In this post Daniel, a single father from London, shares the skiing adventures he and his teenage kids have enjoyed in the Zillertal Valley.
Personally I like to ski in the spring – especially in Tyrol, where the snow’s still great in March and April and all that’s melted away is the crowds. I don’t know about you, but I prefer skiing holidays to queuing holidays! I’m a single parent based in west London, and usually sit down with the kids for an evening, search a deal flying to Innsbruck or Munich Airport. Within a few hours, we can then be out enjoying some quality time together skiing.
Sometimes it feels like the pistes have been opened just for our benefit!
After coming here for so long, I know the Tyrolean ski regions like the back of my hand now, but my favourite region in these parts is without doubt the Zillertal valley. Even though it’s only 40 km from the Tyrolean capital Innsbruck, I could be a world away from city life when I’m flying down the piste there, and the snow’s amazing, even with the summer sun just a few weeks away.
Zillertal is a vast and densely-forested Alpine dream boasting 177 modern lifts and 489 km of pistes. All the pistes are beautifully prepared, and the area offers great facilities for skiers and boarders of all abilities, making it perfect for family skiing holidays. The region’s runs were gradually merged in the nineties and noughties to create a cleverly connected and fun ski circuit. Its pistes have got something for the kids, teenagers like my two boys, and adults alike.
The transport infrastructure and après-ski are also amongst the best I’ve seen – and I’ve seen them all. All the lifts in Zillertal are state-of-the-art (the Austrians offer the fastest, most modern facilities I’ve come across in twenty years of skiing) and my boys, who are keen snowboarders rather than skiers, head straight for the half-pipes. My own big thing is the high-altitude cross-country trail (like the ultra-reliable shuttle buses, free of charge).
The runs in Zillertal offer something for everyone. Example: Last year, my boys and I took my nephew along (Steve’s not yet a confident skier), and he loved the Pfaffenbühel II lift. Pfaffenbühel whisks you quickly and easily up to three unbeatable pistes – blue, red and black – so we were able to spend the whole day together and feel tested without feeling terrified! Zillertal offers a great all-round skiing experience – no matter what the time of year.
Next year I plan on booking a specialist single parent holiday. Having found out that Single Parents on Holiday offer a winter sports holiday to our favourite skiing destination at the end of March, we feel like this would be the perfect trip for us: Our favourite runs combined with fun company for myself and the boys – a win-win situation for everybody, we are all really excited and looking forward to it.
Daniel, is a passionate skier and single dad, who skis in Zillertal every Easter without fail.
