Good time up at Hochoetz

Dramatic peaks in the Otztal valley - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Families and locals were in the ascendency in Hochoetz today. The resort is at the head of the mighty Oetztal valley and shares a ski pass with Kuhtai and as alluded to, is popular with families and locals. Fresh snow and dark skies in the last few days broke today to offer beautiful blue skies and valley mist - really atmospheric. Hochoetz is often by-passed by those heading for the mega ski holiday resort of Solden and the mega high Obergurgl / Hochgurgl but it is well worth ski with tree lined runs that offer some good intermediate skiing. Certainly for those staying in Kuhtai it is worth jumping on the ski bus and making the short trip to the outlying gondola that accesses the Hochoetz ski area.

Saalbach and Hinterglemm - Skiing for intermediates

I’ve been looking up at the cams in the valley and its great to see so much snow at the beginning of December. It reminds me just how good it can be to ski with kids in the valley once they have found their feet. From about the age of 4 or 5 kids have the stamina to do so proper skiing and so longs they can turn and stop it makes for a nice day on the mountain with parents.
If you’re looking for runs in Saalbach itself there are plenty of runs on the Kholmais for intermediates. All the blues on this mountain are great for kids – but beware it can get very busy with ski school at certain hours. Our favourite in Saalbach is run 46 part way up the Bernkogel – which you can get to by chair lift 11. The lift itself can get busy but the run is long and fun and worth it - there are a couple of steep parts notably at the end but there is the option of going round these. About a third of the way down is one of my favourite huts the Westernstadl which serves fantastic western inspired food such as chilli and jacket potatoes along side Austrian favourites. The hut also has glass windows into the horses stables so you can see them while you eat. My son has christened this the family favourite slope and has been zooming round it since he was 4. When it snows the powder on this run is amazing and the slope is wide and sunny with great views.

In Hinterglemm the best runs are on the Zwolferkogel – for those with a bit of stamina 11 and 11a are the ones to go for. You can access this via cablecar 31 but a tip is to stay on the bus to stop 19 and take lift 33 the Nordbahn which never has queues. The runs are great and take you down about 2000m from the peak to the base near the ski bus stops. As a family we are happy to stay on these runs all day. At the end of a day a trip to the Hexenhausl at the bottom of 11a is a must. Manz and the team there have a fantastic witch themed bar with snacks, kids schnapps, spitting wooden statues and great drinks offers – much better value than beers on the hill. The bar appeals to all ages and is a regular party venue with the locals.

Family Skiing in Saalbach - ski school

Saalbach may not traditionally have been seen as one of the obvious family resorts but for us it has really provided the balance for happy kids and adults. It has a fantastic mix of terrain and around ten ski and snowboard schools. Many people seem surprised when I tell them that my oldest son started ski school just before he was 3. The Snow and Fun school in Hinterglemm take pre schoolers and have a great setup complete with clown shows, snacks, sing songs interspersed with short runs and rides back up on the travelator. Kids also get rides round the village on the snow train and can be picked up by the ski school from your accommodation. The price is really reasonable and for a few extra euros they will take your kids for lunch each day. We didn’t leave our son but stayed with him for class as he was still a bit small but he had loads of fun, and I think fun is the key word. Some ski schools have it all wrong with purely technical lessons and little play which leads to grumpy kids (especially if you leave them there all week).
If you are travelling with a baby as we are this year the Snow Academy in Saalbach offers baby sitting service for 3 month – 3 year olds. The school is in a central location and is the only service of its type in the resort. Hopefully for me it will mean a couple of half days on the mountain which I’m really looking forward to. The Snow Academy also offer snowboarding lessons as well as ski lessons. They start at around 7 years old for snowboarding . We were unable to find anything other than expensive private snowboarding lessons for a keen 5 year old – it appears that the demand just isn’t there.
If you do want some formal lessons for your child then Ski School Hinterholzer in Saalbach offer quite technical lessons. They start early at 9.30am and get the kids skiing quite intensively. My son found this kind of approach too much like real school but for some children it may work. As with other ski schools check before you book if the teacher will speak good English – it is common practice to have mixed language classes with the teacher just having a basic grasp of languages other than German.
Overall my don’t use price as a guide to which school to use – check out the facilities and approach as well as language as - paying a few extra euros can make a world of difference in quality.
A word of warning - before you pack the kids off to ski school make sure you have them togged up in 5 layers. It may seem a bit much but up the mountain it can get very cold and little ones loose body heat quicker than we do. I also put lip salve, gummy bears and a small drink pouch in the ski jacket pockets. You can pick up all these things at the Schelcker (a bit like Superdrug without the medicine) there are 2 branches one is on the road between Saalbach and Hinterglemm the other is next to the Spar in Hinterglemm. I also put in a spare pair of small woolly gloves as kids ski gloves seem to go AWOL quite often and you can’t make it down the mountain without something on your hands.
If your going to hire skis my favourite is Ski Pro – I buy quite a lot of my kit there. They have 2 branches in Saalbach and also a good one in Kaprun. I bought some boots from them last year and they really do know their stuff. If you’re a boarder the best place for all things board is board.at shops in Saalbach and Hinterglemm. They are a little pricy buy cater for everything you could need and also hire out kids boards and have an internet café. Whatever you do you will be required to get a ski helmet for your kids – schools won’t let you out without one most places hire them out at a nominal rate.

