Klausberg Sneeuwverwachting

Klausberg is a medium-size resort in the Italian Tyrol, located about 1:45 from Innsbruck, over the Brenner pass, then east along the Ahrntal valley; just north of the Dolomites. It's located just beyond the similar resort of Spiekboden. Lift passes can cover one or both. The valley villages are pretty enough but not quite as scenic as some in the nearby Austrian Tyrol, though the further up you go the prettier they get. Once you are up on the ski fields the views are stunning with a large number of magnificent 3000m+ peaks all around. The area is primarily German-speaking and feels much more like Austria than Italy. Very friendly. Most of the people who ski here are locals. British skiers tend to head to big-name resorts like Mayrhofen and Stubai to the north, or Val Gardena to the south. After 3 days, we are yet to meet any other Brits here. With lifts to over 2500m and a valley at 1000m, Klausberg has an excellent vertical range. Chairs and 2 fast cable cars give access to extensive slopes that are mostly intermediate level. Widespread snow-making and a northerly aspect close to the main Alpine divide means it is very snow-sure, guaranteeing skiing at Easter, no matter how late it falls. Pistes are meticulously groomed and first lift is at 8am, giving the overall impression of an exceptionally well-managed operation. My only complaint is that after a big dump of new snow, the grooming efforts were even a bit excessive and I felt sure most skiers and all snowboarders would like a bit more of the raw stuff left untouched rather than wall-to-wall bland corduroy. On some runs this entirely filled the possible width without leaving even a tiny strip of soft-snow between piste and trees. Off-piste is very good, both above and below the tree-line, though some may be out-of-bounds because of avalanche risk. The woodland runs are exceptionally good in deep fresh snow, but too steep for the high tree density at anything other than these ideal conditions. There is so much woodland terrain that it takes several days to track it out but I must stress it is really only for skiers and boarders who are comfortable in the steeps. There is an ok snow-park park too and some of the most obvious off-piste is accessed off the bottom end of it. Stay high on skiers right to access a large bowl that leads through a difficult steep and bushy section to more wide open un-groomed slopes. We were there on a busy Saturday at the end of the early January school holidays after a big fall of fresh snow and yet there were no lift queues whatsoever. There are some nice places to eat and drink on the hill and generally very good value. The villages in the valley, all served by a ski-bus, are good value too. All in all, one of those Alpine places that begs the question, why on earth do so many people go to Eastern Europe looking for a cheap ski holiday. It's as if Brits think everywhere in the Alps costs almost as much as Verbier. We found a very nice pension for €45/night for a double and glass of decent red wine is €2 and dinner ranges from €6 for pizza to €20 for a decent meal. On the slopes, prices are similar: say €10 for a pasta lunch, including a large beer or mulled wine. All in all, a good resort for a few days for skiers and borders of all abilities. Combine with Speikboden for a varied week.