Niederau

Hrududu

We're heading off to Niederau in a couple of weeks and I had a couple of questions for people who have been there. We are flying into Salzburg and at the moment are trying to figure out the best way to get from there to the resort. I know there is the option of a taxi the whole way, which would be pretty expensive. So if anyone took public transport or has any tips that would be great.

As this is the first time I've gone skiing I'm not really sure how the whole thing works. Do you sort out boots/skis/lessons once you get out there? Are there places you go to sort that out?

Imposter

I don't know anything specific about Niederau but in general there will be sports shops which will sort you out with both equipment and lessons. I'd advise trying to get there the day before you intend to ski or very early on the first day so as not to miss the start of the lessons.

Some resorts in Austria have shuttle taxis that do airport runs and are quite reasonable (Saalbach is 35€pp e/w to Salzburg airport for example). Basically it's a taxi that picks up a few people. Not sure if Niederau has one though. other options are as usual hiring a car or getting a train/bus.

Q_Ball

GF and I were there last month, its a nice place if a bit remote. Apres ski is ok too. Food was very dodgy in the hotel we stayed in and in one other hotel we went for dinner in but there is a spar that will tide you over if you can live on bread!

We went on a package tour with budget and as such a coach was organised for us. It'd be crazy expensive to hire a taxi to get there, you're looking at nearly a 2 hour coach ride. I'm not sure if there is public transport to the town but its best to see if your hotel organises a shuttle. There will be reps there so if you're not with an operator they may be able to help you out. If there is public transport its more than likely bus, i dont remember there being a train station in the vicinity of the town.

As for equipment, there is a main ski hire centre by the nursery slopes where everyone gets theirs, although most hotels have their own ski hire but is a bit more expensive iirc. Cant for the life of me remember the prices of the equipment, lessons or ski pass (ours was paid for through budget) but I'll find out the name of the place and post it later. You'll need a ski pass to use the lifts and gondola.

Hrududu

Ta very much.

Imposter

Have a look here for trains/buses:
www.oebb.at

I typed in salzburg to Niederau (Niederau in Wildschönau) and it seems easy enough to get to during the day anyways.
About a 90min train to Wörgl and then a 20-30 min bus there. Connections seem quite good too.

Q_Ball

http://www.ski-margreiter.at/ is the ski hire place. They let you store your equipment there for an extra €2 but most, if not all, hotels have a ski room that you can put your gear in for free. I know this sounds cheap but its usually more hassle to go fetch your gear and store it every monrning than it is to just bring it back to the hotel.

I think you can organise the ski pass there too but your hotel reception will know more.

Hrududu

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going on a package deal got at the last minute. I found out last night that there are transfers from the airport so thats a weight off. But i'll look up those sites just in case. On an unrelated note I have a question about a jacket. I have a waterproof jacket, would a fleece inside this be sufficient or do I really need a heavier coat? Here is the jacket:

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=AS0P&language=en

5h4mr0(k

If you have room for the fleece, bring it. Worst case, you get too hot, and take it off. It's easier to cool down on the mountain than warm up.
Layers is what you need. Plenty of layers.

And sunglasses/goggles.