5 reasons to take a family trip to Austria's Grossarltal this winter

Ski-based travel brings all sorts of wonder for families: seeing the snow-draped mountains and traditional ski chalets for the first time, riding the gravity-defying ski lifts and learning how to navigate those vast, powdery slopes thrills travellers of all ages.

The Grossarl valley, also known as the Grossarltal, located in Austria’s cinematic Salzburg mountains, is well equipped for families. First, the ski scene is impressive: Grossarl itself offers 15.5 miles of tracks for ski touring, cross-country skiing and other winter-based activities. It’s also linked to neighbouring Dorfgastein to deliver another 45 miles of intermediate pistes and is included in the sprawling Ski Amadé area: a lift- and bus-linked area encompassing 25 resorts and 472 miles of pistes.

With over a century’s experience of hosting Salzburgers on their winter holidays, Grossarl knows how to cater for travellers of all ages, and today it’s a thriving agricultural market town that blends ancient timber-framed chalets and pastel-coloured medieval townhouses with contemporary hotels and family-friendly activities.

Here are the top five reasons to consider it for your next family escape.

1. It’s easy to get to

Encircled by the towering peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest park in the Alps, Grossarltal is known as the ‘valley of alms’ (alm being an alpine pasture). For all its sense of blissful isolation, the bucolic valley is located just one hour’s drive or train journey south of Salzburg. You can add to the excitement of the journey for little ones by catching a train to nearby St Johann im Pongau before taking the last 20 minutes of the journey by bus or taxi. Alternatively, many hotels in the valley’s largest town, Grossarl, arrange direct airport transfers for their guests, ensuring this part of your journey is worry free.

2. It’s home to expert-led ski schools

Two local ski schools — Ski School Lackner and Ski School Panorama — are run by fun-loving, multilingual instructors in the Grossarltal, and can instil confidence in the youngest of novice skiers. Meanwhile, there’s the Fischbacher Winter Adventure Meadow, essentially a winter playground that helps children develop their confidence in the snow. From there, they can progress to the mountain-top Fun Slope, with its dedicated button lift, tunnel, obstacle run and mini moguls slope before navigating the gentle blue pistes that meander down to Grossarl. Older kids will love the Snowpark, where they can perfect their snowboarding and free-style skiing — from their jibs and butters to corked 10s — on its 500-metre slope.

3. There are many snow-based activities suited for families

Families keen to try alternative snow activities and perhaps some wildlife spotting can embark on a snowshoeing outing through Grossarl’s pristine woods, keeping a look out for the ‘Big 5 of the Alps’: the ibex, golden eagle, bearded vulture and chamois (a type of mountain goat). For a high-speed adventure, parents can take their children sledging down the 1.9-mile-long Lammwirt sledding trail. Meanwhile, the Grossarl valley affords 22 miles of scenic winter hiking trails that are suitable for sledging adventures. Lastly, the Hohe Tauern National Park is a great place to experience a horse-drawn sleigh; you can battle the locals at ice stock, a traditional game similar to curling.

4. There’s plenty of children’s entertainment

Children who aren’t ready for a full week of ski school or snow-based activities can enjoy activities like crafting and painting at The Kunterbunt Kids Club (open two days a week) which offers supervised childcare. Meanwhile, for guests of Das Edelweiss Salzburg Mountain Resort, there’s also an array of entertainment at the newly refurbished Children’s World. With everything from soft play and swings to a bouldering wall and cinema, this 1,000sq-metre area also offers a childcare service for babies and complementary access for children aged three and up. Elsewhere in the hotel, guests can find the expansive Das Edelweiss Mountain Spa, home to dedicated family areas and a three-storey water slide park. There’s also a Spa Bistro serving healthy meals and snacks.

5. There are festive attractions for all ages

The Grossarltal is magical in any season but particularly so at Christmas, when the fairylight-bestrewn Grossarl is scented with mulled wine and dotted with tiny wooden stalls selling artisanal gifts for the annual Salzburg Mountain Advent. There are torchlit walks to the town’s pretty baroque church as well as carol singing, storytelling and a children’s bakery workshop at the Bistro Dorfkind, where youngsters can make their own Christmas biscuits. Picking up trinkets and decorations from the traditional Advent market, which the children can then hang on the Christmas tree after their return home, is a fitting way to end a snow-based family trip to Grossarl.