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Winter in Austria’s famous SalzburgerLand region is exactly what winter should be - thick flakes of snow falling in quiet forests, valleys carpeted in white, perfectly groomed pistes and carving slopes, mountain huts, and world-famous Christmas markets and enticing events.
It is a picture-book idyll that can be enjoyed to the full whether you’re skiing or snowshoeing, tucked up for horse-drawn carriage rides or tobogganing with your family. Admire frozen lakes, embrace your inner child with a snowball fight or just soak in the unique traditional customs of an Alpine lifestyle.
For something truly special, set your alarms and venture out at dawn to experience the magical 'blue hour' - where the rising sun makes the snowy landscapes almost unbelievably beautiful.
SalzburgerLand is a top destination for winter sports enthusiasts with more than 2,000 km of pistes, more than 70 winter sports resorts, 30 snowparks, 22 ski regions and 110 toboggan runs – as well as countless rustic huts and modern mountain restaurants.
Winter sports have a long tradition in the SalzburgerLand: the region is regarded as the cradle of alpine skiing and has remained a pioneer of innovation to this day. The best prepared slopes, the most modern cable cars and lifts and a breathtaking mountain panorama inspire winter sports enthusiasts from all over the world.
Plus, every year SalzburgerLand invests in new mountain railway and ski lift facilities. Last season in Zell am See-Kaprun, the 3K K-ONNECTION cable car created a new link between Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn ski area, and the ZellamseeXpress provided a link to the Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn Skicircus. Plus this season, the new 8-seater Asitzkogelbahn chairlift in Skicircus has opened, making getting around the montain even quicker and easier.
And something for the kids - in the Almenwelt Lofer ski area, next to the new 8-seater chairlift the SenderExpress, is a brand new funslope. The 'Witch Funline' is a 1km-long trail through the woods with four metre-high witch statues that make sounds as skiers go past. There are also small jumps, gate flags and more fun surprises!
World Cup races and other sporting events bring the world’s elite to SalzburgerLand, the season-opening parties and après-ski in the towns are also legendary, and there are a host of other new lifts, new hotels and exciting new restaurants to try. Plus, with direct flights from the UK to Salzburg, geting there is a breeze. Take a trip to remember and warm your heart in SalzburgerLand this winter.
Unlimited skiing fun with the Super Ski Card
The Super Ski Card covers more than 2,780 km of pistes in 22 ski regions in the SalzburgerLand and the adjoining large ski areas. You cant get more piste fun with only one card!
Experience the best of winter in SalzburgerLand
Escape on quiet strolls through the winter forest
If you want a break from the hustle and bustle of the resorts, try a guided torchlight hike, snowshoe excursions with National Park rangers to the primeval forests of the Hohe Tauern National Park, wild animal feeding or a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride.
Pick an alternative winter sport
Looking for a new thrill? You can have a go at ice skating, zorbing or laser biathlon. Or how about ice climbing: the ‘Kolm Sai-gurn Ice Arena’ in the Rauris National Park Valley is one of the most rewarding ice climbing areas in SalzburgerLand and is known far beyond its borders.
There are more than 2,200km of cross-country trails across the SalzburgerLand. including floodlit trails as well as snowsure high-altitude routes, such as the Rossbrand in Filzmoos.
Winter treat: Via Culinaria
Combine skiing with delicious regional food on the Via Culinaria - ten indulgence routes across the SalzburgerLand including more than 300 gourmet addresses from various sectors. Coffeehouses, alpine huts, farm cheese dairies, distilleries, fisheries, inns and restaurants.
Or try one of the new ‘enjoyment ski routes’ such as The Sweet Temptation in the Snow Space Salzburg - a gourmet trail dedicated to regional desserts, served up in mountain huts!
Get off the beaten track
Ski touring, a sport rich in tradition, is growing in popularity: A special binding and skins help you to climb off-piste. Then float downhill over untouched powder. For beginners, at the Kitzsteinhorn glacier there are marked ski tour ascent routes, and there are educational ski tours in the Fuschl Lake region, the Heutal in Salzburg’s Saalachtal and in Obertauern.
