A wooden post stands in the middle of the ski slope adorned with signs pointing in every direction surrounded by a group of skiers pointing left and right. Eventually one of them says "we have to go this way", and they make their way to various parts of the ski resort in Wilden Kaiser in Brixental in Austria.

The resort's main claim to fame is that it is the largest contiguous ski area in Austria. Everything that is not forest or rock belongs to the ski pistes, so the resort's numerous sign posts have an important function to play.

One of the rules of finding your way around Wilden Kaiser is to always know where the mountain called the Eiberg is.

It's easy to identify thanks to its egg shape and it's the starting point for ski trips to Ellmau, Scheffau and Brixen im Thale.

Wilden Kaiser ski resort has a number of other important locations to remember such as Going, Soell, Kelchsau and Westendorf. There are a total of 90 ski lifts and 250 kilometres of piste for visitors to explore in the entire resort.

Wilden Kaiser consists of six individual ski areas that are so well connected every slope can be reached by ski or snowboard.

The latest addition to the resort is Westendorf where 13 lifts are in operation. Until last summer, visitors to Westendorf had to travel here by bus but now there's a rail link to Brixen at the bottom of the valley.

Kitzbuehl is the next ski area, however, using the slopes here requires another pass. But even if you don't decide to try out Kitzbuehl there's still plenty to discover in Wilden Kaiser where almost every mountainside has a ski slope and where there are plenty of lifts to take you wherever you want to go.

In fact the choice is so big, it's a good idea to take a mobile phone with you to stay in contact with friends when travelling in a group.

Wilden Kaiser is a relatively low ski resort; it's smallest peak, the Hartkaiser, is just 1,555 metres high. The Eiberg is 1673 metres.

Both mountains are below the Alpine tree line so it's no surprise to find the odd tree standing in the middle of a ski run. On the slope down to Scheffau, the trees are secured with thick mats just in case a skier fails to make a corner in time.

Many of the ski slopes run through wooded areas and have plenty of curves giving you the feeling of passing along a forest path.

Try the slopes on a late, lazy afternoon when the the pistes are empty. Head for Kaiser, Salven and Westendorf to explore the region.

The Kaiser area has about 20 kilometres of slopes and includes Brixen, Scheffau, Ellmau and Going.

On the descent to Ellmau you discover why the region is called Wilden Kaiser or the Wild Emperor - an imposing mountain peak dominates the area and seems to watch over everything.

Salve encompasses 12 kilometres of slopes around Salve mountain that can be completed in about two hours.

Make sure you have plenty of time to finish your journey as it can be quite difficult to know exactly where you are despite the many sign posts.

There are signs indicating the "Salven Route", but it's never quite clear in which direction they're pointing. Visitors can bring along the ski slope map, but its three pages are too small to include every detail. Ski lifts are listed but not the slope numbers, for example.

But it's not a tragedy, if you end up on the wrong slope as all of them are wide and well maintained. Most red slopes have a blue alternative and in many cases there's an easier option for the steep inclines.

The atmosphere in Wilden Kaiser is laid back and friendly and young skiers are especially welcome.

"If you're looking for big après ski parties this is the wrong place," says Gerhard Told, manager of ski school in Scheffau.

The same applies to skiers who want a challenge - there are 120 kilometres of red slopes, 108 blue but only 22 kilometres of the difficult category black slopes - and most of them are relatively easy.

There's one black slope on Salve, but that's not the only reason to travel to the summit where there's a chapel dating back to 1617 and a wonderful vista.

The first recorded mass was celebrated here in that year. There was also a guest house where a white flag was raised every time a storm approached to warn the villagers in the valley below.

When the sun sets, visit Soell - no matter how sore your legs are - where three times a week the Salvenmoos, Keat and Hexen 6 slopes are floodlit. Night-skiing costs extra as the slopes are freshly prepared.

"It's mainly local people who ski here," says one of the lift operators, "the tourists are too tired."

He stops chatting and it becomes eerily quiet with only the gentle hum of the lift audible in the background.