A short walk of 100 metres will take you to the Hornspitz chair lift which will whisk you into the heart of the Dachstein-west ski area. There are 140kms of piste here and most of it is suitable for intermediates.
The ski season starts in December and usually finishes in early April dependent upon the weather. There are some lovely traditional Austrian ski-huts on the mountain where you can drop in for a beer or a gluhwein or something stronger.
There are also lots of eating possibilities. You can ski over to other villages such as Russbach and Annaberg and then back again. The scenery is breathtaking. The atmosphere is very child friendly. There is a dedicated beginners area at the bottom of the hill near the Hornspitz chair lift.
There is also an area here called Brumsiland where children learning to ski will be well looked after morning and afternoon Monday to Friday. You can hire your skis and any other equipment you may need as well as book any ski lessons for yourselves here at the Hornspitz. There are other alternatives in the village if you prefer to shop around.
If your wish is to explore skiing opportunities elsewhere then there are so many possibilities. A 20 minute drive takes you to the Krippenstein ski area which is relatively small but offers breathtaking views across Hallstatt, Obertraun and the surrounding area.
You can also go husky-dog sledging here if you wish. This area is higher than at Gosau (2000m plus) so skiing tends to go on a bit later in the season (late April/early May) Other nearby ski areas include the Postalm which is great for kids, the Zwolferhorn above St Gilgen and Loser which is very underrated and relatively quiet - somewhere where the locals tend to go and keep to themselves! In an hour you can be in the bustling heart of the Ski Amade resorts such as Wagrain and Altenmarkt.
A bit further afield are the more well known resorts of Schladming to the east and Zell Am See, Kaprun, Maria Alm and Kitsbuhel to the west. In Kaprun you can even go glacier skiing in the summer. All these resorts are within easy reach. However, in our view you wouldn't really want to go further afield once you arrived at Gosau. It really is a gem of a place and all the better for not being 'discovered' yet by the ski-package tourist hordes!
A short walk of 100 metres will take you to the Hornspitz chair lift which will whisk you into the heart of the Dachstein-west ski area.
There are some lovely traditional Austrian ski-huts on the mountain where you can drop in for a beer or a gluhwein or something stronger.
The atmosphere is very child friendly. There is a dedicated beginners area at the bottom of the hill near the Hornspitz chair lift.