Mourne Mountains, Co. Down. Location

Here is a quick review from Declan Doherty, one of our readers who sent in his trip report on how he got from Dublin to Glencoe, Scotland. By organising a ferry through and travelling through Northern Ireland he was able to realise his dream ski holiday with his kids at an affordable price.

Skiing for the first time with my family in Scotland

Taking 2 adults and 4 children for a week in the Alps is an expensive proposition, worse still, what if they didn’t like it ?

Making skiing affordable

I did some skiing in my twenties and always planned on taking my children on a ski trip before they grew up, but at over three grand for a week in the Alps, I just couldn’t afford it. It was always in the back of my mind that this was something they would remember forever, so I decided to look into cheaper options, fly to France find some cheap accommodation away from the slopes, rent a car and drive there each day. No. We need a 6/7 seater and they don’t come cheap. So I had to look for another option, Glencoe mountain resort has 19 runs 7 lifts and the longest and steepest runs in Scotland.

Taking the ferry to Scotland

P&O ferries (www.poferries.com) from Larne to Cairnryan costs €430 for the 6 of us with an SUV and a roof box, but it was the weekend Scotland hosted Ireland in the 6 nations at Murrayfield. The ferry was smaller than I expected, but had a kids room, a cinema and a quiet room for the adults, as well as a bar café and shop. We got the 10:30 ferry and arrived in Scotland at 2 hours later. The drive to Glasgow took about two hours, then another hour and a half through the spectacular Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National park. With about fifty minutes left in our journey the snow-capped mountains came into view and we wondered which one was ours. With no sign of any habitats, the roads still clear of snow and the sat-nav reporting another 20 odd minutes to Glencoe we saw the sign for the mountain resort and drove in. At the foot of the mountain was a snow free car park, coffee shop, equipment rental store and the “Hobbit huts” this didn’t look like I thought it would.

Kings house hotel, Glencoe

I tried to book the equipment for the next day, but was told to come back in the morning, everyone was excited and rearing to go, so we left mountain in search of our accommodation. We drive back onto the road and turned left. Less than three minutes later we found the Kings house hotel (www.kingy.com), it was in the middle of nowhere, about 100 meters from the road but with no other building for miles. You could smell the smoke from the log fire before you got into the place and it looked like it smelt, homely, friendly and inviting. We checked in at the bar and unpacked the car, we had two rooms, one with four beds and one with two, so the girls and the youngest boy got the big room. To keep the kids going before dinner we put on our jackets, gloves and hats and went for a walk along the frozen stream that runs between the back to the hotel and the mountain, encountering some friendly but majestic looking deer along the way. Dinner and a drink or two was very welcome, but we had an early start so off to bed.

First day skiing

When I opened the curtains the following morning the Stag from the night before was there looking right at me, and the snow was falling. We ate a full Scottish breakfast and drove 3 minutes to the mountain. Saturday morning was a bit of a rush, but we hired the equipment and purchased the lift passes and headed up over the mountain in the chair lifts. When we arrived at the top it was like another world. We managed to find the button lift, but the nursery slope was badly signposted. We eventually managed to find it and the kids had a ball, there is a coffee shop on the slope but the menu is limited, there is also a self-careering lodge for those with packed lunches. Between the two of us we did venture a little further up the slopes but spent most of my time, on the nursery slopes with the kids, Sean (13) was snowboarding, Emma (11) had the knack from the start, Liam (7) got a little annoyed because his little sister was better than him, but had it mastered by the end of the day and Aoife (6) was the star of the day, and could stop, start, turn and use the lifts by the end of day one.

We got our lessons from YouTube

Scotish Aprés Ski

The lifts stop at 4pm so we headed back at about half past three, because we rented the equipment for two days we had to take them with us, but we had a roof box and the hotel has a drying room which was great. A pint and a few games of pool. Then off to the rooms to wash and change for dinner, comfort food, hot, filling and homemade. After dinner we retired to one of the reading rooms to enjoy the fire, the notice of the window claims that this is one of the top ten views in the world and I would find it hard to disagree with them.

