Austria 

Spotlight On Brandnertal

(Originally written for OnTheSnow.com)
by Ted Heck

How old are the kids? That may tilt the scale toward the Brandnertal, a family-oriented ski region in Vorarlberg, westernmost state of Austria.

If they are under eight, they will ski free in Brand and Bürserberg, small villages near the Swiss and Liechtenstein borders. They will have lots of company. Older children, on the other hand, may whine that you didn’t take them to a bigger resort like Lech.

There are all sorts of activities to hold the attention of kindergarten and grade school kids, like skiing, snowboarding, sledding or just playing in the snow. Rodeling, which is coasting on sleds that you steer with your feet, is one of them. Two prepared slopes, one three miles away, the other seven, attest to the popularity of this auxiliary.

But adults will not feel short-changed. Even though the village of Brand is only 3,400 feet high, the mountains afford a vertical descent of more than 2,900 feet and a longest run of more than four miles. Terrain at Brand and nearby Bürserberg contains 33 miles of prepared slopes, mostly for intermediate and novice skiers. Snowboarders and advanced skiers can go off piste. Moving them uphill are 13 lifts, two of them relatively new six-seaters.

Cross country skiers have 16 miles of tracks and winter walkers have even more paths to explore.

Families enjoy the Gemütlichkeit in either modern or traditional hotels. The latter give them a feel for the agrarian history of the village, whose first inhabitants date back to the 14th century. Hotels are reasonably priced, to be expected in an environment geared to families. Depending on weeks chosen, an adult can stay in a comfortable three-star hotel for less than $75 for bed, breakfast and dinner. Package deals are plentiful.

The Brand valley is not a place for jetsetters, but slower-paced vacationers are happy enough with the after-dark amenities.

Brand is less than seven miles off the autobahn that runs from Feldkirch to Bludenz in Austria. The Montafon valley, with its numerous ski resorts, and the famous Arlberg region, are easy drives from Brand, offering attractive day trips for folks staying in Brandnertal. The Zurich gateway in Switzerland is 90 miles away.