Mayrhofen

Hi all,
Been away for a long while so thought I should catch up. Supposed to be out on our boat but as it's 'summer' here in Cornwall I'm stuck indoors waiting for her ladyship to get her carcass out of bed.
Having been to Switzerland for the last 2 years we're looking at going to M in 2010. Probably wouldn't be our first choice but we're going with friends who have been several times. Wife and self are at intermediate level and I'm happy that we can have a good week there.
My concern is that we may be going with the in laws again. That in itself isn't the concern! ). My worry is that FIL isn't the most confident on the lifts. He has a big problem with heights. He's not too bad in a gondola type lift. The major hurdle is the chair lifts. In Grindelwald, we could only get him to do runs that could be reached in an enclosed lift. Looking at the piste maps for M it looks like this could be a huge problem. Both MIL and FIL are only 2nd time beginners in their 60's and just getting down steady slow blues.
Before we commit to booking I'd like a bit of advice from you guys pse. Austria will be our destination but want to make sure we get it right for all abilities.

Hi Getjim I am sure TonyH will be along soon I believe he is the best authority on M. He should be able to advise.

Ok. Interesting one to cover off, this. Mayrhofen is set low in the Ziller valley and therefore the skiing is a gondola ride up the mountain. There are 2 main areas reached from Mayrhofen: Penken and Ahorn. For beginners and "scaredycats" Ahorn might be the best place to start or keep the in laws. Its a 10 minute ride up in a massive 160 man cable car from the top side of the village. Some people I have been with before found the cable car much more difficult that the chair lift, but if its the enclosed lifts that are not a problem, this should be a breeze.
Up at the top, there is one 8 man chair which keeps the 2 main blue runs fed with skiers. Its a gentle ride up and not high above the ground at all, so they should be fine on this.
However, firther down is the fantastic Ebbenwald red run, which really has to be skied by anyone capable of doing it. Its a long wide winding run through the trees, and despite its steepness in places, most skiers with some ability will make it down as there is much width to traverse if necessary. However, at the bottom is a 2man chair, which is quite aggressive" when you get on it. The lift operator down there often has a giggle at how people get thrown into its seats with a sharp snap to the back of the knees!
Its not an unpleasant or high ride back up, but its quite long and deathly quiet. If they can manage this lift, they ought to be able to manage anything.
Alternatively, you can ski off beneath this lift, if conditions are good, and ski right back down into the village, but its steep and difficult in parts and often icy, and only recommended for competent intermediates and above really.

Getting up the Penken can be hairy if you dont like heights. The 15 man gondolas are fully enclosed and weather proof, but there are no seats, just a little ledge around the edge to lean against but mainly its standing only. Its quite a long ride up, and if heights are an issue, I strongly suggest not looking out as the lift goes steeply up 2 mountain faces and at several points there is amassive drop directly underneath. Some stunning views though.

Once you are up there, it is virtually all chair lifts. I have only seen a couple of drag lifts in the whole region. The lifts are fast and modern, and none of them are particularly high above rocky ground or anything that might scare the in laws much. Most of them ride up over pistes, so you can take a look at the skiing awaiting you from the comfort of the padded seat.

I would say Mayrhofen offers nothing out of the ordinary in terms of lifts. It is mainly chairs, but they are fast and modern. I am sure they will be fine. More importrantly, I am sure you will find the ski area interesting, varied and fascinating: challenging in many places too. I love the skiing there.

If you want more info on specific places to ski, favourite runs, places to eat/drink etc, drop me a PM.
Having not been to Mayrhofen for a couple of years, I am actually starting to miss it now. Its a great place to go.

Tony has pretty much covered it all really. As well as being scarily high off the ground, the Penken also does a bit of a 'wobble' half way up when it goes round a corner which can be very scary first time (or very amusing from then on).

There is a train going elsewhere from Mayrhofen to other resorts along the valley but there is more than enough skiing on the Penken and the Ahorn, plus there's the bus going up to the glacier.

I think once they get over the initial lift up the mountain they will be fine, although if they don't like chairs then maybe not.

Is it Austria in particular you wanted to ski in? Many Tony could enlighten you about St Anton.

Austria will def be this year's destination. Reason for Mayrhofen is that we're possibly going with others who have been before and they would like to go back. It's all a bit up in the air really. If the in laws decide to stay home then the heights problem goes away. If they decide to come then we have to persuade a pretty stubborn chap that we would like to go somewhere else than M.

Or rather than bugger about trying to please everyone else we should say 'sod it' and go somewhere on our own.

Forgot to say thank you for the usual good advice from the forum - cheers!

getjim wrote:Austria will def be this year's destination. Reason for Mayrhofen is that we're possibly going with others who have been before and they would like to go back. It's all a bit up in the air really. If the in laws decide to stay home then the heights problem goes away. If they decide to come then we have to persuade a pretty stubborn chap that we would like to go somewhere else than M.

Or rather than bugger about trying to please everyone else we should say 'sod it' and go somewhere on our own.

Go to Mayrhofen with or without the outlaws.

Tony, As much as you and I have had our M-N errm , discussions, that is a top class description. The M place becomes more attractive because of your description.

This issue of height from the ground is a real problem for some people. Many of my friends and one or two relations suffer. Others also suffer from claustraphobia in large gondolas/cabines. It is deserving of some sympathy, perhaps pointing out to the sufferers the number of people that are happy to travel that way.

Getjim, I would suggest that you stay with Mayrhofen as the choice, but work hard to overcome the fears of the individual. It is a bit like overcoming the fear of flying.

Is the FIL happy to fly at 30,000 ft, but unhappy to sit on a chairlift at 30 ft?