Didn't realize how much I have missed Austria!

Well, we've just got back from our third family ski holiday. After two years in Folgarida which I would recommend very highly for a family, we decided on a change of scenery. I pounced on a good deal with Crystal to the Hotel Waldrand in Scheffau. I got the usual sharp intakes of breath from the prophets of doom and the comments that it's too early in the season to stay at a resort that's 'only' 750m above sea level; but I had done my research and decided that the worst case scenario was a gondola ride down the mountain at the end of the day due to an bald or patchy home run. (Not a problem with two tired kids.)

We had booked the kids into ski-school for five days (Mon-Fri) so after collecting the kids' skis and boots from the excellent Sport Rainer beneath the Alpin Hotel on Sunday we took advantage of the opportunity to ski as a family group. Conditions weren't great: lots of fresh snow but poor visibility and very flat light. Mrs Gaz usually leads the way down the mountain while I bring up the rear and mop up the spills as we make our way down. Mrs Gaz had a little crisis of confidence in the conditions and my 8-year old son, who's a bit of a daredevil, was struggling to control his speed. Luckily my 12-year old daughter stepped up to the mark and calmly led us down like an expert. I was able to devote 100% attention to preventing junior going on any unplanned off-piste excursions while Mum followed daughter to the next lift. After five runs we decided to call it a day and went down in the gondola even though the run home was in excellent condition.

Mrs Gaz sat out the next day despite the improvement in the weather so after dropping the kids off at ski-school, with an extra 11 euros for lunch, I took advantage of the social skiing, organized by James the Crystal rep. I dropped on with a really good, like-minded group and we bombed about all over the mountain, taking in lunch at the restaurant on top of the Hohe Salve above Soll; the highest point of the Ski Welt area. The afternoon consisted of more of the same before a mad dash back across to Scheffau to meet the kids at 3:30 when their lessons finished. We took the blue run home. My daughter led the way confidently while I had several near heart attacks as junior took every narrow and twisty 'rabbit run' through the trees at the side of the piste and encouraged me to follow him. He was a different kid to the previous day: all his control had come back to him. He had obviously had some great input from his instructor, Danny.

Mrs Gaz started her lessons the next day so I skied over to Ellmau with some of the guys I had met the previous day. We all met back in Scheffau for lunch but due to a map-reading error, I had to share a taxi back (15euros) as we came down into the wrong part of town to take the funicular back up and over to Scheffau. The kids went back to ski-school for the afternoon session but adult lessons finish at lunchtime so Mrs Gaz and I skied the blues and gentle reds between Scheffau and Brixen. Mrs Gaz took the gondola down while I met the kids and we skied the blue run to the mid station where we crossed on to the red back down to the valley. They were both coming on in leaps and bounds! Then it was panic stations as we needed to be showered and changed and back to town to be taken to Ellmau for the horse drawn sleigh ride through the village and into the meadows where the snow was laying really quite deep. Mrs Gaz is really into her horses so she and the driver got to chattering all about the pair of Haflinger horses that were doing such a grand job of pulling the sleigh. On returning to Scheffau and (another) lovely dinner courtesy of our hosts Ingrid and Georg at the Waldrand we were shattered so It was an early night for all of us.

Wednesday was almost a bluebird day. Routine-wise it was pretty much as the previous day; In the morning I would ski with the guys I had met in Monday's social skiing group (we even managed some off-piste under the chair-lifts) before peeling off and returning to Scheffau to meet the family for lunch. I think this was also the day we skied the home run in the dark. We lingered a little too long over hot chocolate at the Brandstadl after ski-school and, with hindsight, should have skied only to the mid-station before taking the gondola the rest of the way. Most of the skiers who passed us on the lower run were wearing head-torches! My daughter nagged me and called me irresponsible; but hey, no-one got hurt, no-one got pregnant so all was well -) .

Thursday was the 'away day' for all the ski classes. Danny took the kids to Itter and Hopfgarten. Mrs Gaz went to who knows where with her group and I had a great day with James and the social skiers over at Westendorf. Well, it was great except for the 'faceplant'! I was feeling really good and approached one of the off-piste 'rabbit runs', that junior is so fond of, at speed. However, the light was a bit flat and even through my normally excellent Bolle goggles I didn't realize that I was effectively hurtling towards a knee-high wall of ice. It just looked a bit bigger and a bit steeper than the ones that junior had been leading me over. Needless to say, when my skis came to a sudden stop I didn't. Result: the mother of all faceplants! The guys behind me were howling with laughter, especially as until then I was the only one not to have had a fall all week. Luckily I was unhurt and picked myself up to ski away older and wiser :oops: . When he had stopped laughing, the guy skiing right behind me said he was all for following me over and just managed to throw in an emergency stop as I sailed through the air. It made me a bit of a legend in my own lunchtime :) . We got back to Scheffau for 3 o'clock so I had time to take out my frustration on the timed slalom course on the Sudhang piste. I'll try to post a link to the video if anyone's interested. I was pleased with my time (don't think I'll be winning the BMW X1 though), but on video it never looks as good or as fast as it feels at the time. I then met the kids from ski-school and skied a combination of blue and red pistes home. This time we had our hot chocolate stop near the bottom of the run.

