I skied here for a couple of days a few years ago, and then went back for a holiday in 2003.
The Gastein valley runs north south between Salzburg and Villach, as does the trainline which uses the valley (before disappearing into the tunnel, to reappear some 20 minutes later in Carinthia). Bad Gastein is the biggest of the resorts here, but there is also Bad Hofgastein and Dorfgastein. The valley is about an hour and a half fro Salzburg airport, but equally close to the cheaper and smaller Klagenfurt airport, although this route involves putting your car on the train through the tunnel. We still prefer this way though.
Bad Gastein is a spa town (hence the 'Bad'), which is generally visited by German and Austrian (fairly well-heeled) tourists in the summer seeking the local 'cure' from the baths, along with walkers, and a mixture of visitors in the winter for the variety of skiing the valley offers. The town (it's a town not a village) used to be visited by the rich and famous from the area and as such has anumber of big grand hotels that cling to the sides of the steep gorge that formed the valley itself. Bad Hofgastein is smaller and more 'villagey'. It also has a spa, but it is less grand than Bad Gastein. Dorfgstein is smaller still and quite rural feeling.
The skiing is above Bad Gastein and Hofgastein, on two linked mountains (link at valley level in the Angertal), above the opposite side of Bad Gastein on one quieter mountain, higher up the valley (20 mintes in the car) at snowsure Sportgastein, which has limited pistes but is more likely to have snow when lower areas don't, and at Dorfgastein on a mountain which links over to the neighbouring Grossarl valley. All of this skiing is on the Sportwelt Amade skipass, meaning you can also ski at Flachau, Wagrain, Kleinarl and Schladming on the same ticket, if you can get there!
Skiing on the mountain above Bad Hofgastein is fine for early intermediates, but other than that, I would say the mountains offer more challenging skiing than expected for this region of Austria, and mixed ability groups should be aware of this.
There is some tree skiing (good for bad weather) and some open areas at the tops of mountains, so quite a lot of variety. The Dorfgastein skiing area offers a number of big wide motorway pistes which are great fun to whizz down when it's quiet.
Lifts are in general fine, although the train up the mountain from Hogastein generates queues in the morning. Snow record is not bad and Sportgastein is always there when it's not great conditions in the rest of the valley.
There is a variety of restaurants of all kinds along the valley, and Bad Gastein itself offers lots of different cuisines. Accommodation can be in farmhouses up mountain tracks (where we stayed!), pensions (B&B), holiday apartments, and then a lot of fairly upmarket hotels.
Evenings are nice and fun, although not the rowdy europop teenage type discos you get in some other resorts (this is a + point for me!). Tobogganing on the mountain above Hofgastein takes place two nights a week and is highly recommended!
A car is useful here if you want to visit the other resorts included on the lift pass.
You don't meet many british tourists there, although it does appear in the package holiday brochures. Most visitors appear to be German and Austrian.
We love this place and intend to come back!
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