Good value ski weekend

For breakfast the next morning I tried the haggis, I won’t do that again. Then we packed up, loaded the car and paid the bill. The total for accomodation was £400.20 for the six of us for 2 nights for everything, we had put everything on our room (the nearest bank is 22 miles away and the bar doesn’t have enough change to cater for all the guests) dinner, drinks, sweets, crisps, breakfast, everything but the games of pool.

Day two at Glencoe slopes

Back on the mountain we had to buy the lift passes again, but if you have you passes from the previous day you get a discount, and off up the lifts again. This time we all know where to go and what to do, we got off to a flying start and it got better by the hour, I had been warned about the cold, but the sun was out for most of the weekend and so the factor 30 was required. We all had goggles, in case the weather turned, but we didn’t need them. We were enjoying ourselves so much that we left the mountain just a little too late and missed the boat. The girl from P&O didn’t charge us the reissue charge which was great. We got the 11pm boat back to Larne and had the kids in bed by 2:30am.

What it costed

• Adult weekend equipment rental is £25
• Skis and skipoles only are £15
• Kids weekend equipment rental is £20

There are lift passes for full days, half days, weekends, mid-week, students, adults, seniors, over 80s, kids, families, beginners and discounts for second and subsequent days check out the website for details www.glencoemountain.co.uk/winter-home.html.

Total cost for the weekend was €1230. That was from the time we left the house to the time we got back and included fuel, food and drink, transport, accommodation, equipment, and passes. Irish citizens are covered by the NHS and don’t require travel insurance, although I did get it for this trip as I was entering the unknown with young kids.

Lessons are also available, but you should try to book these in advance. The web site for the accommodation is www.kingy.com, it was just magic and suited the type of weekend we were after

Tips for next time

During my research I realised that it’s better to book the ferry in advance, then watch the weather forecasts before booking the accommodation (about 2 weeks beforehand) there are a number of resorts in the highlands so you can pick the best one for you closer the time, I had the resort in Fort William as a backup if Glencoe wasn’t looking good, don’t book lift passes or equipment until you arrive, just in case the weather is bad, you can always drive to the next resort, there are lots of them. When I go back I will travel out on the Saturday, Ski on the Sunday and the Monday as the mountain is a little quieter.

Cork to Munich to Wörgl

The Cork flight (booked in Sept. cost around €200) landed around 11am on Saturday morning and we followed the green S signs through the airport to the S Bahn station. The world’s most pleasant and helpful staff sorted us out with our Bayarn Karte purchase , as well as the additional supplement to travel from Kufstein (the end of the ‘Bayarn Karte zone’) to Wörgl. The total train journey cost around €50-for all four if us on one ticket-then took around 2 hours. We changed at Munich Ostbahnhof, Rosenheim and Kufstein. It was a really easy journey- all of the connections were straightforward, no panic or rushing!

Wörgl to Itter

The taxi from Wörgl to Itter cost €18 though had we sussed out the local bus ahead of time, we could have done the journey for a couple of euro each. Also, the train does go to Hopfgarten, which is a fairly significant sized town right in SkiWelt, so staying there would have meant even better connections. The fact that the transport was so easy is a major selling point for SkiWelt as a destination from Munich. It’s probably somewhere I’d consider for a summer holiday (for hikin) for this reason.

ClubHotel Edelweiss in Itter

We stayed at ClubHotel Edelweiss in Itter (www.clubhoteledelweiss.com). We were really pleased with our choice: the rate for 7 nights, B&b and evening meal and full SkiWelt ski pass was €695. The big breakfast buffet was brilliant for getting fueled up for the day. For dinner, you chose from three menu options always including a veggie option. There was also a soup, salad buffet and dessert. The mains were average, absolutely fine but nothing special! Lovely spacious rooms, comfy lounge area and welcoming atmosphere. ideal for families!

The hotel is located a short walk from a small drag lift from which we could then ski to the main gondola at Itter. Alternatively, a ski bus leaves from directly outside the hotel at 9:07am to the same gondola. You can also ski to the hotel in the evening which is just great after a long day of skiing.

