Kitzbuhel

Kitzbuhel: reviews

• skiclub.co.uk visitor (30 March 2010)

  Stayed in Kitzbuhe for our fifth time in 6 years. Big advantage when going for a short stay is the 1 hour transfer from Salzburg airport.

  
  The conditions were great and the ski area caters for all standards. Hotel Kitzhoff was a bit pricey but good value for money with newly completed pool, sauna, steam room etc. We stayed B&B and could not fault the hotel or the staff who were all fantastic - they even printed our boarding passes for the flight home.

  
  Beware of Ryanair now as you need to print your boarding card even if you are checking in bags or they will sting you for £40 each way.

  
  Many great restaurants and overall good value compared to many French resorts. Apres ski as brilliant as ever - again something the Austrians know how to do well. Save money by booking your skis before you go with Skiset.co.uk - Sport Noichl shop next to the swimming pool in town - the most helpful place I have come across. Overall Kitzbuhel is great for adults, not so great for children.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (27 March 2010)

  Just returned from Kitzbuhel (20-27 March). Weather was very warm this week (clocked 12 degrees up on the mountain one day) and so was proper t-shirt skiing weather. Snow was holding up pretty well considering, although the number of skiers does mean that some pretty big'n'soft mounds build up by early afternoon.

  
  Pros:
  - nice big area - bigger than it looks on the piste maps because of lots of little variations of routes.
  - lifts are generally excellent: lots of fast and new lifts: very few old chairs and hardly any drags (my snowboarding other half doesn't do drags, so this is especially welcome)
  - plenty to explore if you like travelling about on the mountain - the 3S cable car takes you across to Jochberg, and you can pretty comfortably ski all the way from the Hannenkamm gondola to Pass Thurn in about an hour and half if you make an effort. All chairlits or cable cars over their too (on the way - one drag on the way back to Kitz)
  - ski buses run along the valley floor, so you don't have to ski out and back when you travel
  - great skiing for intermediates - virtually everything is good.
  - when we went, there were no queues anywhere.
  - restaurants on the mountain are generally good and reasonably priced.
  

  
  Cons:
  - the much mentioned little track from the Hannenkamm gondola - about 50 metres walk and then a longish narrowish track to get to the other lifts. Frankly, if you're any kind of intermediate skier or boarder it's no problem - but if you're not, it probably is. I'd recommend staying in Kirchberg (or getting the 10 min bus in the morning) and going up the gondola their instead
  - can be a walk to the gondola unless you're very lucky. We were out of the town centre, so it was buses every day
  - kind of showy town. Pretty and charming, but not really friendly apres-ski (or we didn't find it). Most places a bit "civilised" for ski boots.
  
  All in all, I'd really recommend it though - good slopes, good lifts, nice places to stop, not busy.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (04 January 2010)

  The resort might be brilliant for advanced or above intermediate but beginners will be consigned to a small area on the Horn and if they take the main lift will find the link piste that cannot be avoided very hard. We heard many beginners say it was a seriously horrid experience, too busy and narrow with a shear drop to one side for 500 meters - not an enjoyable experience. We are almost intermediate and found it tough going, 25% of the pistes closed so the others were very busy and churned up by 1.00pm. Blues were more red, reds more black. We struggled to enjoy the week (New Year) with poor snow and surfaces. Our kids are advanced and really enjoyed the experience, however. Stayed at the Eidlewiess, really good little place, very attentive owners, 10 minute trudge to the lifts however so worth getting a locker, quickly as they get booked up. Saw Sir Steve Redgrave on a few days so not all bad! Advice, great for advanced to intermediate, below that, go elsewhere.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (26 March 2009)

  In Kits in Feb, fantastic weather all week, blue skys. The snow was great and the runs will suit all classes of skier. The mountain resturants serve great food and well priced. Take the Hanikan lift and go to the igloo village, it’s well worth seeing. The only annoying bit is when you get to the top of the Hannikan you have to push for 500mts to get to a blue track which everyone has to go down to get to the rest of the mountain. Ah well it was bloody brilliant. We stayed in the Ardler. The food was not for me but for your gourmet guys.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (09 March 2008)

