 Poster: A snowHead
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Just cancelled my booking for St Anton - being put off slightly by thinking I'd want something a little easier in my old age (Ok, 63..is that old?).
Keen to try something new after having done most of the British favourites each more than once: Saalbach, Zell am See, Zillertal, Kitz, Obergurgl, Solden, Ischgl, SkiWelt, Selva
Have instead booked Obertauern for next January, which I hope fits the bill. (Switched Avios flights to Salzburg). Hotel was also not much more than half the price as well.
The "bill" is somewhere of moderate difficulty - Saalbach sort of level where most stuff seems to be lightish red. Which will have good snow in January and has a reasonable amount of ground to cover as I regularly do 60km a day, and has little in the way of queues. Not interested in apres.
Any comments? I could look at Schladming. I have switched my Avios flights to Salzburg so it needs to be that end...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@buchanan101,
I've skied there once, so not very knowledgeable but my observations are this . The area is fairly small but very enjoyable with varied skiing. It sits on a col which means it is a bit exposed to winds and bad weather but also attracts good snow. Certainly on our trip we had very mixed weather . We had a car so made use of the nearby resorts. (Loved Zauchensee which was more sheltered.)
I can't compare it to Schladming which I haven't visited but suspect on average it has a little more reliable snow as it is higher but is a smaller area.
A few bits generated significant queues but we were there in Feb high season , I suspect Jan would be better.
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
@buchanan101,
I've skied there once, so not very knowledgeable but my observations are this . The area is fairly small but very enjoyable with varied skiing. It sits on a col which means it is a bit exposed to winds and bad weather but also attracts good snow. Certainly on our trip we had very mixed weather . We had a car so made use of the nearby resorts. (Loved Zauchensee which was more sheltered.)
I can't compare it to Schladming which I haven't visited but suspect on average it has a little more reliable snow as it is higher but is a smaller area. |
Planning on hiring a car, so that's interesting. Is it on an area lift pass?
having said that I had plans with a car this last January in Ellmau to do Fieberbrunn, Zell amd Ziller, Alpbach, Kitzbuhel, but stayed on the SkiWelt! The weather was never inspiring enough to be worth it.
Am used to "exposed" skiing on the ridge between Ischgl and Samnaun; -25C and windy...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
Planning on hiring a car, so that's interesting. Is it on an area lift pass?
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I think it's the ski amade pass from memory, pretty sure that Schladming is on it as well.
I've skied Ischgl /Samnaun quite a bit and you can get to sheltered areas a bit more readily than in Obertauern. (As in ski in sheltered areas, Obertauern is compact and you can get shelter very readily)
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
| buchanan101 wrote: |
Planning on hiring a car, so that's interesting. Is it on an area lift pass?
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I think it's the ski amade pass from memory, pretty sure that Schladming is on it as well.
I've skied Ischgl /Samnaun quite a bit and you can get to sheltered areas a bit more readily than in Obertauern. (As in ski in sheltered areas, Obertauern is compact and you can get shelter very readily) |
No, separate pass to the Amade
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@buchanan101, no need to go that far from St.Anton.
Just stay in Lech, much gentler skiing. And so much prettier than Obertauern (and St.Anton  )
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Similar in size to Obergurgl but better linked
Very different to Solden Ischgl Selva
Most runs not particularly long
Good up to date lifts other than a couple of older two man
Other area Mountaindorf? is a short free bus run of about 20 minutes and is on the local pass. I would say it's worth a visit.
We have skied there regularly over the years and are likely to be back at some point.
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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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@Garfield, Thanks - thought above treeline would be like Ischgl but easier skiing. Assume you mean similar in size to combined Ober/Hoch Gurgl without the 15 minutes wasted travelling between them
Yes, can be used at Grosseck - Speiereck ski resort in Mauterndorf
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
@Garfield, Thanks - thought above treeline would be like Ischgl but easier skiing. Assume you mean similar in size to combined Ober/Hoch Gurgl without the 15 minutes wasted travelling between them
Yes, can be used at Grosseck - Speiereck ski resort in Mauterndorf |
I like Ischgl as well (heading there tomorrow ) Obertauern is a much more compact area. Never really thought of them as similar.
