The High King Mountain Ski Area (Hochkönig

Hochkönig

Hochkönig is the name applied to the highest mountain in the Berchtesgaden Alps, Salzburgerland, Austria, , and also to the surrounding mountain group as a whole.-Location:...

) is a large ski resort

Ski resort

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...

 located in Salzburger Land

Salzburg (state)

Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, only an hour's drive from the city of Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

 and Salzburg Airport

Salzburg Airport

Salzburg Airport or W. A. Mozart Airport is the second largest airport in Austria.Salzburg Airport presents itself as a modern regional airport, which creates jobs and plays an ever increasing role as a strong investor in the economy and the tourist industry...

. High King Mountain is part of the Ski Amadé

Ski Amade

The Ski Amadé region of Austria is a network of 28 ski areas and towns that combined, make up the largest ski area in Europe. It is named after the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was born in the city of Salzburg.-Background:...

 region of Austria, a network of 28 ski areas on the same ski pass which make up the largest ski area in Europe.

Description

High King Mountain (HKM) ski area consists of the five resorts of Maria Alm

Maria Alm

Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer is a municipality in the district of Zell am See , in the state of Salzburg in Austria, located about east of Saalfelden...

, Hintermoos, Hinterthal

Hinterthal

Hinterthal is found approximately to the east of Saalfelden and some 60 minutes southwest of the city of Salzburg, Austria. It is at the foot of the High King Mountain as part of Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer, in the Austrian state of Salzburg....

, Dienten am Hochkönig

Dienten am Hochkönig

Dienten am Hochkönig is a municipality in the district of Zell am See , in the state of Salzburg in Austria. The population is 800.Dienten is also part of the High King Mountain Ski Area....

, and Mühlbach am Hochkönig

Mühlbach am Hochkönig

Mühlbach am Hochkönig is a municipality in St. Johann im Pongau district, Salzburgerland, Austria.- Population :Its population was 1,622 inhabitants in 2005...

. The ski area spans eight mountains and covers a huge area.

Due to its special microclimate

Microclimate

A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...

, High King Mountain has one of the best snowfall  records in Austria and has a long ski season, usually from late November to the middle of April.

There are 36 ski lifts with a mixture of modern and old and over 150 km (94 mi.) of prepared ski piste. The majority of the ski pistes suit intermediate cruising, and for beginners there are individual nursery slopes in each resort. For expert skiers, HKM has several off-piste back bowls and abundant tree skiing with one of the highest tree lines in Europe.

Little known by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 ski market, no major tour operators visit HKM, resulting in minimal queues for the lifts or the dozens of mountain restaurants.

History

Originally this region was a collection of private luxury homes owned by the rich and famous;
Mars, Porsche, Aldi, and ‘Red Bull’ all have homes here.

Location

High King Mountain is an hour's drive from the city of Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

,

Salzburg airport (~1 hr), Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

 airport (~1.5 hr), Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

airport (~2.5 hr).