Skiing is one of the most popular sports in Austria and is famous
throughout Austrian history. An Austrian citizen with no skiing
ambitions cannot be considered a true Austrian. Austrian professional
skiers are at the top of world rankings and Innsbruck was not
host for the Olympic Winter Games in both 1964 and 1974 by accident.
Many different skiing resorts in the Alps are well known throughout
the world and attract tourists from almost everywhere. Because
the Austrian Alps are well inhabited , there was no reason to
create new and artifciall skiing resorts, instead existing towns
shifted to skiing tourism. To maintain the local atmosphere
enjoyed by all foreigners, the small valleys were adapted very
modestly to accommodate modern mass tourism, whilst still offering
high tech lifts and tracks and accommodation ranging from basic
to luxury.
The skiing areas are very well organized,
offering all sorts of transportation and many valleys are
connected to one another. It is not rare that you start skiing
in one valley in the morning and end the day in a totally
different one. Some areas offer so many lifts and tracks,
that even after a week you have not seen them all. Another
very important fact is the snowboarding friendly environment,
allowing boarders the use of all lifts and tracks. Many areas
host big international skiing and snowboarding competitions
and Innsbruck is considered to be the "snowboarding capital"
of Europe.
Nowadays skiing holidays are no longer limited to skiing.
More and more skiing resorts also offer exciting nightlife
options, parties and other fun activities. Towns like Kitzbühel
are meeting points for high society and party areas. A very
positive experience for tourists is the very friendly climate
and the welcoming inhabitants.
