Skiing in Austria

Skiing is one of the most popular sports in Austria and is famous throughout Austrian history. An Austrian citizen with no skiing ambitions cannot be considered a true Austrian. Austrian professional skiers are at the top of world rankings and Innsbruck was not host for the Olympic Winter Games in both 1964 and 1974 by accident. Many different skiing resorts in the Alps are well known throughout the world and attract tourists from almost everywhere. Because the Austrian Alps are well inhabited , there was no reason to create new and artifciall skiing resorts, instead existing towns shifted to skiing tourism. To maintain the local atmosphere enjoyed by all foreigners, the small valleys were adapted very modestly to accommodate modern mass tourism, whilst still offering high tech lifts and tracks and accommodation ranging from basic to luxury.
The skiing areas are very well organized, offering all sorts of transportation and many valleys are connected to one another. It is not rare that you start skiing in one valley in the morning and end the day in a totally different one. Some areas offer so many lifts and tracks, that even after a week you have not seen them all. Another very important fact is the snowboarding friendly environment, allowing boarders the use of all lifts and tracks. Many areas host big international skiing and snowboarding competitions and Innsbruck is considered to be the "snowboarding capital" of Europe.Nowadays skiing holidays are no longer limited to skiing. More and more skiing resorts also offer exciting nightlife options, parties and other fun activities. Towns like Kitzbühel are meeting points for high society and party areas. A very positive experience for tourists is the very friendly climate and the welcoming inhabitants.

http://www.aboutaustria.org/Wintersports/wintersports.htm