when does the ski season start?
Now that it's getting dark at night and the electric blanket has gone on, it's time to think of the ski season. But by the time you may be just about to start thinking of it, some of the Austrian resorts are already open!
Here's a quick rundown of some of the main resorts, when they open, and what they have planned on the opening weekend or, in some cases, as a festival:
Obergurgl
Obergurgl kicks off the season as one of the first non-glacier resorts
to start up. From 17 - 27 November 2011 they are offering special
Winter Opening Packages with concerts, tobogganing parties and, of course,
skiing.
More about Obergurgl skiing
Sölden
Sölden has its Maxxx Mountain First Snow - Glacier Opening between 07 - 09 October
and follows that up with the World Cup ski racing event at the end of the month
on the Rettenbach glacier. The women's giant slalom is on the 22nd and the
men's on the 23rd of the month. Both events of course with support programmes
of music and frivolity...
More about Sölden
skiing
St Anton
St Anton has its St Anton Ski Open scheduled for the 02-04 December this year.
The opening of the resort this year is combined with a Ski Festival organised in conjunction with the SWR3 German radio station.
More about St
Anton skiing
Ischgl
Ischgl continues its namedropping Top of the Mountain Ski Opening with Roxette in concert. Entry is free with a
valid ski pass on 26 November and the lifts start a day earlier on 25 November.
More about Ischgl
skiing
Obertauern
Moving on we travel over to
the province of Salzburg and their own high-level resort. They're starting
with their ski opening on 17 November but enjoying the skiing first before
getting into the music on 26 November with the cult band The Leningrad Cowboys.
More about Obertauern
skiing
Kaprun
The Zell am See / Kaprun ski area is offering Glacier Snow Okay packages from
15 October on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the White Start Weekend on 04-06
November has free ski tests and discos on the mountain and in the centre of
Kaprun.
More about Kitzsteinhorn
skiing
We've only picked a few of the higher or more well-known resorts out - but many others have their own parties, concerts and festivals to set off the season. So if you fancy a few days at the beginning of the season, check out the flights into Innsbruck or Salzburg and enjoy the start of the season with the locals.
Ski article updated: 21.09.11