J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by factual

It's funny, Serre Chevalier may be kind of perfect because it's such a low resort compared to those in the Northern French Alps (no bloody noses or dizziness like at Courchevel, possibly) etc., but it's considered pretty 'snow-sure', (no icy / grassy runs like at Meribel just after mid season).

But then again, I went 5th January 2008, the first of 2 visits to Serre Ch., and the snow was good, deep snow even (well mostly) at the lowest resort town level, Briancon. But last year I was deciding between S.Ch. and Zell, and I noticed in the snow reports, as early as late December, Zell had noticably more snow than the snow sure Serre Chevalier. I was wary about going to the French resort days after New Year, where I'd already bought flights and accommodation, until I got onto the fresh powder topped mountains and also appreciated the couple of feet of snow on my balcony in low Briancon. There must have been a lot of snow at Zell am See. (edited)

I can't find the price for the bus (number 680) between Zell am See and Saalbach. The train from Zell to Kitzbuehel seems to be 11 Euros 60c. 2nd class, single journey.

Zell am See is a good place because it has a good ski area, Zell-Kaprun, but also is close for travelling to other good resorts. This year the Salzburg SuperSkiCard allows a host of other resorts including Zell-Kaprun, but the full liftpass price is hardly more than the Zell-Kaprun area. This multi resort pass for resorts in and near SalzburgerLand covers major resorts such as Wildschonau and all of the Gastein resorts, though these are mostly too far to travel to.

What's pretty easily accessible? Saalbach Hinterglemm SkiCircus area is 32 minutes by public bus away from Zell (first around 8.20 a.m. I think), ski lifts are included in the price of this pass. And Kitzbuehel (first train very early), ski lifts also included, is just over 45 minutes by train from Zell. Zell is a lovely place to stay, also Kaprun, with good apres ski life in a traditional, lovely mountain town. The skiing is good, and skiing can be really good at Kitzbuehel and fine at Saalbach.

That makes a pretty large ski area. Last year I was at Serre Chevalier, Southern French Alps, and while there are single runs linking the top of each of the four mountains at that resort which is joint 2nd largest in Europe with lots of others, the bus between the 4 mountain areas is at most 55 minutes by the resort ski bus. And often 30 minutes, if going to the next but one mountain. So travelling between Zell and these other two resorts compares favourably with a single large resort.

So all that would be extra are the return bus / train fares between Zell am See and SkiCircus / Kitzbuehel.

I've just seen the question is from last winter.

I hope the answer helps for those coming this winter.

Hi there. Austrian resorts and Zell have a reasonable amount of good and budget accommodation which is accessible to a solo traveller.

It's not often the case that you find this is affordable in Europe, you quite often have to pay 65 pounds per night for the most basic 2 star place (often read: 1 star) in the mountains at winter time, sometimes the one of the cheapest double rates, sometimes actually the single rate, but not far from the rate for pairs.

But you should be O.K. in Zell.

I managed to find a 4 star mountain lodge as a solo skiier which is charging me around 53 U.K. pounds per night half board, breakfast, 4 course dinner and also an afternoon snack. It's in the hills above Zell, but easy to get to by the ski bus, and is also ski-in, ski-out from the Zell am See pistes. I think it's a quite basic 4 star hotel, nice and comfortable, and has a good wellness hot rooms and water bed area. Der Schmittenhof (www.schmittenhof.at). Prices are really good for doubles, with only a 10 Euro per night supplement for singles in a double room. But most of the hotel is appartments, with a lesser part made up of rooms, so the rooms might be hard to get. You could try them anyway. I think it's about a 35 minute walk uphill late at night if coming back from Zell, or 5 minute taxi ride. Other times, there's a stop right outside on the Zell ski bus for going into / returning from Zell am See.

Although that place is acutally budget priced for a 4 star place at a 4 course H.B. rate (Central Zell better 3 stars and 4 stars go away beyond budget rates mentioned here), there are lots of much cheaper options in Zell, some basic guest houses and hotels, in the centre or 10 or so minutes walk from there, and a number have saunas at a low accommodation price. For example, Pension Klothilde, which is not far on foot from the very centre of Zell.

Check:

www.zellamsee.at

Look at Guest Houses particularly.

