First Ski Holiday

Hi all, Its a while since I%26#39;ve been in touch - but you helped me so much last time Im back.

Trying to book our first ever ski holiday and looking for advice.

We fancy Austria - looked at a number of different places but still can%26#39;t decide.

I want something close to the airport so no long transfers [over 2 hours].

Something close to the piste and town - walking distance, for shopping, sightseeing, after dinner, etc. [which ever one is chosen]

I have two children 16 %26amp; 9 years both beginners as I am myself.

Would like hotel half board but B %26amp; B would do.

Can anyone suggest where I should look at? even if its only the resort - I can then choose hotel from brochure - but reviews would be good.

Also I have seen it written that it is cheaper to book your equipment from on-site suppliers rather than through the tour operator - any comments on this. I am hoping to go just after christmas 27-29th Dec. for a week - seems to be peak time but time suits me.

Any help would be wonderful.

Thanks

Mary

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Given your criteria and not to be further way than 2 hours, I can recommend the following villages/town:

From Salzburg airport:

Zell am See:

http://www.zellamsee.com/en/winter.html

St. Johann/Pongau - Alpendorf:

sanktjohann.com/xxl/…index.html

From Innsbruck airport:

Kitzbuehel:

http://www.kitzbuehel.com/english.asp

http://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/default.asp?Titel=Skigebiet+Kitzb%FChel

St. Anton - Arlberg:

www.stantonamarlberg.com/winter/ViewPage.asp…

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Look at Schladming and nearby towns.- excelent skiing - usually goood snow cover nice town center with shopping , night life. good ski schools and terrain for beginners.

good choice of varied accomodations.

An easy transfer from Salzburg airport .

www.schladming.at

I would wait to get ski, boots etc. when you arrive. I do not think that you can get a much better price pre- booking.

Often ski schools can provide a combination of lessons and equipment or you can shop for best equipment and price at the many places that rent.

This is a very busy time in resorts.

many places will only offer longer stays. Book soon

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I personally think that Schladming is a nice town, but not so suitable for beginners as there are no lifts and slopes for beginners down in the valley - there are other skiing areas with more convenient options for beginners..

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Schladming - Rohrmoos-

numerous hotels directly on the ski slopes - much beginner terrain - kids ski school including %26quot; Kinderland %26quot;

in the other direction- %26quot; Hopsi %26quot;Ski school - with much easy terrain- one place even has a moving carpet to allow kids to find their bsginning easier.

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Yes, but this is Rohrmoos (an area more up in the mountains), not the town Schladming down in the valley.

Rohrmoos is nice for skiing, but keep in mind that it is not even a real village - if you stay in Rohrmoos and you want to do some shopping, walking around in town, have several choices of restaurants ...you will always have to drive (or take the bus) down into the town of Schladming...and up again afterwoods....so you will not be very flexible!

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Hi Mary

Just a thought, but Iscgl is a good place to go, and mainly full of Dutch and German. Ryanair do flights direct to Friedrichshafen from Dublin. Ischgl would take about 90 mins or so by car, but many hotels do airport pick up these days. My sister, who speaks no german and had only had a couple of dry slope lessons at home, had a great time there. The nursery slopes are at the top of the mountain as soon as you get off the Gondola, Ski schools are good there as well. The town is spread out, but we enjoy walking around in the evenings. We love it there, because it has more of a European feel than some %26#39;Brit catered for%26#39; resorts. There are lovely tyrolean restaurants, shops, bars, and most hotels have good wellness centres. There are some great hotels there and good snow records. Just another option maybe.

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Just a quick note regarding Schladming-Rohrmoos ,

Schladming is about 45min - 1h from Salzburg Airport, not taking in to the account the weather conditions and the traffic at the time...

It is a good option in terms of variety of slopes, 4 mountains to ski on.

The two ski schools in the area are Hopl and Tritscher, situated in Rohrmoos, 5min drive up the mountain, which is a good starting point.

Tritscher ski school has two ski carpets, which is great for beginers, as well as the Ski Kindergarden!

There is also the third lift which goes aprox. half way to Schladming also beginer friendly.

In fact towards the end of the week there is the childrens ski race there with medals and prizegiving which kids enjoy.

At the same place you can also rent your ski equipment, which is very convinient.

(For more info and prices on ski school and ski rental best to look on their website)

Staying in Rohrmoos has the advantage of having the slopes on your doorstep, which as a beginner you migh appreciate more as it offers you a degree of flexibility.

It%26#39;s fair to say however, that apre-ski is mostly situated down in Schladming, but the buses are frequent and free for ski pass holders. There are also 3 taxi companies operating in the area, so going down or coming back up should not be an issue.

Should you choose to stay down in Schladming ski schools are running mini vans to bring you up to Rohrmoos in the morning and back down to Schladming in the afternoon.

Also for a few € per day you can rent a ski box when you rent your equipment, and that way you can change as soon as you finish skiing, so you can still have the option of enjoying the apre-ski life straight from the slopes, making sure you still have the best of both worlds...(even if you can ski all the way down, it is not very likely that you%26#39;ll be able to find a place to stay right next to the ski lift)

Time around Christmas and New Year is not easy to book as it gets booked well in advance ...

Good luck and all the best for your First Ski Holiday !

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Hey all you guys who responded thanks. Unfortunately choice is very limited because I have left it so late. Now we are 6 travelling - it is even more difficult. My two eldest have decided to come also. I have an offer of Andorra for over new Year and I am seriously thinking about it although the transfer is 4 + hours. I have until Tuesday to make up my mind BH here on monday. So if I book can you help me with silly things like buying skiing jackets and salopettes [Think thats right spelling] do they need to fit snugly or just normal fit. Do trousers need to be short - to ankle - or if they are a little long is this ok ? Do we all require ski goggles ? Sunglasses for me is a must - do the rest require them also? Do kids wear helmets and are they readily available for adults if required? Can%26#39;t seem to find answers to these questions. Have list of items to bring ok but not sure of above. Many thanks.

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