SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental

One of Austria's largest connected ski areas, SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental links around eight Tyrolean villages: Söll, Ellmau, Going, Hopfgarten, Itter, Scheffau, Brixen im Thale and Westendorf, across a low-altitude, largely below-treeline network built for cruising rather than big-mountain terrain, with Austria's largest night-skiing setup as one of its signature features.

The steepest run in the network is Westendorf's Alpside piste, with gradients reaching 80%, a genuine outlier in an area otherwise known for long, groomed valley descents (20 of them) rather than steep terrain. Söll's night-skiing area (10km of illuminated pistes) is the other headline feature; this is unusual at this scale anywhere in the Alps.

Söll is the area's biggest and most popular base, especially with English-speaking visitors, and the natural hub for the night skiing. Ellmau sits at the quieter, north-eastern edge of the network with some of the best views back to the Wilder Kaiser peaks; it is particularly well suited to beginners and families. Going and Scheffau are smaller, quieter villages with a more local, less internationally-oriented feel. , Hopfgarten, and round out the network; these are genuine Tyrolean villages rather than purpose-built resorts, all sharing the same lift pass and terrain without 's crowds.