Mayrhofen Ski School

I am going to Mayrhofen for half term next year with my wife and daughter and would be grateful for some feedback on the best ski schools:

My wife is a nervous Blue run skier who needs patient instruction - she can ski well enough to tackle reds but gets spooked by the slope.

My daughter, who will be 14 when we travel, is a very good skier who can tackle most of what the mountain can throw at her. She has completed staeg "Or" in France with both Oxygene and ESF. She preferred the Oxygene fun approach and now wants to move on to more speed / carving lessons.

Any feedback gratefully received.

Thanks
Ian

enter tony_h...... :-D

Unfortunately, I never learned to ski in Mayrhofen, so I cannot pass comment on the ski schools there. However, my learned friend Skidaddle knows a lot of the instructors well, and a couple of them on a personal level.

"Four schools with over 100 instructors between them cope with the annual influx of predominantly beginner and lower intermediate clients as well as a few experts who are drawn to the recommended Mount Everest ski school, t +43 (0)5285 62829. Its charismatic owner, Peter Habeler, climbed Everest without oxygen in 1978. His school teaches all standards and he personally guides off-piste tours with overnight stops in a mountain hut. The other schools are Roten Profis, t +43 (0)5285 63800, Max Rahm's Mayrhofen Total, t +43 (0)5285 63939, and Mayrhofen 3000, t +43 (0)5285 64015." Taken from the skiclub website.

Please feel free to PM skidaddle, and I will ask him to reply on this thread.

Hello

I understand fully your problem.

I worked as a Holiday Rep and Ski Guide in Mayrhofen. I am also a qualified skiing instructor and have worked as such in France, Austria and Andorra.

I have to say that in my opinion the slopes in Mayrhofen are not conducive to a nervous blue run skier who wishes to improve. Interestingly Inghams rate Mayrofen as an execllent resort for beginners, but they are wrong (the other tour operators also think differently). You have to get a cable car to get to the nursery slopes; having reached them they are very busy with many ski schools and instructors fighting for a bit of space. Having left the nursery slopes the progression is poor due to the fact that the blue runs are very very busy and congested in certain places. I must have skied in over 70 resorts and in my opinion Mayrhofen is the worst resort for beginners and nervous intermediates. As for advanced/experts it is also very limited.

My suggestion therefore would be not to go to Mayrhofen and choose somewhere else. If you have no choice then I would strongly suggest that you book some private lessons for your wife. The best way to do this is to go into any Ski School and ask to speak to the boss and explain to him waht you are looking for and diplomatically make it clear to him that you want someone who is patient and understanding and not some boy racer type instructor - like any profession there are good and bad instructors and the head of the Ski School will now his staff and who mght be better suited to your needs. If you feel that he is listneing to you and is able to accommodaye your needs then book, if not walk out and try another one. However, I would be very surprised if any Ski School couldn't help you, particularly in Austria.

Good luck and happy skiing.

I agree totally with IDKWIA. The Blues in that area, although generally ok, tend to have very a steep begining (for nervous or the unconfident) which wrecks them for the day.

I took my other half to RISOUL in France which has greens fropm bottom to top, green through the snow park (she even attempted some jumps!) and some great blues which previously she was too unconfident to do.

As a confidence builder, it is a good resort as tree lined and not too vast. There is plenty of decent piste sking too and some great tree lines off piste for you and your daughter.

Not the biggest or livliest resort, but it may take your wife up a level... if not.. change wife :lol:

Sorry, but Mayrhofen is hardly the most difficult resort in the world. There are bursery slopes at the top of the Penken, which I have never seen congested. Also, the 2 reds over the front, 1 and 11, are not difficult at all, and the ski schools are often on them. There are also perfect beginn er slopes on the Ahorn.

Mind you, as I said, I didnt learn to ski in Mayrhofen. I did in Val Thorens, which had plenty of blues and a very flat and slow green, which was rubbish.

Personally, I would avoid France at all costs, but thats just my opinion. Most beginners I know said Canada was the best place to go.

We must accept that choosing a ski resort is very subjective. However this lady in NOT a beginner and hence does NOT need nursery slopes. She is a "nervous blue run skier". I have taught hundreds of people to ski, including many people who have a certain amount of ability but what prevents them from progressing is nervousness and fear. People in this situation need a good instructor who can empathise with this fear and ideally slopes that allow the building of confidence. I am not suggesting that the slopes at Mayrhofen are difficult but having worked there as a Ski Guide for a season and comparing it with many other resorts I do not believe it is the best choice for this particular lady. However, an appropriate instructor is the most important thing and this is why I would suggest private lessons perhaps initially. If I had to recommend a Ski School in Mayrhofen I would suggest that run by Peter Habeler and I would strongly suggest that you talk to Peter directly; his English is excellent and he is very helpful.

(I have also taught in Risoul and I agree with babyshambles that it is a very good place for nervous intermediates. I do have to admit though that I love Austria above France for the overall 'package').

Anyway, have fun!





However, having taught hundreds of people to ski incuodin

I'm certainly not saying Maryhofen is a difficult resort, you can make any resort as difficult or easy as you like when you are a confident skiier.

You must remember how you felt when you were learning and I know that when I learnt to ski (at Mayrhofen), I was pretty scared (or should I say scared witless) for the first 2 days. If you cant get over that it becomes unenjoyable, especially if you feel that you are letting your other half down, it just becomes pressure rather than enjoyment.

The saying "its easy when you know how" comes to mind !!