Zell am See - Any advice?

ownsel

Hi all, My wife and I are off skiing to Zell am See at the end of January:D and I was wondering if any of you have been there and have any advise for me on the resort? I'm renting a car and I was thinking of getting the Salzburg Super ski pass http://www.salzburgsuperskicard.com/?&sprachen_id=2 which gives access to a huge ski area and it would give us a chance to experience a few of the Austrian resorts.

olaola

Great resort - one of the slightly cheaper ones in Austria too. Nice village, plenty of bars and places to keep you occupied.
The ski school there was excellent, even though we were stalked by our East German instructor the last few days…

There is one particular restaurant that you have to go down a long track to. Amazing views - and they take you back to the slopes pulled by a skidoo! Which is great craic Just ask any of the instructors where it is. If you're doing school, they'll prob bring you there one of the days. Great skiing for beginners & intermediates. I was just starting the year I went, so I cannot really comment on the more advanced slopes. But the guys were brought off for some off piste by their instructor. If the snow isn't great - you've always got Glacier skiing in Kaprun nearby too. The lake is usually frozen over and you can walk across it, which is something you don't do often!

What hotel you staying in? Ours had a decent bar underneath and served savage pizzas until about 3am. HAHM!

Unless you're going to drive around to different resorts (Which might not be that feasible due to snowfall) the Salzberger card might be overkill. Considering you'll have Zell + Kaprun on one pass, you'd prob spend the week going around them. But it's not that expensive, so it might be worth it.

ownsel

Thanks for the info.

We are staying in a guest house http://www.aislinghouse-austria.com/englishHome.html that was recommended to me by a friend. It is owned by an Irish couple and they have both been very helpful so far. It seemingly has one of the best locations in Zell with doorstep skiing. House is located right on the slopes and ski lift is just a few seconds ski from the door. Given that it's a B&B we will be eating out in the village at night so I was looking for some recommendations on nice restaurants?

We are going over for 10 days so we will have a little extra time there and we could try other resorts for a day here and there to sample them for future referance, that is why I was thinking that Super ski card was a good idea and it is very little extra on top of the normal area pass.

ownsel

Forgot to ask, what hotel was it you were staying in?

Might try it for a pizza some night!:)

olaola

We stayed in Hotel Zum Hirschen. We had half board, so we didn't really eat out. Other than one night we had fondue somewhere, which I cannot recall the name of! I think it was down the main street past Crazy Daisy's.
I think the restaurant of this hotel was recommended for traditional food. We just got the included menu, but it was decent.
The savageness of the pizzas in the bar might be inversely proportional to the amount of alcohol we had at the time! But they did seem to impress at 2am

Sorry I can't be more help re: the food options! I'm sure your hosts will have plenty of more info. The B&B looks good!

loobylou

Most definitely get the Salzburgsuperski pass, it does'nt cost a whole lot extra and will cover nearby Saalbach which is a "must ski" resort. Believe me, you won't regret it.
Eating out, we always visit the Kupferkessel, great value, huge menu and also sells Lowenbrau beer on tap. Its a big place but very popular so booking is advisable, especially if your a big group (more then 4).
With a car Kitzbuhel is also possible, try the Hahnenkamm run, it will frighten the life out of you.

ownsel

Thanks for the replies. That Hahnenkamm run sounds interesting:eek:. And that Kupferkessel definitely sounds worth a visit:).

loobylou

Just checked the FIS calender and the world championship is on in Kitzbuhel from Jan 20-25. The Hahnenkamm is closedbefore the race so unless your going later then those dates you won't be allowed on it. Once the race is over though it's open to allcomers, ybe in total awe of the professionals who have been skiing it at 90mph.
Good description of the run here, http://www.welove2ski.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=b01&featureid=672#Hahnenkamm

ownsel

Just had a look at that link and as far as that Hahnenkamm run is concerned...not a bloody chance:eek:. Think I'll wait another few years before I'd attempt something like that but it's definitely worth a visit to see it in reality. Awe inspiring I'd say!

olaola

We went to Kitzbuhel in 2007- it's a very low resort, so there was no snow there. I know it was a bad year for most places - I think the Kannenkam was cancelled? They had been bringing in snow to cover it via helicopter but they couldn't get enough in for the race.