Flachau is a popular ski holiday destination in Austria well worth getting to know. What makes this resort and its ski area so attractive? Well the Ski Safari team recently visited Flachau and reported back on why this is a great resort for family ski holidays or relaxed ski holidays with friends. Both the ski resort and the ski area are cozy and intimate, but far from small. There are no skiing masses here just a pleasant, friendly atmosphere and great skiing. Maybe Flachau is the perfect resort for your next ski holidays…
The stretched out ski resort of Flachau actually consists of three parts with lifts leading to the ski area. Because there is not a real resort center, Flachau does lack a little atmosphere but the three parts all have something to offer and you immediately feel at home here. There are many ski apartments to rent in Flachau and some charming guest houses such as the Flachauer Gutshof located right near the ski lifts.
The Flachau Ski Area is set on an open mountainside and therefore has many beautiful, wide slopes. A large part of the area lies in the woods, meaning you can enjoy enchanting descents on tree-lined slopes. On days with bad weather conditions which reduce visibility, skiing between trees will help you feel safer as you have land marks on each side of the pistes. Apart from the steep Hermann Maier World Cup slope, you will never really come across difficult pistes in Flachau which makes this ski area ideal for intermediate skiers and families with young children who enjoy skiing together. In Flachau, kids have a lot of safe areas to gain confidence and there are 7 different ski schools that have their own area for complete beginners.
On the other side of the mountain from Flachau, there are steeper slopes that take you towards Wagrain. Here you can also take the G-Link gondola lift that connects to the ski resort of St Johann and Alpendorf. There are some lovely, long slopes in this direction too. From Flachau, you can also choose the slopes of Flachauwinkel which for the moment are accessible via the ski bus. However, for the 2017/2018 ski season, a new lift connection between Lisa Alm and Flachauwinkel will be put in place making the Flachau ski area even more attractive.
Photo : Wagrain Tourist Office
What apparently impressed the Ski Safari team the most was the pleasant atmosphere that they felt in Flachau and its ski area. Everything here is relaxed and cozy! Along the slopes are great mountain restaurants where you can take a break for a drink or something to eat. There are no big, impersonal buffet restaurants, just cozy mountain huts with welcoming terraces. If you spend a week’s ski holiday in Flachau you can eat in a different mountain restaurant every day .
Although Flachau is a great destination for families, apres-ski is anything but childish! In the vast Hofstadl at the bottom of the slopes you can find a great, lively atmosphere every afternoon. The same applies to the Dampfkessel at the valley station of the Spacejet 1 and Fliegenpilz at the Achterjet. However, apres-ski in Flachau is really apres-ski in its real sense; around 8pm the bars are closed and everyone is ready for a great meal. Party animals need to go elsewhere if they want ski all day and party all night.
As you can see, the Ski Safari team are very excited about discovering the ski resort of Flachau; such a lovely resort and ski area! So are there any disadvantages we asked the team? Of course there are. The Flachau ski area is not very high with slopes barely reaching 2000 meters meaning snow conditions at the beginning and end of the season, are not always optimal. There is plenty of skiing in the surrounding areas but the different parts are not all connected and sometimes quite far apart. But that’s about it for the downsides! We now understand why this ski resort is so popular and more and more people return to Flachau year after year for their ski holidays.
Flachau is a popular ski holiday destination in Austria well worth getting to know. What makes this resort and its ski area so attractive? Well the Ski Safari team recently visited Flachau and reported back on why this is a great resort for family ski holidays or relaxed ski holidays with friends. Both the ski resort and the ski area are cozy and intimate, but far from small. There are no skiing masses here just a pleasant, friendly atmosphere and great skiing. Maybe Flachau is the perfect resort for your next ski holidays…
The stretched out ski resort of Flachau actually consists of three parts with lifts leading to the ski area. Because there is not a real resort center, Flachau does lack a little atmosphere but the three parts all have something to offer and you immediately feel at home here. There are many ski apartments to rent in Flachau and some charming guest houses such as the Flachauer Gutshof located right near the ski lifts.
The Flachau Ski Area is set on an open mountainside and therefore has many beautiful, wide slopes. A large part of the area lies in the woods, meaning you can enjoy enchanting descents on tree-lined slopes. On days with bad weather conditions which reduce visibility, skiing between trees will help you feel safer as you have land marks on each side of the pistes. Apart from the steep Hermann Maier World Cup slope, you will never really come across difficult pistes in Flachau which makes this ski area ideal for intermediate skiers and families with young children who enjoy skiing together. In Flachau, kids have a lot of safe areas to gain confidence and there are 7 different ski schools that have their own area for complete beginners.
On the other side of the mountain from Flachau, there are steeper slopes that take you towards Wagrain. Here you can also take the G-Link gondola lift that connects to the ski resort of St Johann and Alpendorf. There are some lovely, long slopes in this direction too. From Flachau, you can also choose the slopes of Flachauwinkel which for the moment are accessible via the ski bus. However, for the 2017/2018 ski season, a new lift connection between Lisa Alm and Flachauwinkel will be put in place making the Flachau ski area even more attractive.
Photo : Wagrain Tourist Office
What apparently impressed the Ski Safari team the most was the pleasant atmosphere that they felt in Flachau and its ski area. Everything here is relaxed and cozy! Along the slopes are great mountain restaurants where you can take a break for a drink or something to eat. There are no big, impersonal buffet restaurants, just cozy mountain huts with welcoming terraces. If you spend a week’s ski holiday in Flachau you can eat in a different mountain restaurant every day .
Although Flachau is a great destination for families, apres-ski is anything but childish! In the vast Hofstadl at the bottom of the slopes you can find a great, lively atmosphere every afternoon. The same applies to the Dampfkessel at the valley station of the Spacejet 1 and Fliegenpilz at the Achterjet. However, apres-ski in Flachau is really apres-ski in its real sense; around 8pm the bars are closed and everyone is ready for a great meal. Party animals need to go elsewhere if they want ski all day and party all night.
As you can see, the Ski Safari team are very excited about discovering the ski resort of Flachau; such a lovely resort and ski area! So are there any disadvantages we asked the team? Of course there are. The Flachau ski area is not very high with slopes barely reaching 2000 meters meaning snow conditions at the beginning and end of the season, are not always optimal. There is plenty of skiing in the surrounding areas but the different parts are not all connected and sometimes quite far apart. But that’s about it for the downsides! We now understand why this ski resort is so popular and more and more people return to Flachau year after year for their ski holidays.
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
