Let's all ski! In Austrian Carinthia, Styria and Salzburg

Salzburg - Kaprun
A small village below the mighty Kitzsteinhorn glacier, it invites skiers almost all year round, as the glacier offers skiing at a height of up to 3029 meters, and the most avid skiers ventured onto the glacier as early as October. The rest of us will be able to develop our skiing skills on 138 kilometers of ski slopes well into the spring. In addition to the glacier, the Schmittenhöhe offers adrenaline rides on black tracks with nine ski runs, while families have fun on the 68-hectare Maiskogl, where children learn their first turns. In the evenings, the party continues in the mountain huts and bars in Kaprun and Zell am See. However, since intense activity on the ski slopes and entertainment in the evening and night hours require a lot of energy, we can recharge our batteries in the brand new wellness center Tauern Spa, which was opened in November. The 48,000-square-meter complex offers a huge wellness oasis with panoramic saunas, aromatic baths, a 25-meter indoor pool, an outdoor pool and, of course, a four-star luxury hotel.

Salzburg - Obertauern
The biggest advantage with which the renowned Salzburg winter sports resort likes to position itself is its location. Just under 200 kilometers from Ljubljana, the 'Austrian snow bowl' is an extremely popular destination. It is unique not only in traffic, but also in height. The center of the town is located at an altitude of 1,740 m above sea level, and the ski slopes extend up to a height of 2,526 meters. Perfect winter sports conditions from the end of November to the beginning of May allow long-term vacation planning or just a spontaneous weekend trip. The cable cars of Salzburg's highest ski resort started operating on November 18, and when elsewhere the first snowflakes are longingly awaited, skiers and snowboarders on Obertauern are already enjoying the wide pistes. In many Obertauern guesthouses and hotels hang photos showing the legendary group The Beatles on the breakneck slopes of the Obertauern ski area. They were the co-founders of the international reputation that Obertauern has been maintaining and growing for almost 40 years. More than important guests, Obertauern's legendary reputation is due to its infrastructure and connection of cable cars. From every point in the village, it is only a few minutes' walk to the center of the skiing scene. The tracks are designed in such a way that it is possible to ski all the tracks either clockwise or counterclockwise and always return to the starting station. This 'perpetuum mobile' of skiing is called the Turkish circuit, and 26 modern cable cars serve as a connecting link for 100 kilometers of slopes. Obertauern does not belong in the Champions League just because of its smooth tracks. The slope 'Gamsleiten 2' offers one of the steepest bumpy runs in Europe, challenging the best skiers and snowboarders. For the latter, additional fun is available in the Longplay-Snowboard-Park, where you can find everything a snowboarder's heart could desire: from 'beginner lines' to 'rails' and 'boxes' and jumps. The Edelweißbahn track, which is 1.5 kilometers long, offers night skiing every Monday and Thursday from 19:00 to 22:00. Obertauern has been taken over by another closed company, namely the snow kiters.

There's a lot going on all the way up there
The après-ski fun and nightlife are very colorful in Obertauern. Crowds in discotheques and clubs are entertained by DJs from European capitals, and as on all winter fashion catwalks, the rule applies here: see and be seen. From the winter opening at the end of November to the end of the season in May, the events follow one after the other. The international ski countdown until 12/12/2010 invites with attractive flat rates, which also include entrance fees for attending outdoor concerts.

Styria - Schladming
The most famous ski resort in Styria, thanks to its 83 ski slopes, 2054 kilometers of cross-country trails, 1389 kilometers of hiking trails, 67 toboggan runs, 85 ice rinks, 18 amusement parks, 18 snow channels and 9 thermal spas, deservedly earned the title of the most beautiful fitness center in the world.

In addition to sports activities, excellent entertainment is always provided in Schladming. The ski season is opened this year by the American superstar Keisha with the band One Republic.

High-profile winter events in Styria have been a regular part of the annual program for many years in the cold season. S World Alpine Skiing Championships 2013 in Schladming and Double World Championships in Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing at Kreischberg 2015 top events will be on the program in the following years. Of course, this is also the reason why they diligently invest in improving the quality of ski areas, tracks and cable cars, shortening the waiting time and faster and easier access to the peaks. Thus, preparatory work for the 2013 Alpine Skiing World Championships in Schladming/Styria is already in full swing: in the coming months, around 26 million euros invested in the construction and arrangement of the new Planet Planai valley station, a domed 8-seater in the area of the Mitterhaus and a further storage lake with water for snow production. When the new alpine hut opens directly next to the track on the Reiteralm in December, where they will invest 13 million euros, the Schladming-Dachstein region will have a total of 5 hut villages with a total of 650 beds. With around 50 beds, this new cabin will count among the smaller, but certainly the most luxurious cabins. In Pruggern, 7 new cabins with 130 beds are also being built in the Hüttendorf Pruggern cabin village. With around 250 beds, this mountain village on the Galsterbergalm ski area will be one of the largest mountain villages with cabins on one ski area in the 2010/11 winter season.

Professional events
In addition to beautiful tracks and comfortable huts, every year the Austrian Styria also bets on venues for international winter sports events. Dates that sports fans should not miss:

FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Ramsau between 18 and 19 December 2010 (www.ramsau.com), FIS Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup in Semmering, giant slalom and night slalom, 28.−29. 12. 2010 (www.zauberberg.at), World Cup in freestyle skiing in the snow channel on Kreischberg on January 21, 2011 (www.fissnowboardworldcup.com), FIS Men's Night Slalom at Planai, The Night Race 25 January 2011 (www.thenightrace.at) and the Synchronized Skiing World Cup in Rittisberg on March 12, 2011 (www.ramsau.com).

Carinthia - Osojščica (Gerlitzen)
Three ski centers with 60 kilometers of pistes, two spas, a slope intended for touring skiers and cross-country skiers and one town - this is how you could describe Beljak's winter tourist offer. In Osojščica, the largest ski center in the region, infrastructure was arranged during the summer months to ensure the production of artificial snow, which means that the ski season can start earlier; this year it was opened on November 27. The artificial snow will also please all the skiers who fell in love with the open Klösterle West track last year, as it will now be possible to ski into the valley. Last year we were also able to enjoy skiing on the 'Stella Ronda', a system of connections between the cable cars and 13 ski slopes, which allows driving on 35 kilometers of slopes. In order to ski only on sunny slopes, the rule is as follows: in the morning we ski to the east, and in the afternoon to the west. Snowboarders can practice in the Ski & Fun Park. An additional offer also allows flights with a paraglider. When fatigue overcomes us, we can sit comfortably and enjoy the offer of 19 mountain huts, restaurants and snow bars on the ski slopes.