Advice and Information for the World Traveller on Many Destinations

Archive for the ‘Ski’ Category

Skiing is the most popular sport in Austria and professional Austrian skiers rank amongst the best in the world. Many people, when they think of Austria, think of cosy Alpine villages and snowy mountain trails. The reality does live up to the hype. For skiers Austria is a wonderful land of old-world chalet villages, lift-linked ski areas, rustic wood-panelled restaurants, mountain huts and exceptional après ski and nightlife. Skiing holidays in Austria can make for a truly memorable holiday.

Whist some might say that Switzerland is more efficient, France more sophisticated and the cuisine of Italy is hard to beat, all agree that for friendliness Austria is the best. Austria is renowned for its after skiing tea times, schnapps on the slopes and late night partying.

The Austrian Alps have three main chains; the High Alps, the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps. In the Northern Limestone Alps you will find many natural valleys and resorts such as St. Anton, Lech, Ischgl and Kitzbuhl. The High Alps starts with the Oetzal resorts of Obergurgl and Solden and runs to Innsbruck, Zell am See and Kaprun. The Southern Limestone Alps are on the border with Italy and Slovenia.

Mountain elevation is lower in Austria than in France, Switzerland or Western Italy, but as the winters get colder the further east you travel in the Alps Austria still gets plenty of snow. However, skiers are advised to check snow conditions before planning their vacation if they intend to travel in early winter or spring. High season in Austria is the Christmas to New Year period and February to March. Low season is before Christmas, January after the New Year and late March through to closing in April.

Search on the internet for Ski Holidays Austria to compare packages and prices.

Group skiing holidays are great with all the fun and camaraderie that a number of like minded friends have when they get together on a skiing holiday. Whilst you may have organised a ski holiday for yourself or your family booking one for a group of perhaps 8 or more people presents a different challenge. Using a ski holiday specialist is the best place to start because you will receive friendly, efficient and helpful service from their experienced staff and you will have a dedicated point of contact for your group right from the start. There are a thousand things to plan such as rooming, equipment, lift passes, special diets, medical requirements and transport, let the ski holiday experts take everything off your hands.

A fantastic place for a group ski holiday is Sestriere which is in the heart of the fab Milky Way skiing area, one of the World’s biggest ski circuits. Purpose built and snow sure Sestriere hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics and investment is ongoing. Sestriere is a great choice for beginners because there are wide village nursery slopes and some long gentle blues which are ideal for snow plough experts. The lift system is easy for beginners as well. They will find the links to Sauze and Sansicario a bit of a struggle but there’s plenty to do locally. For keen intermediates and advanced skiers Sestriere has fantastic possibilities. There is over 400kms of great skiing featuring plenty of interesting ski journeys to Sauze, Sansicario, Cesana and eventually to Claviere and Montgenevre. Sestriere is modern, cosmopolitan, and well equipped with a big choice of après ski. It’s very much a leading part of the Italian ski resorts. Nearby Borgata is an old mountain community with some nice traditional buildings but hardly any nightlife, not quite the place for a group of skiers, stick to Sestriere guys which is large, lively, popular and well equipped.

Winter getaways don’t necessarily have to involve roughing it in a basic chalet. Luxury ski holidays combine spending time on the slopes with the finest cuisine and other amenities designed to help make the experience an unforgettable one.

When looking for your ski deal you should consider the location first. Do you want to go skiing in Europe, the United States or Canada? Once you have made your selection you can start to narrow down your search by country or region.

Now that you have a general area in mind, you can start investigating the different options available for ski holidays. Are you interested in staying at a luxury ski chalet or would a four or five-star hotel be a better choice for you? Luxury apartments are also available to people on ski holidays, and this is a good choice for families and groups travelling together.

Consider the other amenities offered by different resort operators before making your decision. Do you want to stay at a location offering spa services as well as proximity to the slopes? Is luxury dining after a day spent outdoors important to you? Would you like to be able to relax in a pool or a hot tub at the end of the day?

Luxury ski holidays can create memories that will last a lifetime. Picture the kind of experience you would like to have first, and then you will have a much easier time narrowing down your search for the right resort. The only thing you will need to think about is what to pack!

For a bargain way to enjoy a ski holiday and to have fun and relaxation as well, why not ask your ski deals specialist about the great self catering apartments in fabulous Austria? For skiing, Austria is one of the favourites with the “Brits” for a variety of reasons, the skiing is good yes, but the après ski is something that has to be experienced. In certain regions of Austria the snow is virtually guaranteed for many months of the year, your ski holiday provider will tell you the ones which usually have plenty of snow.

Accommodation in Austria falls into three main categories, hotels, pensions and self catering; chalets are rare, more usually found in Switzerland and France. Austrian self catering apartments vary according to price but are usually well appointed. Normally they comprise one or two bedrooms catering for 4 to 6 people. The kitchen and lounge is open plan and the bathroom is shared, just like your flat at home. Normally the kitchen is well equipped but dishwashers are not the norm, so check again with your ski holidays agent.

Self catering may not be to everyone’s taste but in Austrian ski resorts there are plenty of good restaurants serving mouth watering meals, after you have enjoyed the après ski of course.

Flumet near the Italian border is a great place for ski holidays for beginner and intermediate skiers, and snowboarders. It has 42 ski lifts giving access to 32 green runs, 58 blue, 47 red, and nine black. The resort is part of the Espace Diamant Ski Region and you can get to 196 different pistes. Some of the runs are above 2000 metres, so snow cover is very reliable; they use snowmakers to insure good coverage.

Six airports service the area, with Grenoble, Geneva and Chambery airports being only one hour from the region. There are four hotels in the main area of the town, and more than a dozen restaurants. Some of the hotels have saunas and swimming pools (the outdoor ones are only available in the summer). Food consists of local, French and Italian cuisine.

The town of La Giettaz is a medium size resort for ski holidays; the slopes have eight ski lifts and 18 pistes. You can also snowboard and there is a national park to visit.

This is a real mountain village with bars, restaurants and several hotels.  Holidaymakers can also rent furnished apartments.  There are ski hire shops only a few minutes walk from most of the hotels.  A free bus accesses the main ski area, a journey of only ten minutes.

There are three airports within two hours driving distance: at Geneva, Chambery and Lyon. There is also a railway station in Albertville with a bus service that takes passengers directly to the town.

If you have children in your party there is childcare provision available for those aged one to six years.