Draught in the Alps - wanna ski NOW!

[bad_roo]

I skied on the glacier at Hintertux for a summer race camp a LONG time ago. I don't remember much about it apart from that it was really cold and bulletproof in the morning then suddenly really hot and slushy in the afternoon. And the swimming pool was freezing. And there was a dude with a really cool radio controlled helicopter in the area car park. That's all. Does that help?

I was ideally looking for somewhere suitable for radio controlled fun. Hintertux sounds the business.

[bad_roo]

Yeah, but in late April or May. Decent terrain for a glacier, although coverage won't be as good as when I was there. At that time of year there was still about 1200m vert skiable and about a foot of powder, mostly untracked. There were lots of race teams training slalom gates, and a few gapers enjoying the late season groomer skiing but no-one really taking advantage of the powder except me and a friend. Lots of accommodation options nearby (e.g. Lanersbach, Vorderlanersbach, Mayrhofen), although Hintertux proper is only a couple of expensive hotels and big carparks. Innsbruck's fairly close (as it is to anywhere in Tirol). Looking at their website it says "up to 100cm snow at the mountain top", 13 lifts open and about 600m vert at the moment. Can't tell what the coverage is like from the live-cams (the light angle sucks at 13:50 over there). There are a few user-uploaded pics that show pretty good coverage up high. If you hit it after a storm you might be in luck ...

Cheers. I'm going to be trying to work one on the tourist office so that I won't be paying for any accommodation and they get coverage in my Winter Motoring/Ski Drive feature.

[bad_roo]

TR to follow, I suppose.
But, yes, it was good.
A few face plants and it was good for the snow too, I imagine.


Edit = TR by Ripzalot, not me because I forgot my camera.
Paging Ripz. People want to hear about the waste deep pow at Zermatt.
If Ripz tries to claim it was nipple deep, don't believe him; it was no higher than belly button.

Al - what's the deal with Zermatt? Do you leave the car in the valley and catch a train up? Never been. Is it a long walk from there to the glacier cable car?

[Buster Highmen]

You want pow? You know where to go.

[Ripzalot]

Al - what's the deal with Zermatt? Do you leave the car in the valley and catch a train up? Never been. Is it a long walk from there to the glacier cable car?

drive to täsch, then train up to zermatt. then a long walk to the lifts on the far side of the village. then, another hour+ or so of lifts to the top. up at 5am, on the road at 5.30, and touch snow at about 10am.

but worth it.

[comish]

Skied hintertux in oct or nov, can't remember when. It was definitely fun for a glacier. There were about 5-8 lifts open. Probably a couple thousand feet of vert. I think it is better than the tignes glacier and the terrain is a bit steeper more interesting than the Zermatt Glacier. Much easier access as well. The Zermatt glacier is beautiful and really long, but mostly flat. It would be a pain for just a day. For a weekend doable. I also liked Hintertux more than Soelden, Austria. More vert and variety of terrain.

[Tectonically_Neglected]

drive to täsch, then train up to zermatt. then a long walk to the lifts on the far side of the village. then, another hour+ or so of lifts to the top. up at 5am, on the road at 5.30, and touch snow at about 10am.

but worth it.

Always a nice shot off the Furgsattel lift. Watch out for the open crevasses if you bear left, too close into the piste though!

[TeleAl]

Sure doesn't look nipple deep there. Nor belly button.
Snow was nice though not deep.

Yeah, Zermatt is a long haul for one day.
Considering we were on the 08h10 train from Tasch to Zermatt,
touching snow by 09h45 makes 5 hours since I woke up until skiing.

I slept well Sunday night!

As for those cravasses, I looked at them long before going in there.
I've been in there not knowing where they are and it is scary.
Even knowing where they are is scary. And of course, you pass a few on the way in.