Großglockner Heiligenblut

The pistes run down from the Schareck (2,604 m) and the Hochfleiss (2,902 m), which on a clear day give a superb view of the Grossglockner and forty other three-thousanders. From the centre of the village a gondola takes you up the Schareck (with a change at the middle station), from where you ski down one of two long red pistes meant for intermediate and good skiers. Photo: J.Ciszak/skionline.pl. Freeride fans can choose the black, ungroomed piste on the north side of the Schareck, which also has a red piste and one very gentle blue. From the middle station you can cross to the Fleißalm by a cable railway running through a tunnel that once served as an underground water main, and then continue (to the top of the Hochfleiss) by a four-seater chairlift and a T-bar. The pistes in this part of the resort are slightly easier than those on the Schareck, although here too there is a red piste for more experienced skiers. Heiligenblut does not have a particularly attractive offer for cross-country skiers. By Polish standards 10 km of prepared trails may seem a fair amount, but compared with most resorts in Austria the figure looks rather modest. You can, however, go winter walking here (there are quite a few cleared paths), ice skating and tobogganing. The village of Heiligenblut itself, at 1,301 m, is small and free of excessive bustle. The après-ski offer is within normal Austrian standards, but the village's atmosphere has little in common with that of big, noisy ski resorts such as Sölden, so it is best recommended to those who like a quiet holiday.