Average rating Ski the Alps!

Detailed description

Snow-capped peaks, rolling meadows and piercing blue skies (if the weather’s on your side) – skiing and snowboarding destinations don’t come much better than this. The Tyrol area of Austria is dominated by the Alps, so the scenery’s nothing short of breathtaking.

Just two minutes from Scheffau and five from Ellmau, your base camp – a farm with apartments – makes a great home-from-home for ski and snowboarding holidays. Your hosts – Manu, a qualified ski instructor, and Keith a mountain bike guide and a dab hand at navigating his way around the area – pull out all the stops when it comes to crafting your perfect holiday. They’ll organize all the fiddly bits like ski passes, sort out your kind of restaurant, or even something with an edge – like paragliding, ballooning or tubing. Or, if you’re the sort of person who wants to head out into the white powder solo, feel free!

Accommodation & food

You’ll be staying at a family-run bed and breakfast farm. It’s a quintessentially Austrian affair surrounded by countryside with the slopes and the town of Ellmau close at hand. You’ll be staying in one of seven bedrooms – they’re all cosy and homely with en-suites, and two have separate kitchens and seating areas. Or you can stay in the holiday flat which sleeps up to six. As for food, hearty breakfasts are all part of the package, and with self-catering facilities in two of the bedrooms and the flat you can cook your own feasts or head out to one of the nearby restaurants.

Is it for me?

Whether you’re a complete novice or a seasoned pro, Manu and Keith will make sure you’re looked after. Past guests have highly rated their hospitality so if you’re looking for a warm and welcoming place to stay this is ideal. The real beauty about the Up and Downhill setup is that it’s up to you how involved you want to be. Manu’s a qualified ski instructor so if you need her expertise make sure you book ahead, but if you’re happy going it alone then that’s fine too.

Itinerary & things to do

Manu and Keith tailor-make your itinerary to suit you. So if you’re a family with small kids and you could do with extra help with organising lessons and the like then they’ll sort it. Alternatively, if you’re a group of friends, you might enjoy Manu and Keith’s ski companion days where you spend a day on the slopes and refuel at the best mountain huts. They’ll also helpfully point you in the direction of the après-ski bars. Either way, because they only offer holidays to small groups each week, they’re able to dedicate a lot of their time to creating the holiday you’re after – the only real limitation is your imagination. Oh, and your budget.