When the snow is looking good, where do you go to ski first? 

From my kitchen window, I have a direct view of the Markbachjoch pistes! I just jump in my car and drive to Niederau centre and in five minutes I can be on the slopes.

Do you have any secret spots you can share with us?

The Schatzberg in Auffach is the bigger ski area and has a direct piste and gondola to Alpbach. My favourite piste is 12 Gernalm, it is very broad and passes by a water reservoir where you can catch an amazing view down the valley to the mountains beyond. Below the Gernalm wooden hut there is a little bench, it’s a peaceful spot where you have a great view of the Oberau village. The word “Lieblingsplatzl” (favourite place) is carved into the wood.

What’s your favourite piste to rip around on a quiet morning?

My favourite is the Red 19 at the Markbachjoch. Actually, it is called “the RED”! It’s quite a steep run, the main red run on the mountain. You can even buy t-shirts in town that say, “I skied the RED”!

After a day on the mountain, where would you go for a drink to toast a successful ski?

I’d go to the Hexenhäusl, a lively, friendly bar and restaurant in the Niederau village centre (just next to the lift station). There are not only tourists here, but locals too. The people who work on the mountain come down here after work. It’s a great place to catch up with everyone in the village and with many of the visitors who have been coming here for years.

Alpbachtal

Alpbachtal has been a part of Joey Person’s life since she was a child. After learning to ski at the age of three, Joey and her family visited the Austrian Alps for skiing, and sometimes summer holidays, every year. At the age of eighteen, her love for skiing truly cemented, she spent the season there and completed a ski instructor course. Her one season plan turned into a permanent move and she has now lived in Alpbach for ten years, running Connys Sport with her husband while also serving as Club Secretary for the Alpbach Visitors Ski Club (AVSC), helping to train young British skiers to master the slopes. We caught up with her to find out about her secret stashes and best spots for apres-ski.

Why did you and your husband decide to make Alpbachtal your home?

We met through our work for Connys Sport and the Skischool Alpbach-Inneralpbach. With me being from the UK and him being a local to Alpbach, we had the tough decision to make about where to base ourselves. Our passion for sport and the outdoors, career opportunities, and the lifestyle here in Austria were overriding factors and made our decision to base ourselves here an easier one. It is a choice that we have never regretted, especially now having a little one, it really is the perfect place to raise a family.

What do you love most about Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau?

I really love that they go above and beyond when it comes to customer satisfaction, it’s just a friendly place to be, which makes it so easy for our customers, particularly for families. The staff at the ticket desks are really helpful, the lift operators are always looking out for you, and the pistes are pristine. They’ve really nailed it.

What kind of skiers do you usually get coming into your sport shop?

Alpbachtal has such diverse skiing terrain. There is so much variety in the resort that it attracts all mountain skiers, piste skiers, and also backcountry touring enthusiasts.

What’s your favourite run in the resort and why?

A run that really gets the blood pumping is the Black 41 and Red 42 to the bottom of Alpbach. The rolling terrain and varying steepness of the slope are just so much fun to rip around. If I’m in a more cruisy-tempo mood, the Red 2 and Red 1 down to Auffach are glorious.

Where’s your favourite place for a mid-morning break?

After a couple of runs the place to go for a coffee or hot chocolate is the Kafner Ast. There’s a cosy bar and restaurant area inside, perfect for cold days, and if the sun is out their terrace is the perfect place to relax and watch the other skiers on the slopes.

Which lift would you head for on a bluebird powder day to find some untouched snow?

That’s easy – you’ve got to be at the Hornbahn 2000. From there you can reach the Greitalm for some tree runs or the Kohlgrube for speed runs, both are hands down the best places to be on those special days.

Where would you go for an après-ski drink?

If it can be more than one drink… Then I’d definitely start at Joe’s Salettl in Inneralpbach, there is always a fun party atmosphere. From there I head up to the village (of Alpbach) to enjoy an Aperol on the Postalm balcony and then finish up at the Jakober. That would certainly be the perfect apres-ski tour!

For more information about visiting Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau, go to skijuwel.com

Originally published on snowmagazine.com