Josh skis on a windy Stubai Glacier

18 months old and now a skier - Josh took to the snow today on a windy Stubai Glacier although his decent was marred by a binding failure on his skis - I am about to write to the manufacturers! The Gamsgarten moving carpet proved something of a distraction as did the automatic doors on the kindergarten but ski he did before we went back to the doors. There were high winds on the Stubai Glacier today and these are set to continue tomorrow before the snow arrives starting Tuesday and lasting all week according to the forecast. Not sure when Josh will get back on the snow, probably after his obsession with automatic doors is over and his binding are repaired? A quick snow report from the Stubai Glacier today:

What makes an expert skier?

I can remember some 30 or more years ago listening in awe to ‘ski racer’ talking about his preparation for a mogul competition on the White Lady in Aviemore, Scotland. The man was a god, he had Look turntable bindings strapped to skis that appeared longer than our coach, ribbed knee racing pants and a compelling dialogue that left me and the rest of the audience spell-bound. We were on a coach trip to Aviemore organised, I think by the Trans Pennine ski club. My first trip off the dry slopes of North of England and in the presence of a ski god. Years later after skiing with ski gods in Austria and Canada I often wonder how good he really was on snow. He said all the right things but since then I have heard that many times only to find that steep, snowy terrain is the ultimate judge of ability. I learnt early in my days teaching skiing in Innsbruck to observe before venturing onto any tough terrain with a group - the experience was a Dutch group who skied like it was there second hour on snow - not what they told me! So what makes a skier good and another an expert? Cultural differences - mainly between North America and Austria. Here in Austria the runs are classified easy, middle and difficult, directly referring to the gradient, length etc that characterises the level of difficulty of a slope. In North America pistes are classified as to the category of skier or snowboarder that is suited to the piste. So often you hear ‘we are expert skiers’, when in all likelihood they have skied expert classified ski pistes - to me really not the same. The title expert has something of an elite slant in most walks of life but it seems that strapping some on some skis and showing a reasonable proficiency can readily make an expert of someone. I am not sure I have ever referred to myself as an expert skier - firstly because I have room to improve and thus cannot be an expert and secondly my Austrian friends who laugh themselves off the mountain if I or anyone else referred to themselves as an expert skier. And yes my mind is made up, the mogul champ of yesteryear made his way gingerly down the White Lady hoping that nobody from the coach saw his descent.

Dumping with snow right now in St Anton, Gerlos and everywhere in-between

First an email yesterday evening from a friend in St Anton saying it was dumping with snow, then another from Gerlos today with 40cm of snow in the resort this morning and a trip down to Innsbruck to see snow all over the city - this latest weather system is going make many ski holiday resorts ready to go. The snow has been falling all day somewhere between moderate and heavy and certainly without let-up. The smaller ski areas are likely to be looking to bring forward their opening dates, the larger areas are less flexible. For those able to visit a ski area this week then aim for Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday on any of the glacier over here - conditions could be spectacular. And if you are a touring skier then head to the Arlberg, see only other tourers and get some incredible powder skiing. 6 days left of October 2010, how much more can it deliver?

Snow in the snow capital of the Alps

Stuben am Arlberg - rarely anything other than white

Stuben am Arlberg is part of a geographic triangle in the Alps that includes Warth and Zurs am Arlberg which gets more snow than any other part of the Alps. No surprise then that the snow that is falling across Austria right now is also covering Stuben am Arlberg. Just had this image sent through from a good friend at the Hotel Mondschein in Stuben. There is still quite a bit needed before the Albona once again offers the ultimate off-piste ski conditions in the Alps but this first snow of the real winter makes it one step closer. I skied heli-skied with Markus last winter and a world champion powder skier - if you didn’t see the video then take a look - the absolute highlight of many winters:

If you like off-piste or want a quick route into the heart of the St Anton ski area then Stuben could well be for you. It is small, quiet, steeped in history and always buried in snow.