Exciting new mountain challenges
The 12 Peaks Trophy is a new 91km ski circuit incorporating 12 peaks all with an altitude of about 2,000m. One single route-guiding system helps keep you on track, while the four black slopes can be circumnavigated, making the tour doable for families with children.
Everyone who finishes the ski circuit receives a trophy as souvenir.
‘Ski your limit’ is the slogan for The Challenge in the ski resort Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. With 65km of slopes, 32 lifts and 12,400m of altitude difference, this is one of the most demanding ski circuits anywhere and can be completed in seven hours. Challenge accepted?
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Six of the best ski resorts in SalzburgerLand:
Zell am See-Kaprun
There are few more fantastic settings for a winter holiday than here, where you can go from the eternal ice of the 3000m Kitzsteinhorn glacier down to the shores of the frozen Zeller lake. In the three ski resorts Kitzsteinhorn, Schmittenhöhe and Maiskogel, the 138km of piste, ensure there is a downhill slope for everyone.
Here too, the new 3K K-onnection cable car is the route from the town centre of Kaprun to Maiskogel and Kitzsteinhorn. And with the Ski Alpin Card you can enjoy three premium regions on one ticket: the Skicircus, the Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See and the glacier ski area Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun – that’s a total of 408 km of pistes and 121 lifts.
Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn
This area, known as the Skicircus is one of the largest and most diverse ski areas in the whole of Austria, and one of the most relaxed places for winter sports, with 70 lifts, more than 60 ski huts, various snow parks, dedicated freeride parks, illuminated night slopes and exhilarating toboggan runs.
You can cruise around 270km of slopes, from gentle runs to wide carving pistes and a World Cup descent for those want to test themselves, attractions such as speed and race runs, Snow Trails, the SkiMovie run and snowtubing provide great adventures for all the family.
National Park Hohe Tauern
The eight ski resorts in the Hohe Tauern National Park holiday region are among the true hidden gems of the Alps, with altitudes extending up to 3,000m. They range from the Zillertal Arena and the Wildkogel Arena in the west to the glacier skiing area on the Kitzsteinhorn and on to the Gasteiner and Grossarltal valleys in the east.
In between, the Hohe Tauern and the Kitzbühel Alps offer varied terrain, beautifully groomed pistes and fantastic freeride areas in the Weißsee glacier world. Ski touring, cross-country skiing, Nordic walking, tobogganing, paragliding – all this and more is here, even in winter!
Salzburger Sportwelt
With 760km of pistes, 270 modern ski lifts (all on 1 lift pass), 200 rustic ski huts, 3000 deckchairs in the sun, and 7 friendly holiday resorts you’ll have zero reasons to look anywhere else for a winter holiday. The area is located in the heart of Austria’s largest ski paradise, Ski Amadé, and consists of Flachau, Wagrain-Kleinarl, St Johann, Radstadt, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Eben and Filzmoos.
Whichever base you choose, the Salzburger Sportwelt offers every possible type of skiing - from gentle to demanding, from perfectly-prepared to deep and snowy, from fun park or FIS-racing piste to freestyle slope.
Obertauern
Set in a fantastic mountain location, at an altitude of between 1,630m and 2,313m, Obertauern has 100 wonderful kilometres of pistes and 26 modern lifts waiting to be discovered. Ideal for an early winter getaway or a late spring break, Obertauern is Austria’s most snow-guaranteed winter sports resort with no less than six months of snow each year.
It’s a ski-in, ski-out paradise and from the village, each piste is within walking distance, meaning no waiting for buses at the end of a long days skiing. Plus, the unique après-ski atmosphere and nightlife in Obertauern are legendary.
Salzburg
It is always worth making time for a visit to the beautiful city of Mozart, which shows its quietest side in winter. Towards the end of November, the arrival of Advent marks an especially beautiful time of year in Salzburg. Enjoy a walk through the festively decorated city, pop into a cosy coffee house and take in a cultural event or two.
The smell of hot chestnuts, mulled wine and delicious cookies wafts through the lanes of the historical district. Browse the Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, a traditional Christmas market held on the squares next to the cathedral and Residenz.
To find out more about this fantastic ski region, go to salzburgerland.com
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