Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen has one of the best snow records of an Austrian resort. The main ski area is accessed from the new and stunningly engineered Penkenbahn gondola. As you do not ski back into Mayrhofen from this mountain the gondola is also used to down load.

The Ahorn is a smaller mountain which is also accessed by a gondola from the far end of the village. You can ski back off this mountain to the village via a red run. There is little lift-side accommodation in Mayrhofen, however, the resort bus is regular and extrememly efficient.

Mayrhofen offers a varied ski terrain with some quite challenging reds and are mostly above the tree line. The steepest piste is the famous Harakiri, a short descent with a whopping 78% gradient. One fall here and it's a slide to the bottom!

With the Ziller Valley pass covers 640kms of pisted runs including one of the best glaciers in Europe; the Hintertux glacier is an extensive area with some excellent skiing and unusually for a glacier some really steep and challenging terrain.

There are better resorts for beginners with the nursery slopes a gondola ride up the mountain at the Penken, however, the plus side to this is that beginners start up on the mountain and truly get that Alpine atmosphere.

The Ahorn area is probably a better bet with an excellent large nursery area on a high sunny plateau; perfect for a more gentle introduction with a lower skier density.

Experts will wish to tackle the aforementioned Harakiri plus other blacks and the off piste in the area is superb.