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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 950m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[No]
Beginners:		[4]
Intermediates:		[4]
Advanced:		[2]
Snowboarding:		[3]

Rauris is a medium-sized, unspoilt resort in the Hohe Tauern national park, an area of great natural beauty where people have been skiing for more than a century. The village’s history goes back much further than that though, with relics dating back more than two thousand years found locally. The ski lifts operating in the area are rather more modern however, the first only dating back to the 1970s.

Although the ski area on the Hochalm above is small by modern standards, the lifts do rise high to produce a healthy vertical with lovely long runs down above and through the trees the result. And whilst the ski runs are mostly on gentle slopes, this is a major centre for ski touring so the challenges are there to be found.
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Beginners

Although there are nursery slopes by the village, the ski school will usually take beginners on the easy to ride gondolas up to a snowsure 1800m for their initial lessons. Value-for-money all inclusive packages including lessons, tuition and rentals are available through us.

It’s possible to ski on down to the gondola mid-station. The only problem is that there is no long blue back to the resort to progress on to by the end of the week. Unusually the lower section above the village itself is graded intermediate red and advanced black, so most guests take the gondola back down.

The limited scope of the ski area is ideal for beginners with most finding it less intimidating than the giant ski areas of the Western Alps.

Intermediates

There are wide open snow fields at the top of the ski area with long reds offering descents of up to two-and-a-half kilometres (one and a half miles) carved down through the forest below and all the way back to the village.

Although the ski area will be limiting (if you stay on the piste) and are beyond early intermediate level, a free ski bus does link to neighbouring areas in the Rauristal Valley, which are included in an area lift pass, and provide some more variety.

Advanced

Although not promoted in the UK as a resort for advanced skiers, there is at least one great black run, the three-and-a-third kilometres (two mile) long descent from Heimalm below the lower gondola section.

Ski touring with a local ski school guide is also popular later in the season right along the Rauris Valley. Tours aim for Kolm Saigurg at the valley or Hoher Sonnblick, the highest summit in the valley and location of Austria’s highest weather station.

Snowboarding

Rauris endeavours to create a lot of attractions for boarders including a natural terrain park, free ride powder sector and a boardercross course which are normally available from December through to April.

With the uplift mostly provided by gondola, chairlift and magic carpet conveyor lift, getting around the ski slopes is easy and comfortable.

Other Activities and Facilities

Most facilities are outdoors and they include 35km (22 miles) of cleared winter hiking tracks and a popular five kilometre (three mile) long toboggan run at Kreuzboden which offers moonlit descents when conditions are good. A floodlit toboggan run (half the length) is available on two evenings per week.

Ice climbing is another popular activity with all levels off ascent available from beginners to experts. Further choices include sleigh rides, curling, horse riding, paragliding and guided snow shoe walks.

Indoor facilities include a tennis hall, squash courts and bowling. Excursions are organised to the thermal spa at Bad Gastein.

Après Ski and Dining Out

There are about 40 bars and restaurants scattered around the Rauris Valley, although perhaps only a quarter of those are in the village itself. Popular drinking spots include the S Pub, Bellino and the Sportalm. An interesting choice is a local schnapps distillery and micro-brewery.

Most of the restaurants are based in local hotels and serve traditional Austrian mountain cuisine heavy on red meat and cheese. The griming and Andrelwirt are good and the Guto is perhaps the best in the village having previously been awarded the Gault Millau gourmet guide book points.

Families

There is no non-ski childcare available but the tourist office may be able to recommend a baby sitter who can look after the youngest children – enquire directly. Ski Kindergarten is available for children aged three and older.

The Karl Maier ski school operates a Kids-Club-Express with rides on a little train-shaped bus to the Kids-Snow-World learning area which has an easy to use magic-carpet conveyor lift, right beside the big Native American tent.

Other fun facilities are a weekly treasure-hunt on the slope looking for pirate-treasure.

Accommodation in Rauris

• Allocated On Arrival - 2 star,
• Alpina - 4 star,
• Alpina - 4 star, half board
• Garni Kaiserer - 3 star, half board
• Grimming - 3 star, half board
• Grimming - 3 star, half board
• Grimming - 3 star, half board
• Hotel Alpenrose - 2 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Kristall - 4 star, half board
• Pension Kaiserer - 2 star, half board
• Rauris Apartments - 3 star, half board
• Rauris Apartments - 3 star, self catering
• Rauris Apartments - 3 star, self catering
• Rauris Apartments - 3 star, self catering
• Rauris Guesthouses - 2 star, bed & breakfast
• Rauriserhof - 4 star, half board
• Rauriserhof - 4 star, half board
• Rauriserhof - 4 star, half board
• Salzburgerhof - 3 star, half board
• Salzburgerhof - 3 star, half board
• Sonnhof Hotel - 3 star, half board
• St. Hubertus - 3 star, half board

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