Schneereich is German and can mean either Land of Snow or Rich of Snow. A little village in the Austrian Alps claimed to be the richest snow village in the world - so a good place for us to go skiing.
Skipasses: A daypass costed 45€, but we could already save with a two day pass that costed 82€.
Hours of operation: 9:00 - 16:30
Lifts: There were mainly chair lifts in Damüls and Mellau - old two and four person chairs as well as modern 6 and 8 person lifts with bubble, automatic foot rests and one even with heated seats. From the Mellau valley people could travel in two cabin lifts to the summit. Ski lifts are very scarce and there was a rope lift that brought us to a ski route. But it made my arms longer!
Snow: There was good snow on most of the slopes. Especially in the morning, the slopes were hard and fast. On the ski routes, we could find some powder.
In the Mellau valley, conditions were a bit worse and in some areas the snow was already a bit scarce. The run down to the valley was closed, so we went back to Damüls.
Restaurants: There are several restaurants on the mountains - offering nearly the same food: Wiener Schnitzel, Germknödel and Apple strudel. Some being smaller, some bigger. One even had a live band.
Specials:
Overnight: We did not choose one of the inns on the mountain, but another one in a village called Sonntag (Sunday). It was okay for a night even tough the wifi did not reach our room.
Church in Damüls
We left early Saturday morning covering the distance of 260 km and hit the mountain at 10 in the morning. The sun greeted us and it started to be a great skiing day.
View from Hohes Licht (high light)
Skipasses: A daypass costed 45€, but we could already save with a two day pass that costed 82€.
Hours of operation: 9:00 - 16:30
Let the fun begin!
Lifts: There were mainly chair lifts in Damüls and Mellau - old two and four person chairs as well as modern 6 and 8 person lifts with bubble, automatic foot rests and one even with heated seats. From the Mellau valley people could travel in two cabin lifts to the summit. Ski lifts are very scarce and there was a rope lift that brought us to a ski route. But it made my arms longer!
In the Mellau valley, conditions were a bit worse and in some areas the snow was already a bit scarce. The run down to the valley was closed, so we went back to Damüls.
Damüls Midday Peak
Uga alp
Bar outside the Uga Alp
- Ski routes - prepared and unprepared - there were less people and more powder snow. Best being ski route 3, 4, 6 and 8.
- A Ski tunnel on run 23 that goes through the mountain.
- Several mountain inns offering overnight stays in the middle of the mountains.
Ski tunnel to Mellau
Overnight: We did not choose one of the inns on the mountain, but another one in a village called Sonntag (Sunday). It was okay for a night even tough the wifi did not reach our room.
Lions' Inn
