Until the nineteenth century, the province of Tyrol was the poorest of all regions of Austria. The harsh climate, scarce rocky soils, high mountains with glaciers, small valleys surrounding the ring - all this did not contribute to the development of agriculture. Yes, and livestock, too, since the snow cover is established in Tyrol in November, and winter ends in April. Everything has changed since skiing came into fashion. And the enterprising mountaineers were able to turn all the disadvantages of Tyrol into pros. Now Austria is as strongly associated with skiing as Thailand is with beach vacations. But where exactly to go to ride in Austria? The complete list of ski resorts in the country is too extensive to devote here to each of them in a paragraph. Only the most popular can be mentioned:
- Bad Gastein,
- Zell
- Izhgl
- Sölden,
- Kitzbuhel
- Kaprun,
- Pitztal
- Mayrhofen,
- Zell am See
- Zillertal
- Stubaital and others.
But the good news is that these towns and villages are often combined into a common ski area, and there is a single ski pass. For example, Zillertal - this is as much as 670 kilometers of diverse tracks with lifts that are fully accessible for those who bought the weekly Zillertal Superskipass for 282 euros.
When to go skiing in Austria
The country lies in the very center of Europe. And the climate there is very mild. The science of geography defines it as moderate and transitional to continental. Winter in Vienna is snowy and cold, up to 2 degrees below zero. But most often precipitation from December to February falls in liquid form. However, when you arrive at the capital's airport in the rain, do not worry. The weather in the ski resorts of Austria is fundamentally different from the meteorological conditions in the flat part of the country, where Vienna is located. Siberian frosts do not exist there either, but winter temperatures range from - 5 to - 14 degrees. Many slopes of the Alps in Austria are covered with glaciers. It is as if they cool the fallen snow and do not let it melt, even if the sun begins to warm in the spring. In winter, there is a lot of rainfall in the mountains. But even if nature let us down, guns provide a stable snow cover of the tracks. The opening of the skating takes place in November. And the curtain of the season takes place at the end of April. These events are accompanied by mass celebrations, festivals and festivities. But it should be said that of the 800 resorts combined in 50 ski areas, 20 percent work year-round, since they are located on glaciers.
Special “highlights” of skiing Austria
What is the difference between the resorts of this country from others located in the same alpine region? They are as well-groomed as Swiss, but less expensive. They have the same après ski industry as in France, you can treat yourself to the same gastronomic delights as in Italy. Before we begin to review the ski resorts in Austria, the list of which we have given above, we will give their general brief description. In this country, people are too enterprising to attract only a narrow category of tourists. If only one family member knows how to ski well, he can come to the resort with all his relatives - there would be money. As a rule, everywhere in Austria, difficult tracks are adjacent to the simplest for beginners. There are also tracks for cross-country skiing, as well as slopes for sleds, snowboards, freeriding. Austria has the best ski schools in Europe. Your relatives do not know how and do not want to learn to ski? Their right! Especially for such clients in the Austrian ski resorts, the entertainment industry has been thought out to the smallest detail - from shopping to therapeutic relaxation in thermal springs. You can come here with children, including very small ones. At the resorts, nurseries and kindergartens work, where professional care will be provided for your child.
Is it worth it for those who can not ski to go to Austria?
If we study all the offers of the resorts of this alpine country, we will not find a single green route anywhere. But don't be upset. It's just that Austria has a different marking of tracks. Those of them, which are laid on gentle slopes, without sharp turns and the like trials, from which the beginner's heart beats, are called not green, but blue. And such tracks are available in almost all ski resorts in Austria. For beginners in this country all the possibilities are provided. Even at the equipment rental point, skis will be selected for your height and weight. Do not forget that the first ski school was not opened anywhere, namely in Austria. And this happened back in 1922. Since then, the teaching methodology has only developed. There are schools for very small karapuziks, which even stand on their feet with difficulty; for children; for teenagers; for adults. And for the “especially gifted”, who after studying in the group have not mastered simple science, personal instructors work, including Russian-speaking ones.
