Austria Skiing

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The sprawling mountains of landlocked Austria make for an adventurer's dream, with parts of the Southern Limestone Alps, Northern Alps and Central Eastern Alps all to be found, and only around a quarter of the country low lying. Whether you want to hit the slopes for world-class skiing and snow-boarding, take a hair-raising bike ride down the mountains, go rafting or explore the outstanding scenery by foot, you'll find plenty of exhilarating adventures in this mountain playground!

Of the diverse mountain scenes, the Eastern Alps constitute the largest area of Austria at almost two thirds of the total land. The second biggest mountain area - though lower than the Alps - is the Austrian granite plateau in the north at around one-tenth of the land. Austria is almost 600km in length and stretches from Lake Constance in the Alps on the border with Switzerland and Germany, to the huge Neusiedler See on the border with Hungary in the east, offering a rich and varied landscape in between.

Austria is famous for its skiing and winters are certainly chilly, but visitors will be pleasantly surprised in summer when temperatures averagely sit between 15 and 25 C. The alpine climate of course dominates, with most of Austria in the cool or temperate climate zone with humid winds. Head eastward - along the Danube Valley and in the Pannonian Plane - and you'll find a friendlier climate with less rain.

With a population of around 1.7 million, Austria's capital Vienna is also its largest city. As well as outstanding surroundings, Vienna offers famous sights such as the Cathedral, the famous Hundertwasserhaus, palaces, romantic balls and "Heurigen" (wine taverns). Salzburg is another well-known destination; the city - on the banks of the Salzach River - has world-famous baroque architecture, is birthplace to Mozart and was the setting for the The Sound of Music. You should also check out pretty Innsbruck, which is located in a broad valley and surrounded by amazing Alpine scenery.

Skiing
The picturesque villages of Austria offer great ski runs, a warm welcome and plenty of choice, whether you're taking a family trip with beginners or looking for a bit of a challenge! Experienced skiers should try cosy Galtur and busy neighbour Ischgl for some of the most adventurous runs in the country, including the challenging "Alp Trida" - an amazing valley route to Saumon in Switzerland. Peaceful Ellmau makes a great choice too with excellent family facilities, over 250km of piste and plenty to challenge the adventurous. Ambient Lech offers great bars as well as slopes, and exclusive nearby Zurs has blue runs on quiet slopes.

Chilled out Oberau is a small resort with peaceful slopes but bustling Niederau is nearby. Westendorf is also quiet and the nursery slope has a chairlift to lend a helping hand to beginners! For the ultimate romantic winter wonderland, the incredibly pretty Alpbach has two slopes suitable for beginners and is great for walking. There are too many resorts to count, but also consider lively Filzmoos with its pretty toboggan run and scenic Igls for marked trails, and Innsbruck for a taste of friendly Austrian culture.

Snow-boarding
Snow-boarding is the country's main sport after skiing and you won't be short of opportunities to try it out in Austria. Picturesque Kaprun is full of charm, well-kitted out for families and has excellent glacier slopes for both beginners and intermediates; you'll find access to 130km of pistes in the area and some awesome terrain to explore. This area is great for cross-country skiing too, with a 12km circuit beginning in the village and joining the 200km Pinzgau Loipe.

Lively Solden and large Mayrhofen - set in the stunning steep Zillertal Valley - guarantee ideal snow-boarding conditions. With so many resorts offering high altitude and phenomenal terrain - such as Hochgurgl, Obergurgl, St Christoph and St Anton - you'll really be spoilt for choice. With over 260km of pisted runs as well as chances for off-piste challenges, party-village St Anton is a popular choice and has plenty to keep even advanced boarders and skiers busy.

Cycling
Cycling is the perfect way to explore Austria's scenery at leisure, although a good level of fitness is needed with the altitude and slopes. A path along the huge River Danube is Europe's most popular cycle way, not surprising as it runs through ten different countries! Follow the path and check out some fantastic scenes as it passing through towns and cities, as well as wooded hills and farmland. Also, try the route around stunning Lake Constance, which borders Germany.

Downhill Mountain-Biking
Downhill mountain-biking is not to be missed and the well-made trails offer plenty of choice for this ultimate hair-raising experience! With cable cars to the mountain peaks, as well as repair and hire facilities, you'll find everything you need. The Planai in Schladming is home to the UCI mountain bike world cup and its challenging 4.5 km track is one of the longest and best in the world. In addition, Leogang is known as home to the Kona freeriding competition and Wagrain is stunning with its large park kitted out for all levels - from smoother beginner runs to freeride and woodland runs.

White-Water Rafting and Canyoning
Whether you want the help of an experienced guide or you're a strong swimmer who's up for a challenge, the rivers and mountains of Austria offer plenty to choose from for these exhilarating sports. A canyoning trip in the Soelk canyon will put the experienced to the test with abseiling, walking, cliff jumping and swimming needed, and beginners can take a tour for a introduction to canyoning, albeit an intense one! Also, try out the rapids of class 2-3 river the Enns, class 3 river the Salzach, or class 4 river the Gesause, each presenting their own difficulties if you're navigating by yourself.

Trekking and Mountaineering
Whether you're a scrambler, rambler, hiker or climber, Austria provides an ideal walking holiday with 40,000km of maintained trails, numerous summits of over 2000 and even 3000 m, thousands of mountain huts and welcoming bars and hotels. For all kinds of walking opportunities, whether an easy lakeside stroll, a scramble on snow or a challenging climb, the unspoilt scenery of Austria's Lake District - the Salzkammergut - is of particular note.

Other Activities
Hitting Austria's mountains wouldn't be complete without trying go-karting down the steep toboggan runs, such as the testing 3km run from Hochgurgl. You'll also find tandem para-gliding, ski-jumping, zorbing, golf, horse-riding and fishing.

Classical Itineraries
Whatever your sport of choice, there are some fantastic sights in Austria that should be included in any longer trip. Grossglockner, at 3798m above sea level, is the highest mountain in Austria and the country's biggest glacier, the Pasterze, also lies at its bottom - easily accessible by car or foot. The scenic Grossglockner High Alpine Road offers some spectacular views and you can even drive up to 2600m in the summer. Also, visit Klagenfurt, which boasts more than 20 castles, the unspoilt lunar landscape of limestone Tennengebirge, and the gorgeous scenery and National Park surrounding the River Danube.

Whether you want the ultimate extreme sports holiday or are a beginner just looking for a taste of Austria's adventurous side, you'll find it here. The backdrop of Austria's outstanding sights and its friendly and culturally rich towns will make for a trip never to be forgotten.