J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Hi skifun, welcome to J2ski.

March 5 is a Thursday, so the Autobahns will be relatively quiet.

So, you are in luck! Less than two hours from Munich Airport, you reach Worgl. Then 7 km up the mountain, and you will arrive in Niederau. Good resort for intermediates, beginners, and a few other testing off piste runs. Not a big ski area, but beautiful, and very friendly.

For self catering, and the best service in Niederau, you might try the Auhof. It has the best views.
http://www.auhof.co.uk/

It is 7/8 minutes up the hill opposite the mountain, but you will get ferried to and from the slopes every day. You will also get the best information about the area, and heaps of help. The owners are a lovely English family.

I use Munich, (in fact will probably be there that week). So for car hire, two suggestions-

If you have airmiles, you can get a car hire for free.

If not, try Quidco, go through them to Auto Europe.

Ski well.

Given that this particular fox was in the snow, would those have been powder hounds Ross?

Ross, the last line of my posting should have given it away! :mrgreen:

Ian, Ross,Brucie, shame on you. It is only Kookies second posting.

English is widely spoken (100%), in bars, restaurants, ski hire, ski school, but limited on the lifts.

Austrian custom for tips is rounding up, usually just 1 or 2 Euros. I.m afraid I sometimes forget, and do 10%, but that is not expected.

Wheelbarrow hire is available at Margreiters, but unfortunately, is not covered by Skiset.

Hi Jenno,

For the free skiers, a 6 day pass is 150.40 Euro. Should you arrive early, you can buy your lift pass from 3.00pm and use it immediately. (ie six and a quarter days, for the price of six days)

For those who are beginners, you will not normally require a lift pass on the first day. Just start your classes, and at the end of the days classes, the instructor will tell you if you need a pass starting from the next day.



For the beginners:

5 day pass ~ Adults 131 Eu, children born 1990-92,104.8 Eu, children born 1993-2002, 78.60 Eu.

4 day pass ~ for the same categories, 110.40, 88.20, 66.20 Euros

The lift pass office is to the 10m left of the Gondola base station.

Returned from heaven, as I know it.

Yesterday had several mountain/gondola meet-ups with instructors/helpers and recipients in the Disability Snowsport group in Niederau. We are talking about quite severely disabled folk, who just got stuck into our sport, just like the rest of us.

Took time out to chat to several of them. One guy had been injured in a car crash, and had great difficulty in walking, said that skiing was his only real sport. Had another lady, fastened into a chair ski, roaring with laughter, when I told her that she was now "a much quicker skier than I am". The thing is, she was fast, and fearless.

Chatted to a couple of the people working with them, they were very skilled, committed, and not the least bit soft faced. In fact, just the opposite, being very demanding of their charges.

Earlier in the morning had seen an alsation mountain rescue dog in training, complete with his Bergrettungdienst medal attached to his collar.

Sad to say there was a serious looking accident, a couple of days earlier, with a helicopter rescue. It was a retired member of the Bergrettungdienst, one of two brothers who worked as Alpingers in Niederau for over 50 years.

And then, as we finished our meal, two nights ago, and being aware of a young lady sat alone, who had nursed an orange juice for an hour, I decided, in my usual kindly way to engage. To my horror, she spoke German, at a very fast rate of knots, with extreme clipped tones.

I didn't stand a chance. I ased good opening questions, but being clueless about the answers, could not develop the lines of conversation. Was reduced to facial gestures, Ja's and neins, where I guessed to be appropriate. My family were falling apart, knowing exactly what was happening. My eldest son who has much greater fluency than I, later confessed that he hadn't a clue either.

In the end the family took pity on me, and suggested that we moved through to the bar. I said auf wiedersein to Scary Lady, but it was all I could do, not to run all the way. :oops: :oops: :oops:

Hi Allie,

The Harfenwirt is a popular hotel. Even in the normally quieter month of January, it has been full every week, when other hotels haven't. So, while I agree that you should have a good chance of a good deal nearer the time with a number of hotels, the evidence of January is that the Harf will be full for most of the season.

Very last minute Harfenwirt bookings may end up in one of a number of Harfenwirt guest accomodations, all nearby, when you eat at the hotel. Most guests seem to be quite happy with this.

I normally go for the last two weeks in both January and March. Most years, I regretfully leave the village at the end of the season, with a completely white mountain.

And in most years, we have a fine view of green slopes on the Hohe Salve on the Skiwelt.

This year, I am considering the first two weeks in March. Chances of slightly colder snow, but still good warmth and light for painting.

Hi Mark,

I take a different view, in that I like to ski close leg, as long as speed and conditions allow. In different conditions, it is wiser to ski splits.

In fact, most days, after 4 hours or so, when the dodgy knee pops, all style goes, and I spend the afternoon with all the pressure on one ski, with the other ski tippy toeing anywhere it likes!

I have adapted to newer techniques and also retained the several of the older styles. Of course I am not advocating this for anyone else, just to say, we are all individuals, and we don't have to follow the crowds.

People who skied 20 years before me were skiing different techniques from those that I learned, and the people 20 years before them were.....

We may be reasonable certain that in 20 years time, todays styles will look very dated.

I too have had some difficulty in finding skis that perform like the skis I have now, (8 years old and 12 years old!) But I will wait until I find the skis I like.

Interestingly, there is a new BASI recommendation/requirement, (explanatory paper author, Sean Langmuir) starting this season, that those taking BASI courses will be required to used skis with a minimum radius of 17m or more. The reasons given include the increased pressure placed on joints with the use of short radius skis, and the reduced safety when using these skis at higher speeds.

Do I hear a comeback call for skinnies?? :-)