Rating overall
6/10
Niedrau Gondola / Michael Whittaker
Freeriding
Although Niederau is not the biggest of resorts if you are prepared to cut across the pistes you can still find some nice powder even a few days after a dump. The best of these can be found by riding down from Red Run 17 and cutting across to Red Run 19 the section between the slope is easy to make out and you can get some practise in the powder at this point.
Niederau Off Piste
Michael Whittaker
Also if the snow conditions are good there is a run directly under the Gondola where you can ride steep red run 25 which is good if there has been lots of snow. Marked as a ski route this run is pretty technical and best avoided if snow conditions are poor.
Freestyle
Those interested in going fast will be happy to know that Niederau has a Race and Board Arena that is located near the Hotel Harfernwirt, despite this Freestylers will not find much else on offer in Niederau so if you want to ride a kicker you best build it yourself. A much better option is to use your linked pass and head to Auffach or Alpbach which both have dedicated Freestyle parks.
Race and Board Arena Area
Michael Whittaker
In travel terms the bus from Niederau arrives in Auffach within 15 minutes so hitting the parks is very possible from all areas of the Wildschonau valley. If you want to ride pistes and have more to do on an evening with the odd trip to the park Niederau could work for you.
Pistes
Niederau provides a good variety of pistes for riders of all levels. If you are a beginner and are comfortable using T-Bars and Pomas then the lower slopes of Niederau will help you to build your confidence on a number of wide, straight and mellow slopes.
Niederau T-Bar Rider
Michael Whittaker
After that you can head up to Markbachjoch where a slightly steeper slope allows beginners to ride another T-Bar run with great views down into the valley. It has to be said that some beginner looking to step up will probably struggle with the transition between the easy blues at the bottom and the higher reds at Niederau. Our advice here would be try out Auffach as it offers some more forgiving reds which are wider and accessed easily by chairlift. Intermediate riders however will love reds, 19, 23 and 24 that offer various routes down the mountain. From the top of the Markbachjoch Gondola you can turn left to access some of the pistes or go almost directly down to access these pistes.
Niederau Red Gondola Piste
Michael Whittaker
These pistes start at 1500 Metres and you can ride to the bottom lift station at 828 Metres. Once you have these runs licked you can travel to the Chairlift and head down the Black routes 16 and 15. These offer a nice long run down with some steep sections that are fairly wide and forgiving for blacks. One word of advice though it is really best to avoid Black piste 18 as this is very flat and you are sure to be unstrapping on this piste. If you fancy walking for a bit it does have some stunning viewpoints.
Another good idea if you have gone with a major tour operator such as Crystal is to head out on a social riding morning, they will quickly get you around the resort if you are red run competent and show you the best runs before the crowds discover them.
Niederau Options
Michael Whittaker
Beginners
Beginners will need to be comfortable with T-Bars and Pomas to get the most out of the resort as some of the best beginner runs are not Chair or Gondola accessed. The bottom of the resort however is dotted with a variety of these short runs and they are great for riders wanting to practice turns on wide and straight slopes. These can be accessed from each end of the resort and can also be used to quickly cut through to the main gondola or chairlift when you are ready to access the higher runs.
Niederau Blue Poma
Michael Whittaker
For the best views as a beginner you should head up the gondola and turn left. After a short ski track cut through you will access the very top blue T-Bar run. You can get the best views of the valley here and build your confidence while appreciating the stunning valley below. Don’t worry too much about the ski road cut through this is only short and you can see the t-bar station pretty much straight away. One tip is it to head up here early in the morning as by late afternoon these pistes tend to be quite cut up.
Niederau Gondola
Michael Whittaker
The higher reds in Niederau may prove a bit too much for those in their first few weeks if this is the case we recommend visiting Oberau where there are more T-Bars and even quieter slopes. Auffach also has a number of confidence building blue and reds runs which are slightly more forgiving than those on offer at Niederau and more of them are accessed by chairlift, this is the place to head if you don’t like manual lifts.