Hohe Salve Skiwelt 1,828 m

Ski rental in Itter

Our equipment was from Ski Sport Salvista www.sport2000rent.at which was located at the foot of the Itter gondola. It was excellent quality but not cheap. I got boots, high performance Fischer skis, poles and a helmet for €138 for the week.

Ski lessons in Itter

One of the group wanted to take intermediate lessons and the hotel recommended Ski School Alpin which is based a little further along the valley in Hopfgarten. She had three full days of lessons (10-12 and 1-3) for €127 (5 days would have cost €147). She felt that while the lessons were good value at this price, the instructor didn’t offer enough technical guidance. The school seemed well organised however. Depending on where the ski group were meeting, it was possible to ski from the hotel to the lesson in the morning however it is not a straightforward route and would require an early start and a decent level of skiing! Otherwise a taxi to Hopfgarten might become a feature if your morning. So, once again, staying in Hopfgarten looks attractive.

Gondola lifts at Skiwelt

And now to SkiWelt!

Well, it’s huge! We skied pretty much flat out for 6 days and I would say hit 25% of the routes. Snow cover was largely excellent and the range of routes was impressive. On our biggest day of skiing we took 21 different lifts-apparently the world record is 53?!? It being the midterm, some pistes were busy with lessons particularly in the morning, but once lunchtime hit (12-2) everything was quiet again. There were some lift queues but again, it’s a busy time of the season.

Great red runs for skiers into Söll and Ellmau. Westendorf seemed to have great skiing but we only managed an hour or two there all week! The link back from Westendorf to Brixen is time consuming and tedious so it’s really worth committing a full day to that area if you’re going to take the trouble to get there.

SkiWelt Video

The one criticism I have of SkiWelt and it’s a biggie!) is that the signage and mapping is really confusing. We are all experienced skiers and still found ourselves utterly disorientated at regular intervals-beware the Scheffau area for this problem! I would recommend planning routes and lifts before going our for the day to avoid losing time at massive piste junctions!

Coffee & Apre Ski

The standard of café on the slopes is great. Everywhere has decent coffee, hot chocolate and apple strüdel(mit vanillesauce!) We brought packed lunches most days but can recommend the gulaschsuppe at Bergrestaurant Jochstuben in near Scheffau. Other great spots for drinks, warmth, atmosphere and a wee bit of Après Ski include

• the Holy Grail on piste 20 into Hopfgarten.
• Gasthof Kraftalm at the top of piste 30 into Itter
• Gipfelrestaurant Hohe Salve-at the VERY top
• SalvistaStadl at the bottom of the Itter gondola.
• Sportif Fuchs opposite the entrance to the Gondola in Hopfgarten

More info on SkiWelt on their official website : http://www.skiwelt.at/en/

Ski Amadé is Europe’s largest skiing area

Located in Austria, the Ski Amadé (http://www.skiamade.com/en/winter)is the largest skiing area in Europe with approximately 280 lifts and almost 900 kilometers of slopes. The Ski Amadé consists of five individual regions, in surrounds 28 villages are located.

The Ski Amadé, is a widely known area, and is famous for its annual events in Flachau, Planai,
Schladming and Zauchensee where they host the skiing World Cup. In fact it was in Schladming that Lindsey Vonn crashed out in spectacular fashion last week.

Home of Hermann Maier

Hermann Maier, who was raised in the city of Flachau, is seen by many as one of the greatest skiers of all time (he won four overall World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, three World Championship titles and 53 races in the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit) and nowadays featuring as a living billboard.

Ski Amadé area

The 5 regions of the Ski Amadé are the

• Salzburger Sportwelt,
• Schladming Dachstein,
• Gastein,
• Großartal
• Hochkönig.

Of these regions, the Salzburger Sportwelt is the largest with over 350 kilometers of slopes in total.

Ski Amadé Video

Salzburger Sportwelt

Wagrain, St. Johann (Alpendorf), Zauchensee, Flachau, and Radstadt are all villages that are widely known and very popular by both Austrians. During the weekends it can get busy at the lifts due to the fact that the it’s within day trip distance from Germany and Italy. Especially during the peak weeks the villages are packed and the slopes can be a bit too busy. But don’t worry the there is plenty of room for everyone !

