There’s a challenging World Cup run from the sides of the Graukogel opposite the Stubner. The lift takes you up to 6,556 feet, and the black run takes you down. (A side trail accommodates intermediates).

For 80 km. of cruising trails, head up to the Skischaukel Dorfgastein-Gro§arl area. Take the cable car to the Fulseck and ski down to Gro§arl and back down again to Dorfgastein.

Also try Sport Gastein, about six miles away and easily accessible by bus. The best of the runs is from the top of the Kreuzkogel. The eight-seater Goldberg-Bahn gondola takes you to the top in 14 minutes. At the top, a choice of four different trails awaits you. The best of them is the north trail, which is left unprepared and provides great powder skiing, given the right conditions. The nearly five-mile run covers a vertical drop of almost 4,950 feet.

Snowboarders tend to congregate in Dorfgastein-Großarl with its excellent snowpark that has a bordercross course, though there are snowparks in other areas.

This is not a good resort for beginners. Movement is not convenient with the beginner slopes a bus ride away. After the easy trails, the step up in difficulty is daunting


Mountain rating
The valley, particularly Bad Gastein, is intermediate country, with the most notable exception being the World Cup course. It is a good place to tune up one’s ski legs, leaving some spring in them for partying later. Solid experts will enjoy about a dozen black runs, but once finished with them, they’ll be ready to move on. Experts should check out an off-trail group or a guide for a morning. Both will offer little-known runs down unprepared sections of the resort, and these should provide most of the challenge.