Innsbruck and surroundings
Opens our list of ski resorts in Austria, the federal state of Tyrol. Its official capital is Innsbruck. The proof that this city is not only the administrative center, but also a ski resort, is the fact that it hosted the Winter Olympic Games twice (in 1964 and 1976). Innsbruck is an old city, full of sights to the eyeballs. With the onset of darkness, the prim neatness of Tyrolean houses gives way to noisy youth clubs and discos. It is good to come to Innsbruck for those who are not "obsessed" with skating alone. Want to know what the Tyrolean hinterland looks like, but at the same time you want to be in transport accessibility to the capital of the region? Then you need to stay in Eagles, which is located seven kilometers from Innsbruck. The subscription purchased here (112 euros for 5 days) extends to seven ski areas, including the Stubai Glacier, which is accessible to skiers even in summer. One hundred and eleven slopes, 59 of the latest ski lifts, excellent opportunities for après skiing, many hotels and a rich excursion program - this is what the Eagles is. The resort is located at an altitude of 900 m above sea level. And the tracks - blue, red and black - ran between 2677 and 575 m above sea level.
Ischgl
This Austria ski resort is located in the southwest of Tyrol. It arose in the 60s of the last century and in a short time of existence has become the most “hyped” and fashionable. It is not for nothing that Ischgl is called the Courchevel of Austria. Here Sting, Madonna, Elton John and other stars of the first magnitude rested. The ski area lies at an altitude of two thousand meters, so that natural snow is provided to you even in the mildest winters. Of the 238 kilometers of tracks, more than half are red. But there is enough space for both beginners and cross-country ski lovers. Ischgl enjoys special respect among snowboarders (4 ski jumps, half-pipe) and carving enthusiasts. The latter will find for themselves a lot of interesting things in the northern part of Pardach Grata, Val Gronda and Feziltale. In addition to sports and fashionable après ski, Ischgl is a paradise for shopaholics. After all, it adjoins the Swiss duty-free zone Samnaun.
Bad Gastein
Not only Tyrol has created a big name for the ski resorts of Austria. The federal state of Salzburg does not lack them. Not far from the hometown of Mozart is the resort of Bad Gastein. The prefix in the name "Bad" is given in Austria and Germany to those places where thermal springs hit. And in Gastein, the spa industry has reached the highest level. The baths are accompanied by massages, Ayurvedic treatments, all kinds of body wraps and heating with stones, salt caves, radon baths. But this is not the whole program for après ski. As Ischgl is called “Courchevel”, so Bad Gastein is “Monte Carlo of Austria”. The ski resort is famous for its casino - the oldest of those built on the slopes of the Alps. So Bad Gastein is not crowded with skiers. The bulk of vacationers are well-to-do pensioners who are exploring the beneficial properties of the local thermal waters and spending money in casinos. But for lovers of skiing, all conditions are created here. This is 220 kilometers of blue, red and black tracks, two love pipes, a fan park, slopes for freeride. A six-day ski pass costs 200 euros.
Kitzbuhel
This is one of the most popular ski resorts in Austria. He rightfully bears the title of the oldest not only in the country, but also in the world. Snow slopes were mastered here at the end of the 19th century. The technical equipment of the tracks is constantly updated. Kitzbühel is a very, very expensive resort. But a single ski pass allows you to take advantage of all this splendor, and live in relatively cheap villages such as Aurach, Kirchsberg, Anschau, Jochberg, Stukogel, Wright, Resterhehe and others that are part of the ski area and connected to Kitzbühel by a network of lifts. And from here it is a stone's throw to the other ski area - Zell. Kitzbühel is also famous for having the most difficult track here - if not all over the world, then at least in the Alps. The tilt angle “Streif” in some places reaches 85 degrees, and the length of the black road is 3.5 kilometers. The height difference is 860 m, which allows the skier to reach speeds of up to 140 km / h. But the beginner also has a place to master the skill of skiing. Of the 200 kilometers of tracks, one third are blue. Kitzbühel's only minus is the short season, which lasts from December to March.
Mayrhofen
One hundred and fifty kilometers of blue, red and black slopes (the latter includes the descent called “Harakiri”), a beautiful water park, the Hintertuxu glacier - that's all you need to know about this legendary ski resort in Austria. Mayrhofen is located in the Tyrolean valley and combines 10 ski areas. Thanks to the glacier, the resort operates year-round. The difference in height is from 3286 to 550 meters. A six-day ski pass costs € 205 for an adult and 92 for children.
