 Poster: A snowHead
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I realise I'm asking this at the wrong end of the season, when traffic is lower, but putting it out there anyway.
I'm looking for something that meets as many of these requirements as possible... We will be going at half term. Group comprises 5 skiing adults (intermediate), 1 non-skiing adult, 2x13 year olds (3rd ski trip, 1st since 2020)
Not France - probably Austria, or Italy if it ticks the other boxes
Decent chance of plenty of snow (1 couple very rarely gets to go, so decent snow is important)
Good size ski area - 1 couple likes to cover some ground and would feel hemmed in by a limited resort (linked area would be ideal if possible)
Not £££££ (we realise it will be expensive, but there are always cheaper and more expensive options!)
Ideally transfer under 2hrs (travel sickness a very real problem!)
Walking options for the non-skier (or easy access to nice places to visit)
Ski school for the girls (probably full days to start with)
We have been to Kitzbuhel as a group twice, and it worked really well - ticked all the above boxes. One couple has been there twice since, so going back again isn't ideal for them as they'd like to go elsewhere really.
We have self catered before, and would be happy to do that again. As long as we're near a bus (or train) stop to get to the main lift (and can store skis/boots there) then that works for us. Equally happy to be catered, but that's always worked out more expensive before.
Any thoughts or suggestions on where we should go would be most welcome. Ischgl has been suggested - not somewhere I know anything about - does it tick some/all of our boxes? Other options definitely sought though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Zillertal would tick most if not all your requirements, especially if you're happy to travel along the valley using the free buses/trains to access all the ski areas in the valley.
Mayrhofen is the busiest village with the most going on, but also likely the most expensive, so if you couldn't find something there in your price bracket, you could always look elsewhere along the valley.
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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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As above - or possibly Kitzbuhel area
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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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Andorra ?
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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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Agree with the Zillertal, other possibilities might be Saalbach Hinterglemm (though perhaps less good for non skier), Arlberg (can be expensive but look at staying in Pettneu), Dolomites (transfers can be a pain, Innsbruck works though has a reputation for weather issues), Ski Amade (near Salzburg so good for non skiing day trips). Zillertal, Arlberg and to some extent Dolomites are reachable by train from Innsbruck (or Munich at a push) so less travel sickness issue.
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| Gored wrote: |
| As above - or possibly Kitzbuhel area |
They said they've been and might not want to go back
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Lots of areas in Austria and almost all within 2 hours of Salzburg or Innsbruck. Plus you can probably make Dolomites or Brenta Dolomites work. Was in Skirama over Easter and there's more than enough groomer skiing for anyone.
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How are you getting there?
If you're flying from London, the tickets at half term x8 will ruin you at most airports.
Suggest look at Swiss resorts on the train from Basel airport. I assume travel sickness would be less of an issue on the train?
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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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The snag is that you have been spoilt by Kitzbuhel.
That sounds to me the most ideal place on the planet.
I don't think Ischgl is the right place for you.
As others have said perhaps the Zillertal then. Perhaps Katernbach, but I'm not that up on the Zillertal.
Do NOT go to Niederau.
Could have a go at Serfaus or Fiss.
Have a great time.
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You ruled out France, but you might consider Avoriaz which answers all your requests. (Pierre & Vacances apartments)
Using Innsbruck airport as a base, the train will easily get you to Landeck in Tirol, from there you have easy access to Austrian paradise:
1. Serfauss Fiss Ladis (1 hour bus to Fiss)
2. Paznaun close to Ischgl (1 hour by bus)
3. Pettneu am Arlberg is 10 minutes closer but IMHO I don't believe it is the right destination for the crowd the OP mentioned.
4. Zell am Ziller is 2 hrs from Innsbruck, closer cheaper and more interesting skiing wise than Mayrhofen and well connected to it by free skibus/train.
5. From Innsbruck by car to Soelden is an hour and a half, Obergurgl is half an hour more (see Crystal early deals).
Soelden has about 50 km of hiking trails plus the Langenfeld spa is within driving distance.
6. To add to your dilemmas, from Munich airport you have less than 2 hrs drive to reach SkiWelt, plenty of decent priced options (I stayed in Kirchberg which is closer to Kitz but you've done it too many times, we drove to Brixen or Westendorf half of our time there and enjoyed SkiWelt immensely.
(7. Alpendorf/Wagrain/St Johann are 2 hrs and a half away and have many fans here. Never been there yet)
Back to where I know and like: ITALY from Innsbruck:
8. Alta Badia. Less than 2 hrs by car to Badia/La Villa. If budget allows, drive a bit more to Corvara.
9. Ortisei. An hour and a half by car.
Lovely place but mostly red runs although there are some blue pistes to build back confidence. And close to Alpe di Suisi and Val Gardena.
