Austria

St. Anton in Austria is known as the birthplace of alpine skiing, so it’s no surprise it makes the top ten list of the best backcountry ski locations in the world. My ski friends are always posting deep powder shots and images of incredible overnight snowfall. My friend and pro skier Chris Rubens has always raved about skiing in Austria, and although I have skied here myself, it was only in the fall and there was very little snow. But from what I’ve seen, the mountains are very skiable and they seem to get lots of snow. With a thriving ski scene and an even more thriving apres scene, a ski trip to Austria is sure to leave you longing for more.

The land of ski resorts and apres

A quick Google will tell you that Austria is home to 436 ski resorts! There are lots of powder stashes off these areas, but it also means that much of the best backcountry skiing has been taken up by resorts.

Chris raves about the apres scene and the incredible skiing in St. Anton. You can be dancing on the bar at 5 p.m., asleep by 8 p.m., and skiing great powder the next morning at 7 a.m. The apres scene keeps people off the slopes early in the morning, letting those that are there to ski get ahead of the crowds and into the untracked.

Austria may have the most active ski touring scene in the world, so be prepared to have people everywhere you go. Which also means there is a lot of information available to plan and access adventures.