Updated on the 15th of October 2021.

Rating: ★★★★ 8 out of 10

“Flachau is a village located 80km from Salzburg in a ski resort-rich part of Austria. Pistes are wide, surrounded by woods, mainly suitable for intermediate skiers. Unfortunately all slopes look fairly similar. Fortunately in the season 2020/21 new lift which connects the resort to Flachauwinkl and Zauchensee was made. The new cable car brought  more diversity and linked Flachau to the one of the best snow parks in Austria (Absolut Park in Flachauwinkl). After a day on the snow you should visit Salzburg (it will take you only an hour to get there). It has one of the best-preserved old city centres in Austria (an UNESCO world heritage site, the birthplace of Mozart…). Read the rest of this Flachau Review in order to see where you can ski, eat, have fun…“

Pros: Excellent lift system, great for families, one of the best snow parks in Austria…

Cons: lacks diversity, can get crowded.

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FLACHAU SLOPES

Flachau was connected to Wagrain, Sankt Johann, and Alpendorf. Together they had 120 km of pistes in total. As I have mentioned earlier in the season 2020/21 link to Flachuwinkl and Zauchensee was made. Today, you can ski on 190 km of interconnected slopes. Oh wait, stop it there. When I say interconnected it just might not be correct. Actually Flachauwinkl is divided by a road and the lifts which will take you from Flachau to Zauhensee or vice versa are more than 600m away. Luckily you won’t have to walk since there is free shuttle bus.

This whole area is a part of the Salzburger Sport Welt, which in turn is part of the Ski Amade domain (around 760 km of unconnected slopes). You won’t get bored because when you fully explore one resort you can just sit in a car and find another one in a range of 30-40 km. Your Ski Amade ski pass is going to cover everything. Bad Gastein and Schladming are definitely worth visiting.

The highest peak of Flachau resort lies at 1,990 m. The top of the Salzburger Sport Welt is situated in Zauhensee at 2,188 m. Snow reliability is great because the pistes are covered with snow-making machines. Be aware that conditions can get tough in the afternoon due to slopes’ orientation and relatively low altitude (snow melts and then freezes before the end of the day). Lifts are new and fast, queues are short. In the high season (February) runs can get crowded (lots of children and ski schools). The snow grooming is excellent.

There is a big cable car called G Link which connects Flachau to the rest of the slopes. I liked the runs around Flying Mozart gondola the most (a long, wide piste surrounded by woods). You should also check out FIS WC slope named after Flachau’s most famous native Hermann Maier (the Herminator, so fondly named, is a legendary World Cup and gold Olympic medal winner). The run is a regular stop on the women’s ski tour. This area is special because there is another FIS World Cup piste in Zauchensee.

 TIP: Don’t get terrified by the bizarre mascots (creepy cartoon animals, some of them look like they don’t have eyes, the bunny is patched up etc…) scattered around the pistes in Flachauwinkl :).

FREERIDE AND TERRAIN PARKS IN FLACHAU

Flachau slopes are not that great for freeriding because of dense woods. The best spots are situated above the tree line around the Top Liner lift and pistes number 24 and 25. There is also a designated slope for off piste skiing in Flachauwinkl. It begins at the top of lift number 25, close to the snow park. Beside the fact that slopes are not groomed there are some man made obstacles that can be used to perform tricks.

There is a terrain park called Betterpark located between Wagrain and Alpendorf. It is close to a lift called Hirchkgelbahn. The park had 4 kickers (intermediate and expert level) and large numbers of boxes, rails, pipes etc.

Another park called Absolut is also placed in Flachauwinkl. It is one of the best parks in Austria, huge, with every element and difficulty you can imagine. The big half-pipe is also there. Visitors are another story altogether. I was there during the weekend when locals came out to shred. They were so good that my enthusiasm for filming tricks vanished in a minute.   

HOW TO GET TO FLACHAU

Flachau is well-connected to the rest of the country since it lays on the A10 motorway. It is situated 80km from Salzburg (closest airport is also nearby, 50 minutes by car). There are shared airport transfers, and the return ticket is around 50 EUR per person. 

If you prefer trains, your last station should be Radstadt, which is located 12 km away from Flachau (15 minutes by car). There are local buses or taxis you can pick up for transfer.

WHERE TO STAY IN FLACHAU

Flachau has a wide choice of hotels, and especially guest houses. They are not ski in/out, so be very careful when choosing where to stay. There is a free shuttle bus which goes around the village, therefore it is not that important to be close to the slopes when you have the bus station close to your accommodation.

Flachau doesn’t have any 5-star hotels, but there are several 4-star places in the area. Schlosshotel Lacknerhof hotel is one of them. It has a spa area, pools, a small indoor water park, a children playing area etc. You can also stay in Wagrain or Alpendorf but your evenings will be even quieter than in Flachau.

WHAT TO DO AFTER DAY ON SNOW (APRES-SKI) IN FLACHAU

Ideal place to have a rest during a day is Auhofalm. It is situated above the central station of the Flying Mozart. The restaurant/bar has a great terrace with sun beds and lazy bags. I have tried their cheeseburger so you don’t have to ;). One of the best known après-ski bars is situated at the bottom of the Hermann Maier run, and it is called Hofstadl (it’s a bit on the pricy side). You can also visit Dampfkessel at the bottom of the Space Jet 1 lift.

You should make an excursion to Salzburg. Have a walk around city centre, make a stopover at Mozart’s house of birth, and climb up to the Salzburg fortress (one of the biggest medieval castles in Europe). If you like beer (and who doesn’t) you should visit Augustiner Brau. It is Austria’s biggest beer tavern, with a tradition almost 400 years long. There, you can taste beer made right on the spot. They also have affordable food.