FAQ - frequently asked questions

Meeting point for all group classes is from 9:20 am at our assembly point next to our Kinderland. Course allocation will take place on the first day from 9:15 am according to skiing ability and age.

Ski passes are not included in the course fee. Ski passes can be purchased directly on site at the lift ticket offices or in the Ski amadé online shop.  Please also look out for the different promotions.

For our beginner courses, our guests have access to our free practice area with a magic carpet (conveyor belt). Depending on learning progress, we can issue a suitable ski pass in the office for the first day of use. As soon as your child gets this, the ski instructors will let you know so that you can buy an appropriate ski pass for the rest of the time.
We’ve found that adults usually need a ski pass right from day one, and we’re happy to sort that out for you after a quick chat. 
 

For children and teenagers we offer a free helmet hire for the course duration. You can reserve your winter sports equipment (skis, ski boots, poles, snowboards, snowboard boots, protective gear, etc.) with our rental partner Sport Egger online or simply hire them on-site. You’ll find the ski hire shop right here in our building. We’re more than happy to offer on-site advice as well.

All of our instructors speak German and English. We also have ski instructors who speak other languages such as Dutch, Czech, Slovakian, Swedish, Danish, Italian, and Spanish. We do our best to cover all languages. We may not always be able to accommodate all language preferences in our group classes, but we’ll do our best. We can, of course, do this in private lessons. Please make sure to book your lessons as early as possible.

The course fees will only be partially refunded in case of illness or injury on presentation of a medical certificate. We will be glad to provide further assistance.

The groups are divided according to abilities and age. Several instructors supervise the group in the beginners’ area and Mini Club, which means that learning progress is faster and we can split the groups up during the course. We make every effort to ensure that our advanced groups do not exceed a group size of 10 during peak season.

We offer half-day courses for all skill levels. For kids 5+, we suggest full-day lessons so they can rapidly advance – the extra time really speeds up progress. Rather than 5-6 half days, we recommend you go for 3 full day lessons. This way, you can enjoy the rest of your days as a family without any time constraints and discover other ski resorts in the Gastein Valley.

We need at least 4 people at the same skill level for a group course. If there are fewer participants, we can shorten the duration of the course. We always (almost always) find a suitable solution.

Typically, our group lessons run from Sunday to Friday. We shape lessons around skills gained on previous days and the group develops a strong sense of team spirit. Friday is also the day of our grand finale race. We strongly recommend joining the course for at least 4 full days, but shorter participation is also possible.

You bet! Being a small, friendly ski school, we always cater to families! You can first drop off your children with the ski instructors and get the last information before you start your lessons. Your private instructor will be available to meet you directly at the group lessons. If you decide to join a group course, your group will also be waiting for you at the assembly point.

Quite a few of our guests have become firm friends over the years, so we’ve already got a rough categorisation in our system or at check-in. Children who have already had skiing lessons can warm up on our magic carpet or on the platter lift before the ski course begins and refresh what they have already learned in previous years before we group them based on their abilities. We really care about making sure the kids are in the right group from the very beginning. In the event that the ski instructors feel like your group isn’t the right fit, we’ll make a switch during the first day. You can do this anytime, even if your child is a super-fast learner.

For winter sports and hire equipment we team up with Sport Egger.  The ski hire shop is in the same building as our office, so you don’t have far to go.

The ski length is determined by your weight, skill level, and body height. Our rental partner Sport Egger can help you sort this out.

We always allocate the groups on Sundays and Mondays. You’re welcome to join the course on any weekday, but just give us a heads up and make sure you’ve got some previous experience under your belt. If you’re a beginner, please get in touch directly so we can have a chat about it and sort things out properly.

As a rule, we do our best to meet all our guests’ requests. Please let us know as soon as possible. Please note that for group lessons, we may not be able to fulfil all instructor requests.

Usually, there’s always plenty of room in our group classes. To make sure everything runs smoothly, especially during the peak season (Christmas, February, Easter), please book/reserve your lessons ahead of time. This will save you a huge amount of time on arrival and give you a hassle-free beginning to your winter holiday.

Our course programme is designed to build on what you have learned on the previous days, so we recommend taking the course days consecutively. However, it’s also possible to take a break from the course for a day. Please let our office know one day in advance if you want to do this.

But, we must point out that you may need to switch groups.

Speedys Kinderland, our ski school’s own area, is located right between our ski school office and the Rauchleiten platter lift.

Kids who have never been on skis before or who are not yet confident in their ability to make turns in a snowplough position are considered beginners.

When children reach the stage where they can tackle turns and brake with ease, they will require a ski pass once we start using the Rauchleiten platter lift. For kids up to the age of 6, there is a discounted Mini Card for all ski lifts. For the Rauchleiten practice slope, there are special beginner tickets available at the Dorfgastein cable cars. You can buy day and multi-day tickets in advance from our online shop.

All group courses can be started with a trial day. If you decide to extend, you’ll only have to pay the difference to the multi-day rate.

Kids can also join in on the course lessons for just half a day. Rather than a half-day course over 6 days, we recommend a full-day course over 3 days. This leaves you with whole days as a family, so you can also visit another ski resort. Plus, there is a chance that your child may be downgraded if the difference in abilities within the group becomes too great.

Primarily, children are assigned to groups based on their skiing skills. If your children are equally as good at skiing, they will likely be grouped together. Please tell the office about this on the first day. This is also doable if there are different skiing abilities, but we’ll have to go at the pace of the less experienced skier.

From 3 years of age. Our Mini Club is perfect for three year olds. Kids discover the magic of skiing through playful lessons – no pressure, just fun between learning. Our ski instructors nurture the kids’ inner passion for skiing – after day one, they’ll advise you on the next steps to keep the love of slopes high! We’re more than happy to offer a taster day. We think it’s best to start snowboarding lessons at the age of 10 upwards! We can arrange private instructors for younger children, too, if requested.

Yes. Children up to the age of 15 are obliged to wear a helmet in Austria. We can loan children a free ski helmet from our office for the duration of the ski course.

The ski race takes place on Fridays. We’ll reveal the specific times on Thursday afternoon. The award ceremony takes place after ski lessons at our assembly point.

No, the course fee does not include lunchtime supervision or lunch and drinks. You book lunchtime supervision either for individual days or for the entire duration of the course. Lunchtime supervision can also be booked for a half-day course.

Lunch arrangements will vary based on the group’s skiing proficiency. They will either be at the partner locations on the mountain or at the valley station. For more details, please ask your ski instructor or the office.

You can watch your kids during the ski course. But please do not disrupt the lesson. Usually, it’s better if children don’t see their parents. So, please, instead of standing at Speedys Kinderland itself, watch from a distance.