Overwhelmed Slightly Above Average Skier

Zell-am-See is great; also look at Saalbach-Hinterglemm. We stayed at a "Ski-in/Ski-out Hotel" - full-pension, which meant breakfast and dinner in the Hotel - loved it so much. It was so long ago that the Hotel information I have is out of date, and the hotel has changed names and ownership, but look for Alphotel-Amalienburg, formerly the Hotel Carolinenhof.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm is at the very end of the ski-resort road cul-de-sac, and on Saturdays and Sundays, that road is a foot-on-the-brakes /inch-by-inch 8-hour nightmare.

And European families reserve the same ski-weeks year after year after year, so you may have to try several hotels for your selected week.

There were no fences to keep skiers from going over the backsides of the mountains; and as I recall, there was not much grooming. Lift-lines are pushing/shoving nightmares -- our orderly lift lines with attendants signalling for the next people to enter the chairlifts are only found in the USA. My skis were stepped on and poled, and you just have to push and shove your way ahead. But the whole experience is great.

I have skied Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I loved Switzerland the best - a small resort called Adelboden, on the back side of Gstaad. What I loved about Switzerland/Adelboden, is that the gondola and several J-bars (yep, it was long ago) took you all the way up the big mountain, and it took all day to ski down, through farms and over snow-packed roads and bridges.

I miss it, but now I think it's too much of a hassle to schlepp all the gear, drive on that ski-resort road, etc, just for one week. Still and all, lots of fun. Please tell us what you pick.

I am concerned with your description of slightly above average. The grooming of slopes in Europe is no where near the standard at most US ski areas. So you need to be able to comfortably skiing un-groomed slopes and perhaps even chin deep powder. Average skiers in the US don't generally handle that well because they are not accustom to those conditions. Also signage is not that great either so you do have to be careful with unfamiliar slopes.

I think that Kitzbuehel will be the easiest to get to from Munich airport. 2 hours and 20 minutes with train changes at Munich Ost and Woergl. You can also select Kirchberg, one stop before Kitz without the glitzy name but on the same connected lift area.
Another would be Mayrhofen, about 3 hours with train changes at Munich Ost and Jenbach. Part of another hugely interconnected lift network.

The grooming of slopes in Europe is no where near the standard at most US ski areas.

That is not my experience in over a dozen ski trips to the Alps. All runs marked on the trail map are groomed every night by a fleet of Kaessbohrer PistenBully's. Both sides of the piste(run) are marked with poles color-coded so you know which side of the piste you are on and poles in the center with the trail number marked. This is because most runs are above tree-line, and the signage comes in handy in a white out.

This said, the easier runs can get icy at the end of the day if they have a lot of traffic. The elevations are not as high as the U.S. western resorts, although higher than the U.S. eastern ones. There are a lot more slope-side eating and drinking establishments along the slopes, all privately owned. The resorts themselves are much bigger than U.S. ones.

Skiing isn't better or worse than North America, just different in delightful ways. Try it. You might like it.

I would suggest asking your question on the Austria forum on Trip Advisor.

I'd suggest taking the train down to Innsbruck. It's just so easy to get there from Munich.
You can stay in the city and take a bus up into the local resorts. Or, you can stay in the surrounding villages where there are an incredible number of bed and breakfasts.
And with 2 Olympics under their belts, they've got it all close by.

I've skied extensively in Europe, and like Sam, I completely disagree with the comments about the slopes not being groomed or well signed. Simply not the case. Yes, they use different symbols to indicate the level of difficulty, but these are pretty easy to determine.

Our preferences are more on the side of a smaller village with some local spots rather than a large commercial resort. "Commercial resorts", like in the US, really don't exist in the Alps, or at least, they're rare. Most of the ski destinations grew out of existing towns and villages.

Kitzbühel was already mentioned, and this is an excellent choice. It has a huge ski area and covers all levels of experience. One possible downside, though, is that good conditions tend not to last as late into the season as other resorts.

I really like the high altitude resort of Lech am Arlberg, and it probably fits the description very closely of what you had in mind, but it would be complicated to reach from Munich by public transportation.

If you are open to skiing in Germany, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is probably the easiest resort to reach from Munich. Although I love the town and it's a great destination for summer hiking, I was underwhelmed by the skiing there.

Sam and Tom, very fair points. This is my first European ski trip so I will definitely keep that in mind. Thank you all for the thoughts and feedback so far.

