Niederau is one of four ski areas in the beautifully named Wildschönau region within the Hochtal area of the Austrian Tirol. It’s not just a beautifully named region, it’s one of the prettiest in the Alps too, with traditional Austrian chalets surrounded by fairytale alpine scenery. If you want to imagine you’re in a children’s picture book story, Niederau is for you.

But if you’re skiing is as important to you as the scenery, fear not, Niederau has a couple of aces up its sleeve. Number one it is part of the Ski Jewel region, a relatively new area created when some fast new lifts and lovely cruising runs were added between the Wildschönau and its neighbour, the Alpbachtal Valley. Altogether the area boasts more than 150km of runs, with much of the skiing on trails cut through forested slopes within the Kitzbüheler Alps, making it one of the 10 biggest in Austria.

Secondly it’s one of the quickest and easiest ski areas to reach from an international airport, with Innsbruck less than an hour’s drive away, so you can be there and on the slopes within a little more than three hours from taking off from Blighty.

Niederau is regarded as the liveliest village in the Wildschönau area although it is slightly smaller than neighbouring Oberau. Auffach and Thierbach are the other two ski villages but Niederau has the biggest choice of bars and restaurants in which to enjoy your apres ski.

Learn more about Niederau at skiweekends.com

The region is particularly well suited to beginners and intermediates but that said Niederau's skiing is the main attraction in the area for advanced skiers too with the Wildschönau’s three black runs all here, including an excellent mogul run beneath the new Markbachjoch gondola.

Niederau is located only 70km from Innsbruck Airport with good fast road connections so is one of the easiest resorts in the alps to reach from the UK.

The 150km of runs here served my more than 40 lifts with terrain for all standards is more than enough for most skiers, but if they wish visitors can purchase the Kitzbüheler Alpen pass which has one of the world’s biggest ski area coverage including more than 1000km of runs divided between dozens of resorts in the region.

Niederau has a lively Tirolean apres ski scene. Expect dancing, live entertainment and traditional music evenings several times during the week. Evening toboggan parties with glühwein and moonlit sleigh rides to fondue parties are also on the weekly agenda and the local brew is a version of schnaps made from turnips!