Brand

Brand is a well established ski centre that has been fashionable since the 1950s. It is especially easy to reach on the autobahns from Zurich or Germany. In recent years tourism from further afield has tailed off a little as the masses have headed for the bigger and higher altitude ski areas. Although the spectacularly beautiful local mountain scenery includes peaks like Scesaplana, which towers 2000 metres above the village up to 2965 metres, the ski lifts only go up to 2000m. However as many of the afore-mentioned 'super resorts' become over crowded and the mass of downhillers who only reach the slopes for a week every couple of years realise that they don't actually need 'cities up mountains' and access to far more terrain than they can possibly ski, then Brand's attributes will no doubt return to the fore. Its unspoilt scenery and strong traditions will be major assets in the future. Queues here are rare and being located at the head of a valley, with no through traffic, means that most of the sounds you're likely to hear are those of skiing and après skiing. In the meantime the resort has continued to capitalise on its young, lively and fun image with an enthusiastic program of on and off slope events far beyond its size. Snowboarding and the still more recent 'new trend' sports have been adopted with gusto and there's a great choice of lively bars and things to do besides sliding.

Details: Written by: Jim Walker; Last Updated: 20 Aug 2012

A well established ski centre that was particularly fashionable in the 1950s and 60s. It is especially easy to reach on the autobahns from Zurich or Germany. A year round destination resort, Brand is friendly, lively and well-maintained.

Mountain

Brand's small ski area is accessed by two chairs at either end of the village, the more central the Docfbach which rises up to 1600m. The 400 vertical metres of skiing above that point is served by a six-seater chairlift which replaced former T bar drag lifts. The second way to get up the mountain is via the Palüdbahn chair, however the base of this is some distance from the village centre so unless you are staying nearby you will need to get the ski bus to get to it. It does however rise in a single stage to 1623m and the red runs down below it give direct skiing back to accommodations on that side of the village. A ski bus provides a free link to the additional five lifts of neighbouring Bürserberg mountain which has a ski range of 890 to 1800m and has a similar mix of easy to moderate runs. Given its size Brand has a better choice of ski runs than many larger ski areas. Beginners have a small nursery slope on the eastern side of the village but fortunately the majority of the easy runs are at the top of the mountain and accessed via the Dorfbach chair. Intermediates have the most to enjoy with long top to bottom reds including the picturesque run through the Lorenzital. Experts are generally put off going to Brand by the guide books but none-the-less there are four black runs giving a total of 6.5km (4 miles) of trails. The ski school can also take you over to some off piste bowls and gullies which tend to hold the powder. For cross country skiers there's a 5km loop in the village and 21km loops in the skiing area of Brand and Burserberg.

Families

Brand's valley-head location, friendly atmosphere and good sports and leisure facilities are all good news for visiting families. Skiing and non-skiing daycare is available for children aged three and older in the Gästekindergarten at the Sporting Hotel Lagant. Non-skiing daycare is also available for babies and toddlers but check first on the current situation. The four star Sporthotel Beck is a member of the Kinderhotels Österreich association and offers playroom, playground and other child-oriented attractions.

Eating Out

Brand has about ten places to eat, most of them serving typical Vorarlberg regional fayre, although there are a couple of choices for Italian. The Brandnerhof and the Berggasthof Melkboden/Palüd are amongst those serving typical Vorarlberg fayre. Gilltenne offers both traditional local and Italian dishes.

Apres

Despite its compact size Brand has a reputation for lively nights, starting as soon as the lifts close with the traditional five o'clock tea. There has been some change around in Brand's bars and restaurants in recent years with some long standing names disappearing and some new ones. Other watering holes currently in the ascendance are the Papageno and the Muhlebach. Apart from eating and drinking you can try swimming, indoor golf, tennis, skating, horse ride or a toboggan run. Sleigh rides are available and traditionally themed folk heritage evenings are another regular occurrence that tend to get very lively.

Boarding

Brand has taken to 'boarding and 'new trend' sports like Skwal and Carving in a big way. There's a choice of ski schools, with the highly active Surfing Academy organising everything from beginners courses through to carving, free riding, moguls and race training to 'The Utimate Halfpipe Session' with final contest. . Big Foot, Mono-skiing, Ski Guide and Ski Safari also available through the main ski school.