BKK, as the Brits call it, is downhill race hero Franz Klammer’s favourite ski area – he learned to ski here, there’s a World Cup downhill run named after him, and he skis with guests here a few times a year.
Given Klammer’s endorsement, it’s no surprise that the resort has some serious skiing: 75 per cent of its slopes are classified red and suit confident intermediates best. It is perhaps a surprise that there are few real challenges for experts.
BKK is tucked away on the edge of the Nock Mountain National Park in Carinthia, in the far south-east of Austria, near the Italian and Slovenian borders. The nearest airports are Klagenfurt (around 50 minutes away) and Ljubljana (90 minutes). Salzburg is less than two hours away.
BKK’s spa facilities are excellent, with indoor and outdoor thermal pools, different types of sauna – including a tepidarium (which is a sauna with a lower temperature so you can sit there longer) – and steam rooms, solariums, hot tubs, massage and therapy rooms. There are also water slides, waterfalls and massage jets in the pools. The Thermal Römerbad reopened in 2007 after complete refurbishment and is set over three floors, with 13 different types of sauna and steam rooms. We tried it and thought it was superb; we could happily have spent days there.
We like
Mainly red intermediate slopes
Virtually 100 per cent snowmaking
Two superb thermal spas
Cheap, even by Austrian standards
We don't like
Spread-out town
Still a lot of slow chairs and T-bars
Slopes limited in extent and variety
Après is quiet
Village charm
Mainly chalet-style buildings with sloping roofs are more appealing than the austere blocks of some spa resorts. But it is a sprawling place with no real centre.
Convenience
The town is very spread out along the valley, and the most convenient place to stay is near one of the main lifts out. A free ski-bus links all the main lift stations, and some buses also go to St Oswald.
Scenery
The scenery you gaze at from the spa pools is of gently rounded, rather than dramatic, mountains.
Where to Ski and Snowboard
This guide is taken from Where to Ski and Snowboard, edited by Chris Gill and Dave Watts. Chris now produces Where to Ski guides to individual countries. Find out more and receive an exclusive book discount.