My ears are popping as the gondola races toward the top of Austria’s Gaislachkogl Mountain, which towers nearly 10,000 feet over the alpine resort town of Sölden. And I mean races: we’re traveling at roughly six meters per second, meaning that it will take just under six minutes to reach the top. From there, skiers can hop directly onto one of three varied ski runs, including an uninterrupted 5½-mile run that zigzags its way back down to the valley.
Exiting the gondola station, I feel as though I’m at the top of the world: mountains are everywhere I look, their jagged tops peeking through the clouds. Ascending a flight of stairs, I find myself standing in a restaurant housed within a giant cube of glass that’s cantilevered out over the mountain. The restaurant, which is called ice Q, opened in 2013 and was awarded two toques by Gault & Millau in 2024. (It also stood in for the Hoffler Klinik in the 2015 James Bond thriller, Spectre; 007 Elements, the multimedia Bond experience next door will thrill even non Bond fans).
There’s not much that can distract me from a view like this, but as the first course of my lunch arrives, a perfect piece of Arctic char in a vibrant turquoise bowl, I’m all about the food.
Ice Q isn’t the only award-winning restaurant in Sölden: at the five-star Hotel Das Central, Ötztaler Stube received the city’s first Michelin star in 2024 — and that’s in addition to its four Gault & Millau toques. Beyond food, the hotel is known for its award-winning spa, a more than 21,000-square-foot wellness wonderland filled with multiple saunas, steam areas, cryotherapy, and an outdoor infinity pool set 55 feet in the air.
The resort offers easy access to Sölden’s popular ski resort, too, where you’ll find 90 marked pistes, access to glacier skiing, one of Austria’s longest toboggan runs and 30 miles of winter hiking trails. And Sölden is just one example of the many ways to experience winter in Austria.
With more than half the country covered in high mountain peaks, Austria is a paradise for just about any type of alpine adventure. Every town has its own personality. Sölden, with its expert terrain and high-energy après scene, attracts a younger crowd, while Lech — where Princess Diana famously taught her sons to ski — pairs family-friendly activities with exceptional skiing. Austria’s rich traditions are part of the mix as well. Most hotels are family owned and operated (often for generations) and all snow-covered trails lead to culinary huts serving hearty specialties like dumplings, spaetzle, strudel, and, if you’re lucky, warming shots of fruit schnaps. Spa culture is pretty fabulous as well: not only does nearly every resort have spa facilities that rival top U.S. resorts, but saunas, pools, and other facilities are usually included in the room rate.
Fast-Paced Destinations
Expert terrain, great backcountry access, and plenty of après ski make resort towns like Flauchau and Sölden and valley regions like Montafon popular with adventure seekers.
Montafon
Expansive off-piste zones, a freeride cross-country course, a jump-filled snow park, and five thrilling “Black Scorpion” runs have made Montafon’s Silvretta ski resort, in southern Vorarlberg, popular with thrill-loving skiers.
Just minutes from the slopes, Hotel Fernblick Montafon resembles a typical chalet, at least until you walk to the rear of the property and catch the steam rising from the elevated, spring-fed infinity pool and other water features that look out over the Silbertal Valley. Rooms have oversized windows and wood accents; some have private saunas.
Flachau
Home to the Hermann Maier World Cup Run, the steep and demanding slalom course that put Maier on the international ski map in 1996, Flachau is filled with steep descents and access to some of the highest altitude powder in Austria. There are also plenty of special slopes — think speed-testing race courses, ski-cross courses loaded with obstacles, and Austria’s biggest snowpark.
Just three minutes from the lifts, Hotel Dips&Drops is all about sports. The hotel has an on-site ski rental shop and provides guided snowshoe excursions, easy access to cross-country courses, and even has a curling course across the street. Recuperate after a day on the slopes with an ice bath in the Enns River (it’s a quick run across the snow back to the sauna) so you can be ready for the hotel’s epic nightly après ski party.