Avoid the crowds

As there are 350 kilometers of slopes (you will have to use a bus to travel between most
villages, but these trips are free and most of the time about ten minutes) there are many ways to
avoid the masses of people. In my experience, Zauchensee is the best place to go on busier days while Flachau and Wagrain are the more familiar places (with more ski classes).

Take the bus

As the bus is pretty much inevitable (or your own car, whatever has the preference), staying in places like Reitdorf (about 500 meters from the village of Flachau) is a cheap option compared to staying in the more expensive villages like Wagrain and Flachau. We reviewed before a good location in Altenmarkt which is worth checking out for the gourment experience.

The Salzburger Sportwelt has an advanced network of lifts, mainly consisting of gondolas and lifts with heated seats, don’t worry about drag lifts unless you are on the beginner slopes.

Flachau

Flachau is famous for its après-ski (the Hofstadl, Fire & Ice and the Dampfkessel are a few examples). Therefore, I reckon it’s the most complete village for a skiing holiday in the Salzburger Sportwelt. Snow Space Flachau is located in the center of the other (Zauchensee – Highlife in the Mountains, Wagrain Grafenberg and St. Johann-Alpendorf) skiing areas and it’s next to the highway (250 meters), so travelling is relatively easy.

Video competition

If you have been to the Ski Amadé yourself and made a video about your holiday, please visit the official website (link above) and submit it! They host a video contest every year in which you can win amazing prices (1st price: a free skiing holiday)!

Lindsey Vonn Crash

Lindsey & Tiger

Apparently Tiger woods has sent private plane to collect Lindsey from Austria. Rumours have been circling that they were dating, but they both insist that they are just friends.

Combyn Helmet

This is how flexible the helmet is.

If you have an irregular shaped head this might be the thing for you. The helmet will probably cost around $120 and will be available in shops from August, for the 2013-2014 season.

One thing to remember about helmets, is that they can only attempt to prevent skull fractures, they won’t protect you from concussions.

via gizmodo, via gear junkie

Differences in ski styles

In this video they show the techniques of typical

• Austrian
• American
• Canadian
• Italian
• German
• Swiss

skiers.

Learning Ski Techniques

If you are going on your holidays and want to prepare your mind for the slopes we recommend this Youtube Playlist. There are a number of videos that bring you through the basics and intermediate skiing skills. Perhaps you will remember a few of them and try them on the slopes and further improve your technique.

Slope style techniques

If all of this is too boring for you, then maybe check out this offering of slope style in Whistler Blackcomb, in the US with Tom Wallisch, Gus Kenworthy, James ‘Wo. These guys are jumping off rails, hitting jumps at speed, and launching themselves of anything else they can find.

About St. Anton am Arlberg

Vital resort statistics :

• Resort height 1,300 m / 4,265 ft
• Top ski elevation 2,811 m / 9,222 ft
• Vertical 1,511 m / 4,957 ft
• 274 km of ski piste
• 83 ski lifts
• Located in the South-eastern tip of Austria, known as the ‘Drei Laender Eck‘ or three country corner – it shares a border with Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

If the thought of a ski holiday piques your appetite and if your wallet seems to frown, considering this an overly decadent luxury, a four-night stay over a long weekend is a surprisingly affordable option (€550 including flight, accommodation, transfer, ski pass and ski hire). And all this in St. Anton, a little jewel in the Austrian alps which is regarded as the top ski resort in Austria and one of the best in Europe.

I was curious as to whether this Tyrolean village would live up to her ‘ski-hard, party harder’ reputation. A friend and I chose the alps as skiing is one holiday where you cannot afford to take the risk of a snow scarcity. St. Anton is also lift-linked to St. Christoph, which is snow-skiable until May.

Best to leave skiing on the cheaper low-altitude, icey terrain for those who really want to capitalise on their global health insurance policies.