You won't find punky snowboarders crashing into you as you would experience in Vermont, for example.

Now that you mention it, at least since the last time I skied there (two years ago), snowboarding really does not appear to have caught on very strongly in Austria. It's still very much a skiers' paradise.

While I can't comment on lift assisted Alpine skiing, the cross country ski tracks that I experienced in Austria were second to none. More than good grooming and lighted (night skiing) cross country tracks, the PillerseeTal area of the Tyrol groomed separate tracks for the different trail users. They groomed winter walking (no snowshoes required) trails separate from ski trails. They also groomed separate tracks for classic (diagonal stride) skiing and for freestyle (skate) skiing to minimize skier conflicts.

The hotel we housed had a downhill ski base area a walk out of the hotel's back door. The local bus service connected the multitude of ski areas with free bus service to skiers: https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pillerseetal/service/bus-time-tables-regiobus.html

And your question about Zell-am-See, that is a good choice as well as there is a funicular to the glacier at Kaprun so it will be snow-sure.
Another area accessible by train is the Ski Welt Wilder Kaiser Brixental. It is on the trainline between Woergl and Kitzbuehel. The towns with train stations are Hopfgarten, Westendorf, and Brixen im Thale. This is a lower area with almost no black runs, all intermediate and easy. The elevation is a bit lower, but should be OK in early March.

Compilation of Austrian ski resorts: https://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Austria/

... table of Austrian Ski Resorts, sortable by suitability, altitude, etc.

Zell am See: https://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Austria/Zell_am_See.html

Zell am See, Austria

Ski Resort in Europa Sport Region, Austrian Alps - 80km of Piste (760m
to 1,950m)

A small town on the shores of Lake Zell with a wide range of shops
(pedestrianised centre), restaurants and off-slope activity options.
Connected with Kaprun, although not quite lift linked to it.

Zell am See in brief

Zell am See Ski Resort is: Very good for Expert Skiers. Excellent for
Intermediate Skiers. Very good for Beginners. Very good for
Snowboarding.

Zell am See Season Dates

We have no confirmed season dates for Zell am See.

Usual opening - Late Nov.

Usual closing - Late April.

Piste and Lift Stats for Zell am See

 9  Black Pistes (25km)

14 Red Pistes (27km)

 6  Blue Pistes (25km)

32 Pistes

80km Downhill Pistes

58km Cross Country Pistes

28 Ski Lifts

Zell am See Ski Area Height

Max Vertical and Resort Altitude for Zell am See

1190m Max Vertical

1950m Highest Lift

760m Lowest Piste

760m Resort Altitude (Zell am See)

Zell am See

The Austrian Ski Resort of Zell am See is part of the Europa Sport
Region ski area with access to 130km of downhill skiing, with 81
individual pistes, served by 53 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing
in Zell am See itself (80km of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski
Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Europa Sport
Region ski resorts of Kaprun and Kitzsteinhorn.

There are two Airports within two hours drive, so ski weekends,
snowboard breaks and short ski holidays to Zell am See are perfectly
feasible.

Skiing in Zell am See

Zell am See's 80km (50 miles) of trails are largely located on the
Schmittenhöhe mountain behind the town. There are various access
points to the area, but most people staying in central Zell will take
the gondola, the base of which is a few minutes walk above the town
centre. Alternative access is via the neighbouring village of
Schüttdorf or via a choice of two cable cars that leave from a base
above Zell; all are linked by a ski bus, which is free to lift pass
holders

Now that you mention it, at least since the last time I skied there (two years ago), snowboarding really does not appear to have caught on very strongly in Austria. It's still very much a skiers' paradise.

What's that saying about camels nose under the tent? Unfortunately for skiers, snowboarders are very willing to part with their money and ski areas have a capitalistic response to money.

https://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Austria/Kitzbuhel.html

Kitzbühel Ski Resort is:

Very good for Expert Skiers.

Very good for Intermediate Skiers.

Good for Beginners.

Very good for Snowboarding

Snowboarding in Kitzbühel
The Kitzbühel Horn mountain boasts two half pipes, a quarter pipe and
a sprint slalom course. A table jump allows jumps from five to ten
metres The Ski Safari route is also popular with boarders who enjoy
the powder options. Every ski shop in the resort offers 'board hire
and every ski school offers snowboarding tuition. A second snow park
is complete with boxes, kickers and rails.