J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by munich_johnny

http://www.piste-maps.co.uk/Piste-Maps/Austria/Skiwelt-Piste-Map-Large.jpg

I know what you mean about never getting to Going from Hopfgarten. Take a look again on the piste map. The IMPORTANT stage that is easily missed is to the right of the BRANDSTADL. You have those twin chair lifts - identical that run exactly together marked at 32 on the piste map.

Ride one of those up, and you then follow the sign that is ahead and left marked for Ellmau/Going.

Now the important bit is to go down the blue run but look ahead, pick up speed, and get ready for that sharpish right at the bottom.......you can also reach it by coming off the "fun park" lift (99) and heading left. That is the bit that people normally miss.

After that it is pretty simple. Catch the next chair, and just keep heading across and away from your original start. Then you will get to HARTKAISER and can take the long 80 into Ellmau.

It's dire here. If you have a flight booked.......stay home!!!

I was skiing in Auffach and all across SkiWelt last weekend. It's OK for now if you like being on the piste.

Shock horror? Hardly 'cos the ski lifts in Niederau were NEVER supposed to be open before the 21st......regardless of whatever the snow is doing!!!

Forecast is looking better from the 26th depending on which weather reports you trust. I find WeatherPro very very reliable and they have it starting next Wednesday (25th) and some decent looking snow on 26th.

But that is still 7 days away, so we shall see.

"Hi every one I've skied ski welt elmau and Sheffau for 4 seasons and thought it a super place only problem it's low down, I believe it's now expanded to a larger area that you can get over to kitz with easy access,"

Hmmmmmm. Kinda. There is a long and very nice run down from Westendorf called the KiWest, and at the bottom you can hop a short ski bus to the Kitzbuhel slopes.

Just I have never actually bothered to do it!!! The thought of a bus is enough to put me off, even though you can actually see the other lift going up the other side of the valley.

But SkiWelt is so big, I never get around to skiing Kitzbuhel. (I did a few days there and didn't like it so much, but I really need to go again).

p.s. By the time you have got yourself from Scheffau across to the bottom of the KiWest, and a bus to the Kitzbuhel slopes it will be time for lunch.

Skiwelt has 91 lifts and cablecars with 84 ski huts and 279km of official slopes.

Niederau has 1 gondola, 1 chairlift and 3 drag lifts. A few kms of slopes but way less than 20km for sure.

Auffach does indeed wind me up with dire parking facilities and lift queues. I use it on the obviously non-busy days, but around Xmas and New Year it is frustrating, and of course now worse with the new link to Alpbach. I instinctively now simply head to Westendorf as there is ALWAYS easy parking and better runs.

Must admit that unless a run is especially epic (with new snow etc) then I generally resent going down the same run more than twice in a day.

I think Niederau is probably great for your 1st week of skiing. I also don't like that of course the slopes are in shadow for much of the day - it's good for preserving the snow, but I love skiing in sunshine (Auffach faces the other direction).

and apres-ski in Niederau is pants. I wish it wasn't......but it's pants. Dutch bar at the bottom of the lift can be OK from 4 till 7, but its either dead or rammed, and because it's small the difference between dead and rammed is about 25 people. Everywhere is invariably grim in the evening. I love Guinness and irish bars but never had a single drink in the Irish bar in Niederau last winter.

If I have mates in town we get cabs elsewhere.....unless we want a very quiet evening. The Cave bar is open late but pretty much a desperate stagnight for losers.

Is that Run 19 bit you refer to the fenced off left hand side, just before you join the 24? Now has orange plastic fencing etc.