  1-8 March, had great snow. Resort is a lovely small town with tons of charm. Thought the pistes were excellent overall, with a good variety of runs. Some of the blue runs would be classed as red in other resorts. Last ski down the hahnenkahm at the end of the day was always a thrill. Ski down the extreme route if you dare! Only minor niggle - you have to ski down an annoying blue run to get to anywhere from the hahnenkahm lift. Otherwise top class

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Yvonne Kriese (24 February 2008)

  Stayed at the Maria Theresia over half term, comfortable hotel, good rooms, large spa area, close to ski bus stop and not far from the hahnenkamm gondola station. Weather fantastic for 6 days and we were lucky there was a dump of snow a couple of days before we arrived. Piste in good condition for the week, only the run from the middle station down into Kitz on the horn side was closed. The runs on the horn side are all really blues, the runs on the hahnenkamm side should all be classed as red and black.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Richard Greenfield (23 February 2008)

  Just returned from a fantastic week in Kitzbuhel, having rediscovered skiing after many years. Excellent skiing from top to bottom for first 5 days under clear blue skies, then overcast warm conditions threatening lower slopes.
  
  Lifts have been massively upgraded since previous visit in '80s and new 6-8 person fast chairlifts relieve old bottle necks. Few queues seen - and none over 5 mins - despite half-term week.
  
  My three kids - all first time on snow - were v. well looked after by red devils ski school, having lots of fun and making great progress.
  
  Beauty and buz of the town - and large numbers of super mountain restaurants/huts make it way more attractive than most. If bringing small children choose a hotel on Hahnenkammstrasse and you will be within 2 mins walk of ski school meeting place and gondola station.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (06 February 2008)

  26th Jan 2008 - Fantastic week skiing, plenty of snow and the pistes were very well cared for. Stayed at the Edelwiss which is a small family run hotel - would not advise staying here if you want to party! They don't like people returning late. The Pavillion is great for Apres-Ski as soon as you get off the mountain but the Londoner still has the best atmosphere.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (22 November 2007)

  Last year was the worst year for snow in Europe but we still went and were looked after yet again by Alpenrider ski and board in Kirchberg. The place is a simple, but clean and cheap ! Kitzbuhel is not the place for you if you're into wild nightlife....but the skiing / boarding makes it well worth the visit.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (02 April 2007)

  Unfortunately my group's experience of the ski school did not match the optimism of your earlier respondents or of the Ski Club Resort Summary. In summary, if you want to ski and enjoy the overall experience Kitzbuhel has a lot going for it - but if you want to learn to ski better - go somewhere else.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Andrew Marler (29 March 2007)

  10th to 17th March. Very warm conditions which meant best skiing in the morning. Fantastic apres ski in the Pavillion. There were 10 off us, 7 off which who had never skied on the proper stuff and unfortunately the ski school did not meet until 10.00am. This meant by the time they had reached the top the narrow blue road from the Hahnenkamm down to the lifts was very badly cut up,which meant it was skiing like a red.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (29 March 2007)

  Just come back from a long weekend in Kitzbuhel 22nd - 26th March, where we stayed in the Jagerwirt hotel (nice, comfy family run), a 10/15 mins walk to the main gondola.

  We were very lucky with the snow covering. The best skiing was in the mornings before the slopes turned slushy. .

  The new 3s gondola has opened up many more runs and allows you to reach the best snow on the upper slopes.

  If i had to name a place to eat on the slopes and in town they would be Panorama Alm (great views, great food) and Burique italian (great pizzas).

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Peter Holm (21 March 2007)

  I am 48, have skied since 1972 and have just had one of the best fun ski weeks ever in Kitz last week. Luckily snow dumped big time just before arrival leaving 6 days of glorious conditions for our group of 25. Skiing the Hanenkahm down to town every night after a few gluevie's was a treat. Frightening at the start for most!! (Double Diamond) with heavy going at bottom - but no probs. Good extensive ski area thanks to new link to Mittersill area which has new modern chairs With more snow, Kitz would be the biggest off-piste terrain anywhere I've seen! Shame not enough for us. Great week but take plenty dosh if you or your family like shopping and partying!! PS Leave ski kit in lockers at lift base (which shuts 17:30)!! Pavillon Bar adjacent just rocks!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (16 March 2007)

