Worldwide Ski Resorts • Austria • Westendorf
Overview
This small and charming resort is a traditional Tyrolean mountain village that is part of the famous Ski Welt area. Located in an area that is pretty rather than breathtaking, Westendorf is compact and friendly, family focussed resort with a well defined centre and plenty of facilities including shops, restaurants and bars. Accommodation available in the village includes some conveniently located hotels and guesthouses of all standards of luxury as well as good quality apartments. For the non-skier, excursions are available to Innsbruck and Salzburg and other activities include horse drawn sleigh rides through the pretty countryside.
Profile
The village stands at a modest 800m and provides direct access to the local 45 km of slopes which are served by a system of 13 lifts. The extensive Ski Welt area is reached by a short bus transfer to nearby Bixen from where the entire circuit of 250 km of pistes with 91 lifts are available. The whole area has a generally poor reputation for snow cover, although Westendorf is more reliable than some of the other resorts in the Ski Welt. There is however a large snow making operation covering the majority of the local slopes. Although small in area, Westendorf is renowned for having the most challenging pistes in the circuit. The local slopes contain some real tests of skill. Experts have a number of tough areas off piste to explore with a guide and some of the pisted red runs are the equivalent of blacks in other resorts.
Most of the local pistes are graded red and the grading means what it says, so the area is better suited to the more advanced intermediates. The more cautious will be better off on the wide choice of comfortable blue runs in the rest of the Ski Welt. Novices have a choice of excellently groomed nursery slopes within a five minute stroll from the village centre. Progression slopes are the only thing lacking with just a couple of blue runs available from mid station, although for those prepared to take the trip, there are plenty of suitable runs in the Ski Welt. Advanced snowboarders will enjoy the off piste opportunities and the well equipped terrain park. Cross country skiers have 30 km of trails to explore. There is a choice of ski schools, all of which have good reputations and child care facilities in the village are first class.
Mountain Information
From the village, the gondola goes to the Talkaser peak from which all the runs on both side of the mountain can be skied. Be warned that there is no way back unless you are prepared to ski at least some of the way on tricky reds. From Fleiding there are some excellent runs down into the valley that also takes you to the link for Gampen where there are a couple of really nice red and blue runs. There are a number of mountain restaurants on the mountain, all of which have good reputations for local cuisine and friendly service.
Apres Ski
Despite being a small village, Westendorf has a lively reputation. The numbers of bars are admittedly limited, but do get packed at the close of play. The Liftstuberl at the base of the gondola is very popular and the Moskito bar stages regular fun events and live (loud) music. The Village in the centre is good for a quieter drink and serves excellent beer and Guinness.
Austrian Resort Guide
Resort Information • Westendorf
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Resort Height | 800m |
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Top Station | 1892m |
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Bottom Station | 789m |
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Vertical Descent | 1103m |
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Drag Lifts | 8 |
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Chair Lifts | 4 |
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High Capacity | 1 |
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Opening Dates | Dec - April |
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Rating Expert | 4 |
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Rating Intermediate | 7 |
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Rating Beginner | 7 |
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Apres Ski Rating | 5 |
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Snow Reliability | 6 |
