Flachau, Ski AmadeSki Amade is a co-branded ski region bringing together some of the finest skiing in the Austrian Alps. The five sub-regions are Salzburger Sportwelt, Schladming Dachstein, Gastein, Hochkönig and Großarl-Dorfgastein. Combined that makes for 356 pistes covering 860km, managed by >250 staff with 125 snowcats, >200 ski lodges, located up to >2,700m above sea level - all accessible with one Ski Amade pass!
Why Austria? Although the Austrian alps, at the eastern tail-end of the Alps region, may not reach the staggering heights of their neighbours in Switzerland and grance, the snowfall tends to be heaviest east of the Alps, Austria is the home of skiing (the Arlberg method of skiing was pioneered in the eponymous ski region of Lech-Zuers- St Anton), and people actually ski (not snowboard) here!
This report will cover the Salzburger Sportweltregion, which is located about an hour's drive south of Salzburg and is the largest and most centrally located ski region in Ski Amade. This region can be further broken up into nine smaller areas. The main ski areas are Flachau (most centrally located and where this writer stayed), Zauchensee which is a little like Sugar Bowl in Lake Tahoe, Wagrain, a quaint old town with narrow cobblestone alleys and Flachauwinkl, Flachau's small cousin, which has not much in the way of amenities but great beginner and intermediate runs and less crowded slopes. It's almost impossible to ski all of Salzburger Sportwelt in a week, and I missed out on Altenmarkt/Eben which I understand to be the old town, St Johann which is supposed to be relatively posh, Goldegg and Filzmoos.
(more to come)