  Just arrived back from 1 week in Kirchberg Stayed in Hotel Alexander. Very nice, freindly staff.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (14 March 2007)

  Just Back From Kitz 10th March. Had a great week stayed in the wonderful Edelweiss Hotel had great food and friendly staff. Snow conditions good on top but only one run to resort open which got badly cut up in the late evenings. Great sections to appreciate what the racers must experience on the Hannenkamm. Great mountain hut behind the Hannenkamm gondola Hoechecke Hotel. Apres ski was great as part of group of 23 friends. Pavillion is definitely the place to be! Jimmy's good alternative but Pavillion between 4pm and 7pm is the place. Great town wonderful shops will be back!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (11 March 2007)

  Just returned from a week in Kitz, stayed in the Hotel Kaiserhoff. Fantastic hotel, lovely swimming pool, perfect location (next to the gondola), great size rooms, and would recommend to anyone.

  The skiing was average, and due to the recent problems there was no snow in the town, and on the lower slopes it was extremly slushy and thin (mud coming through in places).

  Snow did arrive later in the week, which made for some great powder skiing, however the snow did not bond well to the old and the piste conditions were not great, best skiing was found to be early morning. The resort runs were generally very busy, and I found that some of the runs were too short and far too busy compared to other resorts.

  The town itself is very nice, some great restaurants, and bars.

  Overall a great holiday with some fantastic skiing, was great to do run 21 again, however i still wouldnt recommend kitz to beginners ot early intermediates purely for the fact that quieter pisted runs can be found in other resorts

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Duncan Costin (08 March 2007)

  Spent a long weekend in Kitz early Feb. The snow was poor, which is was everywhere, and the Kitzbuhelerhorn side was closed altogether. The centre town itself is quite beautiful, with stunning architecture and a nice ambience, good restaurants and a good cross section of bars and cafes to suit all tastes. The skiing was a little limited due to the snow, but I personally feel this famous resort has rested on its laurels for far to long, expecting people to visit because of its reputation. It has a predominantly rickety old lift system, some bottleneck queues, too many short runs and roads, and its so low that when there's not a lot of snow they struggle to use the snow making. The mountain restaurants are good and virtually anywhere you stop has good food and a nice atmosphere. As much as I enjoyed my weekend it was because of the company, the Pension we stayed in, and the food and drink rather than the resort itself, and I'm Austria's biggest fan, spending some 90% of my skiing holidays there. There are far better resorts in the area and furter afield in Austria, such as St Anton, Lech, Ishcgl, Obergurgl, Obertauern, Saalbach, Zell am See, Ski Welt etc etc etc. It's a shame, because there is potentially some fantastic skiing and it could still be a top resort if it tried a little harder.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (08 March 2007)

  Returned from Kitzbuhel Sat 3rd March, the skiing on the Horn and Hahnenkamm was still very good - the Horn being the better groomed side. Hahnenkamm was still very busy, the weather dropped whilst we were there but this made the skiing slightly more interesting, and very good for off piste when you least expected it. Kitz was considerably busier than we expected with Flannigans proving to be the only place to be. Jimmys got busy a few times, but nothing like earlier in the season. We stayed at the Edelweiss, a little too tiny for our liking, the rooms were very small but it was close to the town and the food was good. We will return, it's one of the better towns we have been to and again the Austrian people surpass themselves with their friendliness and courteousy. Also girls loved the shops - loads of shopping in between skiing. Met Sally from the Ski Club very briefly who had put together a great weeks activities but we just did not have the time to take part there was such a lot to do. Would recommend Kitz to anyone from beginners to advanced.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Andrew McCaig (18 February 2007)

  Have just returned from Kitz. Having skied there in the past, I found it largely unchanged if a little quiet in the evenings and apre ski time. This could have been due to half term week and the number of families present, or maybe the broadcast less than brilliant snow conditions. I stayed with my family at the hotel Kitzhof which is a five minute walk from the centre of town and not much more to the slopes. The hotel was comfortable,well run and served excellent food. I skied with both ski club reps (Trevor Dean and Julia Batty) whilst my wife and son took lessons with the Red Devils ski school. They were full of praise for the tuition that they recieved and both were skiing black runs by the end of the week. Quite an achievement as both were nervous early intermediates at the begining of the week. Snow wise the pisteurs had done a marvellous job of keeping the snow available in good condition and was able to ski to Pass Thurn and back with ease. Would thoroughly recommend Kitz to anyone and will return myself at a future date.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (13 February 2007)