Personal opinion: Serfaus/Fiss or Alta Badia from Innsbruck, SkiWelt from Munich.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My thought was Switzerland, which we found (surprisingly) competitive against the hikes in price found elsewhere for half term week.
Davos would work, transfer from Zurich entirely by train so presumably not much of a travel sickness problem. Plenty of skiing, though split between areas, with the long ski over to Kublitz (the train journey back being covered on the lift pass) being special. I am pretty sure a non-skier can walk alongside the extensive cross country routes within the valley, and there is easy public transfer access to Klosters and beyond though I assume a non-skier would have to pay. Instructors were excellent.
I am just kicking myself I can't remember the name of the self-catering apartments we stayed in (twice) at what seemed a pretty reasonable cost at the time.
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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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Reading your list of requirements I was going to say Kitzbühel!
For somewhere new I think Arlberg (probably rather St Anton than Lech for your non-skier?) would be better than Ischgl.
Serfaus ticks a lot of your boxes but not much for the non-skier... Same with Saalbach.
You could also look into Montafon - staying in Schruns - but your non-skier will probably need to take the train to Feldkirk for entertainment. From memory that's like 30 mins very regular train, station right in Schruns village, and Feldkirk is a very nice town to spend time in. Innsbruck easy too but probably have to change trains in Bludenz.
Maybe Schladming? I don't know it other than the bike park, but I think the town should be a reasonable size and quite nice, and I guess Salzburg should be easy to get too.
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| drporat wrote: |
4. Zell am Ziller is 2 hrs from Innsbruck, closer cheaper and more interesting skiing wise than Mayrhofen and well connected to it by free skibus/train. |
In a car it's just shy of 1 hour, but more like 2 if going by train.
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You know it makes sense.
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@munich_irish, my OH doesn't ski. Last January we were in Saalbach and she found plenty of hikes in the area.
Then we took the skibus to Hinterglemm and enjoyed walking along the small river running through the main road of H.
We took the Reiterkogelbahn to do a snow sleigh track and later walked through a winterweg till we reached a fabulous restaurant Rosswaldhutte with the best Kaiserschmern ever (recommended by our hotel owner in Saalbach).
To us it was a pleasant destination for a rather active non skier 
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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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@swskier, correct.
And to me it was the best skiing resort in Zillertal, plenty of fun slopes to go from ridge to ridge and lovely views.
I reckon it should also be cheaper than Mayrhofen, we paid an arm and a leg (we went in the Fasching week :/facepalm)
@clarky999, there are lovely winter hikes above Lech and a decent snow sleigh piste as well.
We took the free blue bus to Zurs and returned by foot on a designed path that runs through the forest all the way back to Lech
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Mon 29-04-24 21:36; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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You could look at La Thuile.
Short transfer from Turin, bit longer from Milan or Geneva but only the last few miles is at all windy for travel sickness.
Very good snow record and links with La Rosiere to provide a good sized ski area. Generally well priced.
Opportunity for non skier to visit Aosta is the valley with some very attractive and interesting Roman remains, though I can't say I know what the walking is like locally.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pila, Aosta.
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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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Another couple of Swiss options could be Arosa/Lenzerheide, or Grindelwald
Re the Austrian options suggested above, I reckon Serfaus Fiss Ladis, Zillertal or SkiWelt would also suit your requirements (others I don't know, so can't comment). A couple of additional points of these:
SkiWelt has the lowest max altitude, but as you'll be going at half-term, I doubt this would be an issue. I might avoid staying in Soll, as a lot of the slopes are south-facing, and I've skied there in January when they got slushy by late morning
To make the most of Zillertal you'd probably want to ski in more than one area, using busses or trains to travel between them This works fine, but conflicts with the idea of storing skis/boots at the main lift, as the main lift in each area is not necessarily the transport hub. To give an example, if you were staying in Mayrhofen, and storing skis/boots at the Penkenbahn, then to ski in Zillertal Arena, you'd probably need a bus to Penkenbahn to pick up kit, then bus (or two, or bus and train) to Zillertal Arena. You can mitigate this by planning in advance whether to take kit home with you the day before, but this may be more admin than people like
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@drporat, If non skiers enjoy walking them practically any ski area would work, pretty much every (all?) ski area has a network of walking paths around them. Buy some ice grippers for your boots and you are good to go. Not sure that would suit everyone, some might want trips for sightseeing & shopping.
Not sure why the Arlberg would not be suitable (beyond the fact that it has got much more expensive recently). It does get crowded but UK half term not relevant to that, full day ski school, snowiest spot in the alps, largest area in Austria. Agree some dont get on with the place but if you want kms of easy groomers go to France or the Dolomites.
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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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@munich_irish, she is indeed happy to walk for hours in the nature and meet me later on the mountain.
