Mayrhofen and Finkenberg are particularly good choices if this is your first time on skis. Patient instructors and gentle nursery slopes will ensure you get the most out of your first ski trip.

The ZillerValley is an intermediate's paradise with over 625km of piste stretching from the high altitude of the Hintertux Glacier to the large network of pistes at Hochzillertal/Hochfügen. All areas are linked by public transport - either ski buses or the valley's train line. Mayrhofen, Finkenberg and Zell am Zeller are all good choices for intermediate skiers.

There are tricky routes down the PenkenMountains to Schwendau and through the trees from the Ahorn (now served by the vast new Ahorn cable car. The Horberg ski area also offers a number of exciting long runs like the challenging Schafskopf mogul run. Don't miss a run down "Harakiri" - the steepest pisted black in Austria - yes folks this really is difficult as most of us found out last March. On the plus side, I have never laughed as much!

Mayrhofen is renown as one of Europe's top snowboard resorts with it's hugely publicised Burton fun park, crammed full of features, boarder cross and quarter and half pipes. Zell am Ziller also offers a terrain park and half pipe. Throughout the area you'll find many broad carving pistes and some fantastic off-piste, great on powder days.