  Stayed at Hotel Edelweiss. Excellent hotel pleasant rooms and good meals. Luckily for us it snowed all day Saturday 27th and topped up the pistes for Sunday. Stayed clear of Hannenkamm on Sun as Streif slalom was taking place. Skied towards Pass Thurn instead and then back, lots of nice reds and blues and a nice black down to the igloos. Unfortunately took the red 20 back to town ( piste was closed but not marked as closed and not groomed at all) Crash course in powder skiing was required and spent more time on my back laughing till sides split. Anyway survived the ordeal with very achy legs. As the week passed snow deteriorated and on Thursday cloud came in, you couldnt see 50m in front at some points. Visited the Igloos, still surviving the warm temps. Avoided the Londoner like the plague, no atmosphere in there at all, but having said that the entire town seemed quite and not what I was expecting. Only place buzzing seemed to be Flannagans Irish pub. Had good time despite the lack of snow and runs into resort and met lots of nice folk, as well as meeting up with friend we had met 3 years earlier in St Anton.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Anthony Hamilton-Jones (01 February 2007)

  Just returned from a great first time ski trip to Kitz!!! (13/01/07 - 20/01/07) This place has everything you need to enjoy the pleasure of a ski holiday on and off the slopes!!! Snow was limited for some but great for us still at ski school - Had a great instructor Liam (from Manchester) and a great group. Cannot wait to get back to Kitz for week in Feb or March. Stayed at Swarzer Alder Great food, Spa and Piano Bar!!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (21 January 2007)

  Beware at The Londoner pub in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Be aware of leaving jackets unattended!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (03 January 2007)

  I agree with earlier comments about the many excellent features of Kitzbuhel. But beware of one scam going on: some of the staff at the ski locker rooms at the bottom of the Hahnenkamm ski lift are overcharging, and finding ways to pocket the key deposits -- try to avoid paying cash, always insist on a proper receipt and ask to see the printed price list and conditions for hiring lockers.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Nik Hope (06 March 2006)

  Just returned from a great week in Kitzbuhel 4th March 2006. First time to Austria and suitably impressed. Kitz is a gorgeous town with all the Alpine charm you’d expect and more. The Londoner without doubt takes on the mantle of the apres-ski venue with the usual cover band antics and hilarity. The outside bar opposite offers an alternative venue to sip champagne and watch the clientele. For the true connoisseur of afternoon tea there is a great place near the pharmacy on the main strip. This coffee room serves cakes to die for with great selection of teas and coffees. As for the skiing it was superb with plenty of snow albeit the lower parts are starting to suffer from the usual slush and bare patches. As we left on Saturday the snow was falling in buckets so should be good again this week. Suggested areas to go / to avoid; Pass Thurn towards Jochberg– well worth the bus journey and is often quieter than the main areas. Offers good mix of reds and blues to find your legs again. Avoid Blue 76 at all costs. Nightmare for boarders and skiers alike. Lifts F8 and F2 are the dreaded drag lifts (boarders) but they are t-bars, quite sedate so not too bad. Hannenkamm and Pengelstein. The main Kitzbuhel area and is linked to the Jochberg valley by the impressive 3-S-Bahn lift (Gondola No. 1 has a glass bottom). All the blacks of lift C6 and C7 are brilliant catching early morning sun. Similarly the blues (25, 26. 27) to Kirchberg are long and wide and are great fun. Going off the back towards Aschau black 55 is a great steep but wide run just the warm up you need to take on 56 into Aschau itself. This can be quite narrow in parts as these paths join wider more expansive pistes all the way down. The only way back is by bus but the service is pretty regular and there is a great bar next to the stop while you wait. Coming back into Kitzbuhel on the Hannenkamm Red 22 and 23 are great but Red 20 is not the best for boarders. The Kitzbuheler Horn is a bit of a hike from the centre so recommend you take the bus or get a taxi. About 5-8 € from the town centre. Brilliant area although doesn’t appear much on the piste map. Red 4 off the back is great and often quiet and Blue 3 is a great run down – be careful the piste does intersect roads at some points. Not sure who has right of way but just keep an eye out! All the food on the hill is great and prices are too ridiculous. Hope this helps – have a great time.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Brendan Owen (06 February 2006)

