Niederau - some information please!

We are off on holiday next Saturday with our four year old son, we were originally going as non skiers, but hubby and Son really want to ski (to learn). Do they really need the ski jackets and salopettes? As if they really do finance is really against us!

Is it correct that you also need lift passes as well as ski school fees?
If so are under fives free? Is the ski school a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon? So if all works out well and the little one can go to ski school, would I as a non skier be able to spectate?

Do bars allow children? i.e the Irish Bar. What other kid friendly places are there?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi Jordsbabe

I'm a newbie on here but everyone seems very friendly. Have a look at this thread and you'll find some other people going to Niederau the same week.

http://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/5124.page

Now, there are others more qualified than me to talk about Niederau specifically, but I can tell you a bit about my own experience beginning skiing.

Regarding jackets and salopettes - I would say you definitely need the right gear. You'll spend a lot of time falling down in the snow and getting wet. Without the right clothing you'll get very cold very quickly. Some friends of ours hired gear for their 4 year old in the resort last year (not Niederau, somewhere else, but I'm sure all hire shops do the same thing). For adults, as you've stopped growing, if you think you'll ski more than once, you could hunt around in the sales and get jackets and stuff quite reasonably. Ours didn't cost much and it's fine. For children, as they grow so quickly, it's probably worth hiring. Alternatively, I bought salopettes for my 8 yr old daughter in H&M very reasonably priced.

About lift passes. When we first started, we made the mistake of buying area passes for all of us. But as we never got further than the nursery slope, this was a complete waste of money. Last year in Filzmoos, we discovered you can buy a Points Card, which is basically a card with a set number of points on it, and every time you use a lift, points are deducted. This is very cost-effective for beginners. I'm sure someone on this forum familiar with Niederau will advise whether this is the case in Niederau. There might even be a special deal for 4 year olds?

Ski school fees are unconnected to lift passes, and so are another expense. When we went the first time, we pre-booked ski school for our daughter and it was indeed 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. However, last year, we booked in the resort and were able to specify whether we just wanted morning or afternoon lessons. All I can say is that Austrian ski schools seem very helpful and will try to accommodate your needs if they possibly can. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to spectate, certainly initially when your son is on the baby slopes. If he progresses quickly, the group might move a bit further up the mountain, so it might be more difficult for you to follow them.

I think in Austria bars generally allow children - we've never had any problems, but I'm sure others will correct me on this if I'm wrong.

That's all my pearls of wisdom. I think it's great that your son is learning young. The younger the better. It's amazing to see the little ones as they learn so fast.

When we started learning, my daughter was 6, I was 44 and my OH was 56 :shock: . You're never too old!!

Allie

jordsbabe wrote:Do they really need the ski jackets and salopettes? As if they really do finance is really against us!

Yes, they really need suitable clothing - otherwise they'll get cold, tired and wet very quickly.

For clothing on a budget try TK-Maxx if you have one locally, otherwise get onto eBay; hedge your bets by buying several of each and put them all back on the bay as soon as you get back from your holiday... 8)

Hi there

we too are off to Niederau in 2 weeks time. Hubby and kids are in ski school and it is definitly 2 hours in the morning 10-12 and 1-3.

There are definitley a few Niederau experts on this site who will give you the advice you need.

Because I dont know whether hubby will want to go skiing again, we have hired our ski jacket and sallopettes. We live in the North East and it cost us £30 per person. Apparatnly the stuff we have hired is worth near to £200 (so they tell us) just put a search in to Yell.com and put in ski shops in your area and most will probably hire you ski wear.

Do you not fancy doing it yourself?

Hope this helps

Karen

Sometimes the best deal to be had can be arranged through your holiday company. If you havent booked directly give them a quick call in the morning and see what they come up with. We are for the Harfenwirt this Saturday maybe we will bump into you. Dont wait, go for it , you will be hooked like the rest of us.

Enjoy

Bryan Graham

If you haven't already booked ski school, I'd recommend the 1st Wildschonau Ski School (the reds), their office is in the middle of the village, opposite the Hotel Austria and beside the church, at the bottom of the nursery slopes. They have a website as well and I'm sure if you e-mail them, they'll sort out all your queries. There are "Learn to Ski" packs available through the travel companies, Inghams, Thomson etc. which might be the cheapest option. I can't see any problems with you spectating the ski lessons. In Niederau tiny kids (younger than 5?) seem to go into a little ski fun area at the bottom of the nursery slopes to begin with and handily enough, there's a little bar next door, Bo Bo's, so you can watch from there! :D I don't think there's any problem with taking kids into the bars.

TK Maxx and H & M and possibly Next are good cheap options to buy ski gear - you definately need a ski jacket and salopettes - if they fall over and get wet or it starts to snow, they'll be cold and unhappy very quickly. We also have a local ski/outdoors shop that hires ski stuff.

You will LOVE Niederau :mrgreen:

jordsbabe wrote:

We are off on holiday next Saturday with our four year old son, we were originally going as non skiers, but hubby and Son really want to ski (to learn). Do they really need the ski jackets and salopettes? As if they really do finance is really against us!

Is it correct that you also need lift passes as well as ski school fees?
If so are under fives free? Is the ski school a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon? So if all works out well and the little one can go to ski school, would I as a non skier be able to spectate?

Do bars allow children? i.e the Irish Bar. What other kid friendly places are there?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Has answered above waterproof coat and salopettes are a must.

On your lift pass don't buy one straight away as for the first couple of days you woun't need one as you will not use the lifts until you need to go to he top of the nursery slope.

As others have said, skiers will need proper gear. Ask around your friends and you may be able to borrow a lot of what you need. If you need to buy, TH Maxx can be good. Aldi and Lidl also stock cheap ski gear but it tends to come in and be cleared out very quickly. Don't know if you have Millets near you - its another possibility for reasonably priced gear.

Be careful if watching your kid in ski school. Its generally better if you are not seen once you have dropped him off so that he accepts that he is there and does not act up. Find a discrete vantage point nearby if you want to watch him.

I am sure he will be welcome in bars but he will be exhausted so a late night in the pub is unlikely to be welcome :mrgreen: The same goes for your son :shock: . Not sure what the smoking situation is in Austria - thankfully, it has been banned in most places at this stage.

You should seriously consider skiing yourself. It is great fun and you may feel a bit left out if you don't give it a go.

Enjoy. :lol: