Maria Alm, Austria

Traditional and pretty Maria Alm forms one end of the Hochkonig ski area, with Hinterthal and Dienten in the middle and Mulbach at the far Eastern end of the ski system. Together these interlinked resorts offer 150km of piste which easily rivals the better known Austrian ski resorts of Mayrhofen and Kitzbuhel. Families looking for a chalet in Maria Alm would do well to book the very comfortable Chalet Panorama which offers fantastic value and wonderful spa facilities.

The ski area is mainly suited to intermediates who wish to ski the miles but there is actually plenty of very good off piste terrain for the experts - we recommend booking a local mountain guide to get the most out of the area's secret powder stashes! The large un-pisted bowl to the West of the Aberg has even been likened to the legendary back bowls of Vail. However, this comment was made by a local so he might be a tad biased.

Maria Alm is the liveliest of the resort villages with a few luxury chalets and even a pretty decent après ski scene. There is also some good tobogganing here as well as sleigh rides, and some very good walking trails. Being set off the main valley road there is not much local traffic about the resort of Maria Alm. For those looking for a traditional Austrian resort (with hardly any British tourists) which offers very reasonable prices for some genuine luxury chalets then this makes a great choice of resort.