  Just come back from Kitzbulel. Loads of snow on piste, spring conditions, sunshine for whole week. Stayed at Kitzhof hotel. Just recently been totally refurbished. Wonderfull hotel, Great value for money, 1st class food / service / rooms etc. Kitzbuhel has great runs but snowboarding is hard work due to so many flat runs. Would not go back to snowboard. Great resort for skiers. 1st time in Austria, 1.5 hrs flight, 1.5hrs transfer to Kitz . Austrian people V. friendly. Would 100% go back but not to snowboard.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Andy Pugh (02 February 2006)

  All the Kitzbuhel ski-schools have now merged under the Rote Teufel badge. This should mean that there can be finer gradations between groups than was the case with three smaller schools. Contrary to what the guide says I have found the Kitz ski schools to be at least the equal of any others I have been to, though a sample of five may not be statistically significant.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Annette D'Abreo (31 January 2006)

  Another great weekend in Kitz. Its so easy from Bournemouth to Salzburg with thomsomfly and then one hour to the town. Tried the new A-Rosa hotel near the tennis stadium. It was pricey but fabulous facilities including amazing spa with outdoor pool. Will revert to Schwarzer Adler next time, as we did at Christmas where the hospitality was second to none and location in the centre of town - opposite Flannigans and 5 mins to The Londoner - was perfect. Skiing conditions at the moment are wonderful - perfect snow and blue skies. Highly recommended for a quick weekend break if you cannot make it out for another week. 'Apres' has to be in The Londoner. Also recommend you take a tandem flight off the mountain with Martin or Manfred at the top of the Hannenkahm. Kitz is the perfect skiing holiday!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Patricia Grange (23 January 2006)

  Just got back from Kitzbuhel. What a great place to learn to ski. My husband and my 3 daughters were amazed. All are good skiers except me but visiting the horn boosted my confidence with the wide open spaces as there is plenty of room to turn even if you are going a bit faster than usual. We stayed at the Sonnenhof 5 mins walk from the centre excellent food and the staff are so friendly. This was the first time we visited Kitzbuhel and will go back again. As for the pubs we found, the Londoner was very expensive and not very welcomeing but Flaggans is woth a visit.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Tony Davies, Bournemouth (15 January 2006)

  Just got back from a really great ski holiday in Kitzbuhel.(7th -14th Jan 06). Conditions were perfect, lovely powdery snow and clear blue skies. The Red Devils ski school was very efficient and professional. Our instructor, a Scottish chap called Brian was very good , keeping us entertained while we made good progress. By day three we were at the top of the Kitzbuhelerhorn, where there is an area of fairly easy slopes that built up our confidence. My wife, who is a bit of a nervous beginner , did very well and her confidence soon built up. The setup is very impressive, chairlifts and draglifts were soon mastered. The best bit of the week was completing a seven kilometre blue run down from the Kitzbuhelerhorn back to the town. We booked through Inghams and stayed at the excellent Schwizerhof Hotel, situated just five minutes walk from the skischool meeting place. Hotel was also very handy for the town centre and several good apreski bars (the Londoner Pub was very busy, but with live music and a great atmosphere). The Hotel food was excellent! The ski hire shop was only a few minutes walk away and we were able to collect our boots and skis on the Saturday evening, thus avoiding the Sunday morning rush. We paid £110 each for the ski package (skis and boots for six days and six days, four hour a day, skischool) liftpass not included. The town of Kitzbuhel is beautiful, with lots of lovely old buildings, shops, bars and places to eat. There is breathtaking scenery from the mountain tops. The hotel cost £601 each, half board. We could have gone cheaper, but the location was ideal, well worth the extra money. We have been to Austria three times before , but Kitzbuhel knocks spots off anywhere else we have been The whole town oozes charm. It must be a fantastic place to spend Christmas. Its well worth a skiing holiday there. We were not disappointed one bit, and would go again at the drop of a hat.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Simon (18 January 2005)