Miles of Connected Terrain
Lech
The village of Lech pairs culinary excellence with a high mountain holiday: of the more than 50 restaurants within the village, two have received Michelin stars and dozens have earned Gault & Millau toques. But the town has another trick up its sleeve as well: start on one slope and you can link up to the four other villages that make up Ski Arlberg, the largest ski area in the country with 180 miles of groomed, multi-level ski runs, and plenty of backcountry for freeriding. There are lots of activities to keep non-skiers busy too, including horse-drawn sleigh rides, paragliding tours, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and alpaca treks.
Run by the third generation of the Walch family, Hotel Gotthard makes a great base for a winter vacation in Lech. Chalet-style rooms are spacious and welcoming; recover with a sports massage, steam, or a swim at the full-service spa. Don’t miss Clemens Walch’s home-brewed beer or something sweet from the onsite bakery.
Leogang
Located in Salzburg’s Pinzgau region, Leogang offers direct ski access to the massive Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, where nearly 170 miles of varied pistes overlook Lake Zell and the picturesque town of Zell am See.
Stay at the four-star Hotel Der Löwe, where ski-in/ski-out access makes it easy to hit the slopes and two spas — one for families and the other for adults only — are a convenient way to recover. The hotel is close to Leogang’s interlaced cross-country ski trails (some of which are lighted at night), an exciting toboggan run and plenty of winter hiking trails and culinary huts. Guided snowshoe excursions, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and torchlight hikes are available, too.
Low-Key But Not Boring
Bad Kleinkirchheim
It’s rarely quiet in Bad Kleinkirchheim, but not because it’s a party town. Instead, you’ll hear the giggle of children on skidoo tours or skiing the kids’ slope, funline, and snow park. There are also four ski schools and a ski kindergarten that will give three-year-olds a great first experience. It’s fun for adults, too, thanks to wide trails — one of which cuts through a pretty forest — moderate mountaintop runs with terrific views of the Nock Mountains and even night skiing.
For nearly 150 years, the Forstnig family has welcomed guests to the recently renovated Hotel GUT Trattlerhof & Chalets. Private chalets have multiple bedrooms, full kitchens, fireplaces, and ski-in/ski-out access. But you’ll want to dine at the hotel: Bad Kleinkirchheim is part of Carinthia, the world’s first slow-food travel destination. Each evening’s five-course menu is chock-full of Carinthian specialties like local trout, and the cheese and herb-filled dumplings called Kärntner Kasnudeln.
Unken
It’s all about tranquility in Unken, where downhill skiing shares the stage with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and unique adventures like cave hiking with a singing guide or motorized sledding.
Hotel Post Family Hotel welcomes children with child-safe rooms that are sophisticated enough for parents to enjoy, thanks to gorgeous wall murals, Scandi-style minimalism and contemporary artworks. Within the hotel, there are soft play areas and a water park for younger children; dedicated staff members teach everything from skiing and swimming to horseback riding (even in winter). There’s even a baby spa. Two ski resorts are located within walking distance of the hotel; others are a short drive away.
Bieberwier
Tiny Bieberwier, which was named for the beavers that once populated the mountain streams that wind through the town, is big on adventure. There are seven ski resorts nearby (three of which are certified Tirolean family ski resorts) as well as a snowpark where kids and adults can learn their way around halfpipes, ramps, rails, and boxes. Other fun diversions include ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, torch hiking, llama hiking, and curling.
At LaPosch Resort, private lodges and chalets are surrounded by a peaceful landscape — some sit streamside, while others have heated pools — and provide easy access to the bathhouse, saunas, and pools, including a dedicated Watsu pool and spa. Das Walters, the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, has been awarded two toques by Gault & Millau; Das Klaras keeps things comforting with traditional favorites like crispy Gröstl — an egg-topped skillet of meat, onions, and potatoes — tender dumplings, and fluffy Kaiserschmarren.
Feature image: (c) Hotel Fernblick Montafon via Christoph Schöch. In partnership with Austria Tourism.
