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These days, it’s incredibly easy to find your way around any ski resort by yourself. Even if the old paper piste map has gone soggy in your pocket, there are any number of high tech mapping apps that will tell you exactly where you are on the hill, as well as giving you a wealth of stats about what the runs, nearby restaurants, and the opening and closing times of the lifts that connect them.
All of this can, of course, be incredibly useful information. But no amount of statistics can really tell you what it feels like to ski a run, or drink in a particular après bar. For that, you need a human. Which is why, when compiling this guide to the Ski Juwel area, we asked two locals for their recommendations. Not only do they explain (far better than any app ever could) what makes their hometowns special, their responses also convey something of the joy of living where they do—a sensation the Austrians like to call Lebensgefühl.
Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau in numbers
Ski area: 113km of pistes
Altitude range: 830m - 2,030m
Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is good for:
Beautiful, authentic, traffic free vilages combine with a ski area that has plentiful wide, sunny slopes to explore. Add to that ten ski schools and myriad off-slope activities and you have the perfect recipe for a relaxing family ski holiday.
Did you know?
On Thursdays and Fridays, 6 km of perfectly groomed slopes on the Reither Kogel in Alpbachtal are transformed into one of the largest night skiing areas in Tirol.
Wildschönau is the only place in Austria where Krautinger schnapps (made from turnips) is distilled. It has a unique earthy taste and is sure to warm you up after a day on the slopes!
Wildschönau
Sonja Seisl is a farmer, beekeeper, and herbal specialist, and lifelong resident of the Wildschönau valley. Born and raised at her family’s farm close to the town of Niederau, she spent ten years as a children’s ski instructor before transitioning to farming, focusing on organic beekeeping and crafting herbal products in her herb kitchen. When she isn’t busy with her bees or leading guided nature walks, Sonja enjoys hiking and skiing. Here she shares her love for the Wildschönau’s natural beauty and her favourite spots in the Ski Juwel ski area.
How does Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau compare to other ski areas in Tirol?
Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is a hidden gem in Tirol. Far from being crowded, skiers and snowboarders can enjoy a mountain holiday here without the stress of busy slopes or long queues, plus the distances between the villages and the ski lifts are very short, making it extremely easy for families. The villages are very traditional with wooden and stone built chalets giving them real Austrian Alpine charm.
When the snow is looking good, where do you go to ski first?
From my kitchen window, I have a direct view of the Markbachjoch pistes! I just jump in my car and drive to Niederau centre and in five minutes I can be on the slopes.
Do you have any secret spots you can share with us?
The Schatzberg in Auffach is the bigger ski area and has a direct piste and gondola to Alpbach. My favourite piste is 12 Gernalm, it is very broad and passes by a water reservoir where you can catch an amazing view down the valley to the mountains beyond. Below the Gernalm wooden hut there is a little bench, it’s a peaceful spot where you have a great view of the Oberau village. The word “Lieblingsplatzl” (favourite place) is carved into the wood.
What’s your favourite piste to rip around on a quiet morning?
My favourite is the Red 19 at the Markbachjoch. Actually, it is called “the RED”! It’s quite a steep run, the main red run on the mountain. You can even buy t-shirts in town that say, “I skied the RED”!
After a day on the mountain, where would you go for a drink to toast a successful ski?
I’d go to the Hexenhäusl, a lively, friendly bar and restaurant in the Niederau village centre (just next to the lift station). There are not only tourists here, but locals too. The people who work on the mountain come down here after work. It’s a great place to catch up with everyone in the village and with many of the visitors who have been coming here for years.
Alpbachtal
Alpbachtal has been a part of Joey Person’s life since she was a child. After learning to ski at the age of three, Joey and her family visited the Austrian Alps for skiing, and sometimes summer holidays, every year. At the age of eighteen, her love for skiing truly cemented, she spent the season there and completed a ski instructor course. Her one season plan turned into a permanent move and she has now lived in Alpbach for ten years, running Connys Sport with her husband while also serving as Club Secretary for the Alpbach Visitors Ski Club (AVSC), helping to train young British skiers to master the slopes. We caught up with her to find out about her secret stashes and best spots for apres-ski.
Why did you and your husband decide to make Alpbachtal your home?
We met through our work for Connys Sport and the Skischool Alpbach-Inneralpbach. With me being from the UK and him being a local to Alpbach, we had the tough decision to make about where to base ourselves. Our passion for sport and the outdoors, career opportunities, and the lifestyle here in Austria were overriding factors and made our decision to base ourselves here an easier one. It is a choice that we have never regretted, especially now having a little one, it really is the perfect place to raise a family.
What do you love most about Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau?
I really love that they go above and beyond when it comes to customer satisfaction, it’s just a friendly place to be, which makes it so easy for our customers, particularly for families. The staff at the ticket desks are really helpful, the lift operators are always looking out for you, and the pistes are pristine. They’ve really nailed it.
What kind of skiers do you usually get coming into your sport shop?
Alpbachtal has such diverse skiing terrain. There is so much variety in the resort that it attracts all mountain skiers, piste skiers, and also backcountry touring enthusiasts.
What’s your favourite run in the resort and why?
A run that really gets the blood pumping is the Black 41 and Red 42 to the bottom of Alpbach. The rolling terrain and varying steepness of the slope are just so much fun to rip around. If I’m in a more cruisy-tempo mood, the Red 2 and Red 1 down to Auffach are glorious.
Where’s your favourite place for a mid-morning break?
After a couple of runs the place to go for a coffee or hot chocolate is the Kafner Ast. There’s a cosy bar and restaurant area inside, perfect for cold days, and if the sun is out their terrace is the perfect place to relax and watch the other skiers on the slopes.
Which lift would you head for on a bluebird powder day to find some untouched snow?
That’s easy – you’ve got to be at the Hornbahn 2000. From there you can reach the Greitalm for some tree runs or the Kohlgrube for speed runs, both are hands down the best places to be on those special days.
Where would you go for an après-ski drink?
If it can be more than one drink... Then I’d definitely start at Joe’s Salettl in Inneralpbach, there is always a fun party atmosphere. From there I head up to the village (of Alpbach) to enjoy an Aperol on the Postalm balcony and then finish up at the Jakober. That would certainly be the perfect apres-ski tour!
For more information about visiting Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau, go to skijuwel.com
