Austria's Ski Season: Open For Business

Austria is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world, with over 400 ski resorts in a country about the size of Maine. The Austrian Alps offer elevations of up to 3,000 meters, with spectacular scenery of snow-capped peaks, genuine mountain chalets, and top ski hotels. Most Austrian ski resorts open in December, with some higher resorts opening in November depending on snow conditions. The end of the season is typically in late March or April, with higher resorts staying open later. So, if you're planning a ski trip to Austria, you're in for a treat!

Best resorts for beginners

Austria is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world for beginners. With over 400 ski resorts across the country, there is no shortage of options for those new to the sport or returning after a break. Here are some of the best resorts for beginners:

Alpbach

Located in the SkiJuwel ski area, Alpbach is a charming ski resort that offers a good mix of easy terrain and dedicated learning areas. It has 29km of blue runs, and the resort is not too big, so beginners won't feel overwhelmed. The village has welcoming locals and a good selection of bars and restaurants.

Ellmau

Part of the SkiWelt ski area, Ellmau is perfect for first-time skiers with 122km of blue runs and excellent beginner area facilities. The village is relaxed, with plenty of bars and restaurants. With a full SkiWelt ski pass, beginners can access a vast network of 284km of pistes as they progress.

Kaprun

Kaprun is a quiet mountain village considered one of the best resorts for beginners in Austria. The slopes are easily accessible, and there is 57km of blue runs to progress on. Kaprun also offers a variety of off-slope activities, including tubing and tobogganing, as well as over 30 dining options and plenty of bars.

Lech

Lech caters to all levels of skiers but makes the list due to its dedicated nursery slopes and excellent piste preparation. After mastering the basics, beginners can explore 133km of easy rolling blue runs. Lech also offers incredible luxury accommodation and breathtaking mountain views.

Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen has a diverse selection of ski runs, including 60km of blue runs and dedicated learning areas. Beginners can head to Pepis Kinderland and Übungsland Penken for a more relaxed environment. The village retains its traditional alpine charm, with lively après bars and quieter spots to enjoy a meal or drink.

Niederau-Oberau

Linked to the Alpbach resort, Niederau-Oberau is ideal for beginners with its nursery slopes. It is located in the beautiful Wildschonau Valley and offers 26km of blue slopes once beginners are ready to progress. The village has a great selection of bars, restaurants, and shops.

Obergurgl

Towards the end of the Otz Valley, Obergurgl offers dedicated nursery slopes and easy terrain, making it perfect for beginners. It is one of the highest ski resorts in Europe, ensuring reliable snow conditions. The main town has a tranquil atmosphere with minimal traffic and a good choice of restaurants, bars, and accommodation.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Saalbach-Hinterglemm has excellent facilities for beginners, with nursery slopes in the village and 140km of blue runs on the mountain. The blue runs from Zwolferkogel to Hinterglemm are ideal for those gaining confidence. The neighbouring town of Saalbach also offers additional blue runs to explore.

Seefeld

Seefeld is a quiet and stylish ski resort with gentle terrain, making it ideal for beginners. It offers 27km of slopes, including 19km of easy blue runs. The nursery slopes are conveniently located near the main village, and the resort features luxury accommodation options.

Sölden

Sölden is one of the best places to ski in Austria, with access to two glaciers and an extensive network of slopes. The majority of runs are blue, with 74km to explore. The Giggijoch area has a vast selection of cruisy blue runs, and the resort offers plenty of off-slope activities, including a James Bond installation.

Söll

Söll is another SkiWelt ski resort that attracts beginners and families. It offers fantastic beginner areas and 122km of blue pistes. The village has a relaxed atmosphere, but there are also lively bars for those seeking some après-ski fun.

Westendorf

Westendorf is built for beginners and families, with nursery slopes located near the main village. It offers 122km of blue runs for progression and has excellent ski schools with top instructors. The village is small and friendly, making it easy to navigate.

Best resorts for families

Austria is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world, and with more than 400 ski resorts, it's a great choice for a family ski holiday. Here are some of the best Austrian ski resorts for families:

Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Tirol

Serfaus and its neighbouring villages of Fiss and Ladis are known for their family-friendly offerings. With three-quarters of its 161km of pistes aimed at beginners and intermediate skiers, it's a great choice for families with varied skill levels. The area boasts child-friendly hotels, excellent ski schools, and a new 10-person lift that can carry 3,500 passengers per hour. There are also plenty of fun activities off the slopes, such as tobogganing and winter hiking.

SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental, Tirol

SkiWelt is one of the largest and most modern ski resorts in the world, with child-safe chairlifts, gentle slopes, and numerous blue runs, making it ideal for families. There are 22 ski schools for children aged two and above, and fun off-slope activities like illuminated toboggan runs and a village made of 18 igloos. SkiWelt also offers family-friendly accommodation and dedicated children's restaurants, making it a convenient choice for families.

