We are a family of 6, but the ‘children’ are all grown up - youngest aged 17. None of us have been skiing before. We want to have a week in Austria next Christmas - but are looking now to try to get somewhere booked, and hope to have best choice now rather than leaving it til later.
 
We want somewhere with guaranteed snow, in a scenic area/traditional village setting with a good ski/snow-boarding school and good access to nursery slopes etc. We are wanting somewhere not too busy/lively and are looking for self-catering accommodation. We also want somewhere near to toboggan runs as we don’t all want to ski/snowboard. Also - any ideas on best place toi find good prices for plane tickets?
 
There seem to be so many resorts it’s difficult to know where to start.
 
Any of you experienced ski-trippers able to suggest somewhere we can go?
 
Any advice would be very welcome.
 
Thanks.

Hi
 
Quite a difficult one here, as the majority of Austrian resorts are pretty low by French standards and therefore not guaranteed snow at Xmas. In addition you will be very hard pushed to find self catering in a UK tour company.
 
There are a few high altitude resorts though that would probably tick the boxes - Lech/St Anton, Obergurgl and Ischgl. All within easy reach of Innsbruck airport (Easyjet, BA and First Choice). You could also fly to Friedrichshafen with Ryanair, but this is west of the aforementioned resorts but still within a couple of hours probably.
 
I have been to Oberlech (just above Lech) a couple of times and the kids (I have 3 - 4, 7 and 10) absolutely love it - partially because of the sledging run from Oberlech to Lech (1.2 km long and open till 10 at night - absolutely amazing). The down side is that it is pricey to get there but probably cheaper than most French resorts to eat out etc. Choice a bit limited to eat out though in Lech. http://www.lech-zuers.at is good for finding all types of accomodation, although the majority will not release prices/rooms until summer months.
 
St Anton is just along the road but probably not suited for beginners. A lot more choice of things to do there, more restaurants and cheaper too. The apres ski is absolitely wild, and with your youngest being 17, I’m sure you would all love it. Better staying in the Nasserein area of the village as this is where the beginners slopes are. http://www.stantonamarlberg.com is again very good for finding rooms, and there will be more self catering than in Lech.
 
I have not been to Ischgl but currently looking into for next years family trip. Samnaun and Kappl are all covered with the same lift pass and seem to be a better place for families, as Ischgl is very similar to St Anton - ie mad apres ski and difficult runs back to village, so not best suited for beginners.
 
I have not been to Obergurgl either but gets very good reviews

Hi there,
 
From my experience of St Anton, Ischgl etc - I would certainly not choose these resorts as a first skiing holiday. They are busy, with limited beginner areas.
 
I would recommend somewhere like the Ski Amade area - near Salzburg - in particular: Schladming, Flachau and Wagrain. They are all fairly close to one another. I spent time there last December and in the previous one: both years completely different in terms of snow conditions. Even during one of the worst winters for a long time, Schaldming showed an excellent use of snowmaking and grooming. This December was absolutley superb.
 
The resorts are very accessible from Salzburg - so you can fly there quite cheaply and transfer by train or car (and visit the city if you want a day away from the slopes). Flachau is fantastic for beginners - with lots of gentle runs and nearly all fast lifts - really would recommend a few days learning there. There aren’t many UK operators to the resort but you could try Interhome or Made to Measure holidays. Flachau is quiet in low season, but has a good range of restaurants and apres-ski bars.
 
Similarly, neighbouring Wagrain is a pretty base, with some very nice skiing. Schladming is probably your best choice for variety and off-slope activities and some good apres-ski if you want it. The easiest skiing is up the mountain - so more realiable snow-wise. Most Austrian areas have toboggan runs! Travel to Salzburg is easy enough - Ryanair normally has the best prices. From there, it is an easy 2hr drive or a direct train service to Schladming or Radstadt.
 
As for self-catering, this isn’t really associated with Austrian resorts, so you’ll need to hunt around. But you could try the Almdorf, Reiteralm - a new development, part-way up the mountain on Schladming’s Reiteralm sector. This has a small collection of self-catering chalets in a pretty woody style - but VERY quiet location, so perhaps not suited to teenagers. You’ll need a car to get up there too.
 
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Another</a> resort option might be Serfaus: it is easily reached from Innsbruck, fairly high and snow-sure, quiet, family-oriented and with lots of long, easy runs. But it is mostly hotel-based.

