Our FAM trip was sponsored by Holidaze as a site inspection of two winter resort areas, Kitzbuhel Austria, and Garmish, Germany. The FAM took place from December 4 through December 10, 2002. During this period, we were able to tour 14 different hotels, do some skiing at both areas, sample the local food and do a bit of shopping.

Our trip began with a flight on US Airways from Philadelpia to Munich. The airport is large and modern, with convenient subway service into the city. Upon landing, we did a tour of the Kempinski Hotel, located at the airport. We judged this hotel as being a good choice for groups who had an early morning flight back to the states, as it would eliminate the need for a red-eye bus trip in the morning.

Both Garmish and Kitzbuhel are a two hour bus ride from Munich. Our first destination was the Kulturhaus on the outskirts of Kitzbuhel. This was a meeting hall that we looked at as a possible place to hold an FSC party.

After touring the Kulturhaus, we headed for our hotel in Kitzbuhel, the Schwarzer Adler. This was a very comfortable hotel, in the downtown section. Every hotel in the town area was accessable to the slopes either by walking a few blocks, or by taking a shuttle bus.

The following day, December 6, we did several hotel tours, and did some skiing on the slopes. Being early season, there was only a single run open at the top of the mountain, accessible by a T-bar. The mountain is fair size, with a top elevation around 6,000 feet. There is a gondola running to the top of the mountain, and a mixture of chair lifts and T-bars on the slopes.

Part of our group did some skiing, and some of us went snowshoeing. Guides are available for both activities. One of the mountain's claim to fame, is a world class competition downhill speed course, and ski jumps.

The town of Kitzbuhel is a small, picuresque 600 year old mining town. There is plenty of shopping, and access to fine restaurants. The location of both Kitzbuhel and Garmish allow for one day side trips to locations in Bavaria, Austria, and Northern Italy.

On December 7, we left Kitzbuhel for Garmish Partenkirchen, staying at the Hotel Alpina. This is a hotel convenient to both the in-town slopes, and the tram, which is used to get to the top of the mountain. Garmish is a much larger town than Kitzbuhel, with a mixture of old Bavarian architecture with more modern structures. The ski area is divided into two main parts, the "classic" area at the edge of town, and the high altitude Zugspitz.

The classic area was not open while we were in Garmish, so we did a morning ski at Zugspitz. There are two ways of getting to the mountain, either by cog train, or by cable car. The view from the top is spectacular, and worth the trip even for non-skiers. At the top, all of the lifts were by T-bar, in the classic area there was a mix of chairs and T-bars. The plan is for the T-bars to be replaced over the next couple of years, and for the cog train to be replaced by a faster moving train. Currently the cog train ride from downtown to the peak is over an hour. The cable car is much faster, but requires a bus or cog train ride to the base of the mountain.

In usmmary, either Kitzbuhel or Garmish would make a fine destination for either an FSC trip, or an individual club trip. Both towns have locations that are easy to get to, and provide a launching point for interesting side trips. Kitzbuhel wins with small town Alpine ambience, but Garmish comes ahead with a larger, more diverse ski area.