Austria 2011

Hi everyone.

Am new to here so apologies if some of the points I raise have been addressed in the past.

I'm looking to book my 2011 jaunt in the next month or so and am trying to persuade my French Alp addict friends to go to Austria instead. Went to Val Thorens previous two years and Saalback last Feb and found Austria to be miles better than the French Alps (cheaper, nicer people, kicking Apres Ski).
I've been looking at Ischgl and St Anton but have heard good things about Mayrhofen and Niederau. Anyone got any advice?
Leaning towards Ischgl at moment but have heard its expensive. Is that expensive expensive or Austrian expensive. Bear in mind I went to Val Thorens and paid £25 for a burger and £8 for a beer in some places!! Anyone who went this year know the average price of a beer?

Also, any decent links on accom?

Thanks for your help guys.

Hi, welcome to J2Ski...

sicarr24 wrote:Went to Val Thorens previous two years and Saalbach last Feb and found Saalbach to be miles better than Val Thorens, for our particular group

EFA 8)

You need to tell us about you - what level of skiers / boarders? What sort of slopes do you like? Is "kicking Apres" a requirement (it's something to be avoided for some people...)?

If you're extreme skiers you'll love St.Anton and hate Niederau; if you're beginners you'll be the opposite. Both St.Anton and Val Thorens are more expensive than most places in France...

And when are you planning to go? Some resorts are horribly crowded in school holidays, some cope much better...

So, what are you looking for in a resort?

EFA? I'm a newbie so havent grasped all the short hand yet! :)

There's about 4-5 boarders, one of which is higher end of intermediate, the rest around the middle. I generally tend to stick to red and blue runs and avoid the blacks. Also approx two skiers around the same level.
We're looking to go mid to end of Jan, and will be avoiding the school holidays like the plague!

With regards to resort, the slopes are obviously the most important thing but we are all mid to late 20's so the nightlife and apres ski are a big part of our holiday as we will be "burning it" at both ends for a week. Dont mind if its not absolute chaos on a night but do want somewhere with a decent night life.

Thanks for your help!

sicarr24 wrote:EFA? I'm a newbie so havent grasped all the short hand yet! :)

EFA = Edited For Accuracy :wink:

Ok... you may not get the best out of St.Anton unless you're happy on the steeper stuff or heading off-piste, and it's not the cheapest place to be. Niederau is likely to be too small and quiet for you. Don't know about Ischgl but Mayrhofen may suit you well... for which our resident expert is "Tony the Taxi" who'll be along shortly... 8)

Your timing's good though; quiet slopes in January and good deals to be had.

Ahhh superb. Wheel out the pro! 8)

Probably rule out St Anton then. I'm a competent border but do enjoy the odd easier run to take it easy on and recover :oops:

Also, to anyone that knows, is there any good links for catered chalets in either Ischgl or Mayrhofen?

Saalbach Hinterglemm is well rated for boarders.

Mayrhofen would suit you, but we found it was such a chore to queue to get up and down the mountain in the gondollas. Good Apres
Soll, some say its low but we went there last year end of Jan and it was great and about the right level for your group. Put it this way we are going back again this year. Yes we are a maturer group but there was plenty of good apres for young and mature. Good mix of locals,Germans but with a healthy mix of Brits and Irish and unless I imagined it loads of Geordies!!
Do a search on the resort on here and you will find views and opinions from last year which may answer your quastions.

As our resident Mayrhofen expert has not chipped in, I will act as proxy.

Mayrhofen is perfect for your needs, good nightlife, a great variety of slopes and well geared towards boarders. There is not a lot of truely difficult stuff but the variety of red runs is fantastic. Little tip, use the main mountain (Penken) for a while, access etc, but don't get stuck there as there is far better and less crowded riding on the surrounding hills.

Saying that, I can also recommend Saalbach Hinterglemm which has the best boarding lift system I have come across. Again not a resort for the true steep thrill seeker, but an awesome place for cruising. I was up to about 80km a day (140km with lifts).

St. Anton is just great, but beware, a colourblind individual must have graded it as the runs bore absolutely no resemblance to the markers.

Whatever you do, do it with style.