Beginner’s nerves and skiers highs: learning to ski in Vorarlberg, Austria
We recently spent a week learning to ski in Vorarlberg, Austria’s alpine winter wonderland. From the beginner slopes of Ifen to the hidden gem of Großes Walsertal biosphere’s Faschina ski area, these are the skiing adventures of two Aussies in Austria.
“Once you go skiing, you’ll be hooked for life”
These are the words that have been imparted on us by every skier we’ve ever spoken to about said winter sport; a phrase generally always accompanied by tales of epic skiing adventures or mishaps, and the kind of glossy nostalgic eyes that give away a happy trip down memory lane.
We’ve always felt more than a little sheepish having to explain to these die-hard fans that well noooo, we’re Aussie, and actually we’ve never really skied.
Living in Europe/the UK these past four years now, it seems everyone departs for a ski trip as soon as first snow falls.
Every time the mercury’s dropped, we’ve become increasingly curious about exactly what it is about sliding down an icy mountain on sticks that has everyone lighting up at the mere mention of it.
Which, of course, is exactly how we’ve found ourselves back in Vorarlberg, a place we’ve loved visiting in the summertime, with one mission: finally learning to ski.
LEARNING TO SKI IN VORARLBERG, AUSTRIA
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LEARNING TO SKI IN KLEINWALSERTAL
Our adventure first begins in Kleinwalsertal, where we’re hoping to master the basics before heading deeper into Vorarlberg to Großes Walsertal and the Faschina ski area to put our skills to the test again in a few days.
After stopping at Sport Kessler to pick up our hire gear (more on this below!), we meet our Skischule Riezlern instructor, Mike, a Scotsman who once called Kleinwalsertal home but now returns each season to teach suckers like us how to stay standing on skis, and the three of us clomp down to wait for our bus to Ifen ski resort.
[Side note to the skiers: why did no one warn us about the clumsiness of walking around a pretty Austrian town like slow-mo moonwalking robots, made even wobblier by the skis balanced precariously on our shoulders?! Heck!]
One of the perks of skiing in Kleinwalsertal is that your hotel key-card actually doubles as your area guest pass, so your transport and ski passes are all loaded to the same card too.
It makes for a seamless process in both getting to and enjoying the ski fields — although navigating how to get on a bus in ski boots whilst also holding skis and poles almost requires a lesson itself (sorry to the bus driver whose roof I *might* have smacked my skis into…!).
That first morning is, we discover, a ‘bluebird day’; one of those blessedly clear and sunshiny days that generally follows a day of storms and snowfall.
These are the days skiers dream of; where fresh, glistening powder awaits fresh tracks and one can ski comfortably in glorious sunshine.
It’s obvious from the joyful and and chatty energy of our fellow passengers that it is, indeed, a day to be highly excited about being on the slopes.
In fact, we might just be the only ones feeling nervous as our bus swings into the parking lot and deposits us next to the kids slope.
Thankfully, Ifen is a brilliant area for both beginner and advanced skiers alike, with everything from a large Ski School area through to expert-level off-piste runs.
Blanketed by a thick carpet of snow and with sun painting the Hirschegg mountain behind us, it’s also a super picturesque place to learn.
Recognising our complete novice status, Mike directs us straight to the flattest section of the ski school, where we strap in and shuffle, cross-country style, to get used to the feeling of being on skis before we progress to a slightly steeper gradient.
Here, Mike demonstrates the famed ‘snowplough’ (also called ‘the pizza’ or ‘the wedge’). For the skiing uninitiated, this is the act of throwing your legs and skis into a V shape, forcing the skis to cut through the snow.
Basically, the snowplough is how you slow down and, importantly, stop too.
Naturally, the latter is what I’m most keen to learn.
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BEGINNER’S NERVES AND SKIERS HIGHS
Mike makes it look easy, but our beginner’s nerves have us pretty tense and rigid so it takes a while (and a few tumbles!) to get used to the unnatural pigeon-toe position, especially when hitting the intense speeds of roughly 1cm a minute…!
A moment of honesty here: we both enjoyed previous lives as competitive swimmers, played multiple sports, and have both always been fairly active. Basically, sports have generally come naturally to us…. and we kind of expected that we’d pick up skiing in no time at all.
Well. Turns out, learning to ski after 30 comes with its own challenges.
As little pigtailed munchkins of 4 or 5 years-old tore past us looking like they emerged from the womb with skis for feet, we flailed about on ours like Bambi on ice and waved our ski poles in the air with abandon.
Where our tiny nemeses showed no fear or apprehension (some even had the cheek to grin as they lapped us, again!), we overthought every action or stressed about losing control and whether it would hurt if we stacked it.
This is where Mike taught us some of our most important lessons of the day: 1) every good skier falls, and it’s the only way to get improve 2) the key to good skiing is confidence and keeping your body relaxed.
As he encouraged us through run after run all morning, we eventually began to loosen up and are able to push our legs from parallel to snowplough and back again with ease.
Moreover, by lunchtime we'd discovered that not only did we like the feeling of gliding downhill and being able to control our speed as we pleased… we actually felt exhilarated by it.
Were we finally experiencing that skiers high?!
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HEARTY MOUNTAIN MEALS
Lunch is a quick chairlift ride away to Tafel und Zunder at the top of the Hirschegg mountain, where panoramic views of the surrounding mountains stretch as far as the eye can see.
The snow glitters in the midday sun, and it really does feel like we’re on top of the entire world.
On the terrace, hordes of happy skiers sun themselves on loungers or cheers to a great morning with friends over a beer and a hearty meal.
This is probably our favourite part of alpine life in Europe; a beautiful chalet serving deliciously soul-filling food and crisp beer can always be found no matter where you are.
Nothing is quite so soothing after a morning’s skiing as a hearty serving of Käsespätzle, traditional Austrian dumplings smothered with mountain cheese and topped with fried onion - which we wolf down while watching skiers and snowboarders zoom gracefully all over the slopes below us.
Back on the slopes with full bellies and far more confidence, we navigate the ‘pancake’ lift — basically a plunger on a rope wedged between your legs that drags you up the slope while standing — to the next gradient slope, and practise making slow, wonky S-turns over and over in the snow.
We’re not graceful and certainly nowhere near masterful, but gradually we feel like we’re getting the hang of this skiing thing.
By the end of the afternoon, our anxious scrambling has turned to whoops of glee as we successfully twist and turn the 20 or so metres down the slope, and come to a stop exactly when we want to.
Day one? Pretty successful if you ask us.
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PUTTING OUR SKILLS TO THE TEST IN FASCHINA
A thick snowstorm and heavy winds put paid to our plans to ski again at Ifen the following day (having to make use of the amazing wellness area at Genuss & Aktiv Hotel Sonnenburg instead was obviously such a hard back up plan…!), so we actually had to wait to hit the slopes again until we travelled to Faschina later in the week.
We’ve been told over and over that the Großes Walsertal area and Faschina, where we’re skiing, is one of Vorarlberg’s hidden gems, and we’d have to say they’re right. It’s quieter here, more dramatic in scenery, and generally has a calmer, friendlier vibe.
Having obviously nailed snow-ploughing and gentle turns like pros on Monday, we were fairly confident (read: smug) when arriving and meeting Nico, our instructor for the day. His dad happens to run the Faschina Ski School, so he’s basically lived his whole life on skis.
‘Yeah, we’ve got the basics pretty well covered,’ we gloat proudly, as we ride the ‘magic carpet’ lift up to the top of the school slope. On Nico’s command, we take off to demonstrate our top skills…. and both of us promptly eat shit about two seconds later.
Oh.
Once we all stop giggling, we’re demoted straight back to the gentler slope where we have to go back to the start, practising our snowplough and how to turn all over again.
Definitely makes us realise that skiing is one of those sports where you can’t take your eye off the ball for a second. Moment loss of concentration really can be the difference between success and totally stacking it!
Thankfully it’s not long before we’re zooming around in curves again — and we mean literally zooming; try as I might, I can’t seem to slow down as our teachers would like when taking bends, so I’ve got the new nickname of speed demon — and racing each other back up the hill to try again.
By the end of the day, we’re fairly confident in our abilities, and while we sadly have to decline heading up the mountain to tackle a proper blue run (the joys of travel blogging mean sometimes we have to sacrifice on activities to actually capture what we’ve been doing!), we’re pretty sure both of us would be able to have a decent go on a real slope.
Are we now skiing pros? Obviously not.
But have we finally fallen in love with the sport, and now want to go on as many skiing holidays as we possibly can? You bloody bet we have!
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PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SKIING IN VORARLBERG | ESSENTIAL INFO FOR YOUR VORARLBERG SKI TRIP
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YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE
Right friends, wanna hear a story? As we were getting off the bus at Ifen ski area for our first day of skiing, Mark’s phone blipped.
A message from his aunt in the UK was the bearer of some pretty awful news; Mark’s cousin had broken her leg the previous day skiing in Switzerland. The immediate treatment, plus her Swiss hospital stay, flight home, and future rehab could have cost a house deposit had it not been for her travel insurance.
We always say don’t leave home without travel insurance - but in this case particularly, don’t even think about heading off for your winter adventures without it. Heavy snow, slippery landscapes, increased risk of injury from skis or snowshoes - anything can go wrong without warning.
BOOK | Click here to get the best deals with World Nomads, our trusted travel insurance provider.
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WHERE WE LEARNT TO SKI IN VORARLBERG
We learnt to ski in two different areas of Vorarlberg: Kleinwalsertal (Ifen) and Großes Walsertal (Faschina).
Both were brilliant for proficient skiers and beginners alike, although we’d probably recommend Ifen for complete beginners given its size and the variety of beginners slopes.
IFEN SKI RESORT
Ifen Ski Resort has 22.6km of slopes and more than 1.2km of ski and snowboarding routes (most between an altitude of 1,270 and 2,030 m)
The resort has a large learn to ski area with multiple slopes of different gradients for beginners. We had our first lessons here, and would definitely recommend it as a first time skiing location given the mix of gentle slopes and flat areas perfect for getting used to standing in skis and building your confidence.
Ifen ski resort is perfect for families, with plenty of mid-range slopes too, while advanced skiers have plenty of choices between ski runs and off-piste opportunities.
We definitely recommend taking the chairlift to the Tafel und Zunder restaurant at the top of Hirschegg, regardless of whether you intend to ski!
SNOWSHOEING | If skiing isn’t quite your thing, we also went snowshoeing around the Schwarzwassertal, which was one of our favourite things to do in Vorarlberg!
Tours depart from Ifen, cost €58pp and can be booked online via the Kleinwalsertal website here.
FASCHINA SKI RESORT
Forming part of the Damüls-Mellau ski resort, Faschina was described to us by many a local as a hidden gem of the Vorarlberg region, and we’d have to agree. The whole ski resort is also in the heart of the UNESCO-protected Großeswalsertal Biosphere Park, where beautiful natural surroundings coincide with sustainable human development.
While it seemed smaller (8.4km of slopes and 3.5km of routes) than other areas, it was also far less crowded, enjoyed a less intense feel, and was a little friendlier overall. The Faschina area is probably best suited to beginner - amateur level skiers, with plenty of blue and red runs available (no black or off-piste).
It’s not connected up to the rest of the Damüls-Mellau either, so those looking for more advanced runs are better of heading to Damüls, 10 minutes away by bus.
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WHERE TO STAY IN VORARLBERG
KLEINWALSERTAL
During our time in the Kleinwalsertal area of Vorarlberg, we stayed at the Genuss & Aktiv Hotel Sonnenburg in Riezlern, a beautifully designed, super comfortable wellness hotel with panoramic views over the surrounding mountains.