Saalbach Hinterglemm, SalzburgerLand & Tirol

The Ski Circus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrenn is one of Europe's finest ski resorts, with 70 lifts and 270km of pistes. It also offers beautiful scenery, with its onion-domed church and timber houses. The resort has excellent ski schools and two dedicated toboggan runs, providing fun for all ages. Additionally, families can enjoy activities like snow tubing and explore the surrounding area, including the nearby village of Kaprun.

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau, Tirol

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is a paradise for children, with the new JUPPI-DO children's area offering obstacles, jumping courses, and ski trails for little ones to improve their skills. Off the slopes, families can enjoy the "Lauser Sauser" Alpine coaster, igloo-building workshops, and the chance to ride in a piste basher. The resort also offers child care facilities, ensuring a relaxing holiday for parents.

Zell am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand

The Schmittenhöhe mountain in Zell am See-Kaprun is a great choice for families, with its mascot, Schmidolin the Dragon, entertaining and teaching children how to ski. While kids are having fun, parents can enjoy the many pistes, including the glacier Kitzsteinhorn. The resort also offers a fun slope, a snow park, and the world's longest toboggan run in the neighbouring Wildkogel Arena.

St. Johann in Salzburg

St. Johann in Salzburg is a family-friendly region with 16 specialised family accommodation properties. The "ski in ski out" area offers wide and well-laid-out slopes, as well as activities like horse-drawn carriage rides and toboggan runs. Families can also take advantage of the ski schools in the area, making it a great place for beginners to learn and improve their skills.

Best resorts for advanced skiers

Austria is home to some of the world's most challenging ski terrain, with a range of black pistes, couloirs, and off-piste itineraries to test even the most advanced skiers. Here are some of the best Austrian ski resorts for advanced skiers:

St. Anton

St. Anton, located in the Arlberg region, is one of the world's great ski resorts, offering some of the most challenging slopes in the Alps. It has hosted numerous skiing competitions, including the World Alpine Ski Championships and Ski World Cups. The surrounding slopes offer incredible diversity, from the steeps of the Valluga to the gentle village slopes around Nasserein. St. Anton is also known for its lively après-ski scene, with famous bars like MooserWirt and Krazy Kanguruh.

Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen is a favourite among party-loving Brits and confident skiers, with one of the Alps' best snowboarding scenes. The resort boasts excellent ski infrastructure, with 300km of easily accessible freeriding terrain. One of its most notable runs is the Harakiri, featuring a gruelling 78% decline, making it Austria's steepest piste. Mayrhofen also has a lively village with a traditional Tyrolean atmosphere.

Ischgl

Ischgl, located in the Eastern Alps, offers high, snow-sure slopes and an excellent lift system. The lift-linked Silvretta Arena provides access to a large ski area, and you can also access three neighbouring resorts (Galtür, Kappl, and See) with the same lift pass. Ischgl is also known for its lively après-ski scene, with the infamous Hotel Elizabeth embodying the old-school Austrian après-ski experience.

Kitzbühel

Kitzbühel is a Tyrolean resort best known for its historic Hahnenkamm downhill skiing race, one of the most challenging courses in the World Cup. The terrain, however, is varied, making it an excellent resort for intermediates as well. Kitzbühel offers a beautiful old-world ski town vibe, with a charming medieval quarter filled with swanky boutiques and hotels.

Lech

Lech, located in the Arlberg region, was once a well-kept secret, overshadowed by the massive St. Anton resort nearby. However, with the opening of the Flexbahn Gondola, Lech now offers access to the vast Ski Arlberg area, with 88 lifts and 300km of pistes. Lech itself has plenty of groomed pistes for intermediate skiers, while the Ski Arlberg region offers advanced skiers multiple snow parks and over 200km of marked, unpisted, backcountry ski routes.

Saalbach

Saalbach is a rocking resort centred on an attractive old Tyrolean village and renowned for its full-on après-ski scene. The Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn ski area offers access to one of Austria's largest lift-linked ski areas, with over 270km of pistes catering to all skill levels.

Obergurgl

Obergurgl, and its twin sister Hochgurgl, is one of Austria's most snow-sure resorts, with a high altitude and an impressive snow generation system. The village sits at 1,930 metres, and the lifts go up to above 3,000 metres. The resort offers a traditional Tyrolean atmosphere and plenty of après-ski attractions. For backcountry enthusiasts, the tiny nearby town of Vent offers access to enormous high-altitude areas via two chairlifts.

Best resorts for snowboarders

Austria is known as the snowboard capital of Europe, with excellent resorts and a laid-back vibe. Austrian resorts are not spread out like the mega-sized resorts found in the French Alps, and apart from being far more affordable than France, the slopes here are far better laid out with excellent mountain facilities, modern lift systems, and easy access to the slopes.

Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen is a big area with some decent freeriding and arguably the best park in Austria. It is also home to one of Europe's biggest snowboarding music festivals, Snowbombing, which runs as a week-long extravaganza for music lovers in the spring. Mayrhofen also has some renowned nightlife spots.

