skiing in March

Hi All,

We%26#39;re planning to go skiing for the week of March 11-18 flying to Munich. Will there be enough snow in Kitzbuhel and/or Zell an See area in March? We are pretty good intermediate level skiers. Never skied in Austria, but enjoyed solid blue runs in Colorado, Jackson Hole, Whistler. Did occasional blacks there, not very steep ones. My questions are: What are snow conditions in Kitzbuhel and Zell am See in mid-March and can you suggest other destinations within 2hr from Munich by car?

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Snow shoukld be good at both places.

Another area virtually unknown among Americans is the Allgaeu region, southeast of Munich and north of Lake Constance.

Oberstdorf in the Allgaeu is sort of the Vail of Germany, good runs, lots activity. In fact,the original Sonnenalp (somehow still connected to that in Vail) is near Oberstdorf, in Fischen.

The prime Obwerstdorf ski area is the Nebelhorn. The top is reached by a cable car and then there are long runs back into the valley. If snow conditions are iffy, you just get off at the midway station and ski the upper part.

A similar ski arrangement is the Jenner, a few km south of Berchtesgaden,close to the Koenigsee.

As to degree of difficulty, I would judge both areas similar to what you find in Summit County, CO

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Sorry, I got my compass headings a bit mixed up: The Allgaeu is southWEST of Munich. I should know, I lived there for many years. But -------!

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The Arlberg region is another one to consider.

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actually kitzbuhel is very low elevation and there is very little snow left by mid-march , if any. we were passing thru exactly mid-march a few years back - it was totally dead, raining, most hotels closed. lech/zurs/st.anton is a much better option for march. not sure about kaprun. high up might be snow, but not in the village itseft(zeel am zee). in march most valleys are already blooming (like inn valley, mayerhofen). you might try tuxertal too - though we found it icy in march too.

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Thanks for your replies about skiing in March. Too bad it%26#39;s not enough snow in Kitzbuhel and Zell an See in mid March. As far as i understand St.Anton area is the safest bet for snow. Has anybody been to Nassfeld, Corinthia in March? How is it?

In fact we are planning to go on skiing with relatives coming from Vienna. So what will be places reachable from both Munich and Venna with good runs in March and decent apres ski. We are a family with 18-20 year olds.

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Nell,

snow conditions in mid-march is a real tricky question, which cannot be answered before beginning of March. 50% chance of excellent snow, or green meadows in the valleys, depending on the year. So far there is a lot of snow this year, but it´s still a long time to go. There should be still enough snow left on the mountains though, but usually it gets warm in the afternoons, and the snow is melting away. I agree that you should prefer higher elevations. Arlberg is the safer choice (St.Anton/Zuers/Lech), an excellent skiing area, St.Anton is most challenging regarding difficulty of slopes.

Also Ischgl would be a safe option, the ski area is high up in the mountains. I skied there at the beginning of May, plenty of snow. Same with Oetztal valley in Tyrol, e.g.Obergurgl; Hintertux; or Gastein valley in Salzburg, skiing in Sportgastein.

Nassfeld in Carinthia is nice too, but snow conditions in mid-March are doubtful.

Talk to your relatives in Vienna which skiing resort they like best.

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st anton has a lot of clubs, bars,etc it%26#39;s a big village with lots of young people and very international, lots of brits and swedes. it should be ok for march, in any case you can always take a bus to lech - less icy and aesier slopes there, quieter. train connection is good.

if you search this forum for munich - many posts. train schedules:

www.oebb.at

from innsbruck there is a fast train to st.anton. and you can reach innsbruck from both munich and vienna.