This is only in German. So if you don't understand, go to
www.google.co.uk
and type the whole address, www.zellamsee.at, in the Google search bar

Then click on 'Translate This Page' when the results for that page come up.

There are pages of cheap 3 Star Hotels at 35 Euros per night and even a bit less, some guesthouses and inns.

Good luck.

The Zell am See-Kaprun area is pretty reasonable as far as I remember. I went years ago and am going this winter. It's not one of the big resorts in Austria, but good enough in the area of the two resorts. I was at Serre Chevalier in the French Southern Alps last year which is a really super resort, equal second largest in Europe with about 9 or so other very large resorts. But the skiing you can do from Zell-Kaprun is reasonable by comparison (see below).

If a skiier is restrained or like me, who starts at post beginner to lowest intermediate most years I go skiing (sometimes mid beginner, sometimes getting better then ending worse than I started), it should be good to really good. (I think I made lowest advanced skiier stage once when much younger, forgotten totally after a gap of years.)

If your advanced intermediate friends like to rush down lots of runs a day it might be a little little.

But that would be fine because the the Zell-Kaprun ski area is one of a host of mountain resorts in and not very far from SalzburgerLand which come under the Salzburg SuperSkiCard. This is as low priced as something like a couple of Euro per day more than the Zell-Kaprun area pass. (Great idea, these people know you can only ski in one resort at a time).

That means that your skiing from Zell can easily include Saalbach Hinterglemm. Saalbach is 32 minutes away by public bus from Zell am See, a bus leaves Zell at around 8.20 a.m. Leogang and a few other small resorts covered with this card are close to Zell am See. 2 hours or so at the little resort over the lake also should be interesting.

As the SuperSkiCard is nearly the same price as the Zell-Kaprun card, and also as both passes have little discount per day between 1 / 2 day cards and 6 day cards, you can take a day off, buy 1 / 2 day passes as you like (for smaller areas or the big card) and not miss out much on the discount for a 6 day pass and no rest day which many resorts give.

The pretty great Kitzbuehel is included in the SuperSkiPass. EDIT: I had posted that it seemed to take hours by train to Kitzbuehel. But www.bahn.de tells me tonight it takes around 50 minutes by train (trains start very early mornings) to Kitzbuehel. A smaller resort is Alpin Kitzbuehel.

Anyway, the proximity of Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Leogang just more than doubles the ski area available from Zell with minimal travelling time. Where I was last year, the Serre Chevalier buses took around 30 minutes to the next but one mountain of the 4 mountains, though they were connected at the top for skiing (then again, mountain tops were not infrequently closed because of high winds or little visibility). After a few days starting skiing at the mountain where I stayed in S.Ch., it was sensible to take the bus to other mountains (55 minutes between ski-lifts at the two furthest mountains, Monetier and Briancon).

Including Saalbach makes going to Zell am See / Kaprun indistinguishable from a good sized medium resort. (If staying in Kaprun, I am not sure what time the buses start to Zell for getting an early bus to Saalbach Hinterglemm).

Have a look at the website, and the list of the 23 resorts. There are web links on that list to the home pages for each listed ski area, also a large area map. You can see what you can make (try www.bahn.de and www.obb.at for train and bus times, though some routes just don't seem to be available online). The Salzburg SuperSkiCard website is at:

http://www.salzburgsuperskicard.com/eng/" target="_new" rel="nofollow"> http://www.salzburgsuperskicard.com/eng/

If booking far enough in advance, it's cheap to travel by train, and not a long journey. I bought my ticket recently online between Munich centre and Zell am see from the German rail site: www.bahn.de (Translated versions are in English and other languages.)

I missed the cheapest price on the outgoing journey from Munich, which had been 19 Euros, but the next price was still good at 29 Euros. 29 Euros and 19 Euros returning. The booking fee was less than 4 Euros. Total: Less than 20 pounds each way, averaged.

Times are pretty good for resort transfers, especially going across a border - learound 2 hours 45 minutes usually. I didn't see the option to change in Salzburg as I've read some people suggest, the bahn.de did work out one change, in Woergl.

Though it does take 50 minutes roughly to get from the Munich airport train station to Munich Central Station (trains every 10 minutes or so).

