Filzmoos ski village, in Austria’s Ski Amadé, is the sort of town you’d expect to see on the pages of a fairytale book. Wooden chalets tumble their way down the hillsides, snow-laden forests of fir trees line the valley against a backdrop of majestic mountains.
As well as alpine picture-book perfection Filzmoos ski resort is also the perfect place for a first family ski holiday.
Filzmoos Village, Austria
Filzmoos ski has plenty of runs for beginners, intermediates and there are many other activities besides skiing to enjoy. You’ll also get good value for money in Austria, some fabulous Austrian mountain food and the warmest of welcomes. Read on to learn how a Filzmoos Ski holiday makes a fabulous first family ski trip.
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Ski Amadé
Contents
Before Filzmoos I’d only skied the French Alps in Morzine-Avoriaz. It’s a large resort in the Portes du Soleil ski area so I was interested to see how my trip to Austria with Inghams would compare.
The Ski Amadé region in Austria is made up of 28 ski areas and towns that together form the second largest ski area in Europe. Filzmoos lies in the heart of the Ski Amadé in Salzburger Land around 70k south of Salzburg. It sits at an altitude of 1057 metres and has a vertical drop of 543 metres.
Filzmoos (pronounced Filtz Moose) sits at the foot of the twin peaks of the scenic Bischofsmütze (Bishop’s Mitre) mountain and is a compact, family-friendly area with a charming Austrian village feel.
It’s also known as Austria’s Balloon Village as it holds an annual hot-air balloon challenge culminating in the magical ‘Night of the Balloons‘.
Filzmoos, Austria
Filzmoos Ski
Skiing is fairly laid-back in Filzmoos. The slopes aren’t heaving so there’s plenty of space to practise and little, if any, queueing on the lifts. We didn’t queue at all.
There’s one main road which cuts through the village and it’s lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and ski hire shops. Many of the hotels and apartments are ski-in-ski-out or just a ten-minute ride on the free shuttle.
The price of a Filzmoos lift pass varies in price depending on number days and skiing areas included. You can check this on the Ski Amade website.
Filzmoos offers 14 scenic runs over 12km. For ski-hire our group used Ski Stefan who were also kind enough to let me store my skis and boots overnight despite taking my own and not hiring from them.
Filzmoos Skiing for Beginners
Learner lifts and slopes have the advantage of being right in the village. There’s plenty of space for newbies to safely practise and gain confidence. There are three ski schools in the village and Schischule Filzmoos looked after us with some excellent guiding on the slopes and some useful tips for improving technique and style.
Schischule offers children’s classes and a Kinderclub to get the little ones off to a good start on the slopes. They also have a snowboard academy. They’re located by the Grossbergbahn chairlift and opposite the nursery slopes right in the centre of town.
Filzmoos Ski School
Filzmoos Skiing for Intermediates
A four-man chairlift takes you up to the Grossberg where you can ski back down to the village through the trees on a choice of blue and red runs. Alternatively, continue on the Mooslehen chair to the village of Neuberg in the neighbouring valley.
On the opposite side of Filzmoos a modern six-person Papageno gondola takes you up to the Moosalm slopes with its picturesque red pistes leading back down into the village.
Filzmoos Ski Lift
Filzmoos Ski – Experts
More advanced skiers will probably want to venture further afield to the nearby Dachstein glacier and Flachau. As the resort is part of the Salzburg Sportwelt a ski pass automatically allows access to five different resorts with over 860 kilometres of runs and 360 pistes. Expert skiers can show off their skills on the Michaela Kirchgasser FIS race course.
The Filzmoos ski bus is included in the cost of a lift pass and runs three times a week to connect skiers from Filzmoos to the other Ski Amadé resorts.
Filzmoos Weather
Filzmoos has a good record of snow due to its proximity to the Dachstein glacier and is good for snow throughout the winter season. We had plenty during our January visit.
Essential Guide: What to pack for a ski trip (with downloadable packing list)
Filzmoos Ski
More Filzmoos Activities
There are many other activities on the slopes in Filzmoos. From winter walks, snow-shoeing, and curling to cross-country skiing and tobogganing there’s something to suit most. If you’d like something a little less energetic snuggle yourself in a blanket and jingle around town in a horse-drawn sleigh.