A beginner learning to ski

Beginners beware though, St. Anton is best suited to the confident intermediate or advanced skier. An incorrigible optimist – I classed myself as the former. My gutsiness, however, deserted me on day one as raw fear left me immobilised at the edge of a very steep blue i.e. beginner slope. Was Austrian blue the new black? Was the ski slope grader colour blind? Had I really paid for this? It was, however, less a case of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ and more a case of ‘phone a friend’. Gallantly two German gentlemen graciously came to the aid of the Frauleins in distress and guided us down what seemed an impassably steep route.

If the slopes presented their own unique challenges, so too did the night life. Not only did it require more stamina than the slopes … with the male/female ratio, Sinead and I wondered had we inadvertently landed on gay village (now that wasn’t in the brochure). Except for one thing… the fact that the buachaillí looked eh… distinctly heterosexually delighted whenever we walked into a bar. This uber-attention gave me a wonderful (and
I fear lamentably short-lived) insight into what must be an average night on the town for a leading member of the Irish rugby team.

On being surrounded on the dance floor by a group of extremely tall men, my friend whispered “this is kinda claustrophobic…” The official figure is a ratio of 10:1 men/ women, however whoever came up with that figure patently cannot count. Probably the same person who graded the slopes.

What to do after a day on the slopes

The après ski begins on the slopes, with the Moserwirt and Krazy Kangaru pubs being the most popular. The Moserwirt is predominantly Austro-German in its clientele and with the songs and the ton weight trays of beers – if one averted one’s eyes from the ski gear – one might easily believe that one had been dropped into the Munich beer festival. It advertises itself as ‘wahrscheinlich die schlechsste Kneipe der Welt‘… probably the worst pub in the world. However seeing as it was full by 3.45pm every day… it is probably doing something very right. The other bar, the ‘Krazy Kangaru’ is more English and Scandinavian is another busy starting point for ambitious revelers.

Ski lessons

Lots of snow !

Ski school: this was decidedly underwhelming. There are two ski schools: blue and red, and seeing as they share the same owner, the only difference is the colour of the uniforms. The blue is a marginally better option as it offers more classes at different levels. Lessons can be bought in one, two, three etc. options, and if in doubt less is more, you can pay for one or two days and extend easily with no penalty. These schools can also give you information on private tuition and though considerably more expensive, a few hours of this may well offer you more than a few days at ski school.

Best suited to: The serious skier and the middling serious skier who loves the nightlife and can still-can-make-it-to-the-ski-slope-on-time types. Any Cailiní out there looking for an ego boost. Hunter/ gatherer type men who can confidently break up a scrum of over-tall Scandinavian men to get to a woman.

Not suited to: beginners, timid intermediates, or those who love a quiet life and gentle rolling slopes; men on the pull.

Suitable for Families?

Family friendly? Though families do visit, this would not be a notably child-friendly resort. Although kids are miles (literally) ahead of the adults in the skiing department – it is not unusual to see a forty -something out-of-breath Stefan shout at his four year old Klaus and seven year old Christina to wait for him, as they gleefully hurl themselves down a sheer black with youthful abandon.

What’s hot: With breathtaking alpine scenery, challenging ski slopes, lively après ski, St. Anton presents an impressive mix. Good, inexpensive restaurants and pubs. Extensive range of accommodation – much of which can be booked online. Excellent off-piste skiing. English is widely spoken and the locals are friendly and helpful. Less snowboarders than other European resorts. Entschuldigung Snowboarders.

The good and bad of St. Anton

What’s not? Disappointing ski school, pricey hotels.

• Good pubs: Cuba, Bobo.
• Nightclubs: Piccadilly: the DJ was so good, we never ventured elsewhere.

And did our skiing have a happy ending?

Yes, by the last day, I was flying down the reds; and the blues that had initially seemed scary now bored me. While braving my first black, an English lady sidled up behind me to inform me that “you seem to be in difficulty”. I was upright, and going downwards so was content with progress. My answer was short, terse and in German. Bless, she probably was a well-intentioned soul, so on reflection, I really, really hope she doesn’t

What else to bring? Energy: lots of.

