Ineedsnow ski holidays blog http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog ineedsnow for ski / snowboard holidays Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:52:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 22 days earlier than last year – the season starts for me at the Hintertux Glacier http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/22-days-earlier-than-last-year-the-season-starts-for-me-at-the-hintertux-glacier/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/22-days-earlier-than-last-year-the-season-starts-for-me-at-the-hintertux-glacier/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:52:12 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1047

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jbYV-eOifY

2nd September 2010 – after 50cm of snow in the last days of August there was no choice but to head for the Hintertux Glacier – the only open glacier skiing area in Austria at the moment. I didn’t get the powder prize – that went yesterday with cooler temperatures and higher clouds. I could see the tracks though:( I did get fantastic weather today though with freezing temperatures at the peak and really impressive snow on the ski pistes. The open ski areas was really impressive – really a quite area with many lifts running. The weather is set to be seasonal so now more dumps over the coming days but with half a metre up there conditions should remain excellent.

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/22-days-earlier-than-last-year-the-season-starts-for-me-at-the-hintertux-glacier/feed/ 0 My season opener at the Hintertux Glacier tomorrow http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/my-season-opener-at-the-hintertux-glacier-tomorrow/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/my-season-opener-at-the-hintertux-glacier-tomorrow/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:43:03 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/my-season-opener-at-the-hintertux-glacier-tomorrow/ Well it is time to get the boots and skis in the car once again and head south to the incredible glaciers in the Austria Tirol. My season opening ski is happening tomorrow at the Hintertux Glacier and after half a metre of snow fell over the glaciers in the last couple of days the skiing looks set to be very impressive. So after tomorrow there will just be 9 months skiing left – no wonder the body aches each May :)

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/my-season-opener-at-the-hintertux-glacier-tomorrow/feed/ 0 Gearing up for winter 2010/11 with the Tirol snow card http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gearing-up-for-winter-201011-with-the-tirol-snow-card/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gearing-up-for-winter-201011-with-the-tirol-snow-card/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:19:54 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1044 Covering a total of 81 ski areas, offering a total of 960 ski lifts and boasting over 3100m of Austria’s best skiing and snowboarding the Tirol Snow Card is surely one of the best ski passes available anywhere. With skiing from 1st October10 through to the 15th May11 and including ski areas such as Kitzbuhel, Obergurgl, Stubai Glacier, Hintertux Glacier, Mayrhofen, Gerlos and Soll as some of the 81 covered ski areas, the Tirol Snow Card has some of the big names in Austrian skiing on it. The price is a jaw-dropping 608 Euros and for locals it should be around 450 Euros for over 7 months of unlimited skiing. Life is good in Tirol.

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gearing-up-for-winter-201011-with-the-tirol-snow-card/feed/ 0 New snow in Gerlos http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/new-snow-in-gerlos/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/new-snow-in-gerlos/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:09:33 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1041 Spring has been here in Austria for the last few weeks but temperatures have dropped again and my weekend in Gerlos has seen 2 consecutive snowy mornings and whilst the snow has been heavy late in the day at resort level the snow at the top sections of the Zillertal Arena has been powder. Check out the latest snow report from today in Gerlos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca40ETX4vQo

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/new-snow-in-gerlos/feed/ 0 Heli skiing in the Austrian Arlberg http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/heli-skiing-in-the-austrian-arlberg/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/heli-skiing-in-the-austrian-arlberg/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:50:52 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/heli-skiing-in-the-austrian-arlberg/ Just back from heli skiing in the Austrian Arlberg with friends from Stuben am Arlberg and a world champion powder skier. What a day that was. The flight was incredible and our guide found some superb powder snow in the peaks between Zurs am Arlberg and Zug. We didn’t see another person on the mountain apart from a ski tourer who was heading up to where we had just been heli dropped. We certainly got a great day but there are very many in the Arlberg and the flight allowed us access to areas only reachable on touring skis. In many years of skiing that had to be about the best!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXSGyok2KQ4

