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  1. #26
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    Buster, if you are going there as first stop from zurich (or last), also check out the Arlberg Express which is a scheduled, private bus service that runs every day and multiple times on weekend days as an alternative to the train. The bus drops off in each village, unlike the train, so it potentially opens up the other villages as sleeping options, and you don't have to worry with any changes or intermediate stops as you do with the train.

    Stuben used to be a bargain. I stayed there twice when younger, but now that the 2 sides are lift connected via Stuben, I understand it has become more similar to the larger villages in terms of cost.

  2. #27
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    The Arlberg Express sounds like a reasonable option but I like to be able to ski all day, pick my stuff up at the hotel/hostel in the late afternoon and hop the train to go to the next place. I'll see how viable it is to get to the train from the satellite villages.

    I did search Stuben for lodging, but the rates there are not obviously cheaper. I might be missing something, so let me know if I missed something.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    I'll see how viable it is to get to the train from the satellite villages
    taxis were relatively reasonable for short distance when push came to shove in my outdated experience. the web suggests still not that bad - like 10-15e from the train station to st. jakob. i like the train, but some of the branch lines like to Montafon were slow and infrequent (especially at the end of the ski day) compared to the bus service. Davos/klosters was an interesting place, another you might or might not add would be the st. moritz area (think you asked about it before).

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    R/T air to ZRH from SEA is $525 now.
    Nice deal on the flight! Please post Mooserwirt videos on return!

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by dunfree View Post
    taxis were relatively reasonable for short distance when push came to shove in my outdated experience. the web suggests still not that bad - like 10-15e from the train station to st. jakob. i like the train, but some of the branch lines like to Montafon were slow and infrequent (especially at the end of the ski day) compared to the bus service. Davos/klosters was an interesting place, another you might or might not add would be the st. moritz area (think you asked about it before).
    Taxis are an option, but it's just one more variable when I make transfers. If there's better deals in Stuben, it might be worth it (Langen is the rail connection to Stuben I think).

    Yeah, never been to Davos/Klosters and it's been raved up by some friends, so it's definAtely part of the objective for this year. It's expensive.

    I did manage a couple of days in St. Moritz a few years ago and that place is awesome I thought, but I'll skip it this time.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    I was trying to hit Bad Gastein, St. Anton, Montafon, Davos and then end up in dear old Andermatt over the course of 15 days, but Bad Gastein connections aren't working out well, so I may not make it there this time.
    I'm interested in what you learn about the Bad Gastein portion. Seems to me that linking Davos with the Voralberg or even Arlberg will be tricky--lots of transfers and three to four hours, but maybe I'm missing something.
    St. Anton to or from Montafon should be pretty straightforward. Also, Davos/Kloster to St. Moritz would be fairly easy and the trains definitely run hourly after the lifts close. I've the train travel in that area is spectacular. Maybe worth timing your trip to coincide with sunset. Keep us posted.

  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by hafjell View Post
    I'm interested in what you learn about the Bad Gastein portion.
    I went and stayed in BG this last summer via train with my family on the way from Vienna down to Val Gardena in the Dolomites.
    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ps-Summer-2018
    We found a great little hotel there, https://hotelechobadgastein.com/ run by a Finnish girl and her s.o. that was really cool, kind of on the backside of the big hotsprings spa there. It's 55E/pp/night including a killer breakfast. I want to go back and ski. It's a big complex between the interconnect to Bad Hofgastein and bus service to Sport Gastein, Dorfgastein and Graukogel, collectively Ski Amade, not to mention a train tunnel to Mallnitz. Vertical is not that big, in the neighborhood of 1000m to 1500 m, but they get a lot of snow, reportedly more than St. Anton (heresy, I know).

