Why Austria is the Place to Be for Skiing & Sporting Events

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Austria? Chances are it might be the snow-covered Alps and the postcard-perfect pistes. After all, Austria is considered the birthplace of alpine skiing – we’ve been whisking down the slopes for fun for over a century! And it’s not just that: The love for the mountains (and literally any form of getting up and down them) is famously in our DNA. It might also be the many global sporting events Austria has hosted over the years, be it the Winter Olympic Games in Tirol’s Innsbruck in 1964 and 1976 or the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1991 in Saalbach, SalzburgerLand.

Now, after 34 years, the latter is about to come back to Saalbach: The Austrian region once again welcomes the best skiers in the world for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 from 4 – 16 February 2025. All eleven competitions will be held on one mountain, the Zwölferkogel in Hinterglemm, with 600 athletes from 75 nations participating and 15,000 fans from all over expected to cheer them on in the finish area every day. All this, while the resort remains fully open for those wanting to hit the pistes before, after or even during the races.

As a proud winter sports nation, Austria couldn’t be more thrilled to host yet another major sporting event. And we’re equally excited to show off our expertise when it comes to skiing and winter holidays.  
 

AUSTRIA IS A RELIABLE, SNOW-SURE AND SUSTAINABLE WINTER DESTINATION 

Austria has more than 400 skiing resorts and is widely recognised as one of the top winter destinations in the world, with the best resorts regularly winning international awards. Snow-guarantee, of course, is a crucial factor for guests when choosing a skiing region. And, luckily, the Austrian Alps are blessed with it. Austria’s leading resorts ensure perfectly groomed pistes throughout the winter and often an extra-long skiing season on top. Tirol alone has five glaciers, including Zillertal’s Hintertux, where guests can ski 365 days a year.

And if everything goes wrong, Austria’s resorts also feature excellent snow-making facilities, with 90% of them running on green energy. Resorts such as SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental have won multiple awards for being among the most eco-friendly resorts in the world and are significantly helping to lower the carbon footprint of a winter holiday. 

New to skiing? Austria’s instructors are top-notch. Around 18,000 teach on the pistes every year. And even more come to Austria to train for the job – Austria’s standards are regarded as the highest in the world, with new instructors having to train for more days than anywhere else.

EMBRACE THE “LEBENSGEFÜHL” – THE ALPINE LIFESTYLE IS LEGENDARY

Of course, winter holidays in Austria aren’t just about the pistes, the state-of-the-art infrastructure and all the chocolate-box villages dotted around the Alps. An equally unique part of the package is the so-called Austrian “Lebensgefühl”, the spirit of the locals, their lifestyle, and their reverence for the natural world. It can be felt in every moment, big or small, that guests experience during an Austrian winter escape, be it in one of the many traditional mountain huts, over an extra-large portion of Kaiserschmarren, or when chatting to their host after a long day in the snow.

Austria has often been described as the country of “Gemütlichkeit” – and it makes it easy for visitors to blend in right away. A large mug of hot chocolate by the fireplace (or on a sun terrace) is always a great start!

AUSTRIANS LOVE TO EAT – AND SHARE THEIR TRADITONAL DISHES WITH GUESTS 

Food is another factor that can make or break a holiday – and Austria definitely scores on that front! Classic Austrian dishes such as Schnitzel, Tiroler Gröstl (bacon, onion, and potato fry-up), Kaiserschmarren (a fluffy chopped-pancake dish) or Käsespätzle (cheese spaetzle) are known around the world. And available literally everywhere in Austria’s holiday resorts. Just think of all the mountain huts dotted around the pistes, and the authentic restaurants in the villages where the locals have been gathering for centuries. Skiing is a proper workout, so guests certainly deserve to sample all the treats too! When on a hut, the traditional dishes are typically enjoyed together with Skiwasser (water with raspberry and lemon sirup) and – at the end of a skiing day – followed by a proper home-made schnapps.

Of course, traditional cuisine doesn’t mean that Austria is stuck in the past. The country also has tons of modern, award-winning restaurants, including those that have been included in the brand-new Austrian Guide MICHELIN.

THERE ARE PLENTY OF THINGS TO DO AWAY FROM THE PISTES 

While skiing remains the number one reason for most guests heading to Austria (apart from the ones coming specifically for sporting events), those not too keen on the sports – or those hoping to mix things up a bit – will equally enjoy their winter break. Austria offers plenty of activities away from the pistes, ranging from ski touring, snowshoeing and winter hiking to tobogganing (including after sunset), torch-lit hikes, yoga sessions in the snow or romantic horse-drawn sleigh rides. Innsbruck is a go-to place for guests looking for a combination of skiing, sightseeing and shopping, while the likes of Gurgl and Sölden are equally beloved for their pistes and thermal spa.

Last but not least, while Austria certainly does love its sporting events, others are just as popular. Mountain gigs and music festivals such as the Top of the Mountain Spring and Easter Concert (Ischgl), Snowbombing (Mayerhofen) or the Electric Mountain Festival (Sölden) bring the top stars of the music and dance scene (and their fans) to the Austrian Alps every year.   
 

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Saalbach 2025 - Meet the host region

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