Recommend me an Austrian ski resort
Discussion
My turn to make the booking this year and would like to give Austria a go now having done the French resorts too death. Did find a similar thread from about a year ago and St Anton, Isschgl and a few others I've heard of all got a mention. I guess I'm leaning toward St. Anton but recommendations welcome based on following preferences:
- snow sure
- May have some intermediates in the group but advanced otherwise.
- Would prefer somewhere reasonably linked up rather than bus rides every morning
- The apres ski is a draw but I guess most Austrian resorts trump the French ones on this.
Also, we've typically gone with independent chalets in France but get the sense Austria is more about hotels/appartments. Correct?
- snow sure
- May have some intermediates in the group but advanced otherwise.
- Would prefer somewhere reasonably linked up rather than bus rides every morning
- The apres ski is a draw but I guess most Austrian resorts trump the French ones on this.
Also, we've typically gone with independent chalets in France but get the sense Austria is more about hotels/appartments. Correct?
gl20 said:
My turn to make the booking this year and would like to give Austria a go now having done the French resorts too death. Did find a similar thread from about a year ago and St Anton, Isschgl and a few others I've heard of all got a mention. I guess I'm leaning toward St. Anton but recommendations welcome based on following preferences:
- snow sure
- May have some intermediates in the group but advanced otherwise.
- Would prefer somewhere reasonably linked up rather than bus rides every morning
- The apres ski is a draw but I guess most Austrian resorts trump the French ones on this.
Also, we've typically gone with independent chalets in France but get the sense Austria is more about hotels/appartments. Correct?
St Anton is great, however...... it's a bit of a sausage fest and tends to attract noticeably more out of control knobs due to it's rep as a difficult resort IMO. Its a bit of an odd resort in the grading, a lot of the blues would easily be reds in other resorts, lots of proper to dark reds yet I'd not class any of the blacks as true blacks. It's an extensive resorts, particularly when you throw Lech and Zurs in-cheap taxi if there's a few of you.- snow sure
- May have some intermediates in the group but advanced otherwise.
- Would prefer somewhere reasonably linked up rather than bus rides every morning
- The apres ski is a draw but I guess most Austrian resorts trump the French ones on this.
Also, we've typically gone with independent chalets in France but get the sense Austria is more about hotels/appartments. Correct?
You don't say when you're thinking of going, I can see why if it's a bigger group you may want to book ahead but the usual advice would be to wait and see where the snow is good if you can. Really you should get good skiing almost anywhere Jan-March. The so called 'low' resort couldn't operate if they couldn't offer reliable coverage throughout the season.
Soll, huge if not the biggest connected resort in Austria, good après little in the way of challenging on piste stuff.
Kitzbuhel, a personal favourite, your usual Austrian après and a bit more interesting on piste IMO than the Soll area. Some good off piste to be had too.
Saalbach. As above
Solden, very snow sure with it's glacier, bit of ugly town popular with Scandies. Worth bearing in mind there are two main bubbles up the hill at either end of the town so it's worth bearing in mind when choosing accommodation. Bit like the high French resorts can be a bit bleak in bad weather.
If you want to consider something different and linked up have a look at the Ski Amade region.
Ischgl. It's been a while and would expect it to be the most expensive. Despite it's appeal it still doesn't see to be hugely on the radar on the British TO's? Probably a better variety on piste than St Anton but off piste doesn't compare.
Will add the caveat with the above it's been a little while since I've been to some of the areas so links etc may have improved and plenty which haven't been mentioned.
Pensions, hotels etc are more common in Austria than chalets but there are plenty-lots of chalet hotels also. St Anton is my favourite Austrian resort, the off piste is awesome plus if you want some quiet pistes you can head to Stuben or over to Zurs/Lech. You can also immerse your self as much or as little in the après/nightlife if you pick your accommodation carefully. The 'Happy valley' home run (main run back down into resort) is without doubt the worst home run I've ever seen (been at varying times of year)If you're out all day and have some more nervous skiers with you I'd recommend considering a download in the gondola, no matter how good you think you are it only takes one idiot to spoil your holiday!
Can recommend a few guides for off piste if you fancy it.
jamesc_1729 said:
Would deffo recommend St anton as suitable, but also Mayrhofen worth a look?
Mayrhofen I've always thought it's biggest draw back is having to download in the gondola at the end of the day off the main mountain/area Penken? Cheap and ticks most of your other boxes though.Thanks for all the responses. Guess St. Anton is the safe option then. If we go then will watch out on the Happy Valley run which I'm guessing is the one that takes you from the on-slope apres bars?
Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
gl20 said:
Thanks for all the responses. Guess St. Anton is the safe option then. If we go then will watch out on the Happy Valley run which I'm guessing is the one that takes you from the on-slope apres bars?
Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
If you’re there the first week of Jan I’ll be there doing an off piste guided week ;-)Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
Re: Happy Valley I think it’s possibly run #1 on the piste map. But yes it’s the run that basically leads to the glut of bars which are a few hundred meters up the hill from the town. I forgot to mention Rendl which is a good bet in the afternoon as it gets the sun and will be quieter than the main resort. Check out when the Fasching holiday falls next year, it will be busier with locals then but in general Austria is subject to the block of school holidays like the 4 weeks in France that you’d normally look to avoid.
gl20 said:
Thanks for all the responses. Guess St. Anton is the safe option then. If we go then will watch out on the Happy Valley run which I'm guessing is the one that takes you from the on-slope apres bars?
Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
I've done Mayrhofen and St Anton several times in January, both great resorts. Looking at your requirements St Anton would definitely edge it (no pun intended) for me, Mayrhofen involves more non-ski travelling to cover the whole piste map. Re. timing - probably last week in Jan or 1st in March. Again, this is a legacy of always planning around French half term holidays but assume these weeks work well in Austria too.
Will check Kitzbuhel and Mayrhofen too - whenever I hear those names, I always think of David Vine on Ski Sunday!
Think of a PH'er who can't go this season due to a kid due in Feb whilst you're enjoying the apres in the Mooserwiirt or Krazy Kangaruh, or one of the sublime pizzas at the Galzig mountain restaurant!
Lech and Zurs are well worth the trip from St A (short minivan taxi rides) even if the drivers are probably the wealthiest in Europe, the fare isn't too bad if split 8 ways. Heated lift seats in Lech too, very welcome on a cold January day and appeals to the inner PH'er in me!
http://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/Austria/Lech-Zu...
PurpleTurtle said:
Think of a PH'er who can't go this season due to a kid due in Feb whilst you're enjoying the apres in the Mooserwiirt or Krazy Kangaruh, or one of the sublime pizzas at the Galzig mountain restaurant!
One of the guys in the group twice left his wife to hold the fort with a 4-week old addition to his growing clan. Don't think he was very popular... can't think why!Ischgl all the way.
- Not full of Brits.
- Not the best for day 1 beginners or black-only skiers but plenty for everyone between.
- Almost all new, with the oldest lift probably being 10 years old (on the Austrian side - Swiss seem to have deeper pockets and shorter arms). Good hood cover with an increasing number being fitted with heated seats.
- Avoid the 9-10 morning rush hour at the gondolas (and then only really at Silvrettabahn) and don't pick Flimjochbahn/Idjochbahn to get out of the Idalp bowl right after lunch and you basically won't see a queue.
- Snow makers all over the mountain so even if nature doesn't provide the white stuff, the resort will.
- Pistes are generally quite wide, so no getting trapped behind a line of children being snaked all across the piste.
- The half rotisserie chicken at Alp Bella
- As for apres - I've yet to go there with someone who's said "The apres is better in X though".
Yes, Austria does tend to be more hotel/B&B but that's part of what makes their apres better than anyone elses. People come straight off the slopes in to the bars with enough time to get happy drunk, then leave to go back for dinner at their hotel before they get unsociably drunk!
- Not full of Brits.
- Not the best for day 1 beginners or black-only skiers but plenty for everyone between.
- Almost all new, with the oldest lift probably being 10 years old (on the Austrian side - Swiss seem to have deeper pockets and shorter arms). Good hood cover with an increasing number being fitted with heated seats.
- Avoid the 9-10 morning rush hour at the gondolas (and then only really at Silvrettabahn) and don't pick Flimjochbahn/Idjochbahn to get out of the Idalp bowl right after lunch and you basically won't see a queue.
- Snow makers all over the mountain so even if nature doesn't provide the white stuff, the resort will.
- Pistes are generally quite wide, so no getting trapped behind a line of children being snaked all across the piste.
- The half rotisserie chicken at Alp Bella
- As for apres - I've yet to go there with someone who's said "The apres is better in X though".
Yes, Austria does tend to be more hotel/B&B but that's part of what makes their apres better than anyone elses. People come straight off the slopes in to the bars with enough time to get happy drunk, then leave to go back for dinner at their hotel before they get unsociably drunk!
This might help you with timings - it's all the European school holidays for the 1014/15 season.
Helps you avoid or minimise when the slopes will be the busiest.
...and why we're going the 11th - 18th of Jan!
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=107...
Helps you avoid or minimise when the slopes will be the busiest.
...and why we're going the 11th - 18th of Jan!
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=107...
//j17 said:
Ischgl all the way.
I looked at going the last two seasons, but it seemed very £££ spendy compared to other Austrian resorts. That said, we wanted a chalet for the collective social/sole occupancy aspect, but there seemed to be limited choice, it appears more geared towards hotel accommodation.
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