  Chocolate-box feel, with plenty of designer goods available for the wallet heavy. Local charm pops its` head up anywhere and anytime, creating a refreshing edge to the consumer environment. Enjoyable area to snowboard, just watch out for some unavoidable drag-lifts if intent on covering the whole area. Impressive new gondola makes accessing all slopes much easier, important if snow cover is not great. Some challenging runs, limited off-piste, but enough to keep most satisfied for a week.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Mark Dunnachie (04 January 2005)

  Have just returned from Kitz and am happy to share with you all some points. We stayed in the Gasthof Vorderburg which we can strongly recommend. It is a family friendly hotel with the possibility of requesting adjoining rooms for children. The rooms are very comfortable with lots of pine wood and the bathrooms immaculate. The food is excellent although you may wish to request a table away from smokers. Have discovered the Austrians smoke a great deal! The hotel has a friendly staff. Parking is readily available in front of the hotel and you are only a short walk from the ski bus although a car is perhaps best to get around. When you go skiing then head for the Hannekahm cable car where you can park adjacent to the lift. Very reasonable fixed fee of €3 per day. The mountain restaurants are all very good and reasonably priced. One word of warning we were not happy with the Hannekahm Ski School where we put our 4 year old son. He is a beginner and over 3 days they progressively reduced his enthusiasm. The class started with about 9 kids, dropped to 6 in day 2 and then down to 2 by day 3! Not a good sign! Our son was clearly bored and when we raised our concerns with the owner we were advised it was our son who was the problem! They use a separate field and appear to have little experience of how to motivate young children. The instructors changed daily which did not help and we were very concerned with their appointed meeting place which is on the Kitz station platform. Not the best place to assemble young children! We were reimbursed for some of the cost but from our experience I would strongly recomend you head for one of the other schools. The "Red Devils" (Rote Tuifels Sp?)ski school with their dedicated "kinder land" area looks far better organised and the kids appear to enjoy it. They even have a small train to take them up the nursery slope. Am happy to say that 3 days later our son, despite the Hannekham Ski Schools declaration that he was not ready, was accomplishing his own snow plough turns and is now looking forward to his next skiing experience!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Eddie Kalinowski (27 April 2004)

