lizzie1973

HSV,

I've never even heard of Ischgl or Moserwirt but will certainly look into them when I go to Austria.

From what I've heard, all of the ski resorts in Europe will be closed end of November. The only possibility (I'm told) is glacier skiing, which isn't very challenging. I've never skiied in Europe. Only in the US and South America. But instead of my usual trip to Colorado this year, decided to ski (and do the after-ski)European style! I actually find (lately) I enjoy Europeans more than Americans, in general. But don't tell any of my American friends I said that! ;-)

lizzie1973

Also, I only know a tiny bit of German, but am trying to learn more--tough language! Will I be okay in the smaller towns?

hausfrau

Since you'll be too early to enjoy the snow in eastern France, how about going to Strasbourg from Baden-Baden instead? It would be a quick train trip (I am assuming you'll be traveling by train) and you'll get a little taste of the Alsace-Lorraine area. The central city is on a sort of island and has beautiful winding streets to wander - it won't be dressed up for Christmas yet but should still be gorgeous!

February will be perfect for St. Anton. Best chance for great snow and good weather. We've skiied in Tahoe and Colorado (Vail) many times, and find that the Alberg compares nicely to the Rockies. One thing we noticed about the Arlberg is that there are far fewer mogul runs and a lot more of what they call "off-piste" skiing, meaning ungroomed runs. These can be great if the powder is fresh but virtually impossible to negotiate (at least for "once-a-year skiiers" like us) once it gets crusty. Also there is a lot more skiing above the tree line, which means that during whiteout conditions you will appreciate the many signs they have posted marking the sides of the runs! Be sure to check out the St. Christoph side if it gets too crowded on the St. Anton side. There are also several other smaller ski areas in the area that are accessible by shuttle and are included in your lift pass.

I can't speak from experience but I have heard from several Europeans that St. Anton has the best combination of skiing and night life in Europe. We've heard that the town is also far prettier than most of the French ski resort towns. We were told that if you are just going to ski, go to France, but if you want night life, go to St. Anton!

German is a very difficult language, I agree! I've been here over a year and have taken lessons and I'm still speaking "Kinder Deutsch." Every effort you make to speak even a few words will be appreciated. In Munich, the locals were very friendly and when we made an effort to speak German, they made an effort to speak slowly and clearly back. On the other hand many people in the inner city speak English too. In smaller towns you will run into fewer English speakers, but most service providers like hotels and restaurants will have some people who speak English. Again, it's all about being friendly and respectful and making an effort, and you'll be just fine!

hsv

English won't be an issue in St. Anton - it's very popular with a British and Scandinavian crowd, the latter relying on English for communication, too.
In fact at the Krazy Kangaroo bar, one can pretty much only order in English (many of the waiters appear to be from Australia) - it has seen better days, though IMHO.

lizzie1973

Hausfrau,
I've just looked at a website for Strausbourg and it's exactly what I had in mind! Great suggestion!

How far of a train ride would you say it is from Baden Baden? Do trains go right into town?

I agree you--it's all about being friendly, respectful and showing that you're at least trying to learn.
Any place I go I always learn to say the phrase "I'm sorry that my (insert language) is very bad, but I really want to learn" in their language. People seem to appreciate that.

lizzie1973

Krazy Kangaroo sounds good--Aussies are always great fun. But I like going places where they don't speak English-it's part of the fun and I like the challenge.

BTilke

Strasbourg is about 40 minutes from BB by train. It's an easy walk to the highlights of the old town.

Another day trip possibility is Basel, Switzerland. It's 1.5 hours, but the city has a lovely old town for poking around, many museums, great shopping, etc. You could, for example, catch an early morning train down, explore Basel, have lunch, catch a train back around 3:30 pm, and be back in BB in time for an evening concert or loll in a spa.

hausfrau

I haven't done Baden-Baden to Strasbourg by train but I would guess that it is only an hour or so because it is less than an hour by car. I haven't taken the train to Strasbourg in over 10 years(!) but at the time I was backpacking with my brother and as I recall we walked from the train station to our hotel and had no problem navigating the city on foot.

While I of course memorized the phrase "Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch" very quickly, I find that I get more smiles when I say, "Mein Deutsch ist sehr schlecht!" (My German is very bad!)

You'll hear a lot of different languages in St. Anton and very few Americans, which is always fun! We didn't go to the Krazy Kangaroo but it is something of a St. Anton landmark (a bar located on the slopes).

We've decided to return to the Arlberg for our ski trip next year (probably early March) even though we could go anywhere in Europe - we just loved our hotel and like the idea of going back to a place that we know.