Zettersfeld - Lienz

Sunshine and views win people over. The area sits on a plateau above the treeline with broad south-facing slopes, and when fog fills the valley it stays clear up top, which is why the place is called East Tyrol's sun terrace. The panorama over the Lienz Dolomites turns up in nearly every review. It is far quieter than the big Tyrolean names, the runs are mostly easy to intermediate, and families and returning skiers feel at ease.

The absence of a valley run is the standard complaint: you have to ride the gondola back down, and in high season that builds a queue. Boarding gets its own criticism, as reaching the platform means climbing a flight of some twenty steps, awkward in ski boots with skis in hand. Strong skiers get bored fast, since genuinely demanding pitches are all but missing, and lift tickets cost as much as anywhere else in Austria.