Hi, I'll be in Munich this December 17th and am planning to take a trip w/my girlfriend to the Austrian Alps for 3 nights. Any advice on where to go? Key consideration factors are 1) Snow early in the season 2) easy to get train to from Munich and 3) Which town you simply like the best?
We're both pretty good snowboarders and skiiers, have been thinking Kitzbuhel but people say it might be worth the time to travel a further to St. Anton? Any advice? Thanks

both of those places are quite good, but another small town place is seefeld, just north of innsbruck...lots of cross country skiing

Kitzbuhel is not too far from Munich ,but is at low altitude and often has little snow early in the season.
St. Anton, alonger trip, but snow should be better.
Prices should be similar in both.
Each should require at least one change of trains.

Asynn:

Garmisch is the closest, a true town instead of a ski towm. Great prices and values....but I am afraid that the snow might not be good at that time.
!

Also look at Lech, which is just up the Valley from St. Anton but a bit higher in elevation.

If your young and looking for great fun I say head to St. Anton and take your chances with the snow.

I have never been here but I believe it has glacier skiing..look into Ishgl in the Austrian Alps

But if you can wait to make reservations, which should not be a problem at that time of the year, check the conditions at Garmisch and if snow has been good...that is where I would head for "three days" An easy 2 hr train from Munich!

PS: Check out the Frauendorfer Gaste Haus if you make it to G/P
JOHN
Have Fun!
JOhn

JOhn

Quite a bit of snow has already fallen in the Alps in the last week or two, leading many people to believe that this is the year for early skiing. I read on another forum some speculation that the very hot, dry summer will likely lead to a cold, snowy winter, based on data from past years. Maybe it's all wishful thinking, but check out the snowcams in this website:
http://www.snoweye.com/

Your main concern will be snow quality. Why don't you decide at the last moment, depending on snow at various resorts? It'll be early enough in season to allow for spontaneity. Then, check out high altitude resorts e.g. Kaprun/Zell an See, Obergurgl, Solden etc. All are easily reachable from Munich.

All, I just want to say thanks for the great advice so far. I hear what you're saying about snow quality early season and think I may hold off on making a reservation until a week or tow beforehand to see which resort looks best.
Also, please keep the great advice coming, its great to hear peoples opinions.

Also, we arrive in munich at 9AM (from california), what time can we expect to get to Kitz or St. Anton at if we take the trains? Thx again

t

The Austrians we know (who ski) say Lech is the best place to ski in Austria and you'll also have the best shot at good snow in mid December. (With our morning coffee, we watch one of the Austrian tv stations that features web cams from around the country and traditional music and Lech already has a good snow base starting.)
We hear the same thing as MariaRosa, that this winter will be colder and snowier than usual. We've already experienced a couple of cold snaps in Belgium and Germany. So fingers crossed that you'll have good early conditions!
For more info on Lech, check www.lech.at or www.ski-europe.com

hi, thanks for the help so far. Any opinions on whether I should rent a car (get to see a lot) or take the train (easy) to St. Anton or Kitz?