  February 26th 2004 Inghams Club Hotel Postkuche, Kitzbuhel Having travelled with a wide range of tour operators from the UK, Inghams were that little bit better organised. The transfers from Salzburg to resort were efficient, no waiting for other planes to arrive and no tour of the Tirol before arrival at resort, the return transfers were just as efficient although an early arrival at the new departure terminal at Salzburg airport is not ideal in that at the present time the facilities are shall we say a little sparse, check your luggage in and watch the planes from the restaurant in Terminal 1, but don't forget that you leave from Terminal 2! Austria has had more of its fair share of snow this season and the first three days in Kitzbuhel were not disappointing with snow falling on and off giving a nice soft feel to the pistes, and complete snow cover from top to bottom both on the Kitzbuheler Horn and the Hahnenkahm and plenty of powder off piste. Foregoing the Red Devils ski school on the recommendation of the Inghams rep, potentially large group sizes, both my wife and myself choose the Hahnenkahm ski school based in the waiting room at the Hahnenkahm train station and next door to the Hahnenkahm gondola station. Early doors it was a little chaotic with everybody scrambling to get the free ski bus across town to access the gondola for the Horn. From then on it got a lot better, the initial assessment was somewhat more comprehensive than those experienced with ski schools in the Ski Welt, and with selection into groups complete it was time to ski. My skiing my not have improved a vast amount technically, detailed instruction was limited but through out the day Freddy our instructor would suggest little things to each member of the group that seemed to make a difference this in turn resulted in my confidence to tackle black runs receiving a much-needed boost. Freddy was brilliant, taking a group of 7 of us all over Kitzbuhels extensive range of pistes, gauging the speed and difficulty the group could handle perfectly. I still cannot ski powder to any extent but I sure got a real taste for it, Freddy took us to places were the powder was deep and untouched, a different mountain restaurant every lunch time and a manic run down the slopes to finish the day my legs ached but it was worthwhile. The man was good, never flustered and never putting a foot wrong, it did not matter steep, deep powder or ice, the man just loved to ski. Rumour has it he was once part of the Austrian "B" team! My wife with the same school was impressed with Ian a lovely Cheshire lad who helped here to get over a few gremlins and deal with red runs with more confidence, instruction in the morning followed by an afternoon of putting what you had learned into practice. Ian also seemed like many British instructors to understand that not everybody was born in a Tirolean village with skis on! and that it was after all a holiday as well as a chance to improve your skiing. We would both warmly recommend the Hahnenkahm Ski School, and as the price you pay does not change much from 3 days to 6 days you may as well pay for 6 and basically have a day off if the legs can't take it any more! Favourite runs included Red 4 on the Horn, nobody on it, Red 33 to Aurach, Black 38 off the Steinberkogel, steep at the end and the legs burn a touch, Black 55 lovely long run with great powder at the side. Black 75 and 75a great skiing over at Pass Thurn. Blue 26 down to Kirchberg and blue 30 down to the Pengelstein cable car were entertaining cruising runs down to the valley floor as recommended by my wife. Ski Safari great fun. Piste map of limited value needs an aerial view, to make sense of all the runs. Quite a few long T-bars over at Pass Thurn but this has the advantage of keeping the pistes fairly quite. The new gondola currently being installed between the Pengelstein top station and Jochburg, should make access to this area a lot easier. Apres ski fine, plenty of bars, but not much at the end of the pistes, tends to be a bit of a hike to get in to town from either mountain, Londoner over priced and over rated! Hoschl sports bar had good bands in the evening Wednesday to Friday but tended to get packed with queues forming later on, basically one out and one in. Bar La Fonda, nice atmosphere in a nice location, Pavilion Bar, nearest watering hole to the Hahnenkahm Gondola, and the Streifl Bar just below the Intersport Ski hire, a little seedy, but the preferred watering hole of the Hahnenkamm ski instructors, very cheap happy hour. Start here just after 4 and then stagger to the Londoner for the resident band and expensive drinks, hence saving a small fortune!!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Rebecca Chesworth (27 February 2004)

  A very pretty resort nestled amongst beautiful mountains. Low, but when the snow's good offering a good range of runs. Some excellent days out with the Ski Club rep Jerry. Restaurants are efficient in the mountains, but better in the valley (particularly Asfau). Ski-in/ski-out convenience of Hotel Ramushof is a real luxury and worth the money. Have fun!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Ian (09 February 2004)

  Just got back from Kitz with the family and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The weather was fantastic, and the skiing was great. We all went to the red devils school for the week, I must thank and recommend Jackie (from Me), Charly (from the Wife had her doing red runs within her first week) and Katie(from the kids). We stayed in the Bruggerhof, lovely hotel, fabulous food and wonderful hosts. It is about a mile outside of town but they have a minibus which takes you in and out of town for free during daylight hours. All of the Mountain restaurants I went to were really good but the Panorama Alm had the best views. Try the Ski safari for the best snow and the best skiing.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Juan (04 January 2004)

  Hello everyone! Just got back from Kitzbuhel, I was there over the New year 2004. Absolutely minted resort. Loads of snow, skiing could be more testing, but if you cover the runs in surrounding resorts there's plenty to go at. Watch out for the beer prices, 4.50 euros a pint in the Londoner. But definitely the place to be. If your thinking of going next year well worth it. Fire works are awesome. You won't be disappointed if you here, just make ure you keep up to dat with snow conditions, I caught it lucky, some years the snow cover in Jan can be horrible.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Michael (10 November 2003)

  January & March 2003 was another fantastic trip to Kitzbuhel, we've been going regulary for the last 7 years now. Good snow coverage and not many crowds on both occaisons! Black 23 (Steinberkogel Lift) was very enjoyable as usual, but the best skiing/boarding in the area still remains at the other end of the valley at Pass Thurn and is definately worth a look if you haven't been before. As for bars, the best bar in town is called La Fonda and is just up from the tourist information centre. A really good atmosphere and fantastic staff, you will ALWAYS have a good night in there. My bank balabce can pay testament to that!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Lee Norton (30 October 2003)

