AUSTRIA: Skis, Boards, and Good News
Let's start with Austria, because many people kick off the ski season there. Alpine peaks already beckon with a white blanket in October, and on many slopes skiing is guaranteed even in our difficult age of global warming. Eight sports centers at famous glaciers even ensure year-round skiing! Besides skis, Austrian resorts offer every winter pastime imaginable, from snowkiting to zorbing.
Perhaps Austria could claim the title of the world's most ski-oriented country. Despite its modest size, it boasts 80 winter resorts and 71 skiing regions! Five Austrian glaciers are the first in Europe to welcome winter: Kaunertal, Pitztal, Ötztal, Stubai, and Zillertal. All are in Tyrol, Austria's most renowned ski region. The mountain ranges here are positioned so that snow piles up to the rooftops. It seems both valleys and peaks are swollen with snow. This is a paradise for powder lovers and all types of freeriding!
However, Austria is a paradise for fans of all winter sports, even those not everyone has heard of. For example, airboarding, splitboarding, and snowskating. Airboarding involves climbing with snowshoes and then descending through deep snow on an airboard—a special air cushion controlled by leaning the body sideways. This exotic sport can be tried, for instance, in Brand in the Bludenz Alpine region. In Salzburg state, at the resort of Pisendorf-Niederstil, Austria's first airboard lift on Mount Nagelköpfel opens this winter. A splitboard is a snowboard that splits into two parts for climbing and reassembles into one board for descent. Splitboard tours are offered in Montafon. Snowskating is a variant of skateboarding on gentle slopes, but instead of wheels, the skateboard has a special plastic coating.
Snowboard fans can confidently go to any Austrian resort. At any of them, you'll find car rentals where they can help check tires, voltage stabilizers, and engine operation. With such service, heading into the mountains in your own car is not scary. Known for its beautiful snowy winters, Austria is quickly becoming one of the most beloved places for snowboarding. More and more ski centers are appearing that specialize directly in snowboarding. In Carinthia, there are five such resorts; in Tyrol, more than ten; Vorarlberg also boasts its ten snowboard resorts. There are also resorts in Lower Austria, Salzburg state, Styria, and Upper Austria.
On the Mountain as on the Plain
Who said that cross-country skiers should only ski at home? And only during the day? Why shouldn't they travel to the Alps? Austrians don't think that way. They welcome all guests, including cross-country skiers. For them, they prepare trails, sometimes even illuminated. In Carinthia, in the Rosental region, 2.5 km of cross-country trail is not only fully illuminated but also equipped with artificial snow. The trail opens at the end of November.
In Lower Austria, in the Weinbergerwald area northwest of the Wachau, there is a true runner's paradise. At the resorts of Bernkopf - Gutenbrunn - Waldviertel, a whole network of trails totaling 120 km is laid out in the mountain valley. There are sections ranging from three to 20 km. At night, 3.5 km of trail running through the village and forest is illuminated.
In Styria, cross-country skiers are welcome in Ramsau am Dachstein. In 1999, the World Cross-Country Championships were held there. Today, Ramsau is one of Austria's most significant ski and winter wellness centers. A 70 km network of sport cross-country trails, 13 ski loops, and 150 km of cross-country trails on the high Ramsau Plateau make this resort very popular among flatlanders who love the mountains. 2.5 km of trail at the ski stadium is illuminated.
The cross-country trail in Hafning - Trofaiach is 10 km long. Here, classical and skating trails run parallel; about 2.5 km are illuminated in the evening and equipped with a snowmaking system.
The Joglland ski region is one of Austria's most beautiful places. On a sunny high plateau at an altitude of 1,134 m, at the foot of the beautiful Hochwechsel, 20 km of trails are laid out and groomed daily. Parallel to the classical track, a 10 km trail for skaters runs. The best 5 km section is equipped with snow guns and illuminated. In Tyrol, cross-country skiers head to Seefeld. On the three-kilometer trail between Seefeld and Mösern, you can ski until 9 PM.
Good News
This season, several new lifts are opening in Austria, well worth attention! Austrian cable car operators invested €523 million in building and upgrading 3,000 lifts. Nearly a quarter of that money went into installing new snow guns—the lift industry takes the issue of slope snowmaking seriously. In early December, the completely renovated Hungerburgbahn cable car in Innsbruck will open. The impressive design of its four stations and the bridge over the Inn River is the work of the legendary Zaha Hadid, an iconic 21st-century architect. This piece of architectural and technical art will transport skiers directly from the center of Innsbruck to the mountain basin, and in summer, it will make the Nordkette green zone more accessible.
