One will become familiar with our description of resorts that are marketed as one in lift pass terms, as sort of "joined at the hip" if you will. There are many examples, and one has only to leaf through these pages to find them. Kaprun and Zell am See do not fall into that category.

They are unified in the lift pass system to be sure, but this writer believes that is where the buddy system ends. Personality wise, they could not be more different. Take Zell Am See for example. This story will portray it as a sort of a mini city with slopes. True enough, but we fall a bit short of describing the year round aspects of the resort, and miss the boat a little when we do not describe in detail the beauty  and bustle of the little city which is accentuated by the lake and the mountains.

Zell Am See on The Lake in English. Snowboarders are catered for in a big way in this region. On Schmittenhohe there is a "boarder cross" setup which allows for competitions over bumps, through gates and other obstacles.

This is catching on in a big way and competitions are held in other Austrian resorts as well as in other countries. Zell am See is a true year round resort. It has 365 day skiing on the glacier at Kaprun, and having a big and beautiful lake in the middle of town is not exactly a handicap.

Winter photo album

The area is also justifiably recognized as being one of the best golf destinations in The Alps as well. Night life in Zell is plentiful, varied and fun. Discos, night clubs, and "gast" houses are all there for the asking.

Kaprun though is a village. Typical, quiet but with great value and great skiing. It boasts a real Austrian mountain village atmosphere, and those looking to soak up a bit of true Austrian feeling will not be found wanting. The glacier just outside the town is the big draw and this is one of the few resorts in Europe that really still has a thriving 365 day ski season. By the way there is a great snowboarders fun park on the glacier, and the snowboard world cup will be held here in November.