Niederau

Hello,

Some friends have booked a holiday and have invited us to Niederau. I would love to go but have some reservations.
We are going the last week in March, I know we can not predict the weather but I am worried about conditions. I am happy to hire a car and drive to other places so any recommendations are welcome.
Where to fly into? innsbruck or munich?
I am a fairly good skier what is the skiing like around here? Are the pistes narrow/wide? My boyfriend is a boarder and I wonder what it is like for them?

I am happy to go to a smaller place if its pretty but i guess I am worried about the conditions. Also I do like a drink on the mountain are there many good bars around the area? Likewise in town also as I love a good apres drinik. Is there a spa near as I would like go to a spa one day as it will be my birthday while away...
I am happy to have all opinions please...good and bad...

:)

Hi Minxter, welcome to J2ski.

This winter, will be 46 years since I first went to Niederau, when I had 4 seasons there. I go back every January, and most March times.

For most of my March visits, the snow is fine, but occasionally, at the month end it the snow is somewhat deficient. Generally, this only happens when the ground has been pretty warm for most of the winter, as last season.
A ski bus takes you up the valley to Auffach, at a higher level, and generally snow sure, and where there is a run down into Alpbachtal, also higher.

I have never been unable to ski in March, although I may have occasionally just stayed on the top draglifts, driven over to Auffach, or over to the SkiWelt, just 12 minutes away. If the valley is unskiable, the TO is obliged to bus you to another valley.

There are three bars at the top, a couple with good mountain character. Because I generally ski at a fair pace, (I held the village day run record for 10 years), I don't drink during the ski day. I prefer to have 4.30pm gluwein, and then ski down an empty mountain.

There are plenty of lively bars around the village centre, for an end of day drink. There are also several traditional Tirol bars.

I would not have a clue about a spa!

"We are going the last week in March, I know we can not predict the weather but I am worried about conditions." You should be worried. Very hit and miss that late 'cos it only goes up to 1450m. I usually don't bother after mid-March.

"Where to fly into? innsbruck or munich?".
Either - my mates usually fly into visit from Munich because there are lots more flights. 1hr20 mins transfer compared to about 45mins from Innsbruck.

"I am a fairly good skier what is the skiing like around here? Are the pistes narrow/wide? My boyfriend is a boarder and I wonder what it is like for them?"
Go somewhere else. You will be bored after 2 hours. Or at least make sure you have a hire car and can drive to Hochfügen or similar....or 10 mins down to Hopfgarten.

"Also I do like a drink on the mountain are there many good bars around the area?". Not really. For food it really sucks....but OK for a few beers generally. But its a cheap and cheerful Butlins resort.

"I would like go to a spa one day as it will be my birthday while away..."
Oh dear. You are not a Niederau punter. But you will get a spa in Kitzbühel, or there is a kinda average one just down the road in Wörgl.
http://www.woerglerwasserwelt.at/en/

Try http://www.skijuwel.com/en/ski-jewel-alpbachtal-wildschoenau-tyrol.html for information.
As a 'non skier' I would not disagree with either Innsbruck or Munich. Trains are frequent and taxi from Worgl to resort is not expensive - could even bus it.
Niederau is a small resort in comparison to some but having been there for 20+ years it suits us.

Munich_johnny, you should be on the Niederau tourist board.....

Dobby - if you haven't guessed I have a house in Niederau. I just tell it like I see it.

and she did ask for warts and all.

I wonder if you have also been picked on by a certain other regular poster on here continuously over time for having your own honest and experienced point of view.......?

That's not an issue. But Minxter has 2 fairly polar opinions in the above thread and can make her decision based on these.

Had she said the magic words such as "first time skier" or "novice" or "with 2 small kids" or "cheap as possible ski trip" then I might have said dive in...the water is fine.

But when the post is peppered with things like "apres-ski scene" and "good skier" and even "spa day" then I see only disappointment in the tea leaves.

I use Niederau as a hopping off point for the other ski areas basically. If you don't have transport then your are stuffed. They don't even run a bus down to Hopfgarten which is criminal.

That said......you can get the bus to Auffach and with the new link to Alpbach you have a pretty good selection of runs. Alpbach not my favourite area as always seems icy to me, but maybe I have just been unlucky as we have only had access for 2 seasons and when the snow is nice I prefer Skiwelt.