Ski flats in Austria: property from £185k in eco-minded resorts with state-of-the-art new cable cars

More than 40 million people whizz down Austria’s snowy slopes each year, making it the third most popular country for skiers behind the US and France.

It also welcomes more overseas skiers than any other country, all attracted by Austria’s beauty, legendary après-ski and impressive, ever-updated infrastructure.

According to Savills Ski Report, Austria has invested an annual average of £110 million in snow-making technology since 2008, extending it to 60 per cent of all its slopes while also spending £6 billion on new and replacement lifts since 2000.

New this season is the 3K K-onnection, a state-of-the-art seven-and a-half-mile cable car connecting Kaprun in Salzburgerland, 15 minutes from Zell am See, to the ski area on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.

It is the longest cable car in the eastern Alps and makes the Maiskogel snow park completely snow sure.

“The new lift is a real game changer, linking Kaprun with the glacier where before skiers had to catch a bus,” says Giles Gale of Alpine Property Finders.

“The lift benefits Zell am See, Kaprun and Saalbach, three areas all linked on one ski pass.”

British oil trader Jonathan Hudson currently living in Singapore with his wife and young family, recently bought a four-bedroom home in Kaprun. He toured 16 resorts, including Three Valleys and Chamonix in France, before choosing Kaprun.

“Kaprun represents good value and strong rental potential,” Hudson says. “I chose it for its family-friendly, cosy vibe and proximity to several airports including Salzburg, Innsbruck and Munich. Austrian hospitality is the best and of course everyone loves the après-ski.”

Close to the piste in Kaprun and with a view of the glacier, Alpine Property Finders is selling an 818sq ft two-bedroom flat with small private garden and underground parking for £400,800.

As is usual in Austria, owners have six weeks personal use but otherwise must rent their home through an excellent on-site team from developers Avenida.

High above the lake in Zell am See and 300 yards from the piste, Nikolaus is an exciting off-plan project of studio to four-bedroom homes, also by Avenida, priced from £184,800.

The 29 apartments, due to be completed by summer next year, will be spread across four buildings, with parking from £8,350 and furniture packages from £24,500.

“This is a prime project in a prime location where very little new-build is available,” says Gale. “It will appeal to summer visitors as much as winter ones. Hardcore skiers will probably head to Kaprun or Saalbach but Zell’s lake provides a true year-round focus for water sports.”

Charming Hinterglemm at the head of the Saalbach Valley is Salzburgerland’s most chic resort, though very seasonal.

Gale is selling 44 off-plan apartments at Glemm Residences, a short walk from the piste, priced from £201,600.

“Entry level prices for new-build homes are fairly low in Austrian Alps as developers have created smaller studio apartments to meet demand,” concludes Gale.

“Austria continues to make life easy for skiers with excellent lifts and storage lockers for ski equipment at the base of the mountain.”

Austria might not always feel so welcoming after Brexit because non-EU citizens must either apply for a permit or form a company in order to purchase property.

Austria has confirmed UK citizens can purchase normally until the end of the transition period — throughout this year — but after that the position remains unclear.

Ski resorts occupy some of the most naturally beautiful locations on the planet and Austria has a proud reputation for being eco-minded, says Jessica Delaney of Alpine Marketing: “Kitzbühel, one of Austria’s most popular resorts with the largest ski bus system in the Alps, utilises electric buses across the mountains,” she says.

“Its ski lifts are equipped with an energy-saving drive saving over 600,000 kWh each year and it has banned skiing in protected forest areas to protect flora and fauna.”

Many of Alpine Marketing’s properties for sale in Kitzbühel, priced from £417,600, follow passive house standards with triple-glazed windows, renewable Austrian wood and air source heating pumps, for low utility costs.

Alpine Property Finders: alpinepropertyfinders.com (020 7692 0786)

Savills: savills.com (020 7016 3740)