Bad Gastein is a village in Austria, situated in the middle of the National Park Hohe Tauern, at 1,000 metres above sea level. It hosted the Alpine ski world championship in 1958. The small city of Bad Gastein once was a very famous resort, visited by Kings and the Rich and Famous. Some of the persons who frequented Bad Gastein in the past are the Austrian Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) and German Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia Wilhelm. From the sixties of the 20th century on the resort lost its popularity. It is trying to win it back through winter sports. During the past few years Bad Gastein renewed its "Felsentherme" and Congress Center. In december Bad Gastein also hosts the snowboard WM and boardercross. Bad Gastein has many scandinavian visitors in wintertime. There are a few clubs hosted by scandinavians like "Silver Bullet" and "Haeggblooms".
Most of the Gastein Valley contains moderate to good skiing/snowboarding, with lots of chairlifts and gondolas.
