Mention skiing and you automatically think Austria!  And quite rightly so…  Good choice if you want to get more from your skiing holiday than simply hitting the slopes.Priding themselves on service, you can always be assured of a warm welcome wherever you stay from simple ‘pensions’ to five star luxury hotels.

If travelling with the family, Obergurgl, located high up in the Otz Valley has car-free streets and has the added bonus of a ski kindergarten area in the heart of the village.  Snowboarding is also on offer for teenagers and there is no shortage of off-piste options on offer.

For beginners Westendorf offers wide nursery slopes in the centre of the village.  The short and wide run allows plenty of space for the many beginners classes without the risk of clashes!.  The gentle ‘blues’ and wide ‘reds’ are on the Alpenrose mountain, a short walk away.

More experienced?  In the steep-sided Zillertal valley, Mayrhofen offers plenty of variety to keep all happy! The free bus service covers the whole of the 625kms of pistes in the Super Zillertal area.  The professional skiers will love the hair-raising runs on the Hintertux glacier where some of the most challenging pistes are 3,250m and are often used by professional skiing teans for training.  The town itself has plenty of apres-ski action!

What if you’re in a group? St Anton is the place for plenty of bars and the resort is at the heart of the Arlberg Ski-Circus, with pistes linked to neighbouring resorts such as Lech and Zurs.  Bowling, tobogganing and sleigh rides are also available here.

And for non-skiiers.? You would not be missing out by spending a week in Kitzbuhel without putting on your skis!  In this medieval centre with its pastel-painted houses, there are great restaurants, boutiques and some excellent coffee and cake shops (Konditerie).  Hotels here offer 5 star spa and leisure facilities and there are some amazing winter-walking trails, ice-skating and much more to keep you entertained. 

And finally… what about the snowboarders??  At the heart of Saalbach Hinterglemm Ski Circus, Saalbach is a resort perfect for those wanted to get out their snowboards!  For those more skilled this is the ideal territory to ‘freeride’ where your journey from top to bottom involves all sorts of jumps and acrobatic stunts.  Tuition is available.

Further information can be obtained from the Austrian National Tourist Office

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 at 10:48 pm and is filed under Ski Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.