Slope Off To Salzburgerland

With over 2,000km of pistes and 22 ski areas, Salzburgerland offers a rich variety of winter sports, from skiing to snow biking.

- Ellie Ross

I’m more than 6,500ft above sea level and the views are epic. A sea of frozen mountaintops surrounds me, and the distant pyramid of the Grossglockner — Austria’s highest peak, at 12,460ft — pierces the bright blue sky. I point my skis downhill and set off on one of Obertauern’s loftiest red runs, feeling the icy breeze nip my cheeks as I sweep down into the village. Skidding to a halt at the bottom, I inhale a lungful of fresh mountain air. Right now, I’m one of just a handful of people on this piste — and a world away from the stresses of city life.

It’s hard to believe that I was in London just a few hours ago. One of the beauties of visiting Obertauern (obertauern.com), one of Austria’s oldest purpose-built ski resorts (established in the 1900s, although the first lift wasn't built until 1948), is that it’s so quick and easy to access. I land at Salzburg airport — 56 miles north of the resort — at 10am and, after a one-hour transfer and speedy equipment rental, am skiing by 1pm. It’s a refreshing change from the lengthy travel days of my previous skiing holidays in the French Alps.

And the snow isn’t bad, either, even on a sunny spring day. I visit in March, and, despite being late in the season, my skis glide over soft, fluffy snow that’s natural instead of the hard, artificial stuff made by snow cannons. The town is located at around 5,700ft, making it the highest winter sports resort in Salzburgerland, and you can ski up to an altitude of 7,580ftfrom November through to April. It mainly attracts Austrians and Germans (Munich is less than a three-hour drive away), and I only hear the occasional British accent during my stay.