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Ellmau Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Ellmau Ski Resort

Ellmau Ratings

Overall: 4.1. Based on 8 votes and 10 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.1

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Ellmau is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.2

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Ellmau has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.0

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.6

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.4

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Ellmau.

Public Transport: 4.7

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Ellmau, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.4

(1) No places to stay in/near Ellmau, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.8

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Ellmau.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.2

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.0

(1) There are no child care facilities at Ellmau, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.6

(1) Ellmau relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.8

(1) There are no snow groomers at Ellmau, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Ellmau are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Ellmau is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.6

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Ellmau, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.1

(1) Ellmau usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.9

(1) The staff at Ellmau are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Ellmau are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.4

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.9

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.4

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.8

(1) No intermediate terrain at Ellmau, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.5

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.0

(1) Not even a kicker at Ellmau, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.8

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Ellmau, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 4.0

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Ellmau has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.3

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.8

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.8

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.2

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.8

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.4

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.5

(1) Overall, Ellmau is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.4

(1) Overall, Ellmau is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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February 06, 2012
john from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just had a week in Ellmau, fantastic snow, great conditions at all levels due to the previous heavy snowfalls, was very cold in the mornings especially on lifts. Great for intermediates with plenty of choice. I have skied here quite a few times and never get bored. A lot of linked resorts i.e. Soll, Going, Itter, Westendorf just to mention some. The funicular railway in Ellmau is a very quick link to all of other resorts (depending on ability). Accommodation is varied to suit all pockets. We did stay in a cheap catered chalet exclusive to Crystal (very poor). This year we went half-board with Crystal, could not complain. Overall, a great village for skiing, limited for non skiers, but always a great atmosphere.
January 19, 2011
richard from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Had a fabulous week early January 2011 in Ellmau. Normally ski in France so was really impressed with the infastructure on the mountains. Whilst we didn't have any snowfall the week we stayed, the pistes were very well maintained. Plenty of mountain restaurants to eat in at lunchtime - far cheaper than the French. Stayed in private accommodation located on the web, very pleased with the apartment, great location, easy access to village, lifts and fenicular train. Planning on going back to Austria for Christmas 2011 as we enjoyed ourselves so much. Lots of apres-ski bars by the fenicular train - great atmosphere all 'round.
February 03, 2010
Dan Smith from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We had a great week snowboarding in Ellmau in mid January. The pistes are perfect for beginners and intermediates and it's a great place to learn to board (although I'd agree with Nicky that the change from nursery to blue runs is quite dramatic). The town is lovely and picturesque - perfect for romantic evenings for two! Unfortunately, we did find the range of food a bit limited, particularly for a vegetarian. However, by far the worst thing about the village was that everyone smoked indoors, particularly during meals and even at breakfast! The stink of smoke lingering on our clothes after every meal would definitely make us think twice about going back to Austria.
February 20, 2007
Paula from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We had a fabulous week in Ellmau last Febraury and are off there again on Saturday. There are runs for all levels and the lists are all good apart from the scary T Bars. Views from the top at Ellmau and Scheffau are stunning. Ski instructors evening is a nice local touch. We have also been to Ellmau in the summer when the walking is amongst the best in Austria with lots of lifts to take you to the top so that you can walk on the tops of the mountains. There also more challenging and beautiful walks on the other side of the valley.
January 25, 2006
Nicky from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just got back from a weeks skiing in Ellmau, 14-21 Jan 2006. Pretty little town, lots of friendly Dutch and English people. We stayed at the Alpenhof, run by Crystal, the hotel was not very Austrian, but could not fault the staff, they were always very friendly and helpful. Not the best resort for "learn to ski", the nursery slopes at the bottom are fine, but change a bit too dramatically once at the top! (As some of the beginners in our family found). Those of us that have skied before thoroughly enjoyed skiing over to other resorts with the local ski school.
February 01, 2005
Wayne Potter from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just back from Ellmau, the last week of January. Delightful small village but with plenty to do. Busy at times on the slopes but with the funicular it is only 5 minutes until you are at the top of the Hartkaiser. Runs on Ellmau side were limited in number but it is very easy to get to Scheffau and Soll to explore loads of runs. Piste map does leave a lot to be desired and we found it a bit confusing. Off piste is good but limited in tree runs as the trees are too close together. Very good ski show on the Thursday night where the instructors get to show-off, brilliant to watch. We would like to go back to Ellmau as it is not overrun with tourist gimmicks and somebody trying to sell you a photo/video of your group like in other resorts we've visited. Austrians were welcoming and the service in the accomodation, restaurants and bars was superb. Food portions were massive and food and drink were very cheap, even in the mountain restaurants. Fully recommended to everyone!!
April 04, 2004
Caroline from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Have just finished working in Ellmau and have had a fantastic season. With over 150km of wide open piste, there is something there to suit everyone, whether just learning or advanced. It is the largest interconnecting ski area in austria, enabling you to ski from Ellmau to scheffau, Soll, itter, Hopfgarten and many more.... The village itself is small but very friendly and like the ski area has something for everyone. All the hotels are of an excellent standard and there are also Crystal chalets and a Club Hotel. The Hartkaiser ski school is one of the best in Ellmau and their hire equipment is top quality. For an all round excellent holiday, go to Ellmau!
March 11, 2004
Tony Davies from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
My wife and I have just spent an amazing week at Ellmau on a learn to ski holiday (28 /2 to 6/3) We had a great time at skischool (Ellmau Hartkaiser Skischool) Our instructor was a great Dutch guy called Andre who taught us lots and made us laugh too .Conditions were perfect . We stayed at the Christoph Hotel and the food was the best hotel food we have ever eaten , it was fantastic (free wine too !) The free skibus stopped a two minute walk from the hotel and dropped us about a hundred metres from the skischool meeting place . We met some really great people, and had a wonderful holiday . Will go back there again one day for sure . Its a great place for first timers with wide , gentle slopes in the vally. Scenery from the top of the Hartkaiser funicular railway is something else !!
November 03, 2003
sue from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Best resort I have been to. Great for most levels. Really friendly people

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