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/heli-skiing-in-the-austrian-arlberg/feed/ 0 Cold Davos in great snow but forget the ski route back to Kublis http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/cold-davos-in-great-snow-but-forget-the-ski-route-back-to-kublis/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/cold-davos-in-great-snow-but-forget-the-ski-route-back-to-kublis/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:11:36 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1036 Great skiing conditions in Davos - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Great skiing conditions in Davos - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Just back from a trip to Davos and the ski conditions were superb, sunny days, plenty of fresh snow and cold, cold conditions. I was guiding a corporate group who were keen to take the route all the way down to Kublis. The top section was superb but the ski route down into Kublis was barely skiable with ice, ruts, grass / stones and many narrow sections. The group all made it to the bottom but the enjoyment was not immense.  Great skiing down to Klosters and Davos though and whilst the off-piste was pretty tracked out after the heavy snow last weekend then the piste skiing was about as good as it gets.

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/cold-davos-in-great-snow-but-forget-the-ski-route-back-to-kublis/feed/ 0 Gerlos powder skiing http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gerlos-powder-skiing/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gerlos-powder-skiing/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:26:12 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1031 banks of powder in Gerlos - image © www.ineedsnow.com

banks of powder in Gerlos - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Just back from skiing in Gerlos and scored a major powder day. The sun was intermittent but the visibility was good for almost all the day and the snow was sensational. There was so much un-tracked powder just next to the pistes and lifts it was bewildering. Maybe there were better secret stashes on offer for the locals but from what I could see there was several days good powder skiing lying in wait for anyone wanting it. Great day!

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/gerlos-powder-skiing/feed/ 0 A minute of distraction and the Pitztal Valley is gone http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/a-minute-of-distraction-and-the-pitztal-valley-is-gone/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/a-minute-of-distraction-and-the-pitztal-valley-is-gone/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:06:38 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1026 Rifflsee - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Rifflsee - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Today I managed to miss the gargantuan Pitztal Valley – I was being tailgated by a car and watched in my mirror it got pulled by an unmarked police car who was tailgating it. A 20 minute round trip was enough to wipe the smirk away. Today I skied in both Rifflsee and Hochzeiger both resorts in the Pitztal Valley and part of the Pitztal ski region that includes the Pitztal Glacier. The weather was poor in the morning and much better in the afternoon. Hochzeiger had more young racers than I have ever seen on the slopes, possibly motivated by the fact that it is the home ski area of Benjamin Raich. Snow conditions were excellent, there was no real off-piste to go at but the ski pistes had a good cover of fresh snow.

Hochzeiger – image © www.ineedsnow.com

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/a-minute-of-distraction-and-the-pitztal-valley-is-gone/feed/ 0 Captain Spock and the Titanic in the Zillertal Arena http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/captain-spock-and-the-titanic-in-the-zillertal-arena/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/captain-spock-and-the-titanic-in-the-zillertal-arena/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:07:00 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1020 The annual Stroh Juchee festival in the Zillertal Arena - image © www.ineedsnow.com

The annual Stroh Juchee festival in the Zillertal Arena - image © www.ineedsnow.com

I spent the day in the Zillertal Arena yesterday and watched the Stroh Juchee event – a bit like a carnival procession on ski piste, with locals trying to stop their ‘floats’ from making a hasty decent into the Zillertal Valley. It was great fun and amongst the 7000 in attendance there were very many families. Titanic and the USS Enterprise were there whilst the music and après ski action went on all afternoon.

Raising the Titanic - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Raising the Titanic - image © www.ineedsnow.com

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/captain-spock-and-the-titanic-in-the-zillertal-arena/feed/ 0 More powder, this time in Zauchensee http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/more-powder-this-time-in-zauchensee/ http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/more-powder-this-time-in-zauchensee/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:54:36 +0000 mat http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/?p=1015 Zauchensee powder skiing, December 2009 - image © www.ineedsnow.com

Zauchensee powder skiing, December 2009 - image © www.ineedsnow.com

The superb opening to the winter in Austria continues with great powder skiing on offer in the Salzburger Sportwelt ski region. I was in Zauchensee over the weekend and the skiing was superb. I had to watch due to a season opening injury that I picked up at Axamer Lizum but there were blue skies, cold temperatures and tons of new snow.

A short video from the resort on Sunday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTJXO27-0OQ

]]> http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/more-powder-this-time-in-zauchensee/feed/ 0