Yes obergurgl/ Hochgurgl combined' personally I prefer Obertauern but I am not sure why?
Mauterndorf is usually the choice if you get a poor vis day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Timberwolf wrote: |
| T Bar wrote: |
| buchanan101 wrote: |
Planning on hiring a car, so that's interesting. Is it on an area lift pass?
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I think it's the ski amade pass from memory, pretty sure that Schladming is on it as well.
I've skied Ischgl /Samnaun quite a bit and you can get to sheltered areas a bit more readily than in Obertauern. (As in ski in sheltered areas, Obertauern is compact and you can get shelter very readily) |
No, separate pass to the Amade |
It was certainly on a regional pass of some sort when we went though that was quite a few years ago now and it may well have changed.
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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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@T Bar, Salzburg Super Ski card perhaps ? That covers all of Salzburgerland, some of the Tirol, and a couple of areas in Steiermark, and Carinthia
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@Timberwolf,
May well have been.
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You know it makes sense.
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@buchanan101, if you want your high mileage to be on different runs I don't think Obertauern would be enough for you unless you get loads of fresh snow and like off piste.
My friends and I went in March 2015 and it snowed pretty much all week. It's a great place for easy accessible off/side piste and we loved it. My friends all thought it would be a bit small without the fresh snow. I would go back in the hope we got another week like that, with maybe a few sunny days.
Schladming or Flachau may be better bets for you. I've been to both and would gladly go back. The train between the 2 areas could be an option if you didn't drive.
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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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@ste_B, there is no train from Flachau to anywhere.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@holidayloverxx, sorry I should have said Altenmarkt to the area.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ste_B, so its a bus to any skiing at all and a (likely) 10 minute walk to the station then 25 minutes train journey at 8.05 and a 15 minute walk from Schladming station to Planai. the next train is at 9.06 and takes 44 minutes with a change at Radstadt, the next train after that is 10.37. To get back its similar. To be honest I've never found any public transport that works very well to get between resorts, except for the post bus from Flachau to Flachauwinkl/Zauchensee (from the end of my street)
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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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| buchanan101 wrote: |
Any comments? I could look at Schladming. I have switched my Avios flights to Salzburg so it needs to be that end... |
I’m in Scladming at the moment for the first time, did Saalbach a couple of years ago and could give some quick comparisons between the two:
- Schladming is very easily accessible by public transport. Coming from Salzburg I needed to change train in Bischoshofen but it was only a 15 minute wait. If you have a hotel near the Planai/Planai West gondola it’s only a 10 minute walk from the train station.
- Saalbach bigger, better linked area. But then again in Schladming you do get that sense of “travel” from one peak to another. But getting back to your home run takes a few runs and lifts, it takes some time to head home from the other side of the area, whereas in Saalbach you have several options and there are many ways to come back down to the town.
- Schladming town is bigger, Saalbach more compact. You’ll find all you need from both though. Let’s just say that you’ll explore the Saalbach centre in half an hour, Schladming in one or two.
- Schladming pistes tend to be red, and slightly harder red than Saalbach at that. For my skill level I find most of Saalbachs reds basically carveable from top to bottom, Schladming tends to have steeper sections on their reds where I at least have to resort to skidding speed off. And there are hardly any “good blues” which are not cat tracks in Schladming - there were two long carveable blues coming down from Hauser Kaibling (pistes 3 and 4) but that’s it, basically. So in this sense Saalbach was more enjoyable.
- Don’t know why, but for some reason I prefer the views in Schladming. At least I don’t remember just stopping for taking in the view in Saalbach this many times.
- Found the Piste lunch restaurants in Saalbach slightly better in general. Haven’t had a bad experience in Schladming either but just had that much better food and more enjoyable atmosphere in Saalbach.
- Apres slightly better in Saalbach. Both in places just by the bottom lifts for that first apres-beer and for a night out. Didn’t party hard though, not looking into that, just talking about pub -like bars, possibly with some easy live music.
Given the chance, which resort would I return? Can’t tell really, would happily come back to both. They’re a bit different but good in what they are.
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