Getting there... apart from having to drive to Gatwick at stupid-o-clock in the driving rain it couldn't have been smoother. Easyjet to Innsbruck was bang on time and, after enjoying what must be one of the most spectacular approaches to any airport anywhere, we were off the plane and into the Jan-Bus barely 15 minutes after landing. No crowds, no queues and straight out.
Less than an hour's drive got us to Niederau where our skis were waiting at Margreiters, 2 minutes walk from the gondola.
So from an early start in the UK, we had skis on snow shortly after mid-day and skied until the last lift.
View from some kopf/hoch/joch/thing before the snows came...
Then it began to snow...
The view from The Auhof - Caron's Red is the piste on the far left, although you can't tell how steep the mid-section is from here... 8)
Heaps of snow everywhere...
Wednesday afternoon gave us some of the runs of the season, with boot-deep, light powder on a smooth base. :D :D :D :D I was pleased to discover that I am only 16 years old (and so is Dave Mac).
Sadly the pisteurs spent all night flattening it and the pistes were billiard-table smooth by Thursday morning - great for some fast carving but why-oh-why can't more resorts leave some runs un-pisted in these conditions? :evil:
For Thursday we decided to do the Ski Welt and Jan kindly dropped myself and Mac-The-Legend outside the lifts in Hopfgarten. Snow cover was just about perfect and un-crowded pistes allowed us to let our skis run.
The Ski Welt is a spiders-web of interlinked resorts, including Soll, Scheffau, Brixen and others. We made our way up the centre, skiing above Soll and Brixen, then down into Ellmau and Going and blasted back.
There looks to be a lot of terrain to explore between the pistes up here so definitely somewhere for the future.
Niederau - The Skiing
The biggest take-away for me was just how easy it is to reach Niederau and the surrounds, so it's a perfect destination for a short break or DIY safari.
The ski area is not huge by any means but has enough of everything to allow fast-learners to progress up the mountain. For families with children or early intermediates and beginners it's ideal.
The mile-hungry intermediate will find it limiting, although the Reds and the Black are all of sufficient length and pitch to focus the mind and are all excellent runs in their own right.
We did get lucky with the snow, although the north-facing aspect of the slopes will keep the pistes in good condition far longer than you might expect (nothing worse than a bit of sunshine to kill powder and ice up the pistes!)
Niederau - The Village
Compact, friendly and cosy pretty much covers it though doesn't do justice to the warmth of the service you get just about everywhere.
The only downside in the village for me was the (current) lack of a smoking ban in the bars - the sooner, the better; if France can do it then anyone can... Austria pay attention!
The Highlight
Apart from having The Legend poach my lines... :wink: ...getting out at the top of the gondola to see Mr and Mrs Caron-a with very strange expressions on their faces; a mixture of shock and awe - after Red 24. Priceless. :D
And finally... a quick nod to our hosts; the Jan-family and The Auhof were just perfect - available whenever needed for transport to and from the slopes and able to arrange whatever takes your fancy (the sleigh ride is a must-do). Thanks guys!