    Seems to me that linking Davos with the Voralberg or even Arlberg will be tricky--lots of transfers and three to four hours, but maybe I'm missing something.
    It's not bad, see https://www.oebb.at/en/ or https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html where Schruns to Klosters is 2+ hours with changes at Bludenz, Sargans and Landquart. The changes can be sort of nerve wracking at first, but I'm getting used to doing it. What's great is how you really can count on the trains being on time.
    St. Anton to or from Montafon should be pretty straightforward. Also, Davos/Kloster to St. Moritz would be fairly easy and the trains definitely run hourly after the lifts close. I've the train travel in that area is spectacular. Maybe worth timing your trip to coincide with sunset. Keep us posted.
    I have some good friends around Andermatt and I want to check out venduls new project, https://www.mt-lodge.com/ in Sedrun between Disentis and Andermatt, so the plan is to go hang out with them and ski something stupid this time. I would like to go back to St. Moritz again, that place blew me away, but there's so much to do and we have so little time.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  8. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    Vertical is not that big, in the neighborhood of 1000m to 1500 m, but they get a lot of snow, reportedly more than St. Anton (heresy, I know).

    It's not bad, see https://www.oebb.at/en/ or https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html where Schruns to Klosters is 2+ hours with changes at Bludenz, Sargans and Landquart. The changes can be sort of nerve wracking at first, but I'm getting used to doing it. What's great is how you really can count on the trains being on time.


    I have some good friends around Andermatt and I want to check out venduls new project, https://www.mt-lodge.com/ in Sedrun between Disentis and Andermatt, so the plan is to go hang out with them and ski something stupid this time. I would like to go back to St. Moritz again, that place blew me away, but there's so much to do and we have so little time.
    Funny how 3,200' to 5,000' of vertical isn't a big deal over there.

    That's odd, I thought that Davos was Rhaetia Bahn only. 3 hours with two stops (and no small children) is doable. The other nice part of your leaving after the lifts close is you still have a good four hours of service in case you are delayed and miss a connection. Swiss, German, and Austrian rail is really reliable but not perfect.

    Had not heard of Sedrun. Looks fantastic, and kind of a layup if you're going to Andermatt already. So many places, so little time.

  9. #34
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    This thread got me dreaming of my trip to Engelberg, Davos & St. Anton back in 2010, so just for shits and giggles I searched some flights......

    DEN -> ZRH rt for $379 in late Feb! Damn, that's obscenely cheap.

    Buster, when I was in St. Anton we stayed down in Pettnau, just a few km from the main village for 40eu/pp/nt and the room came with breakfast. It was nothing fancy, but on the valley shuttle bus line and there were a couple of decent restaurants right there. I need to go back.
    Old's Cool.

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dromond View Post
    Nice deal on the flight! Please post Mooserwirt videos on return!
    I'm more of a Blue Moon guy.


    fyi:The Blue Moon is a tavern located on the west edge of the University District, Seattle, Washington, that has been visited by many counterculture icons over the years. It opened in April 1934, soon after the repeal of Prohibition in December 1933. It is the first and oldest tavern in the U-District. It was an instant hit with students (together with the still-thriving Duchess Tavern in Ravenna); under state law, students had to trek one mile from the campus to purchase drinks. The Blue Moon was one of the rare bars outside of the Central District to serve African American servicemen during World War II. The tavern also provided a haven for UW professors such as Joe Butterworth who were caught up in the McCarthyist purge.[1] It had further heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Regulars included authors Tom Robbins and Darrell Bob Houston,[2] poets Theodore Roethke, Richard Hugo, Carolyn Kizer, Stanley Kunitz, and David Wagoner, and painters Richard Gilkey and Leo Kenney. Visitors included Dylan Thomas, Ken Kesey, Allen Ginsberg and Mik Moore. Mentioned in Desolation Angels.
    A popular story states that sometime in the late 1960s, Tom Robbins tried to call the artist Pablo Picasso in Barcelona from a pay phone at the Blue Moon Tavern. Supposedly, Robbins got through to Picasso, but the artist refused to accept the overseas collect calling charges.
    The Blue Moon declined in the 1970s. Efforts to "redevelop" the property in 1989 were derailed by community activists led by Walt Crowley; however, an attempt in 1990 to gain landmark status failed. Developers spared the tavern after landmark status was denied. The Blue Moon remains one of the few surviving blue-collar landmarks in Seattle.[3][4]
    The Blue Moon (1934), the Duchess (1934),[5] and the Knarr on The Ave (1935) are the oldest taverns in the University of Washington area.
    In 1995, the alley to the west of the Blue Moon was named Roethke Mews in honor of the late poet.[6]
    A tour of the Blue Moon by Novelist-In-Residence James Knisely may be found at HistoryLink-dot-org [1]
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    I would like to go back to St. Moritz again, that place blew me away, but there's so much to do and we have so little time.
    interesting tidbit here. I have skied Euro several times but never actually considered StM because of its glitzy rep. I'll have to do some research.