GROßES WALSERTAL
In tbe latter half of our week, we moved to Fontanella in Großeswalsertal and stayed at Das Schaefer, a family-operated and recently renovated hotel overlooking the gorgeous Sonntag-Stein mountains. It was a wonderful stay, made even better by the hospitality of the Schaefer family and exceeded again by their delicious meals!!
BOOK | Das Schaefer Wellness and Spa Hotel
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HOW TO GET TO VORARLBERG
Like most places in Central Europe, the Vorarlberg region is extremely well connected by train. We travelled by train from our home base in Budapest via Vienna (about 10 hours all up).
If you’re travelling through Europe we’d highly recommend train travel, as it’s both more comfortable, you get up close to the landscapes, and environmentally, it’s a fraction of the carbon emissions of short haul flying (read our guide to carbon emissions and how to offset them here).
Alternatively, if flying is your only option, Zurich is the nearest international airport. From there, it’s an easy train ride to Bregenz, where local buses service the smaller towns within the region.
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HOW TO GET AROUND VORARLBERG
Vorarlberg has an insanely good public transport system connecting each region to the next, which means its entirely possible for you to travel the region without having to hire a car (an absolute bonus in our view!).
For those heading to Ifen, your Kleinwalsertal Guest Card generally doubles as your hotel pass and all your transport is free by showing this.
In Faschina, you’ll need to ask your hotel or guesthouse for the Walser Guest Card, which gives you free transport as well.
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OUR TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME SKIERS
We’re actually putting together a full post on tips for our fellow first-time skiers (so watch this space!), but in the meantime, here are a few of the things we wish we’d known before our own skiing adventure:
Don’t be afraid to fall | the saying goes “if you’re not falling, you’re not learning”, and while we’re not sure if it’s true, falling while you’re learning to ski is pretty par for the course, and unless you’re travelling at extreme speed (which you won’t as a beginner!), it’s highly unlikely it’s going to hurt.
You definitely need ski clothes | We were reluctant to purchase much ski clothing just for one trip, but decided to buy ski pants at the last minute and oh boy, we basically lived in them. Who would’ve thought they’d keep us warm and dry for all our outdoor snow adventures?! We also recommend getting some decent ski socks too.
You can rent most gear there | You can hire skis, boots, poles, and helmets when you get there! We hired from Kessler Sports in Riezlern (Ifen) and Rössle Sports in Faschina and both were easy, seamless processes.
Take proper ski lessons | We can’t recommend this enough: take formal lessons with a ski instructor! Not only are they extremely experienced, they’re there to pick up all the little technical things you’re not quite getting right alongside teaching you exactly how to stay safe on the mountain (vital info, in our mind!).
Go slow | Not just on the slopes, but generally. Learning to ski is a challenge for mind and matter, and we found that by the end of both our ski days we were pretty fatigued mentally and physically. Silly mistakes happen when you’re tired, so just take your time and go easy.
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EXPERIENCE MORE OF VORARLBERG WITH THESE ESSENTIAL POSTS
SUMMER IN VORARLBERG | The stunning beauty of Austria’s Vorarlberg region in photos
HIKES, WELLNESS, AND FOOD | 10 of the best things to do in Vorarlberg during summer
EUROPE DREAMING | Discover more European adventures with our travel guides and tips
TRAVEL INSURANCE | Don’t leave home without travel insurance (seriously, don’t!). Click here to get the best deals with World Nomads, our trusted travel insurance provider
PHOTOGRAPHY | Wondering what gear we use to get all of our photos around the world? Click here to view our detailed photography gear guide, as well as our top travel photography tips!
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL | Responsible travel is really important. Read our top responsible travel tips to help you travel better and more consciously around the globe
ECO FRIENDLY PACKING ESSENTIALS | Don’t leave home without our favourite eco-friendly travel essentials
EXPLORE MORE OF AUSTRIA WITH THESE USEFUL GUIDES
We visited Vorarlberg in partnership with Visit Vorarlberg. As always, musings and opinions are very much our own!
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That, and you're officially a legend.
