J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Hudman

Inneralpbach, definitely!

Hi Furthy, Definitely stay in Inneralpbach (the 2 main gondolas run from there), there is a good bus service up and down the valley but if you want to be close to the lifts stay up in Inner. From my experience it is a very pretty and friendly resort, relatively low altitude so I wouldn't choose an early or late holiday but some fun skiing. I even went for a run next to some of the cross country tracks (trail shoes needed!) and explored a beautiful part of the valley.

It's not the 3 valleys and there are quite a lot of red runs once you are up the mountain. This suited us but if you had anyone in the party who were more green/blue run standard the skiing might be more limited. Off piste looked quite good but conditions were warm in the day and cold at night so although the piste bashers made great corduroy the off piste was unpleasant!

Food up the mountain is good value (compared with France for instance!) and is tasty Tyrolean stuff....not really the place if you are vegetarian I would imagine. Some good restaurants in resort as well.

We have kids and stayed in the Galtenburg. Brilliant accommodation, lovely spa and pool and so much to do for the children in the evening after dinner which allowed my wife and I some time to just relax in the bar which was good! Ski school was also good but was 9:30 - 3pm (I think) so quite an effort for my youngest who was 5 at the time.

The only down side I could see was that there are no supermarkets and limited shops in resort and you are a little isolated up the end of the valley. If you needed anything it would mean a bus ride down to Alpbach which probably made it a 2 hour journey where you could do it in 20 min with a car. The hotel was great though and when my wife needed something they didn't stock in the little hotel shop they just picked it up the next time a member of staff was passing. If you are self driving this wouldn't be an issue.

In general a great place to go if you want some Austrian charm and don't need to get 100's of KM under your skis. The kids loved it and I would head back in a heartbeat if I found a deal when I knew the off piste was doable. Without that extra the map was a little limited but that says more about me than the resort!

Hi Not didier, at 2.5 the facilities off the slope are probably as important as those on slope! I believe that ESF does not allow kids still in nappies (which may or may not apply obviously) so individual lessons might be more practical. To be honest when both my kids started at about 3 (in Glencoe...but that's not a recommendation!) we just slid them down a very, very gentle slope from me to my wife.

From experience La Rosiere is a great family friendly resort with accommodation close to a gentle beginners area but for sheer experience, things to do and child friendliness I cannot recommend the Galtenburg hotel in Alpbach, Austria enough (https://www.galtenberg.at/). Limited but perfectly good nursery area, relatively low altitude (I wouldn't necessarily take a toddler to stay at very high altitude if you want peaceful nights!), sunny area and good staff. The hotel is completely geared up for kids with a pool including an indoor splash park for the little ones, nursery + a load of other child friendly touches. Good for adults too with a great bar/restaurant, great food and a spa to use if you can find the time! (I don't work for them or have any connection apart from visiting last year!)

We've made holidays fun for our 2 since they were very little but the experience off the piste is what they remember most (of course now my 10 year old is asking how good the jump parks are going to be in January but that's a different story!)

Enjoy!

Brand new, never worn Head Raptor race skis for sale. Mondopoint 24.5 and adjustable flex from 105 to 115. Would suit a strong skier, experienced teen or female. No box but not a mark on them!

Pick up from the Glasgow area or I can post at buyers cost, probably about £10

Cheers
Paul

Hi All,
I am incredibly excited to be heading to Alpbach next week with the family. We're a hard to please bunch with my wife and I being experienced skiers who would like some off-piste (conditions allowing), our 9 year old who just wants a jump park and our 5 year old who has only had 1 week's experience but is pretty keen!

I know Alpbach is a small resort and we're also going to enjoy the spa/food in the hotel so I'm not looking for hundreds of KM under my skis but what recommendations does anyone here have?

What are the things not to miss? Any good mountain restaurants? Anything else we should do?
Cannot wait!

Hudman

That's brilliant, thanks! Flight availability might also be an issue as we are limited to Glasgow or Edinburgh and don't want to have to connect in London. I'll have a look but this certainly gives me a great starting point....looking forward to it already!

Hi Doug, yes fingers crossed this season isn't a wipeout like last. I'm only 1.5 hours from Glencoe so that will have to do if Europe is shut!

With Austria what resort would you recommend for good fast access to varied terrain with off-piste possible (conditions allowing)? My wife and I are happy skiing anything on the mountain and have some experience off piste (with a guide). The key might be how easy it is to do a morning charging and then get back to pick our eldest for afternoon skiing (he's happy on reds).

Apres isn't that important although some nice restaurants would be good for lunches!

Thanks
Paul

Hi All,

Can anyone give me some advice on skiing with kids in Austria for the 2022 season? Mrs H and I are both competent skiers with an 8 year old who is starting freestyle training at the local dry slope and a 5 year old who has done a week on the snow back in early 2020.

We have generally gone to France and stayed with Esprit as the chalet setup/child care/ski school is just convenient. This year we think that a chalet hotel/self catering may be the way forward with independently booked childcare and lessons and to be honest I just fancy Austria! We would still be keen for the 8 year old to have at least 1/2 day lessons but will ski with us otherwise, the 5 year old probably needs 1/2 day lessons and 1/2 day play/childcare with the option for us to take them both out a few afternoons.

If people have good experiences of childcare, kids lessons and accommodation in Austria I would be grateful!

Ta in advance!
Hudman