St Anton

St Anton is by far the best freeriders resort in Austria and is backed up by a world-class village. It has awesome off-piste, wide, long, and testing slopes, and a small but good park with plenty of natural hits. It is also THE resort for on-slope apres-ski.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Saalbach-Hinterglemm offers good easy freeriding and great intermediate slopes. It has two excellent parks, good tree runs, and off-piste. It is an excellent place to learn, with plenty of apres-ski.

Ischgl

Ischgl has plenty of good wide intermediate slopes and hidden off-piste stashes. It has a super-fast lift system, a season that lasts until May, a great terrain park, and the most full-on apres in the Alps.

Solden

Solden is one of Austria's best all-round resorts, with some great intermediate terrain and the craziest apres-ski in the Alps. It has a few tree runs, pretty good off-piste, a small terrain park, and good wide areas perfect for learning.

Axamer Lizum

Axamer Lizum is a great resort that will appeal to freestylers and intermediate freeriders, although it can get busy on weekends. There are some trees and a bit of good off-piste.

Kaunertal

Kaunertal is like a big resort but with all the bad bits removed and stays open long after the others close. It has some good off-piste opportunities and maybe Austria's best park and good natural features.

Best resorts for cross-country skiing

Austria is a great destination for cross-country skiing, with over 400 resorts to choose from. Here are some of the best:

Seefeld

Seefeld has a right to call itself the "home of langlaufen" in Austria and is perhaps the cross-country capital of Europe. It has 279km of trails, including the glorious Leutasch plateau, which has twice hosted the Winter Olympics Nordic events. Seefeld is great for beginners, with simple Wildsee trails, and more advanced skiers can take on the Unterleutasch trail, which offers stunning views of the surrounding peaks.

Galtur

Located in the Silvretta Massif, Galtur has 100km of trails, which tend to be in great condition from December through to spring. Novices can practice on the 1km Silvapark track, while the 5km L1 Ischgl blue trail is a gentle flat route for building confidence. More experienced skiers can take on the 6km red trail through the Mathon Wildlife Park, or the challenging 18km Bielerhöhe summit trail.

Lech

Lech, in the Arlberg region, offers 27km of free-to-access trails through some of the area's most dazzling landscapes. The Sonnen Höhenloipe Gaisbühel trail is a particular favourite, offering a 4km adrenaline-boosting route. For a smoother ride, try the 6.6km Spullerwaldweg Langlaufloipe, which takes in postcard-worthy peaks and snow-covered forests.

Ellmau

Ellmau has 60km of trails, including the 10km Kaiserloipe, which offers the best views of the Kaiser mountain range. The Schwendter Loipe is another popular route, taking in frozen lakes, peaks, and old Tyrollean villages.

Zell

Zell has some of the world's most beautiful cross-country skiing, with 55km of trails through glaciers, mountains, and lakes. The 3.1km Höhenloipe Schmitten trail offers a serene skate/classic combo circuit around a reservoir, while the 4.7km Fischhornloipe trail takes in stunning views of Lake Zell.

St. Johann in Tirol

St. Johann in Tirol has trails for all abilities and is a great destination if you want to bring your dog, with the 2km Trainingsloipe trail allowing pets. Experienced skiers can take on the 28km and 50km routes of the Tiroler Koasalauf Euroloppet, which takes place in February.

St. Anton

St. Anton is known for its apres-ski and powder terrain, but it also offers 50km of cross-country routes. The 2.5km St. Christoph Loipe trail is a great intermediate skating spot, while the 22km Loipe Stanzertal trail takes in the Rosanna river and the Tyrolean village of Flirsch.

Alpbach

Alpbach has 100km of classic and skating tracks, with trails taking in historic towns and cute hamlets. The Schönauer trail is a 15km loop that includes occasional steeps and wildlife sightings, while the 7.8km Kramsach route winds past several lakes.

Niederau

In the Wildschönau Valley, Niederau offers 50km of free-to-use, peaceful routes. The 14km Niederau to Penningdörfl trail takes you through woodland and snow, and you can also ski to remote villages like Mühltal and historic towns like Bernau.

Sillian

Sillian has been awarded 5 out of 5 stars by Skiresort.info. It has 60km of cross-country trails and is known for its Internationale trail.

Steinach am Brenner

Steinach am Brenner has 10km of high-altitude trails on the Bergeralm and many more in the surrounding area.

Kitzbühel

Kitzbühel and Kirchberg have 120km of trails and connections to a further 380km in the region.

Waidring/Reit im Winkl

Waidring and Reit im Winkl are known for their great cross-country trails.

SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental

Cross-country trails can be found in all villages in this resort, with the gently sloping trails in the SkiWelt area being particularly good for beginners.

Innsbruck

Innsbruck has 107km of cross-country tracks.

Frequently asked questions