Recently, the renovated top station of the Stubaier Gletscherbahn lift opened. Previously, you had to climb stairs with skis in hand. Now the steps have been replaced with a special ramp. It houses one of Austria's largest ski storage facilities.
Skiing in Ischgl has become even more comfortable: the Fimbahn I and II cable cars have been replaced by lifts with heated seats. At the Gerlitzen resort, the first 8-person cable car in Carinthia, the Carving Jet, has opened. It extends to the summit at 1,400 m. And most importantly, a new carving slope 200 m wide has opened here! Its name is Neugarten.
Great ski news from Styria: its sports regions have invested €20 million in snow cover guarantees. Starting in November, Planai, Reiteralm, Hauser Kaibling, Stuhleck, and Kreischberg will be firing all snow cannons.
In Austria, ski passes that allow skiing in an individual region or individual federal state have been combined. For example, the 'Five White Giants' ski pass has appeared, common for the Tyrolean glaciers of Kaunertal, Pitztal, Sölden, Stubai, and Hintertux. It is valid from October 1 to May 12, 2008.
With the Salzburger Super Ski Card, you can spend a ski vacation anywhere in the Salzburg region. And thanks to another card, the European sports region Zell am See - Kaprun, Obertauern, the Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang ski basin, Ski Amade, and smaller areas such as Lofer, Rauris, Werfenweng, and Untersberg in St. Leonhard are combined. A six-day ski pleasure costs €196, a child's card is half price.
ANDORRA: Pyrenean Princess
There are mountains in Europe besides the Alps. Of course, the other peaks are not as high, meaning the chance of finding good snow there is lower. An exception is the principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees. It is a very small but very ski-oriented country. There are so many cannons on its territory that you don't have to worry about skiing: snow is guaranteed! Plus, there will be great shopping and beautiful villages with Romanesque bell towers.
Andorra is extremely miniature. Just tiny. It's scary to say, but it is half the size of Moscow, for example. But many times happier: here on a territory of 468 sq km, 64 peaks rise above 2,500 m. The lowest point in Andorra is at 840 m above sea level! There is also a sea here, or rather, it is very close: an hour by car and you are on the Spanish Costa Brava or the French Côte Vermeille. Because Andorra lies in the Pyrenees right between Spain and France.
With ski resorts in Andorra, everything is also good: there are six resorts, 152 ski slopes with a total length of 247 km, almost 100 lifts. Each resort has ski schools for children and adults, as well as kindergartens for the little ones. And 500 instructors work there, among them, including, quite Russian-speaking guys.
According to statistics, Andorra is the sunniest ski center in Europe. True, the sun eats the snow and shortens the season, but for this occasion, the Andorrans, naturally peaceful people, have prepared many cannons.
And there are 1,500 shops in Andorra. They are concentrated mainly in the capital, which is called Andorra la Vella. The prices in the shops are wonderful, like the sun and the mountains - the principality is a duty-free zone. So this is the most suitable place to buy ski equipment.
Slopes
The largest number of hotels is in Andorra la Vella and its suburb Escaldes. From here, buses run to the lifts. The nearest way to the peaks is the 'Funicamp' lift in the town of Encamp.
Closest to the capital is the Pal-Arinsal resort. Pal offers 35 km of slopes at an altitude of 1,780–2,360 m with a vertical drop of 580 m. There are five lift systems, with adult and children's cable cars. The slopes are multi-colored: green, blue, red, one black, and four slalom. There is a snow park. This resort with a good school and gentle slopes is perfect for beginners.
Arinsal is located at an altitude of 1,550–2,560 m, here is a descent with the largest vertical drop in Andorra – 1,010 m. The resort has 28 km of slopes of all colors plus one for slalom and a snow park.
Pas de la Casa and Grau Roig are the most popular and largest combined resort. One of the attractions of Pas de la Casa is the British pubs where people unwind after skiing. The resort is located in a beautiful place, at an altitude of 2,000 m. Four snowy valleys converge there. The most difficult slopes in Andorra run here. There is a separate park for snowboarders and a stadium for slalom, mogul slopes. Many slopes are lit in the evening.
The Ordino-Arcalis resort occupies the largest area. From Ordino, a bus runs to the station lifts, free for lift ticket holders. They ascend to Arcalis - a mountain 2,776 m high. Slopes are laid at an altitude of 1,940–2,620 m, the vertical drop is 680 m. There are 25 slopes with a total length of 26 km.