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Mike View Post
    interesting tidbit here. I have skied Euro several times but never actually considered StM because of its glitzy rep. I'll have to do some research.
    In the states, Aspen sort of has the same rep, but has a ton of great skiing.

    I highly, highly recommend a day at Corvatsch and another at La Galb/Diavolezza. I didn't ski Corviglia, but was told about some great sidecountry off the backside to a train pickup.
    It is expensive, but we found lodging at a little b&b above Pontresina for 70CHF each/night including a great pocket filling breakfast.

    There's a hostel right by the train station in Pontresina that's even less expensive, but evidently, one need reservations often.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  13. #38
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    Must do the toboggan run off of muottas muragl if your in StM. Incredibly fun on an off day.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
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  14. #39
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    What's an 'off day'?
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  15. #40
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    Just got back from a little vacation in the ZRH, Arlberg, Oetz, Davos, and Arosa areas. Absolutely stunning scenery and major lift, road, and rail infrastructure. I rented from Sixt in ZRH out of the airport in Hardbrucke. Ton of high end cars, AWD, and smaller cars had snow tires in the middle of summer. Lodging was pretty expensive and eating food out was crazy expensive, but groceries were reasonable for some stuff. Most the hotels had amazing breakfasts. I really liked at least in the summer that the towns give you a "card" that includes some lifts, trains, and buses.

  16. #41
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    There's a scheduled bus from the Zurich airport to the Arlberg. Easy to find. Reasonable price. Check out Arlberg Express. I've also made the trip by train and would pick the bus every time. Train is not a bad call if the timing works better.
    +1 on emails to the b&b's on the tourist office website. Local bus service is easy to figure out and makes everyplace in town easily accessible in about 5 minutes.

  17. #42
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    OK, I think I'll be in Europe the 7th of March, 2019 for a couple of weeks.
    $525US R/T into ZRH. It's $550US to get to Durango.

    Anyone want to meet there?

    Maybe have a summit, like maybe a BBI somewhere?

    I'm researching some options and will fire up a thread when I know more.
    Last edited by Buster Highmen; 09-21-2018 at 04:17 PM.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    OK, I think I'll be in Europe the 7th of March, 2019 for a couple of weeks.
    $525US R/T into ZRH. It's $550US to get to Durango.

    Anyone want to meet there?

    Maybe have a summit, like maybe a BBI somewhere?
    Nice job on that flight cost. We'll be on the north side of the Sella for two weeks starting March 11. Won't be able to travel up to CH or Austria due to young children. Let me know if you come down to Eeetalya. We'll be skiing everyday, touch wood, and would be able to do longer tours or lap the Sass Pordoi with a little advance notice.

  19. #44
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    So, yeah, part of the plot is to position to access good snow.

    My current plan is to be in Bad Gastein on March 10th to ski for 3 days, then either go back toward Tyrol and CH if the snow is good, or ride trains down into the Dolomiti if the snow is better on the South side of the alpine ridge.

    I checked and there's room available @ https://hotelechobadgastein.com/ from the 10th through the 12th, but then they're full on the 13th-17th.

