What To Expect - Skiing In Bad Gastein

If you're visiting Bad Gastein of Austria, here's what to expect if you're skiing everyday like we did. 

The Pistes:

As mentioned in my previous post, skiing in Bad Gastein is terrific. The Stubnerkogel is open from 8.30am. There is a 140m suspension bridge at the top for a test of the nerves or it's simply an exhilarating lookout point. Most runs are wide, catering for intermediate to advanced skiers. 

My favourite piste in Bad Gastein is the B20 as it breaks away from the beginners and it's a long run down. From Bad Gastein you can ski to Angertal and Bad Hofgastein and back easily in a day. There's loads of powder in Schlossalm, waist deep if you're inclined to go off piste. It gets busy towards the end of the week so head to Dorf Gastein on those days. From Bad Gastein it was 35 minutes bus ride to Dorf Gastein and Sport Gastein.

Ski Hire:

We hired our gear from First Descent, opposite the train station. We booked online from the Skiset website. The staff were friendly and helpful. Sunday morning pick ups are really busy because of the changeovers on Saturdays. Come before 8.30am if you want to avoid the queues. It was cheaper to hire from First Descent and Intersport vs Sport Schober,at the base of the Stubnerkogel. 

I think you get what you pay for. Our boots looked like they were 5 seasons old although they were serviceable. My skis could have been more than 7 years old! The Sport Schober gear was more to date and it's convenient to hire from them if you plan to ski most days in Bad Gastein because they store you gear for free. 

We paid 16 EUR extra per person to store our gear and save us from lugging home and back. It worked out well because we ended up skiing most days in Dorf Gastein so we only had to carry our gear to and from the bus stop, just a few metres away. Slipping into Ugg boots immediately after getting out of ski boots alone is totally worth it!

Public Transport:

Salzburg is 1.5 hrs away and there is a regular direct train service to/from Bad Gastein. 

If you have a valid ski pass, you have free access to the shuttle buses and it's likely that your hotel is close to a bus stop. They can get completely full at peak times. Try to get a bus timetable from your hotel because I found the timetables at the bus stops are confusing. There are no English translations. 

The buses are well maintained and on time. Most people take their own skis/snowboards so it can be clunky getting on and off a crowded bus. Be aware of the last buses back to Bad Gastein. We missed the last one from Dorf Gastein and had to take a cab which cost EUR 38. 

The Town:

It's very hilly around Bad Gastein so walking into town is not recommended unless you have good snow boots. There are a few lookout points along the way so I liked walking back. In town there are restaurants although we didn't eat dinners out because our hotel was half catered. A word of warning is that in Austria, smoking is allowed in restaurants. Although the smoking areas are supposed to be enclosed, non-smokers won't avoid the smell completely. 

Bad Gastein has apres ski events and there are plenty of pubs and nightclubs. We didn't go to any as quite frankly, we're too old for that stuff. 

There is a large Spar supermarket in town and a few Billa supermarkets further out. There's plenty of fresh food and variety so you don't need to bring any food from home. More likely, you will be bringing back things from the supermarkets like we did! Our biggest regret is not buying more of the relaxing tissane we had when we got home everyday. Austrians like their tissanes and I can see why!

The Thermal Spa:

The Felsentherme is opposite the train station. There are thermal pools of varying temperatures. Two are outdoors and there are saunas and more pools on the upper floors. There's even a slippery slide that's not just for kids. 

When we went, it was snowing heavily. Fat snowflakes melted on our heads while the rest of our bodies were in hot water. The spa has a fabulous view of the surrounding mountains. You can roll around in the snow at any point you please. This was much to the delight of thrill seekers, especially in the strictly nudist areas. I think we saw it all. Naked cartwells, belly slides, writhing and smothering of oneself with fresh snow. 

You have to follow the rules in the spa. A lady will come into the saunas sometimes to check that people are lining themselves, feet and all with a towel. And don't even think about squealing when you tip a bucket of cold water over yourself after a sauna. We got told off for doing that although it would help if there were English translations on all the signs. 

The spa is rather pricey but worth going at least once. It was EUR 51 for two people for three hours including towel hire. You can bring your own towels and/or go in the last three hours of the day to save a bit of cash.

Accommodation:

Many of the hotels in our area had a nice view. We stayed in Hotel Hirschen, cheap and cheerful. It's 15 mins walk away from Stubnerkogel and the train station. The bus stop is a minute away. Near to us was the beautiful waterfall where you can walk to and even hear faintly from the hotel. There's no lift and we were on the top floor but look at our view. Every morning it was different. Sunny, snowing and everything in between. We could watch the trains go by in the distance like it was a miniature village.