I’m with Wendy on this one. Schladming would be an excellent choice. There are self-catering apartments for independent travellers. Try the website or the excellent tourist office. Also, the town has lots of excellent supermarkets plus a number of specialist food shops AND a great choice of restaurants not available to half-boarders.
 
if you’re looking for something a bit different, we stayed in Ramsau in January. Fabulous scenery, great restaurants and shops and, for the beginners, some absolutely great long and gentle nursery slopes.
 
For the experts, you have to get the bus (15 min) to Schladming but it does take you very close to Planai.
 
John

Hi
Your criteria is difficult to match up and as you can see by the comments there`s plenty to choose from and all have their pluses and minuses. so here`s my choice based on the fact there`s 6 of you and most important you all don`t want to ski. (In other words it could be very expensive).
 
Kitzbuhel -;
Town rather than village ( but beautiful ).
Lots of different accommodation including appartments etc for self catering.
Low resort but always tends to survive even in the difficult years.
School and nursery slopes O.K. if you pick your accommodation carefully.
Can be as hectic or peaceful as you want to make it.
Lots to do off the slopes ( There`s even free guided walking, snowshoeing and tobogganing tours by the tourist office every day mon-fri which are superb ).
Resteraunts for every taste and pocket.
Nightlife for every age group and taste.
Salzburg only 1 hour and everybody flies there.
And best of all it`s Austria and only austria knows how to enjoy itself !! Good hunting have a great time wherever you end up.

I would definitely agree on the recommendation for Schladming area, especially around Rohrmoos or Ramsau - great for families, easy access from Salzburg and good place to learn.
 
Another option would be Obertauern which, although smallish in area, is compact and cute with great snow and good ski schools - Andy Krallinger school recommended. Not sure about self-catering though…

The Enzian hotel in Obertauern has apartments and the ski school collects kids from the hotels with a ‘train’ (tractor and trailer made to look like a train)

Just a quick couple of points re Richards comments. Re cheap airlines - Beware - We booked salzburg for Christmas literally the minute they came onto the screen one morning last june with Jet-2 from Leeds. We were then browsing their site early August to see they had come down in price. Letter after polite letter was sent including one to the M.D. but as expected no joy was found. Although their general statements make you believe that booking early is best, their careful statements using the word "usually" seems to give them a free rein.
Agreed, Obergurgl is quite nice but wouldn`t want to go there if I wasn`t skiing.
Christmas day is like any other for instructors if it falls mon -fri from my experience.

I agree with Wendy about Schladming. If you want a self-catering accommodation in affordable price, central position and close (100 m.) to the Planai gondola try the apartment Sieder (http://www.sieder-schladming.at/)

Seeing as none of you has skied before, I think you should forget the large popular resorts, particularly the likes of St Anton which is an advanced intermediate resort mainly.
 
I can strongly suggest that you consider Niederau and Filzmoos, both perfectly geared up for learners, as you wont be looking for miles of pistes to blast. Take your first ever trip as one where you want to be in a place best for beginners, with easy slope access, and of course a good reputation of ski schools (Niederau I understand is brilliant).
 
I have visited Mayrhofen many times, and this is a fantastic place, but as a first timer, I dont think its the right place, although the Ahorn side of the resort is perfect for beginners, the ski schools all used to be based on the busy and technical Penken side. However, once you have learned, this is a brilliant place for a ski holiday all round.

No-one has mentioned Zell am See. An unusual mountain with the most gentle skiing at the top, so snow-sure there when it’s poor lower down. Lifts all good for beginners. No problems going down by lift right from the top if need be. Splendid views. Good restaurants. Pleasant town.
With good snow the small Maiskogel area nearby offers enjoyable skiing for early skiers (I took a seven-year old there). In poor conditions the glacier not far away has mainly easy skiing.

Hi
 
There are lots of great places in Austria but your wide specification is hard to meet.
 
Popular places are Kitzbuhler with a simple less crowded run on one side that would be a great and easy place to start. Then there is the main run on the other side.
 
Zell am Zee is great too and is easy to get to.
 
Also consider staying in Innsbruck and getting ski bus to about 5 places around.
 
Or Seedfeld nearby has a good nursery slope. We learned to ski there.
 
These are not high resorts and ALL will be crowded at Easter. St. Anton and Lech/Zurs are better for more advanced skiers.
 
Getting flights separately is very hard as the "low-cost" flights will be expensive during Christmas. Best to check out some cheaper ski package sites like:
 

Directski.com
ifyouski.com
 
By the time you have so called cheap tickets (less than £200 each during Christmas week is great), transfer and accomodation then package deals are often better.
 
I often book accommodation via say directski.com (when bargains are offered) and then drive down.
 
Jay