    You'll be in Val Gardena or Alta Badia?
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    So, yeah, part of the plot is to position to access good snow.
    That's the gold standard to which we cannot adhere with the kids. Someday.
    We'll be in Alta Badia. Corvara. Let's talk again closer to the trip. We should have day care dialed so could start the clockwise trip on the first bin on the Boé if you wanted to do any of the canali out of Sass Pordoi. Obviously any touring from Val Gardena or Colfosco would be closer/earlier by lift. I'm conservative with avalanche conditions, otherwise happy to ski anything very steep or very mellow.

  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by hafjell View Post
    That's the gold standard to which we cannot adhere with the kids. Someday.
    I have a kitchen pass.

    We'll be in Alta Badia. Corvara. Let's talk again closer to the trip. We should have day care dialed so could start the clockwise trip on the first bin on the Boé if you wanted to do any of the canali out of Sass Pordoi. Obviously any touring from Val Gardena or Colfosco would be closer/earlier by lift. I'm conservative with avalanche conditions, otherwise happy to ski anything very steep or very mellow.
    Will update before takeoff. If I come down, I may come in through Val Gardena since I know that route. I'm also careful avie wise and more into the moment than the goal.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  22. #47
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    I've always done guided touring on my many trips there so YMMV. In my opinion the best long tours are via Rendl and Stuben (often needing a cab, bus, or another cheap lift ticket to return). There are also some great tours off the Lech tram terrain wise. I haven't spent a ton of time on tours in St. Anton proper. Some of the newer interconnected lifts have imo pushed more people into some great tours.

    Skiing off the top of the Valluga is imo overrated. I wouldn't sweat missing it if you don't get to it.

    I've always gone in January so have had some mixed conditions but even a shitty year can be really fun. This year I'm going in March so hopefully will get to do some corn harvesting and do some tours into some places that I've been unable to in the past due to avi conditions.

  23. #48
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    If all goes according to plan, I'll be in St. Anton March 13-15, lodging is not yet nailed down.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buster Highmen View Post
    OK, I think I'll be in Europe the 7th of March, 2019 for a couple of weeks.
    $525US R/T into ZRH. It's $550US to get to Durango.

    Anyone want to meet there?

    Maybe have a summit, like maybe a BBI somewhere?

    I'm researching some options and will fire up a thread when I know more.
    contemplating 2nd week of March myself (and wife) for somewhere TBD so I'll be checking back for your schedule in a few months if it comes together. In any event, if you end up including Zinal/Grimentz on your tour, contact me. I have digits for a guy who spends much of the winter there who showed me around one day last year. Tons of local knowledge and a nice guy.

  25. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Mike View Post
    contemplating 2nd week of March myself (and wife) for somewhere TBD so I'll be checking back for your schedule in a few months if it comes together. In any event, if you end up including Zinal/Grimentz on your tour, contact me. I have digits for a guy who spends much of the winter there who showed me around one day last year. Tons of local knowledge and a nice guy.
    Cool.

    Flights are cheap now, so I committed for March 6-23.

    I have a few irons in the fire; the people at http://www.hotelechobadgastein.com are offering rooms at around 60 E/pp including breakfast and have availability March 9 until March 13, then they're full for at least 4 nights. Nice small hotel about a 5 minute walk from the main train station and hot springs.

    Next, I'm planning on taking the evening train to St. Anton for a couple of nights 13-14.

    Then onto Davos for the weekend 15-17.

    Then spend 5 days in Rueras at venduls hotel, mt-lodge, to hit up the Andermatt-Disentis Arena. There's a new tram from Sedrun up to Disentis scheduled for completion by March. Andermatt is a blast.

    I'm still waiting on some details before I start a thread on EuroBBI19.

    (edit) I looked into Grimentz/Zinal, but it's expensive up there. If the snow is best there and sucks out East, I may redirect.
    Last edited by Buster Highmen; 09-24-2018 at 12:29 PM.
    Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
    >>>200 cm Black Bamboo Sidewalled DPS Lotus 120 : Best Skis Ever <<<

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