Bode Miller trains on the Stubai Glacier this morning

Bode Miller on the Stubai Glacier today - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Managed to fit in a ski on the Stubai Glacier, loosely disguised as a ‘snow report’ to work colleagues before the next bout of winter arrives over the coming days. Conditions were superb on the Stubai Glacier today with cool temperatures, strong sun and many national race teams on the glacier to prepare for the upcoming Solden FIS season opening race weekend. Bode Miller was up there training on the Daunscharte with the rest of the US team, as were many other national ski teams. The weather forecast is showing 5 days of snow from Saturday onwards meaning many of the local hils should be geeting a great base. As I drove back through the Stubai Valley the tractors were out in force spraying bio-manure on the fields - always a sure sign that the heavens are set to open

October 1st Hintertux glacier - an unbelievable 42km of pistes open

The autumn continues to confound - a whopping 42km of ski pistes are open on the Hintertux Glacier and the skiing and snowboarding is genuinely good with fresh groomed snow across the area down to the Tuxer Fernerhaus - also the location for a big freestyle and snowboard festival. And yes it is the 1st October - a quite amazing start to the season over here. Visibility was mixed with low clouds but you can accept that when they are depositing snow on your ski piste. Lots of race teams training again and tons of freestyle skiers and snowboarders. The flat light seemed to do little to discourage some huge air. There is more snow falling tonight before the weather clears for a few days - chance to see the glaciers in epic condition this early in the season before the clouds roll in again mid-week - snow clouds are just how I like it

See the latest snow report:

Fresh snow coming this weekend

Powder skiing on the local glaciers is set to return over the weekend with Monday reckoned to be the best day. Temperatures are forecast to fall after tomorrow and a fair sized system is predicted to bring in snow into next week. The glacier skiing next should be sumptuous

I will be back on skis next week and will begin the 30 second snow report in earnest. I have no idea how long 30 seconds is but after customer feedback it seems better than the sermons I was previously offering. Cant wait to get back on the snow, the 2nd September seems so long ago now and with the annual ski pass opening for action the week after I think winter really is about to begin - ahhhh winter.

Obergurgl ski opening - 18th November

So if you can’t wait for the Arlberg there is always Obergurgl, opening a week earlier than the Arlberg and offering skiing to over 3000m. The glacier season will be months’ old by then and the skiing at Obergurgl / Hochgurgl is not dissimilar to glacier skiing actually. The wide, reasonably gentle slopes, barren mountainsides and superb snow are all pretty similar to the glacier experience. If you need snow fix in November along with the prospect of listening to live bands from the far reaches of these valleys then Obergurgl is well worth a look.

Stubai Glacier 2010/11 opening brought forward 2 weeks

Great news - the lifts are starting to roll on the Stubai Glacier 2 weeks earlier than planned on the 17th September after the exceptional snow over the last 10 or so days. One of our staff was down the Stubai Valley today and said the Stubai Glacier looked mighty impressive in the distance and thick with snow. I am just hoping that my annual ski pass kicks in these 2 weeks early. We should be seeing more snow early next week so all-in-all a mighty good start to winter 2010/11.

New snow across the Austrian glaciers

Cold and wet weather hit the Tirol overnight and the glaciers got a great covering of snow. The clouds are just breaking over Innsbruck and there is snow on the peaks above the city. Why am I sat at a desk and not up my knees in September powder? My Msc thesis is due for submission in less than 2 weeks

Stubai Glacier 09/09/10

Season 10/11 kicks off with 50cm of powder on the Hintertux Glacier

Ok I will confess I was a day late, yesterday was the ultimate start to the winter season 10/11 anywhere in the Alps surely? Today I saw the tracks. There was 50cm of fresh snow on the 31st August and today the skies cleared over the Hintertux Glacier to reveal incredible September conditions. July, August and usually September are the months that I hang up the. This year was the first time in many years that I skied a September day. Being in the mountains in the summer and seeing the splendour of glaciers is something I love doing in the summer but the skiing is something I can take or leave in the summer. I like a frozen face when skiing and the thought of skiing a couple of runs for token value doesn’t do it for me. But I have to say that despite the date this was not summer skiing today. 0c at the top and very impressive pistes and number of lifts operating - this was genuine skiing, not a novelty for a couple of hours. The Hintertux Glacier is open year round baring extreme weather and whilst the other glaciers in the Tirol have received a good dump of snow the Hintertux Glacier is the one welcoming a good number of skiers and snowboarders. There is no snow forecast for the coming days but seasonal temperatures and the prospect of some genuinely good and very early season skiing to be had. So just a full 9 months ahead unless I head to the Hintertux Glacier next summer - all good

My 10/11 season kicks off tomorrow at the Hintertux Glacier

Back in boots & boots in bindings tomorrow for the season opener on the Hintertux Glacier. Conditions there today look incredible - see the webcam below. The Hintertux Glacier was not the only recipient of the April snow - the Pitztal Glacier and Stubai Glacier also got around half a metre of new snow but the Hintertux Glacier is the only one offering skiing year round at the moment. I have to rate autumn glacier skiing as my favourite of the whole year. Cold, short afternoons and plenty of fresh snow and if you start in September then you have a full 9 months of skiing ahead of you.