  I have worked in kitzbuhel before in the 2001/2002 season, I must say it is a good resort, with good apres, espeically the holzl and the londoner. I must point out though, the area is more for intermediate skiers and boarders. I am a boarder and I found most of it very flat and the only place that was worth going for advaced boarders was pass thurn, on a powder day this is where you wanted to be. eating out was good with the mexican a favourite for the seasonnaires and guests.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Paul (22 October 2003)

  We stayed in kitz for one week 1st -8th Mar 03 my wife had never skied before apart from a 1 day crash!!!!! course at the snowzone. We stayed in the Hotel Astron Sport (wow) food great room great staff even better. Ther piste was good and within 3 days her in doors was up and away. Night life was good with apres in the londoner not to be missed. booked again for next year lets hope the snow is as good Oh and all the kids go back to school on time so the lifts remain empty.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Chris (03 March 2003)

  Feb 22 - March 1 : no snowfall, but great pistes and beautiful blue skies. Our third time in Kitzbuhel and the conditions (& Hotel Haselsberger) helped to ensure that we had a great time!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Neil Braund (26 February 2003)

  We visited Kitz. in 2003 15/02/03-22/02/03. Snow was Excellent and lift queues were minimal except for some lifts out of the Erbachanhohe Bowl. Why are there so many uphill blue runs? Black piste 55 was particularly enjoyable and really quiet every time we skied it. We stayed at the Hotel Bruggerhof (about 2 km. out of town towards Reith). Room was comfortable but basic food was excellent and portions were massive. Ski bus to Fleckalmbahn stops in Hotel carpark and takes about 5 mins to reach the lift. In fact accessing the skiing using this route entailed less walking than we encountered in Flaine last season! The Hotel provides a mini-bus service to transport skiers to and from Kitz., stopping and collecting outside Macdonalds. This was very good in the morning, but sometimes entailed long waits in the afternoon to return. Overall the staff were very friendly. Our experince of the Red Devils Ski School was less positive. Our daughter (age 5, and has skied in Flaine and Les Menuires) was placed in a group consisting of very young and slow Austrian and German children. It was only after 4 days and firm insistence from my wife that she was moved into a group made up of older English speaking children. We often ate at Melkalm restauraunt during the day. A nice sunny terrace and a pleasant interior with a no smoking room. The gulasche suppe was very good and the prices were not too bad.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• ozgur (18 February 2003)

  lovely town and beatiful pists. weather was great; a good deal of sun(feb 10-16). good snow, specially hannenkam. thanks to mike for the exact feedback on snow.. looking forward 4next year.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Nick (27 January 2003)

  We went to Kitz on 13th Jan 2003 and it was absolutly fantastic! Two weeks prior to our departure Austria was not getting enough snow generally but then they received a massive snow fall that changed everything. The Austrian people are great, Kitz is a gem of a resort - great nightlife, varied skiing terrain and the immortal Hahnenkamm is always there in case you need a challenge (looks a lot easier on TV!). Overall, if you want an all round package set in a traditional town with bags of character - rather than a set of breeze blocks - then go to Kitz!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Ian Garnett (15 January 2003)

  Just come back from a fantastic holiday at kitz. Fresh powder every day, excellent mountain restaurants, and no lift queues. Only thing that marred the holiday was the scrum at Salzburg airport on the way back. I would highly recommend the hahnenkam restaurant for the friday night meal.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Almut Mahnke (21 February 2002)

  Having repped in Kitzbuhel last week I must recommend the restaurant "Steinbergkogel". It has a lovely sun terrasse and due to its location gets the sun all day. It is spacy inside, the waitresses are very friendly and speak english. Ask them for advice and you surely will end up with the most delicious dish on the menue, not just with burger and chips. The service is fast and the food exceptionally good. Recommended: Kaiserschmarrn, Germknoedl, Reibedatschie with salmon, Tiroler Groestl, Zander and many more...During lunch time it gets very crowded, but they still find you a seat quickly . As a rep I always booked 1 hour in advance and had always special friendly attention and sevice with my groups (I even got a table quickly at one occasion when the restaurant was overcrouded and I had not booked before...). The restaurant was extremely popular with all my groups and regarded as one of the best and most english friendly in the resort.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.

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