I ruled out Arlberg due to the extreme costs (accommodation, city tax at its max., ski hire and tuition etc.
The OP mentioned intermediate skiing level for the group plus 2 daughters with limited experience.
My belief is that Arlberg justifies its cost for skilled skiers who enjoy the challenge and the moguls and happen to be Austrian Apres aficionados.
It's my favourite Austrian resort.
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Cervinia (or linked village of Paquier) might be an option, just about under your transfer time (2h from Turin) and link to Zermatt will allow plenty of ground to cover, from experience accommodation is quite good value there. Turin flights look like half the price of Innsbruck. I can't comment on walking opportunities.
Saas Fee might also be an option with a train transfer to Visp and then relatively short bus. Snow will be excellent. You'll all need to be ok on red runs to get the most of it. If they have availability the Hostel 4000 will be relatively good value accommodation. There should be quite good options for the non skier including the Hannig mountain and lift that is dedicated to walkers and other non skiers. Ski schools are excellent.
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Sierra Nevada (Spain) is a more out there suggestion, quite high altitude for snow (and a lot of snow making). A flight to Grenada (if possible) would give you a short transfer to the resort. Transfer from Malaga is longer than the 2h you specify but almost all of it is on flat motorways. Flights are a likely to be cheap. Accommodation is likely to be good value. Ski area is reasonable in size although not huge. In the past private lessons have been very good value when I have been there. I'd expect lots of options for a non skier further down the mountain with Grenada having plenty to do and see.
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Saalbach-Hinterglemm, or the wider Ski Circus, ticks the boxes. Even the non-skier can find things to do, and there is always Zell am See just down the road (20 mins on the bus) for a day trip. Plenty of walking, also up on the mountain (as ^^ above e.g. to Rosswaldhutte) and a reduced-price pedestrian lift ticket available so the non-skier can meet the others for lunch at any of the restaurants loacted next to the ski lifts. Huge ski area for the skiers - over 400km including Zell am See, all linked (with the exception of the 5-minute free bus between Schonleitenbahn in Saalbach and the connecting Zell am See lift at Viehhofen).
BUT - for 2025 the exact half-term dates are important, as not only will there be the usual added expense of half-term, but also the 2025 World Championships are being held in S-H from 4th- 16th February, so accommodation will be at a premium.
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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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Some great options here - thanks!
Ischgl hasn't come up at all - what is it that means it doesn't work for us? (It's not somewhere I know anything about, but one of the group suggested it as an option, but I don't know on what basis!)
Interesting that there are several Dolomite suggestions. We have skied the last 2 years in that area (Selva & Arabba) and have fallen for it hook line and sinker. It's not cheap though - the lift pass is a lot more than many places (not so bad if you get a local area pass, but that would defeat the object of going there). I know nowhere will be cheap, but I found the Dolomites to be more expensive than Austria on the mountain, especially.
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@WoottonBecs,
La Thuile is significantly cheaper than the dolomites.
I think Ischgl is a great place to ski and would probably suit you well from the skiing point of view, but unless you can get flights to Innsbruck the transfers are not short. It is also pretty pricey.
We used to do it regularly with our kids at Feb half term. To save money we stayed down the valley at Kappl and skied them over early in the morning to the Samnaun ski school.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@WoottonBecs, Ischgl is always a possibility. Rather expensive, I mentioned the nearby village Paznaun. When you search for accommodation in Austria, use the local websites instead of Booking/Hotels.
Dolomite skipass is always expensive due to the huge numbers of pistes, chairlifts and general mileage.
An important factor in your decision should be the landing airport and the transfer mode - rental car, train or shared bus
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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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cortina - 2 hrs fr Venice by car, good time to go re it holidays, indoor ice rink, lots of walking and pedestrian friendly lifts to stunning place / meet skiers- good for intermediates - if ur happy to use bus / car to stay mobile its quite a gem
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@WoottonBecs,
Zermatt, transferring by train. Big area - huge if including Italian side. High & snow sure. Plenty of options for non-skier to join rest of group for lunch. Self-catering would help keep the price down, but it may be beyond your budget.
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You know it makes sense.
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Re Ischgl. It'd definitely meet your skiing requirements, but it's either relatively expensive to stay in Ischgl, or you could stay elsewhere in the Paznaun valley, but I expect the ski buses would be pretty busy at half term (we've twice stayed in Kappl and the buses have worked fine, but both occasions were in April when it's a lot quieter)
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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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Another vote for Fiss, visited for the first time this year, our whole group loved it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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OP, You've just said Saalbach und hinterglem with out saying S und H. excluding Ischgl and the kitzski areas there's nowhere in Europe with a lift system as good, which is what you'll be wanting at Feb half term. Its a big area add to that zell am see und Kaprun. You'll love it there
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