• Christmas 2015; Austria, Mayrhofen Zillertal Valley - Webcams

• Weather forecast - for this valley with METCHECK

Hotel Ferienhof

We have just returned from a glorious week in the Zillertal valley. We did not ski every resort but did both sides of Mayrhofen (Ahorn - 1 lift and run open, great for beginners) and the (Penken, most of the higher lifts and runs were in operation).

I believe that all resorts in the valley were open to some extent. We ventured down the vally on the local railway the Kaltenbach. About 20 minutes to the station and 10 minute walk to the gondola station. We found this resort to be a great place for intermediate level skiers and boarders alike. One or two tricky sections for beginners, steep reds that can unsettle the nerves of the novice.

Some great places to relax for lunch or a brew. My two shared a home made burger at one place and it was wonderful, Craig and me both tried the lasagne, a huge portion of freshly prepared food and we both left clean plates.

Although the hotel was excellent the position was ok, with a 5 minute walk with ones ski equipment to either of the two lifts.

The nearest bus stops were 3 minutes with the train station within walking distance or use the bus service.

Far enough away for families to enjoy peace and quiet. We could still hear the fireworks from our room that were let off during the early hours of a couple of mornings but it was Christmas and they were celebrating the official opening of the Penkenbahn 3S.

The Neilson managed hotel

was excellent considering the staff had just been assembled within the past 3 weeks. They were well organised even though they were still testing out how to get the best out of their facilities and fulfil their responsibilities.

A well run facility, clean and tidy, good food,  lovely staff.

One of the things we liked was the single menu every evening, the children ate the same as the grown ups, no chicken nuggets or fish fingers here. The chef was very accommodating when allergies or other issues clashed with a menu item. Typically we had one person in our party that has a fish allergy and the kitchen came up trumps with alternative options.

The slopes

had not seen any fresh snow since the initial flurry about 2 weeks previous to our trip. Although all of it had disappeared from the lower slopes and the valley bottom there was still enough to get around on on the upper sections, all topped up by an extensive number of snow cannons.

The Penkenbahn 3S

opened officially on our first day, got to say this is an impressive piece of engineering.

Uphill capacity of 2880 persons per hour

Seated cabins for up to 24 people.

8.2 minutes from the bottom to the slopes

Built-in ski hangers so you don’t have to hold on to your skis while in the lift.

Escalators to take you up to the gondolas from street level.

The Ahornbahn Lift - aerial tramway

Uphill capacity of 1200 persons per hour

There was only the one lift and slope open when we visited this resort, but I must say that it is excellent for beginners with a couple of short rolling carpet lifts to cover the nursery slopes.

One of the key features of the resort in at the top of the 8er Ahorn is the Igloo Bar, an amazing and deceptively large inside, some lovely sculptures and even carved areas for seating with tables made of ice. You can purchase a flavoured shot of Vodka inside for around €3. We visited at the end of our last day and our phone batteries were all flat so no photos taken inside.

For more on this resort click on this Wikipedia icon

Skis, Boots and Boards

In this resort we were hiring from the Green Room rental and shop. The staff were great, friendly and knowledgeable.  The Neilson staff thought we would all be on brand new equipment for the week, but that was not the case.

We all received standard hire equipment and it was brilliant, the boots I used were definitely the best I have ever worn to they were comfortable and never once did I have that sloppy or tight boot feeling. They were good for the 5 minute walk to the lifts.

The skis were modern carvers that performed well in all conditions available to us. They were reliable when one came across the odd patch of ice on some of the steeper reds over towards Finkenberg. They were kind enough to allow me and my boy to exchange skis and boots to Boarding equipment for the last afternoon.

I will add that we all found the sizing a little small and all had to got up at least one size on boots.