Friday was more of the same for me but it was a big day for the kids. Race day! This was held on a specially constructed slalom course by the Ostlift. 72 kids were graded into three groups according to ability. My two were in the second (silver) group. My daughter finished second (behind a German boy) in 30.2 seconds. My son was third with a time of 30.3 seconds. Guess who was the proudest Dad in Austria that night! The difference in style was amazing: Nadia was all effortless control and didn't appear to be trying. Joel was the complete opposite; poling like crazy,his little arms going like the clappers :D . They then wanted to try and beat my time on the Sudhang. We skied over and did it but by now it was snowing quite hard and the cameras had been switched off due to the lack of visibility. They were really on a high now and the top half of the home run took in every single detour through the trees. The lower section was in beautiful shape with the fresh snow which was still falling and we skied it all the way without a single stop. Then the rush was on to make the presentation in the village. My daughter almost died of embarrassment when they called her up. The compere mis-read Danny's handwriting and thought that her date of birth was 2008 instead of 2000. They were making such a fuss because her impressive time for a 12-year old was bordering on miraculous for a 4-year old. They had prepared a little ermine cape and gilded tiara and were ready to crown her Wilde Kaiserin (Empress of Scheffau) for the best performance of the week. Her face was something to behold :D !

It's five years since I last went to Austria (St. Anton on a lads' trip) and it's eleven years since I was last in Kitzbuhel. I like to mix it up with France and Italy and I'd love to go to Switzerland if I could afford it. I had my doubts that Austria could be as child friendly as Italy but they have been blown out of the water. Lovely, friendly people; delicious, homely food; excellent value (beer 4 euros a pint on the mountain and 3.40 in town) and they are the masters of apres from mega-cheesy to ubercool and all points in-between. Let's just say I shan't leave it another five years. I can't wait to go back!

Top post, Gaz C.

Hmmm, we have just booked Corvara for school holidays. Third time to Dolomites but might return to Austria next time. We had a friend book a low resort in Austria a few years ago and they had no snow. Snow gods can be cruel.

Great write-up; enjoyed reading that and brought back memories of my "SkiWelt in a day" with Dave Mac a few years back!

Sounds like a top family holiday.

Cheers fellas. Dave, from the site I know that you know this area really well and your input was instrumental in convincing me that the 'naysayers' had it wrong about the lack of snow.

Geno, I love the Dolomites. I have been there twice but not yet with the family. Folgarida is in the Brenta Dolomites and to me at any rate feels totally different to the Dolomiti Superski area. This year was a toss-up between two cracking deals to Scheffau or Campitello. We went for Scheffau because the Waldrand got far better reviews than the the one in Campitello. I'll definitely be back soon with my mob. Have a good one in Corvara.

Glad you enjoyed it Adders. Was it the faceplant or the 'carp' map-reading that reminded you of your day with Dave? -)

http://www.skiline.cc/skimovie/hen98

Not sure if this will work but here's the link to my Ted Ligety impression ;-j on the Sudhang.

I think the skiline lot are a bit precious about about posting links. they keep changing the http: code. the one above is the latest one. Works for me (at the moment).

Gaz C wrote:http://www.skiline.cc/skimovie/gq314

Not sure if this will work but here's the link to my Ted Ligety impression ;-j on the Sudhang.

Not been released yet, Gaz. I bet it is worth waiting for!

I did warn Admin that the Schiwelt piste map must be the worlds worst! And yes, we got lost, roughly about 200m from the top of the Hopfgarten Gondola! However, we managed to rip up the north side of the Welt to Going, and back down the other side, all within the day.

A couple of days ago, I was going through my box of piste maps ~ not easy, I have several hundred, (many multiples) ~ I had 14 Schiwelt piste maps! I will be adding another couple over the next few weeks!

Always enjoyed Austria gaz, but always had reservations about skiing certain parts due to lower altitudes. Sounds like you had a great week of weather.