Just 18k away is the Dachtein glacier where you can take the panoramic glass gondola to the Dachstein Sky Walk a spectacular glass viewing platform with stunning views over the mountain scape.
There’s a good variety of mountain huts dishing up some excellent Austrian mountain food and hospitalitly.
Where to Stay in Filzmoos
Hotel Alpenkrone, Filzmoos
We stayed at the four-star Hotel Alpenkrone, a traditional tiered, wooden chalet-style hotel with views of Filzmoos town. The hotel is a fifteen-minute walk from town or there’s a free shuttle bus which stops right outside the front door.
My bedroom was really spacious with plenty of cupboard space, a desk, en-suite with shower and balcony with views across the valley.
Hotel Alpenkrone, Filzmoos
Hotel Alpenkrone, Filzmoos
There’s a comfy lounge area in the lobby is filled with family antiques and traditional Austrian features. Head downstairs for the leisure suite with indoor pool and steam room. I had a really good back massage while I was there which really sorted out my stressy shoulders. Downstairs is the bar and a dining room with sun terrace for summer use.
The food at Hotel Alpenkrone is excellent and dinner consisted of four courses of both Austrian and international dishes. This was where I had my first taste of Käsenodelsuppe a dish of cheesy dumplings floating in a delicious hot broth. Definitely a new favourite of mine. Breakfast was also really good with a choice of hot and cold dishes.
Filzmoos is the perfect destination for a family of beginner skiers. There are excellent ski schools, outlets for ski hire and good nursery and beginner slopes with more advanced pistes to advance to. Nearby, and with free transport connections with the Amade lift pass, are many more challenging runs and ski areas.
Read more about Austria…
Sudsteiermark – the Austrian Wine Road
The best things to do in Graz – Austria’s second city
Tiefenbachklamm – Alpbachtal’s Gorge and Waterfall trail
A guide to Austria’s mountain food
Alpbach in Summer – getting outdoors and off-grid
Check rates and availability for Inghams Ski holidays to Filzmoos
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Suzanne Jones is a full-time travel blogger and writer at The Travelbunny website which she started in 2011 during her time as a professional travel planner. This serial traveller enjoys exploring new destinations, culinary encounters and the outdoors. When she’s not indulging her wanderlust or writing about her adventures you’ll most likely find Suzanne, camera in hand, enjoying coastal walks on England’s South Coast.
Suzanne also runs Hello Sussex a website which showcases the best of East & West Sussex. Read more about Suzanne here…
darek and gosia
Thursday 6th of December 2018
Filzmoos is amazing! We visited Filzmoos yeast year in October! And it was one of our best trips last year.
We will have to come back one day for the Filzmoos Balloon Festival :)
Suzanne Jones
Friday 7th of December 2018
It's a fabulous little town. The skiing was great and I loved the Balloon Festival, it's a must do!
Bridget @ A Traveling B
Friday 4th of March 2016
Beautiful photos! I have never skiied in Europe and it is most definitely on my bucket list. The culture looks fantastic and the mountains are breathtaking!
Suzanne Jones
Friday 4th of March 2016
I've not skied in the US - hopefully one day! The Alps are beautiful and there are some excellent resorts :)
Lucy
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
Looks lovely – I like the smaller more traditional resorts and always on the lookout for somewhere that will suit us as we're normally a mix of non-skiers, beginners and lazy intermediates so this sounds like it'd fit the bill!
Suzanne Jones
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
It sounds the perfect fit for your group - lots of walks and activities for the non-skiers too.
Kathryn Burrington
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
That looks magical and so cosy inside! I particularly love that second picture of the trees - fabulous shot. I've only been skiing once perhaps it's time I tried again.
Suzanne Jones
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
Filzmoos would be the perfect place to pick up your poles again - some good easy slopes and then some more challenging to aim for when you've gained confidence.
Paul (@luxury__travel)
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
Sounds like a resort that would suit my family perfectly. I'm useless when it comes to skiing so the beginner slopes would suit me just fine, but with there being some intermediate slopes there also, there would be something to challenge the rest of the family a little. Sounds like there are plenty of decent places to eat also, which is always welcome after a busy day on the slopes!
Suzanne Jones
Tuesday 23rd of February 2016
Filzmoos is spot on for a family of different level skiers - food was excellent :)