Following the successful trips to Avoriaz in 2007 and 2008 we've decided that we'll introduce some variety — our 2009 trip will be to Aurach, a small village 5km from Kitzbühel in the Tyrolean Alps. Join the skigeek mailing list for more information, and register your interest by sending email either to the list or to the Cabal <skicabal@infradead.org>
Aurach has a ski shop (which is where we can hire equipment) and bar, as well as two or three places to eat out. We have booked rooms at Heike's Pension, and those who book late enough that they aren't able to find space there can be accommodated in the Hotel Wiesenegg next door or the Hechenmoos 50m down the road.
We will mostly be skiing, but expect a few snowboarders in the
party too. The atmosphere is usually relatively quiet and civilised,
rather than the rampant piss-up that occurs at certain conferences
where we might meet. Despite the name of the event, excessive
geekiness is generally discouraged — the trip is intended to be
(and usually is) suitable for couples and families, and for everyone
from complete beginners to expert skiers/boarders. Or even those who
just want to wander about and relax.
Dates
We'll arrive on Saturday February 28th, ski from Sunday to Friday inclusive, and leave on Saturday March 7th.
Note that FOSDEM should be the previous weekend — the 21st and 22nd — so people flying in from further afield may want to do that too.
Travel
Kitzbühel is 75km from Salzburg airport, 97km from Innsbruck and 165km
from Munich. It is well-served by trains; see the
ÖBB web site for information.
We usually let people sort out their own transport, although we'll
probably hire a people-carrier for the week, to bring people down from
Munich on Saturday afternoon, to ferry people to/from the railway
station, and in case we want to get into town while we're there.
Rooms
We've provisionally booked space for 13-17 people, across two apartments
each with two double beds, three single rooms
(#2, #16, #25), and three "twin" rooms
(#11, #14, #21).
When the rest of the pension is full and Heike is getting further
enquiries, she'll contact us. At that point we'll start relinquishing
rooms and anyone who hasn't paid their deposit will lose their place
— although they may be able to stay at the Wiesenegg next door
at a higher price. Conversely, if/when we end up with more deposits
than we have space, we'll ask Heike for more rooms.
Prices
It should work out around €550 per person, not including equipment
hire or tuition. The room prices may vary a little for those who want
the apartments, or a single room to themselves. The basic prices are something like this:
| Accommodation: | €350 |
| 6-day ski pass: | €180 |
| Ski hire: | €100-€150 (depending on level) |
| Lessons: | See Sport Noichl web site. |
The accommodation prices may vary slightly — those who have requested the apartments for themselves should expect to pay a little more, while those sharing twin rooms might pay a little less. We'll work that out closer to the time once we allocate rooms. For now, we'll work on a total cost of about €550, (not including equipment hire or tuition), and if there's any left at the end of the week we'll give change or put it towards our final meal.
Booking (deposit, contact details)
To reserve your place, please pay a deposit of €100 (or equivalent in
any currency) as soon as possible to the following account at Citibank
International PLC:
| Account holder: | David Woodhouse |
| SWIFT BIC: | CITI GB2L |
| IBAN: | GB86 CITI 18 5004 8612 3932 |
If you prefer, you can also pay the full amount (approx. €550) immediately.
As well as letting us know that the deposit is paid so that we can confirm that it arrives, please also provide the following information. You don't have to send it to the mailing list; you can send it to Jes, Ben and Dave alone at skicabal@infradead.org:
Until Heike starts asking about the rooms and we start saying that we
need them, the deposit should be refundable if you need to back out
— at this stage we need them mostly to tell the difference
between people who "might" make it, and those who are serious.
Insurance
We expect you to sort out your own insurance. In previous
years, we included insurance in the cost of the apartments. We
are not doing that this year, since we expect that most people will
have travel insurance of their own anyway.
Besides, the cost of the group cover for this one week isn't much less than the cost of a decent annual policy — so it seems to make more sense for people to do it that way.
Please ensure that your personal cover includes winter sports, including emergency transportation (i.e. helicopters) and preferably also theft and damage to rental equipment (although the latter should be possible from Sport Noichl at a small premium).
If people really want us to arrange group insurance rather than having their own policies, we may do it for those who need it. Discuss it on the mailing list — but beware that the first to request it may be volunteering to arrange it all.
Pistes
Aurach is fairly centrally located in the Kitzbühel ski area, and
served by a free ski bus service which runs up to the lifts at
Jochberg and Paß Thurn at one end of the resort, as well as into
Kitzbühel and beyond in the other direction. The bus stop is on the
main road about 50 metres from where we'll be staying.
There's plenty to do for everyone, from the board park and beginners' slopes on the Kitzbüheler horn to the set of lovely black runs on Steinbergkogel and elsewhere, and plenty of opportunities to play silly buggers off-piste.
You can see the Hechenmoos marked on the piste map below, just above (which is south of) Aurach itself, at the bottom of run 33 (the Giggling) which can bring us directly down into Aurach from Steinbergkogel when the snow is good.
The Bergbahn also provide an online listing of lift and piste status as well as their own weather forecast