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Kaprun / Zell am See General Overview
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.
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.
Together these resorts are marketed as "The
Europa Sports Region" and as sports includes
much more activities than skiing, the name just
about covers it.
On the other hand sister Kaprun is solely and
proudly a mountain village. One where, methinks,
skiing plays the dominant role in the village's
development of the tourism industry.
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 funpark on the glacier, and the
snowboard world cup will be held here in
November.
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