Do book these tickets online or by telephone (numbers from bahn.de) well in advance as the prices go up substantially near the time, to nearly four times the inital price (19 Euros to around 75 Euros single or a few more). So it's not such a good option if you are arriving at Munich without a prepaid train ticket.

Train tickets sold online are e-tickets, which are printed yourself, and you must have the card you paid for the ticket with when you are on the train journey.

Seat reservation seems to be a few Euros extra on this route, though it is not necessary. Though that may be for the German part only, there was something mentioned about seat reservation in Austria being more complex, so I didn't bother.

There is a regular bus to Zell am See if you are flying into / coming from Salzburg which is not expensive. (Sorry, I don't know anything about Innsbruck transfers - but try rail - both www.obb.at and www.bahn.de).

There are some more comments about getting to the Zell-Kaprun ski area on a Tripadvisor forum page:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g608666-i10668-k866923-How_to_get_from_Munich_to_Zell_am_See-Zell_am_See_Austrian_Alps.html


If going to Zell / Kaprun: There is a ski pass (SuperSkiCard) which is hardly more expensive at all than the Z.-K. area pass. It gives access to a range of good sized and small resorts including xxx and Saalbach Hinterglemm. EDIT: I had read elsewhere that Mayrhofen was included, but I don't think it is. It's too far anyway to travel unless you are shifting your base (but then again, leaving at 6 a.m., and up for a 3 hour journey there and back in the evenings, it's a great day trip if you're driving.) BUT the really good Kitzbuehel area is included in this area ski pass. There is a train from Zell am See to Kitbeuhel which takes less than 50 minutes. (Last year I went to the joint second largest European ski areas, Serre Chevalier, Southern French Alps [joint 2nd with around 9 other resorts albeit] & these transfer times were quite regular from one mountain to another, 55 mins. from furthest of the 4 mountains by bus, often 30 mins. from one mountain to the next but one along.)

There is a bus from Zell am See to Saalbach which leaves Zell around 8.20, mornings, (also later buses) and only takes 32 minutes to Saalbach. Saalbach Hinterglemm more or less doubles the ski area available on quite quick public transport from Zell. Also smaller nearby resorts are covered in this SuperSkiCard pass's area - like Leogang.

Also, it's quite strange, both this SuperSkiCard resorts pass and the Zell-Kaprun area multi day tickets don't give a lot of discount over 1 and 2 day tickets. So you wouldn't lose much to buy tickets in groups of 1 or 2 days, for Zell-Kaprun only, or Saalbach Hinterglemm, or, as there's not much price difference anyway , the SuperSkiCard resorts pass. And if taking a day or two rest, you wouldn't be missing out on a good discount which many ski resorts give for 6 day or longer tickets.

It's a good idea if persons who find good or reasonably priced rooms for one post information. They can be hard to find.

Travel Agent companies like Iglu Ski don't seem to offer any at all, and there are lots of agencies like Iglu, meaning you can find you are forced to pay the price for accommodation for two persons if you can't find anywhere else in time.

SKI HORIZON: skihorizon.com
I have booked two weeks in Serre Chevalier because the prices are so good. The charge is per room and in January especially, the prices are so good I can book for two weeks for an ensuite 2 star studio room at half to two thirds what I would pay for only one week with single supplements at usual prices with other agents. A kitchenette is a good benefit. (BECAUSE THE CHARGE IS PER ROOM, THIS IS AMAZING VALUE FOR PAIRS). I have stayed in this place before and a good number of the cheaper appartment hotels in Serre Chevalier which this company offer and I found they were all fine, normal 2 star quality and clean.

The company offer self catering studio appartments in appartment hotels from Briancon to close to the other end of Serre Chevalier from less than £150 per week all inclusive (usually a deposit of around 300 Euros needs to be given to the appartment hotel at reception when you check in and taken back when you check out).

Their deals are also good in December - I noticed a place I have stayed in before in Risoul - a reasonable three star standard appartment hotel for £84 for the good sized studio appartment, 15 December for a week.
http://www.skihorizon.com/travel/GB/vente2/produit.asp

The prices go up quite a lot after January though you will still beat many places which require single supplements.


NEILSON offer many rooms for single occupancy for a single supplement, which is usually O.K., and also some places for no single supplement:

http://www.neilson.co.uk/Snow-Solo-Skiers.aspx