Salzburg snow scene

8 great white weekends from salzburg

Sterling’s Austrian ski destination is low on crowds and big on choice. With so many unspoilt and often unfamiliar resorts to choose from, we’ve asked ski expert Tom Robbins to talk us through his top spots

1. for experts / krippenstein

Vital Stats: Town altitude: 514m; Highest lift: 2,100m; Lifts: 3; Pistes: 14km; Distance from Salzburg Airport: 90km
Why? Talk about a secret stash – I’ve never met anyone who has heard of Krippenstein, a small ski area above the village of Obertraun. Its low altitude and lack of lifts mean it gets very few skiers, but word is spreading among the freeride community that this is the place to come for beautiful, steep and empty mountains. American ski bible Powder magazine asked, “is this the best snow in Europe?” while German mag Planet Snow put it at number one in a list of Europe’s best freeride spots. Realistically, though, it is a small place – perfect for a tough weekend rather than a week. For guides, contact Outdoor Leadership (+43 (0)6135 6058; www.outdoor-leadership.com). For a real mountain experience, stay on the mountain in the Lodge (+43 (0)6135 8808; www.lodge.at; doubles from €90, half board). If you want to find some party action, go during the weekend of the Rip the Krip snowboard competition, usually at the start of April.
Getting there: It takes 90 minutes to drive from Salzburg. Budget, Hertz, Sixt and Avis all have car rental depots at the airport. A taxi will cost around €120 for up to eight. Try Taxi Rastl: +43 (0)6131 542; www.taxi-rastl.at.
Tourist office (ski area): +43 (0)6136 8854; www.krippenstein.at.
Obertraun village: +43 (0)6131 351; www.oberoesterreich.at/obertraun

2. for romantics / almdorf seinerzeit

Vital stats: Town altitude: 1,090m; Highest lift: 2,055m; Lifts: 26; Pistes: 100km; Distance from Salzburg Airport: 170km
Why: Almdorf Seinerzeit is not a ski resort in the normal sense, but an idealised vision of the perfect Alpine village – a tiny cluster of wooden chalets clinging to the hillside, roofs covered in snow, little plumes of woodsmoke puffing from the chimneys. It looks as if nothing has changed for a hundred years, but in fact none of the chalets is more than 12 years old. Inside, everything is wooden – from walls to ceilings to baths and even the shower. The beds are beautiful four-posters and there’s even a hayloft, in case you fancy a, er, roll in the hay. Modern luxuries are cunningly concealed: pull an old pulley and a swish flat-screen TV emerges from an antique cabinet, lift the wooden step in the bathroom, and you find a refrigerated champagne cellar. Each chalet has a terrace with fabulous views over the forest to the valley below, and an outdoor, wood-fired hot-tub with space just for two. Chalets for two people cost from €290 including breakfast, contact + 43 (0)4275 7201; www.almdorf.com. There are two options for skiing. Five minutes up the road is the tiny Falkert ski area, great for beginners. Fifteen minutes down the valley is Bad Kleinkirchheim, with 100km of pistes.
Getting there: Hire a car for the scenic two-hour drive. Having a car will let you move easily between Almdorf and the two nearby ski areas. If you’d rather take a taxi, it will cost around €240. Contact Bacher Reisen, +43 (0)4246 30720; www.bacher-reisen.at.
Tourist Office: For details on the Falkert ski area: +43 (0)4275 72220; www.falkert.at.
For Bad Kleinkirchheim: +43 (0)4240 8212; www.badkleinkirchheim.at.

3. if you’re on a budget / nassfeld

Vital stats: Town altitude: 610m; Highest lift: 2,020m; Lifts: 30; Pistes: 110km; Distance from Salzburg Airport: 200km
Why? Nestling down by the Italian border, and ignored by the international ski set, Nassfeld is excellent value. There’s a surprisingly big ski area, and the chance to stay at the Cube – a sort of futuristic youth club, housed in a vast glass box four storeys high. Inside, it couldn’t be more different to the usual Alpine hotel. Instead of wood, everything is concrete and steel, and rather than stairs, there are huge ramps from one floor to the next. There’s a 24-hour bar, areas to lounge about in and watch films, and a nightclub in the basement that keeps rocking till 5am (and where drinks are a fraction of normal Alpine resort prices). Staying in a double room costs €94 per person per night, but includes breakfast, dinner, your lift pass, entry to the nightclub, and the chance to try lots of alternative snowsports like Airboards and Snowbikes. For reservations at The Cube: +43 4285 84120 20; www.cube-nassfeld.at.
Getting there: Nassfeld is the name of the ski area, but the village is Tröpolach. A taxi from Salzburg will cost €290 so you are better off hiring a car for the two-and-a-half-hour drive. Call +43 (0)676 8310 3600; www.kaernten-transfer.at.
Tourist office: +43 (0)4285 8241; www.nassfeld.at.

4. for kids / neustift

Vital stats Town altitude: 1000m; Highest lift: 3,210m; Lifts: 39; Pistes: 150km; Distance from Salzburg Airport: 150km
Why? Sitting 2,600m up in the middle of the eternal snows of the Stubai Glacier is a giant inflatable mouse. It marks the entrance to the Mickey Mouse Ski Club, probably the best place in Europe for kids to learn to ski. The Disney-franchised club teaches children as young as four (younger ones are looked after in a kindergarten) in a special area with perfectly groomed snow, slalom courses, roundabouts and play areas, plus three ‘magic carpet’ lifts (conveyor belts that the kids simply have to stand on to be slowly taken up hill). Adults – apart from the specially trained instructors – are banned from the area (details: +43 (0) 5226 8108; www.skiclub-mickymaus.com). With kids safely deposited with Mickey, Goofy and friends, adults can head off to explore the area’s fabulous terrain – with lifts up to 3,210m you’re likely to find some of the best snow conditions in the country.
Getting there: Taxi Schwab (+43 (0) 5226 2877) will charge €300 each way for the transfer from Salzburg, but it’s an easy motorway drive in a hire car and should take about two hours.
Tourist office: + 43 (0) 5226 2228; www.stubai.at.