I cancelled my flight. Gave it a go yesterday but getting out of EDLP VFR wasn’t going to happen. I did a couple of circuits and there was already scattered cloud at 800 ft and even the circuit wasn’t fun to fly. No blue holes either.
Today in the morning would have been fine to break through and to make it – but now we’re in the car. 7 hours to go to Zell.
Peter, looks like you had a good time there!
Well, yes, it is a really scenic place. I will post some videos once I have had time to edit them etc.
For skiing, however, it was a waste of my time. I came back a day early (chucking away 1 day of the hotel and 1 day of the ski pass) because having gone up all the lifts on Schmittenhöhe I got about 10 mins, and I am pretty unhappy about the info I got before going there, having got it from people who I told what level I was at. The problem is exactly the same as asking the owner of a Maule with tundra tyres about the condition of some grass strip, made worse by him not listening when you told him the type of plane you fly. At all the slopes near Zell, the blue runs (the lowest classification) all have 30-45 degree bits which need a pretty well expert level to get down, especially when icy. I spoke to a number of skiers including one who has been an instructor there for many years and they confirm this; for Kaprun also. There are a few “baby slopes” which are just small areas, but all the “runs” are nice for a bit and then get really steep. Obviously any “local” will take the p1ss out of this because he’s been skiing since age 3. I guess the loose classification suits the tourist business (along with well positioned webcams and often bogus snow reports on the various ski websites) and the regulars don’t care because they can do the lot.
But for me it was a total waste, especially after the French trip a week ago which was brilliant and where a green run really didn’t have expert-level bits, plus it had some long runs so you don’t waste a large % of time on the lift. On the plus side, the people at Zell were about 100x more friendly 
I think there must be a way to check this stuff out using google earth, before going somewhere.
GA is perfectly good for going skiing:
You can see the pump-up spray thingy with a 5 litre TKS can next to it. My plan is to not fill the sprayer until actually needed.
Zell and Schmittenhöhe above it
After the turn over the lake (08 departure) going back up the same canyon, heading 270
You need an IR, Patrick Recently I did a departure in something like OVC001/200m and this (well not the 200m necessarily) is fairly typical winter high pressure (non frontal) wx. Then you are in sunshine and blue skies about 30 seconds later. Some will say this is an excessive risk in a SEP but I am happy with it, and it is hardly worse than overflying a foggy area (or a forest) while enroute.
Peter wrote:
You need an IR, Patrick
That is the #1 lesson of this weekend!
Ah look what I found:
You know Peter’s been here, if…
Peter wrote:
At all the slopes near Zell, the blue runs (the lowest classification) all have 30-45 degree bits which need a pretty well expert level to get down, especially when icy.
You have just learned that ski run grading is rather political. No resorts want a lift from which the only way down is a black as nobody will use the lift, so they grade it a red.
When you are a beginner some slopes look terrifyingly steep, and the mind often exaggerates the descent angle. AIUI European Black runs are rarely steeper than 30 degrees.
Peter
I just got back from 4 nights in Obertauern, Austria. One hour taxi ride from Salzburg. Its not very high 1500-2200m but even so every piste & lift was open and despite the wife and I being complete first timers after 5 hours of Ski school over two days I was very comfortable on the two blue runs I tried. The resort which is where the Beatles filmed “Help” is great and I can thoroughly recommend Hotel Enzian as a superb family run hotel with excellent spa facilities and top notch food.
I hope I get the chance to go back before the season ends
If your first night in a hotel with your future wife was in Obertauern, that creates as many good memories as Obertauern skiing. Hotel Solaria is an old favorite for us, but mainly for personal reasons
I would like to do one more ski trip this “winter”, and it does look like a lot of snow is forecast soon – they can’t all be lying, can they?
But I definitely want to go somewhere like Grand Bornard was i.e. long and preferably scenic green runs. There aren’t any near Zell as far as any locals were able to confirm.
I have started a “French skiing” thread here
If Blue pistes are acceptable, then Saalbach may be an option…
I am not aware of many resorts maintaining more Green pistes.
Most people try to move up asap (and sometimes even earlier – I worked as ski instructor in Tirol)
@Rosewellian The Enzian is nice and Obertauern is great as a ski resort. I red somewhere in a magazine that Obertauern is also the preferred resort for swingers… 
