Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau

The praise is for the price and the setting: the area joins two valleys, wooded on the lower slopes and open above, and on value for money Ski Juwel is regularly named among the best options in Austria. The pistes are groomed every night, there are fewer people than in the famous areas, and red-run intermediates have particular room at Alpbach.

Snow draws the criticism: the area is low, and in a thaw the lower sections turn heavy and wet. The second complaint is the morning logistics: the buses are packed and a queue forms at the Auffach base gondola most mornings. Some guests report that evening life in Alpbach is essentially nonexistent.