Serfaus - Fiss - Ladis

The combined ski area of Serfaus, Fiss and Ladis (which is at the lowest and most easterly end of the ski system) makes for a sizable ski area with well over 200kms of pisted slopes and vast areas of largely untracked off piste. Yet these resorts which are hugely popular with German, Dutch and local Austrian holidaymakers remain pretty much unknown amongst British skiers.

Ladis is small and traditional and lower lying. Serfaus and Fiss are the two main ski resorts and are of similar size with a great range of hotels - some of which are very smart indeed. Serfaus has a little more going on regards a buzzing après ski scene but both are large enough resorts to offer a good selection of shops, bars, restaurants and other amenities.

The lifts are mostly modern (high speed gondolas and detachable chairlifts) and the terrain on account of its high altitude is snow sure. There are plenty of snow making machines and 80% of the pistes are enhanced by efficient snow blowers. The large terrain is mostly suited to beginners and intermediates with long, wide and gentle slopes although the Pezidbahn and Zwolferkopf lifts access from genuinely challenging slopes for good skiers. Experts, however, will appreciate the huge areas of largely untracked off-piste - these are family resorts with few venturing off the beaten trails. Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis is also a big playground for freestyle fans. There are six on-slope fun areas which offer different obstacles such as boxes, kickers, tubes, rails and jibs. Rookies and pros alike are well catered for.

The Serfaus, Fiss and Ladis ski resorts make a big play regards their attraction as a family ski holiday destination. There are fantastic nursery slope areas on the edge of Fiss and also at the mid station above Serfaus. The local ski school is very much geared towards giving excellent tuition to children, so it is no surprise that Fiss & Serfaus have won several resort awards for family ski holidays.

Serfaus is largely car free and is very unusual in that it offers an underground metro system for people to get around. Like the Paris metro this runs on rubber wheels and is a joy to use. Fiss does not have a metro but does have heavily controlled traffic which means it is great for pedestrians to explore.

Off the slopes there are plenty of cross-country trails (over 30km with 8km at high altitude), several excellent tobogganing routes and a number of winter walking trails through the trees, all of which makes these resorts good options for a family ski holiday or mixed groups containing non-skiers. Getting to either Fiss or Serfaus is simple, with the drive from Innsbruck taking a little over an hour.

If you're in the mood for some action after a day on the slopes, you should try the Fisser Flieger on the Moseralm. Attached to a rope, you can soar across the Moseralm at 80 kilometres per hour. Or how about the Skyswing? It simulates being in free fall.