J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by munich_johnny

Actually I was maybe a bit optimistic, as by Sunday there were some icy and muddy patches cropping up (despite very few skiers). But the forecast looks pretty good.....as long as not too warm on Friday.

I also heard from some guys that Hopfgarten was very icy Sunday morning, so they need some more decent snow as well.

But at least I got out there and there was some half decent powdery patches :-)

I am writing from Niederau. Been snowing all day. They now have a reasonable level of snow across the whole place, but not for example deep enough to ski under the cablecar just yet. They only had the main gondola and 2-3 draglifts running today.....dunnno why but it was enough to do a few runs. Obviously with the snow it was kinda hard work conditions, so I didn't ski that long.

Tomorrow should be a good day as it will be sunnier and not snowing. Then looks like some nice stuff mid-week.

So regardless......100% will be skiing for those out for Xmas and New Year as they could make the existing layer last about 2 months round here!!! And they even have the snow cannons working in a few places as well.

In St.Anton she would be lucky to get to the pharmacy door without being propositioned by 10,000 sex starved men. Better chance of getting laid in Wandsworth prison.

When I said "stag night" I did not mean outrageous behaviour. More like walking into a Western Saloon bar in the movies.....all heads turn towards the swing doors to see if it could just possibly be something in a skirt.

Even St.Anton acknowledge the issue and do special deals to try and encourage a few more ladies to go.

The politically incorrect truth is that men like the challenging skiing offered by the steep slopes and off-piste of St.Anton, whereas the *majority* of girls have a more Bridget Jones attitude to their skiing.

(actually the hotel in the 2nd movie with skiing is in Lech)

You said "we"? St.Anton is considered more kinda hardcore so you get packs of feral males....they outnumber women about 10 to 1. Good for skiing but every night is a stag night. May or may not suit but nice steep slopes etc.

Ischgl I love. The run home gets packed, icy, crowded etc - but I still love it. Easier skiing but still a big area really for a week.

Zell Am See. It's OK. Been quite a bit but not a huge ski area so not wild about it myself anymore.

Lech-Zürs is quieter and posher. Means you can still access the St.Anton skiing but feels like an old people's home sometimes.

Forgive me for getting lost here, Dave. You did say at first:

Also, running a service through to Hopfgarten would only really make sense at the start and finish of each day ~ and that is when the existing bus capacity is fully stretched.

Errrrrr......bigger buses, more buses? This ain't rocket science.

Can't quite see the motivation for Hotel owners wishing to ship their customers out of the area for them to spend money in another valley.

Which also sounded like a negative to me, but then.......

I am not disagreeing with a link to the Schiwelt. The opposite is true. I am pointing out the practicalities of this happening.

Well, I dunno the costs, but in my mind they already employ some dude to sit in a bus shunting up and around the area, so the added cost of running an extra 10 mins down to Hopfgarten can hardly be crippling in the great scheme of things can it????

Maybe in the past they could survive on their own and stay insular, but it is looking clear to me that they need to make some changes.

I cannot see a lift regretfully from Niederau to Skiwelt 'cos the costs would be eye-watering and Skiwelt is already huge and sexy enough, so they would not contribute a penny to that lift!! No reason for them basically. Auffach/Alpbach works because they were both suffering and it's a shorter distance.

I am not hugely interested in historical politics. I shall make my opinion known down there this Season about buses.

But for a Schiwelt link up to be work effectively, this is not just a question of a bus service. It is much more than that.

A gondola would be nice but clearly dead expensive. I cannot see why a bus should be such a big deal?

Can't quite see the motivation for Hotel owners wishing to ship their customers out of the area for them to spend money in another valley.

I disagree totally on that point. Hotel owners don't make much, if any, money from the punters from 9am to 5pm whilst they are skiing.

However I think it would be considerably MORE attractive for punters to book a holiday in Wildschoneau if you knew you had the option of some decent skiing in Skiwelt, a short bus ride away. You KNOW that this is already occuring at a limited level with one or two hotels organising their own buses - and for exactly that reason.

If you think about it, the new link to Alpbach, is the same as a bus to Hopfgarten. It sends your punters away for the day, but they return in the evening for dinner and bed as booked!!! I agree with a bus route it will be 90% of visitors going to Hopfgarten from Wilschoenau, but you will get some crazies coming from H to N as well. But that doesn't matter - if it encourages more beds to be booked in Niederau.

The reason Wildschoneau is gradually dying from visitors (and it is 'cos I spoke to a few significant people down there last weekend, including Maria), is because of their reluctance to change with the times.

Latest News: Even the post office is shutting in Niederau due to lack of demand. Have to go to Oberau now.