Bad Gastein Reviews

• Overall Rating 5
• Family Friendly 4
• Downhill Terrain 5
• Terrain Park 4
• Nightlife 5

Pros: Large ski area, good off-piste in Sportgastein, snow-secure, significant investments made in recent years

Cons: Becoming expensive

Recommended Skill Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Recommended For: Single/Newlyweds, Families, Empty Nesters
Date Visited: Feb, 2009

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Full review

Bad Hofgastein, Bad Gastein and Sportgastein (and to some extent Dorfgastein although that's further off) together represent a vast array of skiing possibilities. For advanced skiers who are looking for powder and off-piste Sportgastein is definitely it - part of its appeal is that it is not connected to the rest of the ski system, meaning that most skiers don't find their way up there - for many days (excluding some high-season days) the area is nearly empty and offers (despite only having one real lift - although the official count is 3) world-class skiing. There are few single areas in the world that are better than the ride from the top of Kreuzkogel down to base station Sportgastein - I would challenge anyone claiming that Verbier, St. Moritz, St. Anton, Chamonix, Zermatt etc. offer one single ride that tops this (yes - these places overall have larger off-piste possibilities - but I've never found that I've been more satisfied than when plowing through a meter of powder at Sportgastein - and I've skiied all the aforementioned places).