Where to Ski in Austria

Hi Guys.

First time on here,and probably asking questions that will bore you.
Anyway here goes.

Me and three mates want to go to Austria last week in Jan,08.

Me,never skied before,the others in their teens(twice),we are early thirties.

Can anyone reccomend a resort,for beginners as well as having some good nightlife and bars.

We thought of trying to get an self cater apartment/chalet and flying from Stansted.
We are budgeting around the £500 per person mark,is that feasable for 7 nights?

We may also consider Italy,what would be best.?
Any info would be gratefully received.
Thank you in advance.

Also can you hire ski suits etc in resort or is it best to order before going?

Hi there

I've only been to Niederau in Austria and that's where my hubby and I learnt to ski. It's a short transfer from Innsbruck, about 1hr - 1hr15. Niederau is a small village so perhaps it's gonna be too quiet for your crowd but the Wildschonau Ski School is excellent. They hold a ski show on a Sunday night on the nursery slopes (gluwein galore) and there is a race day on Thursdays (snow permitting) with an "awards" night which is brill fun as all the ski classes meet up. The Hotel Austria is closest to the gondola, ski school and nursery slopes (1 min walk) but the Sonschien and Harfenwirt are also pretty close, about 5 min walk. Niederau is pretty quiet I imagine compared to bigger Austrian resorts but the Sport Cafe is fantastic right after skiing. You might not be fit to go out later after a few beers and jagermeisters in there! There is also the Cave Bar for night owls. There is tobogganing as well which is brill and a horse drawn sleigh ride up to a small bar above Niederau. The first year we went we got the beginners ski pack which worked out about £600 each staying half board in the Hotel Austria so I would imagine you could easily stick to your budget. A friend of mine has stayed in Kitzbuel three times and that is where she learnt to ski and she loves it there. It's a much bigger resort and would be about another half hour transfer.

Never skied Niederau but have been to Kitzbuhel and it can be quite pricey, think Oxford Street with snow! Try St Johann, it's got a varied night life, reasonably priced and sits in the middle(ish) of the Kitzbuhel Alpen ski area which means you can ski St Johann/Kitzbuhel/Fieberbrunn/Waidring on the same lift pass and all easily reached by local free bus. Ryanair fly to Salzburg from Stansted and you're about an hour on to St Johann, a cheaper option may be to fly with Easyjet to Munich and then hire a car and drive, it's about 1.5 hours drive from Munich. If you wanted to go the package route try Thomson(www.thomsonski.co.uk) I don't work for them but we've been the last 2 years with them and couldn't fault them in any way, if you look on the website you'll see that they have a couple of options from Stansted to St Johann/Niederau/St Wolfgang/Soll/Scheffau all for £450 ish half board leaving a bit over for ski hire and passes etc.etc

Your 2 friends will quickly pick up the skiing again so as a beginner you may want to take a few lessons on a dry slope here before going to get at least get the feel for it, I'd strongly recommend lessons from a ski school, I know it may sound a bit of a bore but trust me it is anything but, in my experience I have always enjoyed ski school and found it a right hoot, not only that but it's a great way to meet people and after the skiing the social side is what I enjoy most. You may want to look at one of Thomsons (other travel companies are available :!: ) 'All-inclusive resorts' you get the ski/boot hire + lessons + lift pass included in the price of the holiday which you may find easier for the 1st time until you find you're feet. Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll enjoy it 8)

Hi there,
We stayed in Park Hotel St Johann, excellent location,
www.park.at or info@park.at. (will deal direct)
beside boot hire, slopes,apres ski, and Bunnys, where the 20 somethings enjoyed late nights. All activity was there as best in town. Excellent beginners facilities. 2 Instruction schools we used red school (85 instructors)- very flexible better for beginners and intermediates : http://www.schi-johann.at/ .
Blue ski school: http://www.schikaiser.com/
St Johann less expensive than Kitzbuhl but a cablecar from one resort to other.
Going back for 3rd year in 2008.
Even with poor snow last Jan plenty of options.