More information & Useful Websites

Accommodation, airport transfers, ski passes, ski hire options and that all important
update on snowfall.

• austria.europe-mountains.com
• www.stantonamarlberg.com/winter
• Telephone number: +43 (0) 5446 22 690
• Email : info@stantonamarlberg.com

Maps, accommodation: Tripadvisor.com gives a great map of St. Anton and you can see exactly where your accommodation is located relative to lifts and village centre.

Some Tips on DYOS (Do Your Own Ski)

Flight Only*

One of the most important variables about a ski holiday is minimising the time it takes to get to the snow – so the closest options direct options are Salzburg, Austria,; and Zurich, Switzerland. Both train and a shuttle bus service operate from these airports to St. Anton.

• Innsbruck: 100km away from St. Anton. (CrystalSki.ie flies Saturday/Saturday) from €99 return.
• Ryanair.ie (flies to Salzburg, 300 km from St. Anton most days)
• Zurich (200km from St. Anton): AerLingus.com (flies every day)

Best bets are the Crystal ski flight or the Ryanair to Salzburg.

*Shuttle buses run from all these airports (excluding Zurich) direct to St. Anton and cost approximately Eur60-75 per person return. There are also taxi and mini bus options (and particularly if you are lugging your own ski equipment) this could be a good option. Your hotel may also offer a transfer option.

Accommodation

Some apartments/ chalets offer the luxury of being ski-in, ski-out. Nearly all can be booked online: B & B’s are from €35 per person per night. To note that the ‘Pension’ option is just a bed, whereas the ‘Pension mit Fruhstuck’ includes breakfast. Hotels are from €75 per night half board per person, and can offer nice touches like afternoon cakes and tea.

Apartments are another good option: from Eur330 for four people (10 minutes away from the village). You can always try phoning the owners directly – most of them speak good English. The tourist office will also tell you who has registered with them as having vacancies (however not everyone tells them so don’t rely entirely on this). Generally the half board hotel option is relatively little extra, however the B&B and self-catering options
give you the freedom to check out the local eateries.

The main ski lift is in the centre of St. Anton, and the price tends to rise directly in proportion to proximity to the village. If you can ski you should be able to walk a little in your snow boots in a well-light St. Anton?

Ski hire and ski passes: Ski hire can be booked in advance online and given the quieter season, research online and ring up and ask for a discount.

Pricing Guide

• Direct Flight: €105 including taxes. (Aerlingus.com based on departing Dublin, Thursday, 16 February, 2012 returning from Zurich Monday, 20, 2012).
• Transfer: €60
• B & B: 35 x 4 = €140
• 3 day ski pass: €117
• 3 day ski hire: €87

More information on Week packages

While there are a few operators who offer packages, e.g. Crystal Ski (www.crystalski.ie) and www.gohop.ie (also offer flights from Cork) – it’s well worth shopping around by looking online. Not only can you save money but you can compare better in terms of closeness to lifts, the village and how good the food is. Again, Tripadvisor.com will give you an indication of how your hotel rates.

Credits

Snowboarding in Dublin! Life statues: completeyfrog.us/31rshxspnrigto…

— G—B E A R (@GaRadioLAD) January 24, 2013

With all the snow that’s been falling since Monday, a few avid skiers and snowboarders have take their own initiative and taken to the mountains. While it can be quite hard work hiking up mountains, it’s worth it none the less ! Here is one of he videos of a few lads snowboarding this week in the Dublin mountains, near Hell Fire or Montpelier_Hill.

Skiing in Dublin Video

For those of you who like sideways videos you can check another one out here.

Your Irish ski videos

If you have any of your own videos you’d like to share, drop the youtube link in the comments !

Skis have become more like mini snowboards, when they just to be uniform and straight. They are now tapered for better carving, and some of the newer styles are also curved at the back for those of you like to ski backwards, and to do tricks. Here is a quick summary of the differences between 1982 and 2012.

Changes in Skiing fashion

Here is a great graphic we came across on Facebook. We don’t know who created it, but if you do please let us know !