Austria has over 800 ski resorts, more than almost any other country on earth. Some of the most famous are Kitzbühel, St. Anton am Arlberg and Ischgl. Kitzbühel hosts the Hahnenkamm race every January - one of the toughest and most celebrated downhill ski races in the world, with racers reaching speeds of over 130 kilometres per hour.
Austrian children learn to ski in ski schools, where patient instructors teach them step by step. Beginners start in a 'ski kindergarten' on gentle nursery slopes, learning how to stop with a snowplough (pushing the tips of the skis apart to slow down). Within a few days, most children are gliding confidently on green runs.
Austria's Ski Alpin team has won more World Cup titles than any other nation. Names like Hermann Maier, Marcel Hirscher and Mikaela Shiffrin (who trained partly in Austria) are known to ski fans around the world. Medals from the Winter Olympics are a source of great national pride.
Skiing is also a social activity. Mountain huts called Hütten offer warm drinks, hearty food and lively music halfway up the slopes. On sunny days, skiers take off their jackets and sit on the hut terrace in just their ski gear, enjoying the mountain sunshine - a tradition called 'Hüttenkultur', or hut culture.