The Salzburg region contains 22 major ski resorts with skiing and snowboarding on 1100 miles of trails and, under Ski Europe's guidance, we next skied Zell am See.

On Day Six our ski vacation with the ski tour company Ski Europe www.ski-europe.com, after a day off to explore Salzburg, the bus delivers us to Zell am See.

Three elements differs today from our previous skiing and snowboarding days.

1. We ride the public Snow Shuttle
2. More than a foot of new snow greet us on the slopes
3. The sun shines bright in a cloudless sky

The Salzburg Snow Shuttle

The Salzburg Snow Shuttle offers an interesting alternative to self-driving or, as in our case, having the group’s own bus.

The Snow Shuttle visits a different ski resort daily, operating from mid-December to mid-March. It departs at 8:30 a.m. from Mirabell Square in Salzburg, and leaves from the ski area at 4 p.m. Driving time runs from 60 to 100 minutes.

The daily schedule looks like this:

• Monday: Obertauern
• Tuesday: Gastein
• Wednesday: Kitzbuhel
• Thursday: Schladming
• Friday: Flachau
• Saturday: Leogang-Saalbaach-Hinterglemm, the "Ski Circus"
• Sunday: Zell-am-See

That routine can change based on snow conditions.

Fare is €13 for the bus. Adult lift tickets can be bought on board for €35, less for juniors and teens.

And, the Snow Shuttle people can also arrange gear rental, instruction and guiding services, as well.

Our on-board guide proves a bit long-winded during the ride, offering all kinds of instructions and advice that was impossible to remember in total, but he’s more than congenial and helpful.

Skiing-Yes!

After disembarking from the bus, we trudge through part of the village to the City Express gondola.

Zell am See is nothing if not picturesque. The Zell See—a large lake—sits at the mountains’ base and serves a visual eye-candy from every angle. Normally, we’re told, the lake should be frozen solid at this time of year, but still, on this windless day, its glass-like, ripple-free surface glistens in the sun.

We ride the gondola to a midway point, and follow a crossover trail that cuts through dense woods. For a moment we feel as if we’ve disappeared into the forest.

We emerge at a wide, steep, twisting trail. Our first descent marks the beginning of a different experience from previous days.

The difference? Fresh snow.

Carving high-speed, wide, arcing turns on this surface is easy and a pure joy. There’s no fear of ice underfoot. The bright sunshine makes visibility marvelous. If anything, the sun warms us too much; we’re over-dressed.

Some sweat is no sweat, however.

The next ride is on a large tram which, we’re informed, will be replaced next year by a high-speed chair. Trams are visually romantic when viewed from outside, but they’re a terribly inefficient way to move people uphill.

We exit the tram, ski to another chair, then descend to a t-bar. Atop the t-bar at skier’s left sits a field of untracked snow. A powder field. It’s calling my name. I can’t resist.

"May we ski that powder?" I ask, pointing. Done.

I chose a line, and jump in. Powder to the tops of my shins. Delightful floating for a dozen turns til the slope suddenly drops precipitously and, suddenly, there’s powder to my thighs acting like a brake that makes me lurch forward and—whap!—I’m double-forward-releasing and flying airborne and headlong.

Face plant in three feet of snow.

Ayh—who cares!? It’s our first powder run of the Salzburg trip (and, it turns out, the only one of the day and one of only three on the trip altogether). This is what skiing the Alps should be all about.

Suitably dusted in snow, we continue our day-long explorations, once again trying to cover as much ground as possible. But, as usual, taking a long, leisurely lunch, this time in a brand new on-slope hut that not only allows magnificent views from its dining area, but affords the most spectacular panoramas from any men’s room I’ve ever visited!

It’s enough to make person drink double to create extra pee stops.

More than Skiing & Snowboarding—But Meet Me at the Bus On Time!

Like most of these resorts, there’s much more than downhill snowsliding to be done here.

Yes, the usual snow-ice pastimes are available. An ice skating rink, tobogganing, sledding, Nordic and backcountry skiing and winter walking.

But, there’s more. Among the choices?

• Swimming, of course.
• Paragliding or parachuting for those who like to soar.
• Airplane tours, for those who’d rather be soared.
• Prefer to go down rather than up? How about caving, guided tours through what’s claimed to be "Europe’s longest cave passage."
• Snowkiting on the frozen lake, for those who’d rather keep their feet on the ground but feel like they’re flying (you’re hooked up to a kite that pulls you along).
• Ice driving at the Winterpark, where you drive "dune" buggy over frozen surfaces.
• Horseback Riding.
• Tennis and squash.
• And, for those who prefer to lay back and relax, there is, of course, a spa.

No matter how you spend the day, if you’ve come on the Snow Shuttle, remember this (as we were told innumerable times): The return bus leaves at 4 p.m. sharp. Arrive at 4:01, and you’ll find yourself waiting for the next bus—which comes again in seven days.

The fear of God planted within us, we ski one incredibly long run from near the top to the very bottom, including a mile-plus long high-speed traverse at the bottom, to make it the bus on time. We’re there at 3:45 and, I’ll be damned, that vehicle pulled out at 4 p.m. on the nose.

A brilliant day in paradise.

Related Articles: Skiing Austria - Salzburg; Ski-Snowboard Salzburg: Grosarl; Ski-Snowboard Salzburg: Saalbach.