Dream Holiday: Austrian alps are skiing heaven

At St Anton, the lift systems to the uncrowded slopes were interlinked. Photo / Michael Dow

Austria has always been skiing heaven for me ... a belief that was confirmed when I returned there in January with my son Paul to spend nine days enjoying the wonderful European alpine facilities of at St Anton am Arlberg and then Saalbach/Hinterglemm.

I've always much preferred skiing down Europe's tree-lined pistes where you rarely have to ski the same trail more than once a day rather than the smaller "moonscape" runs and facilities of resorts such as Whakapapa and Turoa or the South Island fields.

Add to that happy memories of leisurely stops at convenient mountain refreshment locations for a apple schnapps or jagertee and there was no problem deciding where to head for possibly our last skiing holiday together before old age caught up with me. I had started researching travel details almost a year before we travelled but it was difficult to source accommodation for anything other than a "standard" seven nights starting only on a Saturday or Sunday.

Because we wanted to split our holiday between two resorts, St Anton (five nights) and Saalbach (four nights), we experienced major problems until I contacted Michelle O'Connell of Skiing Austria, a company specialising in accommodation throughout Austria.

Through Michelle, we sorted out our holiday. Our flights went smoothly, too; the the immigration/custom staff at LAX were courteous, jovial even.

Our only gripe was the Lufthansa flight to Munich. Surely, on a modern 747, one can expect better than a couple of tiny TV screens in the main cabin on which to view the entertainment.

Once in Austria, the snow conditions were excellent, the lift systems at both resorts well interlinked, the slopes uncrowded and the weather sunny.

Accommodation and equipment hire costs in St Anton were on the expensive side at approximately $130 a night for a self-catering apartment and $330 for five days' ski gear and lift pass.

Arriving in Saalbach, we again found the resort covered in fresh snow. We found our way to the village of Vorderglemm and our hotel, the Haus Eggerhof, a pension owned by the Familie Fresacher.

Our room was spacious and the en suite bathroom and toilet both had underfloor heating. The bathroom had its own hi-fi system.

Guest services included an amazing spa suite with outdoor heated swimming pool.

In our four nights at Haus Eggerhof we enjoyed excellent hospitality despite not speaking a word of German.

Accommodation and equipment hire costs in Saalbach were also more reasonable - $70 for half-board and $130 for four days' ski gear and lift pass. Altogether it was like a dream come true.

Michael Dow is a retired training and safety consultant who loves to travel and wants the Herald travel editor's job.