It's hard to imagine a more cosmopolitan country: 65,000 people of a hundred different nationalities live in Andorra, and there are 150 tourists for every local resident. Over the winter, about 10 million people manage to ski at its resorts. At the same time, the country's ski history is only a quarter of a century; before that, European skiers didn't even know about any Andorra.
POLAND: Bieszczady, Sudetes, and Others
Poland is a country very close to us. Both geographically and in spirit. Moreover, Poland is a mountainous and ski country. There are the Bieszczady, Sudetes, and Carpathians - low but very beautiful mountain ranges. And on them there are ski resorts - European-styled and homely cozy. There are two main attractive points: excellent prices and the possibility of traveling by your own car.
In Poland, you can ski with almost European comfort, but for modest money. And that's great! It's also great that you can get there by your own car and with your own equipment. Because not all Polish resorts have equipment that meets expectations. When arriving with a large group at hotels and guesthouses, you can and should haggle - discounts are willingly given here.
The season in different mountains of Poland begins mainly in the second half of November. The mountains here are beautiful. In the south of the country rise the Tatras - a geographical part of the Carpathians, their highest component. In the southeast lie the wild Bieszczady, where rare flowers bloom in summer. In the southwest, the Sudetes prop up the sky, a favorite vacation spot of the Poles themselves. And in the north stretches a chain of lakes, blue among hills and forests - Masuria.
When there is no snow, in Poland you can eat deliciously in taverns, swim in pools and sightsee. There are many attractions here. Especially in Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Torun, Poznan, Gdansk, Lublin. Krakow, for example, is generally a very beautiful city, and it also has St. Mary's Basilica with its famous medieval altar. Tourists gladly visit the Lazienki Palace and Park ensemble, the royal residence in Wilanow, and the royal castles in Warsaw and on Wawel, the 13th-century salt mines in Wieliczka near Krakow, and other interesting places. But when there is snow, they don't sightsee anything. They just ski.
The Beskid Mountains are one of the most favorite places for our skiers. It is all so youthful, party-oriented, inexpensive. The authorities of the Silesian Voivodeship are very pleased with such affection and want to see even more of our tourists. Therefore, they invest money both in the development of resorts and in their promotion. Silesia is a very beautiful name, pleasant to both ear and eye. In this hospitable land, you must definitely visit the capital city of Katowice, and in Katowice - the Silesia City Center shopping mall. And while waiting for snow, you can go to the ancient salt mine Guido in Zabrze, the castle-museum in Pszczyna, and the Museum of Brewing in Tychy.
The main ski center of the Silesian Beskids is the town of Szczyrk. It is called a 'ski Eldorado'. The main street of the town is full of restaurants and small hotels with boarding houses. The resort has more than 70 km of mountain slopes, 50 km of prepared trails, there is a slope for snowboarding and a natural bobsleigh track, three ski jumps and two walking paths. Most trails have lighting and artificial snow cover.
This season, skiing will become better in Lesser Poland. In this region, they have undertaken the renewal of the entire ski infrastructure. New chairlifts and rental points have been built, equipment on the slopes has been updated, trails have been improved. At the resorts, there are more establishments with national cuisine, boarding houses, and hotels. Lesser Poland is a historical region of the country, including cities such as Krakow, Kielce, Lublin, and Rzeszow.
In Zakopane and Podhale, it has also become better. On the slope near the road passing through Witów, a new ski station has opened. The locals have built a four-seat chairlift a kilometer long. From the top platform, there is a great view of the snowy peaks of Świdnica and the Western Tatras. Near the lift, there is a free parking lot for vacationers' cars.
Last season, an aqua park opened in Zakopane. So take swimsuits for your ski vacation! In Szczyrk, you can also swim: there are two pools. One at the entrance to the city in a sports complex - a regular sports pool with a sauna, the other in the hotel 'Klimczok'. It's almost an aqua park.
One of the ski centers is located 7 km from the border, very close to the glorious city of Lviv. People go there from Lviv on weekends by bus. This place is called Ustrzyki Dolne, but skiers affectionately call it Ustrzyki. Ustrzyki is a very homely resort on Mount Laworta. Three lifts - T-bars and a cable car - take skiers to Laworta. This is a mountain with character: at the top it is all bumps, but from the middle there is normal packed snow. The right side of the mountain is considered blue, and the left is red, but eyewitnesses confidently call it red-black. The resort has rental, but if you are going by your own car, there is no point in it - the equipment will travel with you.
No problems with accommodation: every second house has a sign saying 'hotel' or 'apartments'. You can book accommodation in advance.