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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1300m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[Yes]
Beginners:		[3]
Intermediates:		[4]
Advanced:		[4]
Snowboarding:		[4]

Finkenberg is a mid-sized traditional Tyrolean village located in one the most beautiful spots in world skiing, the stunning Ziller valley. Situated only two miles (three kilometeres), from Mayrhofen, the village shares the Penken ski area with its better known neighbour.

However, perhaps because of Mayrfohen's market dominance, it has opted to be jointly marketed with its neighbour on the other side - the Tuxertal, which includes some of Austria's highest skiing on the local Hintertux glacier, the country's only ski area to open 365 days a year.

But Mayrhofen, Tux and a dozen other villages in the larger Ziller Valley are included on the Zillertal Superskipass which offers 640km (400 miles) of piste served by nearly 170 lifts.

Finkenberg itself is located on a sunny hillside above the River Ziller and has history dating back to Roman times and some lovely old buildings (albeit more recent than Roman) including an early eighteenth century church and the nineteenth century Devil's bridge.

The village is relatively quiet and with limited facilities compared to larger resorts in Austria but it is a great choice if you are looking for a friendly and homely village in beautiful scenery with great skiing on your doorstep.

Beginners

Finkenberg's two friendly and professional ski schools meet at the valley station of the Finkenberger Almbahnen and offer lessons for four hours daily, divided between the morning and afternoon. There is also a free ski lift, the Ubungslift, that operates for three hours every afternoon at this location when snow cover is adequate at village level. When there isn't enough snow, and in any case once the basics have been mastered, the ski school takes classes up the gondola to more easy slopes at the top of the lift.

Intermediates

Most skiers will choose to take the Finkenberger Almbahn lift up to the large Penken ski area directly above the resort. This forms the heart of the local 'Glacier World Zillertal 3000' and offers varied and extensive skiing that’s linked to the resorts of Mayrhofen, Hippach and Lanersbach in the valley below.

An alternative is to get the free ski bus up to Hintertux, where a succession of three large modern cable cars dubbed the 'glacier buses' lift you high up to the snowsure year-round ski area of the glacier. There are several marked 'ski routes' around the area that allow you to discover all there is here and clock up a lot of piste kilometres and vertical metres.

The glacier circuit covers 72km (45 miles) of ski runs with a total of 15,000m in altitude difference, so is quite a challenge. This trail starts from the Eggalm above Lanersbach and continues on to the Rastkogel which separates it from the Penken. A further option still is to take a bus in the other direction out in to the Wider Zillertal Valley and visit one of the other ski areas included on your lift pass.

Advanced

Advanced skiers should be able to find enough terrain to keep them entertained for a week and, with the Ziller Valley pass, the opportunity to find the toughest skiing at a dozen different resorts around the valley.

The choices include the Harikiri descent at Mayrhofen, which has pitches of up to 78% and is famously the steepest groomed run in the Tyrol region. Off piste powder skiing and high mountain ski touring are also popular in the area, with the local mountain guides able to lead you to the best spots.

Snowboarding

Finkenberg sits between two major boarding centres at Mayrhofen and Tux, the former with its huge terrain park, the latter with its year round snowboarding facilities up on the glacier. Although fewer boarders are actually based in Finkenberg compared to the more party oriented Mayrhofen, it is well placed to access the best of the action on the slopes.

Other Activities and Facilities

Ten pin bowling on three lanes is available at the sportkegelbahn which is open until midnight. There is a spa open to the public at the Stock hotel and massage services are also available. Mayrhofen's attractions include an adventure swimming pool and a casino.

There's a second indoor swimming pool and sports complex at Vorderlsanersbach, linked by the free bus, which has a discounted admission for guests staying in Finkenberg's hotels.

There is a natural ice rink with two curling lanes near the gondola station, ice skates and curling stones can be hired free-of-charge and it is open most evenings in good weather. There are four toboggan runs in the area, up to five kilometres (three miles) long and accessed by the free ski bus.

Most of these involve a one to two hour walk up to the start of the descent. Sleigh rides are also available and there are 14km of cross country trails as well as extensive cleared winter hiking routes in the valley. Tandem paragliding jumps are offered by the local Stocky Air company and are accessed by the gondola.

Après Ski and Dining Out

Finkenberg is not usually a particularly lively resort and the après ski opportunities are limited to about a dozen bars and restaurants, most of them in the hotels. However there are several high quality establishments which will keep most guests happy for a week and there is also the option of a short bus or taxi ride to Mayrhofen for a larger choice.

In Finkenberg itself the Laterndl pub is one of the more popular and organises its own bus service that runs up to midnight taking guests to and from their hotels. There's often live music here. The Finkennest bar is another good choice and has different themes on different evenings including Mexican night with Tequila, happy hours, dancing on the tables and so on.

The restaurants serve quality mountain cuisine with fondues and raclettes the norm, there is also a pizza option.

Families

A good choice for families thanks to its friendly and intimate nature as well as the beautiful surroundings. Childcare facilities are limited however and for full day cover you will need to take the ski bus at the start of the day to nearby Lanersbach, where the Gastekindergarten accepts children from age one, or head down to Wuppy's Kinderland in Mayrhofen, which offers full day nursery for children from three months to seven years old.

In Finkenberg the ski schools have special ski classes for children aged four to 12 which include two hours tuition in the morning and two hours in the afternoon from Sunday to Friday.

Accommodation in Finkenberg

• Eberl - 4 star, half board
• Harpfner - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• Persal - 3 star, bed & breakfast

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