J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Train Innsbruck ~ Wörgl, 30 min ~ 45 min, €14.
Innsbruck ~Kitzbuhel. 1hr 13m ~ 1hr 42 min, €19.
Bus Innsbruck ~ Obergurgl, 2hrs, €10.

Bedrock barney Thanks guys.

Need to do some serious research this week.

- what's the usual transfer mode from Innsbruck.

If you go to J2ski top of page Airports/Innsbruck, you should be able to negotiate a way to find "resorts within one and a half hours"

From Innsbruck airport there are buses to the Oetztal, so you can reach Obergurgl, Hochgurgl, Soelden, within one and a half hours.

There is a frequent bus sevice from the airport to Innsbruch Bahnhof. There are trains down the Inn Valley, Zillertal, Alpbachtal, Wildschönau, ~ change at Wörgl for Hopfgarten, (Skiwelt), and Kitzbuhel.
http://www.oebb.at/en/index.jsp is the Austrian train website, but Deutsche Bahn is better, http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml

I figured this out years ago, and my frau has always had the same colour ski 'n jacket. I always check the skis are right for her, but at the right price, and leave the jacket up to her.
She is currently in white. So last year we took our skis into Scheiber in Obergurgl for waxing.

As my lovely OH handed over her skis, the techie exclaimed "Good skis, top of the range". In one instant, my ski brownie points went off the Richter scale. (That's gonna give me another bachelor week in Niederau, next season, thinks I)

As my good lady wandered out, I winked at the techie, and slipped him a few euros for a beer.

"Perfect", I murmured.

Not yet, Admin, give the gal a chance, she is only 12 weeks old. But she will join us in Glenshee at New Year.

All of our guide dogs have been snowsport enthusiasts, Ok, some more advanced than others......

So this is Danni and Ulay, two young snow girls, our second and third guide dogs:


Ashley, who later became a stud dog, has sired over 15 working and qualified dogs, and Bella is his daughter, but who was a bit of an off piste laddie:

We did not know it at the time, but Ashley's grandparents were the champion of Sweden and the champion of Norway.... Nordic snowsporters!

Our seventh Guide Dog puppy, Bella, arrived a couple of weeks back.

Thanks Daved,
We have also done the driving method. It is a looong journey from Scotland to the Alps. And back.

On one route, with my OH, skied in France, then Klosters, Davos, the Dolomites, then on into Tyrol. I also drove through the back roads of France. On that trip, as I recall, the lift pass costs were the biggest hit.

On another drive, I collected my ski buddy, (RIP), in the midlands, and we drove/skied through France and Switzerland to Tyrol, where we stayed for half a season. Our Tyrol lift pass and our accommodation cost less than the all the other locations combined.

One other aspect, related to accommodation, is that where I can, I choose to stay where you have to speak the local language ~ this adds another skill area.

I agree with your airport herding feelings, but it replaces a minimum 24 hour drive for me! Also, with my flight times, I can just make the last run on the first day, and I can ski the morning of my departure day!

Billip, you bad person! Weetabix = wet chipboard.
Occasional porrage in winter, ohne zucker!
Best breakfasts of the year are in Austria, semmel mit ruppkase.
No the "no drinking and skiing" is all about self preservation, and nowadays, insurance.

I am lucky enough to get an extended solo ski break for a few weeks, in January~February. (I ski with my OH in March and April) So I am interested in exploring some aspects of this with ski/board folk who do the same. I am not talking about seasonaires, their situation is different.

My Jan/Feb trip is always back to the same village, although I get to ski in many other valleys. So, below, I pass on my learnings, and I welcome feedback info from other DIYers.

FLIGHTS, For over 10 years, I have had free return flights, from Edinburgh to Munich. I get sufficient points during each year from the use of a credit card.

TRANSFERS.
Train. For many years I have taken the train from Munich Airport, and a taxi up to the village. Total return cost under a 100 euro.
Car hire. Many ways to reduce cost. Fiesta is large enough. Winter tyres are now included as standard. Book early, cost rise. Sign up for emails from all the major agencies such as Auto Europe. Check quidco. This year, I delayed on a 7% quidco offer and lost it. Then in came a 5% email discount ~ I checked it against the site's standard cost, and the discount was genuine. So, this year, my car hire is £25 less than last year.

ACCOMODATION. One benefit of returning to the same village is that you quickly get to know what is the best accommodation in terms of cost , location, facility. So, b&b for 30 Euro is normal, you can do better if pushed. Because of the extended time, and because I like to leave my drawing & painting work lying around, I pay a bit extra, and get an apartment. Email the tourist board, check J2ski accommodation offers. One hotel in our village picks up from the airport, does a great deal for HB, drives guests to other resorts, stores skis until next winter.

EQUIPMENT
This is an area where returning to the same place saves money. I keep half a dozen pairs of skis in the cellar, where I stay. This service happens throughout the village. If I decide I want to try some different skis, I log into J2ski/skiset, and pick the skis up the next day.

LIFT PASS. In many places, a season pass costs pretty much the same, or less, than a two week pass. As it happens I have a choice of three passes, The Two valley, the Allstar, and the Tirol card. For the past two years I have bought the Allstar or the Tirol card. The decision is influenced by where we will be skiing in March/April. For some passes there is a discount if you buy early, (usually by early December)

SKI/BOARD TIME. Most people on package holidays get to ski for 6 days. If you go for 2 weeks, you get 13 days, and the costs are proportionately lower. If you DIY, other options open up. Travel on Friday, return on a Sunday evening, you can ski 2 days, 9 days, 16 days.
For developing skiers, the extra ski days can make really big differences in learning.

My experiences are gained from returning to the same area in Austria. It would be interesting to hear of experiences from DIYers to other countries.