I would suggest skiing Kitzbuhel by staying in Kirchberg a few km's away. Easy access to skiing, decent nightlife, good quality tuition. Get a cheap flight, and rent a car, book accomodation through Interhome, or direct with the Tourist Office.

Last time I stayed in Kirchberg, this place http://www.clubhabitat.at/winter/ had a bar which was great fun :D

If you are around Kitzbuhel at the end of January, there is usually a small party in the town connected with a ski race...can't quite remember the name of the race, gets a few spectators though :lol: :lol:

Have a look at Ski Amade, its a massive area and 45mins from Salzburg. Your budget is very acheivable if you DIY. Flachau is a good party town if you like nightlife. :)

Barron wrote:Hi Guys.

First time on here,and probably asking questions that will bore you.
Anyway here goes.

Me and three mates want to go to Austria last week in Jan,08.

Me,never skied before,the others in their teens(twice),we are early thirties.

Can anyone reccomend a resort,for beginners as well as having some good nightlife and bars.

We thought of trying to get an self cater apartment/chalet and flying from Stansted.
We are budgeting around the £500 per person mark,is that feasable for 7 nights?

We may also consider Italy,what would be best.?
Any info would be gratefully received.
Thank you in advance.

Also can you hire ski suits etc in resort or is it best to order before going?

Ok. End of Jan is a good time to get a cheap break. £500 will get you either a good level of board or a very nice hotel.

Niederau is very cheap, as is Soll. But ask yourself why? Look at the height of both resorts - they often struggle for snow, and you may find yourself spending lots of time travelling your ski pass area to find some.

I can thoroughly recommend Mayrhofen. I have been 3 times before, and am booked again for a week on 12th Jan 2008. It has everything you could want: wide variety of piste abilities, huge ski area, a glacier if all else fails, excellent transport connections to get about the area, modern lifts and chairs, good food and drinking places in the village, lots of shopping available, etc etc. I cant recommend this place highly enough, and out of Stansted you want to fly into Innsbruck, its only 75 mins on the transfer bus.

For £500, you should be looking to get a week in one of the top end hotels, such as the Strass (right next to the Penken lift), Pramstraller, or the Post.

I am going for £159, a weeks B&B on smow homes, allocated on arrival. There isnt a bad hotel in the village, and at the end of the day, its only a bed for the night and somewhere to base yourself.

Give it a go. Most people I know always go bac for more.

If you want to try Italy, I can really only suggest Sauze d'Oulx. A real fun place in a great ski area, again with short transfers, this time from Turin. However, for £500 I would probably suggest you think about trying one of the more upmarket resorts, such as Madonna or one or two other places in the plusher Dolimiti ski area.

I hope you give Mayrhofen a go.

Tony_H wrote:
Niederau is very cheap, as is Soll. But ask yourself why? Look at the height of both resorts - they often struggle for snow, and you may find yourself spending lots of time travelling your ski pass area to find some.

Ok, that really is a load of old rot!! Both Soll and Niederau have averaged snow depths for January of over 100cm over the last 5 years!!

And before anyone tries shooting me down about last year I think you'll find that the snow was crap all over, not just the "lower" resorts.

As it's been said on this forum many a time before, the higher you go the more snow is required to cover the rocks that are generally found on the pists at that height, whereas the "lower" pistes are most;y pasture and therfore need not as much snow cover ot be skiable.

The sorry truth is that with metronomic consistency global warming means that to gaurantee snow in the coming years you are best off choosing a resort with a glacier nearby or leaving it as late as possible to find out where the snow is and then book.

I do agree that Mayrhofen is a great resort although it can be a little overbearing if you don't want the 'in your face' routine. It would be very worthwhile staying in one of the smaller villages outside of the town such as Lanersbach or Finkenberg, quiet at night but close enough to hop in a cab for a rowdy night out :lol: