Media Information 04 | 12 | 2018 On a winter family leave in Vorarlberg Family holidays in Vorarlberg means enjoying the magic of winter with plenty of variety and optimal care. Learn to ski and improve skills in a playful way, experience off-piste winter adventures and meet animals up close. Families can expect a heartfelt welcome throughout Vorarlberg at its many accommodations, restaurants, inns or as part of the variety-filled event programme. All six holiday regions in Vorarlberg offer numerous highlights for the whole family, making a winter holiday an unforgettable experience. Especially the hosts under the umbrella “Top Family” offer many possibilities to experience new and varied family adventures in nature. For many years, these experienced establishments have demonstrated their commitment to families by providing the right services and facilities. Family-friendly ski areas and ski courses for children In Vorarlberg, most skiing areas are equipped with slopes for all levels of difficulty, specialised children's ski courses, fun and snow parks, which make the skiing pleasure varied for the whole family: Bodensee-Vorarlberg In Laterns-Gapfohl, the largest ski area in the Bodensee-Vorarlberg region, you can choose from ten runs of all levels of difficulty, extensive slopes and state-of-the-art ski lifts. Also, the ski area Bödele overlooking Dornbirn is rich in snow and has something to offer for every skier, from children’s lifts to challenging slopes. Extraordinary is the ski course of the ski school Schwarzenberg: It seems like children aged three or more learn to ski as if by magic – four hours of one-on-one tuition by a special method and kids will be able to negotiate the practice run all on their own. Bregenzerwald In the Bregenzerwald, the ski area Andelsbuch-Bezau on the "Niedere" is popular with skiers on and off the pistes, winter and snowshoe hikers as well as paragliders. The ski area in Egg- Schetteregg is in a quiet side valley, the pistes are clearly arranged, wide and equipped with a slope guidance system for children. One highlight is the play area "Schetti's Kinderland" with its magic carpet, ski carousel, igloo and a tubing track, which will make children's hearts beat faster. Vorarlberg State Tourist Board Poststraße 11 | 6850 Dornbirn | Austria T +43.(0)5572.377033-0 | [email protected] | www.vorarlberg.travel www.facebook.com/urlaubsland.vorarlberg | #visitvorarlberg #myvorarlberg Montafon The Bewegungsberg Golm in Montafon offers a varied programme with 44 kilometres of pistes and the winter toboggan run Alpine-Coaster Golm. One highlight is the weekly children’s ski safari with educated ski instructors: Starting from Golmi-Land in Grüneck, children spend a day with downhill runs in deep-snow, exciting storytelling, tricky riddles and a barbecue party in the snow- covered forest. Kleinwalsertal In the skiing area Ifen in Kleinwalsertal, the marmot mascot Burmi offers a winter world and a practice area for beginner skiers. Conveyors and a T-bar safely take them up the slope to then drive around gates and funny figures. For brave little skiers, the Kids Ground Fun Park at the Schwandlift in Riezlern offers numerous obstacles, hills, jumps and wave tracks. The hotspot for snowboarders and free skiers is the Drystal Ground Snowpark at the Kanzelwandbahn valley station in Riezlern. Once a week the park is open in the evening for floodlight skiing. Brandnertal In Brandnertal, Families can experience numerous activities on the slopes as well as off-pistes. The toboggan safari tour with winter hiking, the linked ski or snowboard course with riding lessons by the family hotel Beck and the interactive “Natursprünge” nature trail, on which participants experience the specialties of mountains up close, are just a few highlights for families. One special service is offered by Lagant family hotel: A ski concierge helps with carrying gear, spares queuing for tickets and drives guests with a shuttle bus directly to the ski lifts. Klostertal Guests can rely on relaxed skiing days in the ski area Sonnenkopf in Klostertal. Families who want to enjoy natural snow, clear arranged pistes and winter hikes, as well as powder snow skiers who are seeking off-pistes thrill, appreciate the comfortable atmosphere of the Sonnenkopf due to short waiting times and the easy access next to the Arlberg highway. Lech Zürs am Arlberg In Lech Zürs am Arlberg, 17 perfectly maintained obstacles await freestylers in the Funkpark Lech. One of the highlights is the annual freestyle contest "Close to Heaven" in March. Spending a night in an igloo One of the places, where participants can spend a night in a snowy cottage, is the ski area Silvretta Montafon. Adults and teenagers aged twelve and older hike by torchlight to the igloo village at 2,000 metres where they enjoy a delicious cheese fondue for dinner and afterwards spend the night wrapped in their sleeping bag. The next morning, breakfast will be served at Valisera Hüsli. In Hittisau in Bregenzerwald participants can build their own igloo equipped with saws and shovels. An overnight stay in the middle of winter nature is not a must, but an unforgettable experience. Meeting animals in winter Whether with huskies, llamas or alpacas, a winter hike and sleigh ride in the snow-covered landscape is an experience for the whole family. In Bürserberg in Brandnertal Husky-Toni organises husky workshops for whole families. First, they will learn interesting things about the animals and then set off for a snow-shoe ramble or sledge ride. Also in Kleinwalsertal there is a Husky Camp for participants with all ages every Saturday and Sunday. Horst Kuster and his llamas live in a most scenic location on Bartholomäberg overlooking Schruns in Montafon where he organizes trekking tours and hikes with his animals. Hotel Aurelio in Lech Zürs offers bespoke alpaca trekking tours and hikes at which hotelier Axel Pfefferkorn explains a lot of interesting details about these special mountain dwellers. Birgit Knecht from Röns combines llama and alpaca trekking with therapeutic programmes which are composed according specific needs. Arts, culture and creative activities for children The most popular museum in Vorarlberg is the inatura interactive Nature Exhibition featuring a Science Center in Dornbirn. The exhibition provides information on nature, the alpine living environment and allows you to experience physical phenomena at numerous experimental stations. In the vorarlberg museum in Bregenz, the whole family can explore, see and experience new things and then paint and do crafts together, one Sunday a month. There are creative workshops specifically for kids every second Saturday. Kunsthaus Bregenz is one of the leading houses in contemporary art. Every Saturday it offers a guided tour for children where they then creatively express what they have seen. The program is intended for five to ten-year-olds. Together with author Monika Helfer and artist Barbara Steinitz, the Jewish Museum in Hohenems has established a dedicated children’s exhibition. Scenic episodes and silhouette images tell the story of Jews in the city of Hohenems from the start to the present, in imagery and words accessible to six to twelve-year-olds. The culture program Kuno Kinderkultur in Egg in Bregenzerwald offers events to introduce children to the diversity of culture. From October to May, musicians, dancers, actors, theatre ensembles and storytellers from Vorarlberg organise an afternoon once a month. With "Cinello", Bludenz Kultur in cooperation with Jeunesse Österreich presents an interactive concert series for infants from one to three years and their parents. This concert afternoons take place in the Remise Bludenz. .