interest than in Obergurgl/Hochgurgl. I doubt any of it would be sketchy at the moment: there is more than 2m of snow in the village and everything was well-covered when we were last there in December (and on our two trips before that).
But the big draw is the off-piste. There are lots of bits off the side of, and in between, the runs but you can access a whole lot more (much of which is really good) with a guide. That's one of the main reasons we keep going back (along with the lack of queues, lack of half-term price hike, good mountain restaurants and bespoke race training for our eldest child).
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'm presuming that as it's a good off-piste destination, it should be possible to hire suitable skis (i.e., mid-fats or wider)? I have my own which are great for 50/50, but my partner doesn't and she would need to hire skis, and would obviously prefer not to be stuck with piste skis.
After all it is free
After all it is free
J2R, I think Sport Strobl in the Lechtalerhof has a reasonable range of off-piste and all-mountain skis (they certainly stock BBR 8.9s for blokes), but I cannot give you chapter and verse because we have our own so don't need to hire. Sport-Jug (Steffisalp) may have something similar (but they do not stock Salomon) and they also have a good range of touring skis. Probably best to give them a call.
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This is my 12 year-old in Warth in December. I know he is over-rotating etc, but he is skiing on slalom race skis!
DT68, can you drive to Warth from Stuben for a day out??
Is the Arlberg lift pass valid??
Cheers,
Greg
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.
kitenski, No: the road between Lech and Warth is normally closed throughout the winter because of the avalanche risk. Next year there will be a gondola linking the Warth ski area to Lech (the Lech end is already built) so it will be possible to get to Warth on skis without touring but I suspect you will need to pay a lift pass supplement.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
DT68, never been to Obergurgl/Hochgurgl so couldn't say. Nowhere is sketchy at the moment from what I can make out. Not looking too hard as I'm not back out until Easter I just recall piste conditions being a bit ropey at times which was really just to add a dose of realism to your comment "It gets more snow than any other ski area in the Alps." That's not to say it isn't true, I've no idea. I just didn't find the piste skiing anything special in 4 days I was there.
65k of piste is on the small side IMVHO. I've skied La Norma in France which is a similar size for a week. And it was fine. But I was skiing with small children and if a lot of repitition is not your bag it would become a problem IMO.
I did say I found the off piste quite good and agree on that. I can see you love the place and I am not saying I don't. Haven't skied it enough to say. Just offering up my experience on a fairly unknown ski area to UK punters.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Unfortunately it looks like Warth is not possible this year, having looked into flights. Ryanair no longer flies to Friedrichshafen, and car hire from Zurich Airport is ridiculously expensive, so we'll probably fly into Salzburg (or maybe Munich), so I'll be focussing on areas served by those airports. It's looking like my partner may have to head home a couple of days early, so somewhere within an hour or so's drive from Salzburg airport would maximize ski time for her. Saalbach and Schladming both seem to fit the bill in this respect, not checked others.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Layne, all understood . I don't disagree with you on the amount of piste skiing - if you were sticking to the pistes then it would probably be a good long weekend resort for most competent intermediates and above.
The claim about the resort being the snowiest in the Alps comes from the Daily Mail (so must be true ) and you can read up on it here.
Anyway - I am in trouble with my eldest for saying too much about what is, as you say, a fairly unknown resort for UK punters .
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
J2R wrote:
Unfortunately it looks like Warth is not possible this year, having looked into flights. Ryanair no longer flies to Friedrichshafen, and car hire from Zurich Airport is ridiculously expensive, so we'll probably fly into Salzburg (or maybe Munich), so I'll be focussing on areas served by those airports. It's looking like my partner may have to head home a couple of days early, so somewhere within an hour or so's drive from Salzburg airport would maximize ski time for her. Saalbach and Schladming both seem to fit the bill in this respect, not checked others.
Monarch fly to Friederichshafen from LGW with flights on both Saturdays and Sundays. I know that the Steffisalp will arrange transfers for you at (I think) 160 Euros each way (for 2 or more) from Friederichshafen (and would probably arrange transfers from Zurich as well); I am sure other hotels would sort transfers too.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Got flights booked now, to Salzburg, but no actual destination sorted yet. Hochkonig sounds good - anyone got any experience of there? I'll have to try the Vorarlberg places another time.
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?
another shout for hochfugen. it can be accessed via hochzillertal, or kaltenbach as i know it. never stayed in kaltenbach but can't imagine it's party-central from what i've seen on umpteen day trips there. i've also had some nice off-piste on the opposite side of the valley at zell am ziller.
in fact i ruptured my ACL at kaltenbach, i now recall, and that was trundling back to the piste after having completed a fun section of lift/piste served off-piste. if you go up to the top of kaltenbach, the newly linked (in 2006) far side into hochfugen was an off-piste dream if i remember. and then there's hochfugen itself.
Thanks for the suggestion. Sadly, it looks a little too far from Salzburg Airport (2 hours) for this jaunt, as we're really looking for somewhere within an hour of the airport so my partner can get at least a morning's skiing in on the Thursday. Sounds good for another year, though.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Had an Amazing week in the Gastein Valley a few season ago. Easy to get to from Salzburg, not well know with Brits. Can't wait to get back there one day and expore it somemore
Where did you go? There are three villages, as far as I recall - Bad Gastein, Hochgastein and Dorfgastein. My sister has stayed in one of them (can't remember which) but didn't go off-piste.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
On that trip, stayed in Bad Gastein but for the future I think Bad Hofgastien would be a better base. Dorfgastein is very easy to get to on the bus. Sportgastein is out on a limb. Keep an eye on the bus timetables as buses aren't always that regular. Having your own wheels would be advantageous but not mandatory
After all it is free
After all it is free
Yep, got the names of the villages wrong there! Anyway, it'll have to be one for another year again, as I've now booked elsewhere. We're staying in Altenmarkt, with a view to exploring the Zauchensee and Flachauwinkl areas. Accommodation was hard to come by at this short notice, and we're perhaps not ideally placed for the slopes. But we'll probably hire a car so that'll enable us to get around more quickly, I suspect, than using the ski buses.
So, Zauchensee it is. Any tips from anyone who's been there (sah, for example)?
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PowderPup, Sportgastein maybe out on a little bit of a limb but is undoubtedly the place to head for the powder!!
J2R, contact Waynos for advice for about off piste around Zauchensee and Flachauwinkl. Have a great time!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
). Nice quiet resort with a bar or two would do us fine.
Edit, or at least you might not understand them if you're not fluent in German 
Is Warth the best village to be based in then? Does it have much (anything?) in the way of shops / bars etc?
I just recall piste conditions being a bit ropey at times which was really just to add a dose of realism to your comment "It gets more snow than any other ski area in the Alps." That's not to say it isn't true, I've no idea. I just didn't find the piste skiing anything special in 4 days I was there.