Ski resort Kaprun (Austria)
If you want to feel the enchanting atmosphere of half-timbered houses, visit a medieval castle between skating, quickly and easily get to the party-like Zell am See, and at the same time relax relatively cheaply, then here you are. The village of Kaprun perched at the foot of the three-thousander Kitzsteinhorn, from which the tongue of the glacier slides. This provides year-round riding. You can climb to the glacier by cable car. Kaprun belongs to the ski resorts of Salzburg (Austria). Therefore, if you want excursions, then you can very quickly get by bus to the main city of the federal state. A ski pass for 6 days costs 209 euros. The resort offers significant discounts for children, youth and the elderly, which makes Kaprun a real Mecca for family vacations. But assam skating here seems a little boring: the tracks are blue and red.
Ski resort Sölden (Austria)
Only 85 kilometers from Innsbruck - and you are in the realm of glaciers and alpine snows. Two Tyrolean valleys, Sölden and Ottstal, are famous throughout the country for the maximum number of sunny days. At the same time, due to its location at an altitude of 1400 to 3250 meters above sea level, the ideal snow cover is provided to you. Two valleys are characterized by diverse relief. There are flat areas for cross-country skiing, gentle slopes for beginners and steep ravines for aces. Snowboarders also appreciate these valleys, which are surrounded on all sides by mountains more than three thousand meters high. Sustainable snow cover begins in November. At the same time, the risk of fogs and clouds is minimal. In some places, they ride all year round. You can stay both in Sölden itself and in less expensive resorts: Amhausen, Father, Obergurgl, Hochgurgl. The last two villages are the most mountainous in all of Austria (1930 and 2150 m above sea level). They are appreciated not only by skiers and snowboarders, but also by climbers. Each year, the number of equipped tracks is increasing, new modern lifts are being built. Alpine skiing World Cups have been held in Sölden on several occasions. Of the advantages of the resort can be called the lack of lines to the ski lifts and low congestion routes. Of the minuses - high prices. A ski pass for 6 days costs 210 euros.
Längenfeld
It is located just 12 kilometers from Sölden. The ski resort of Austria Längenfeld is more attractive for people who want to improve their health. A balneological clinic was built at the place where the sulfur source came out. The healing properties of this hot key have been known since the 16th century. People come here to treat joints, rheumatism, blood vessels, circulatory disorders, for rehabilitation after paralysis, fractures and other injuries. But skiers have a place to turn around. Around Tyrol’s only balneological resort, there are 150 kilometers of excellent tracks - blue, red (most) and black (45 km). They are served by tow, chair and cabin lifts. Apres-ski in Längenfeld is designed mainly for the main contingent of vacationers - retirees who have come to warm sick joints in sulfur springs. For noisy parties, nightclubs and discos, head to neighboring Solden.
Zell am See
The name itself suggests that the resort is located on the lake. Zell am See is interesting in that the town has preserved a real medieval building. The resort is located in the federal state of Salzburg, in the region of Pinzgau. There is plenty of entertainment for those who do not ski. So, you can climb the old narrow gauge railway to the headwaters of the Salzach River to see the Krimml Falls - the largest in Europe (cascade 309 meters high). A pedestrian zone in the center of the village allows you to fully immerse yourself in the old atmosphere of Austria. The ski resort in the reviews is characterized as the most thoughtful. Beginners, ordinary skiers and extreme sportsmen are divorced along different tracks and do not intersect. Although sometimes on the Schmittenhöhe mountain on red roads there are too steep descents and dangerous turns. Of the advantages of the resort, all vacationers call a single ski pass with Kaprun. This helps to diversify riding. Many advise you to get to the Mittel station in a booth, and from there on two chair lifts to get to the top of Schmittenhöhe. From the mountain, like rays diverging in different directions, leads to Schutdorf, Schmittental and Zell am See. The connection between the villages is carried out by shuttle buses.
This is not an exhaustive list of Austrian ski resorts. In the reviews, tourists say that wherever you go in this wonderful country, disappointment does not threaten you.