Neustift is found in the Stubai Valley and has bus access to the Stubai glacier, one of the biggest and best in the world. It is only a 45 minute drive from Innsbruck and the 'Innsbruck Glacier' pass enables you to use all the other local ski areas, amounting to 130km of unlinked pistes. The local skiing is pretty limited - best suited to beginners and lower intermediates.

There are more challenges to be found on the glacier (55km of runs), with long runs for cruisers and some moguls and off-piste for better skiers. If the snow in the area is bad, the glacier can become very overcrowded with long queues and busy pistes. Beginners will find a good ski school and there is decent childcare, but the nursery slopes are often sunny and the snow can deteriorate.

There are also 100km of cross-country runs to be enjoyed in the valley.

In summer, there tends to be mountain hikers and lovers of alpine scenery with a generally more mature clientele. The skiers are attracted by year-round skiing on the Stubai Glacier. In the winter, skiing families and intermediates are well catered for in and around the village, while advanced skiers will want to travel to the glacier. There is a cosmopolitan mix, including a fair sprinkling of South Africans.

There are dozens of properties, from charming budget B&Bs, guesthouses and family-run pensions to self-catering apartments and a good choice of 3- and 4-star hotels, some with in-house leisure facilities.

Neustift is a reasonable family venue, with mostly easy skiing, beautiful scenery and plenty to do off the snow. You will have to travel to the better skiing, while mixed ability groups may struggle to stay together because of the disjointed ski areas.

Locality:

Neustift is in west Austria, part of the Tyrol, in the heart of the country's panhandle (18 mls S of Innsbruck and its airport, 135 mls S of Munich and its airport, 130 mls SW of Salzburg and its airport). It straggles along the Stubai Valley.

Ski Information:

Highest lift: 3000m (9842ft), Lowest lift: 1000m (3281ft), Vertical drop: 2000m (6561ft), Number of lifts: 23, Uplift capacity: 36000 p/hr, Beginner: 37%, Intermediate: 53%, Expert: 10%, Total piste length: 53km, Snowboard parks: 1, Cross country: 5km