Bregenzerwald, Voralberg, Austria

Bregenzerwald ski region in Vorarlberg has long been attracting skiers from Switzerland, Germany, France and Benelux. As yet unknown to the majority of British skiers, it’s, easy to get there, reasonably snow sure and has plenty of good value accommodation.

Skiing in Bregenzerwald

Bregenzerwald region has 259km of well groomed ski pistes served by 93 ski lifts with a lift capacity of 110,094 riders per hour. The best skiing is found in three main ski areas – Daműls-Mellau (89km), Warth-Schröcken (66km) and Au-Schoppernau (Diedamskopf) (44km).

: open Ski map

From an on-piste perspective, a good skier can ski each of these three main ski areas on piste in a couple of days, but they’re close together and connected by an efficient free ski bus which makes Bregenzerwald a good destination for a week-long ski safari as well as being convenient for weekend skiing. The 3-Valley Bregenzerwald lift pass is valid for all ski areas in Bregenzerewald and for travel on most buses running throughout the region.

Besides 200km of piste skiing, 50km ski routes and 56 ski lifts covering the three main ski areas, Bregenzerwald has 300km of cross-country skiing (45km skating runs and 66km mountain cross-country ski runs above 1,000m) and 200km of well prepared winter walking trails plus toboggan runs and ice skating.

There’s skiing to suit all ability levels. 38% of runs are blue, 36% red and 14% black, but when you take account of the off-piste possibilities there’s much more for advanced skiers than it may seem from this analysis of the on-piste skiing, especially at Daműls-Mellau and Warth-Schröcken after a dump of fresh snow.

Bregenzerwald ski villages

Unlike many ski resorts - crowded in winter, empty in summer - Bregenzerwald's pretty villages are thriving communities and interesting to visit all year round. Tourism, farming and local handicrafts each accounts for approximately 1/3rd of economic activity. It’s a pleasant change to see farm animals occasionally in winter and so many charming buildings, not just ski rental shops!

Because Bregenzerwald villages are unspoiled and not over dependent on tourism, the end result is quieter, family friendly, skiing among real communities and an excellent selection of family owned hotels, private guesthouses and apartments. There are lots of good 3-star and 4-star hotels, and prices are noticeably cheaper than comparable accommodation in better known Austrian ski resorts.

None of Bregenzerwald’s villages has much in the way of après ski outside the main hotels and the bars nearest the ski lift base stations. When it comes to après ski Bregenzerwald works well for families and couples but is less appealing to those seeking a vibrant party atmosphere and late night entertainment.

Where to ski and where to stay in Bregenzerwald?

Deciding where to ski is easy. You should aim to ski each of the main ski areas but deciding where to stay is less easy because there are so many good hotels and three base areas to choose from.

Daműls-Mellau, the biggest ski area, has lots of on-mountain ski-in, ski-out accommodation and is good for skiers and boarders alike, especially intermediates and advanced skiers wanting access to easy off-piste skiing alongside and between pistes. Warth-Schröcken has better facilities for novices and more challenging ‘off the back’ excursions for strong off-piste skiers. Au-Schoppernau (Diedamskopf) the smallest of the three main ski areas, has some of the steepest runs including some curiously steep at times red and blue runs. Although smaller than the other two Au-Schoppernau (Diedamskopf) is worth skiing for one day in six during a week-long stay.

Au-Schoppernau, which is half way between Warth-Schröcken and Daműls-Mellau, has plenty of good accommodation and is a good place to stay if you plan to visit all three ski areas more or less equally, whereas Daműls and Warth are better choices if you prefer to ski predominantly in just one reasonable size area and for ski-in and ski-out convenience.

Getting to Bregenzerwald

The nearest airports are Friederichshafen and Zurich which are approximately 100km and 175km respectively from the ski resorts. Exact distances and transfer times depend where you are staying, but if you book an early morning flight you can plan on arriving at your hotel in time for lunch and ski same day.

For skiers travelling from the UK there are 2-3 flights daily via Ryan Air from Stansted to nearest airport Friedrichshafen, but many more flights to Zurich via Swiss International Airlines (SWISS.com). Zurich is a bit farther away, but offers easy transfer possibilities by rail or road and no extra baggage charges. SWISS.com also have departures from Manchester as well as Heathrow and London City.

Transfer times from Zurich take around 2 hours by car or 2½ hours by train and taxi. And from Friedrichshafen it takes about 1½ hours by car. Flying into Innsbruck is another possibility, but transfer distances (146-174km) and journey times are longer.

Bregenzerwald Tourist Information

Bregenzerwald Tourist Information
Bregenzerwald Information Centre
1135 Impulszentrum, 6863 Egg
Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg, Austria
Tel: +43 (0) 5512 2365 30
Email: info@bregenzerwald.at
Web: www.bregenzerwald.at/uk