The Austrian Tirol is one of the world’s greatest ski regions. Home to more than 100 different ski villages, many of the planet’s best-known ski resorts are here, along with lots of wonderful ski destinations still to be discovered.
Credit – TVB Paznaun
Even without the ski slopes, winter in the Tirol is a magical time of year. It’s a beautiful area of stunning mountains towering above wooded hillsides and broad valleys all covered in deep, crisp white snow. There are no concrete blocks here, only picture-postcard perfect villages with traditional ski chalet style buildings housing enticing hotels, restaurants, shops and cafes. There are thousands of kilometres of slopes to explore here with plenty for everyone, from complete beginners to serious pros and from families to groups of friends and couples. There’s lots for non-skiers to enjoy too, be it a sleigh ride or snowshoe walk in the great outdoors, or perhaps a spa village or shopping afternoon instead.
Tirol has it all. Looking for some inspiration? Here’s are seven of the very best winter hotspots in the Austrian Tirol.
Ischgl
A huge snow-sure ski area with world-class après ski? It has to be Ischgl!
Ischgl is one of the most snowsure resorts in the world – open from November to May – and with nearly 240km of runs climbing up to 2800m above sea level, it’s one of the biggest too. The fact that it’s also one of the leading après-ski destinations in the Alps is just a bonus.
If you’re looking for a full-on ski holiday, Ischgl won’t disappoint. With a huge 238km of terrain and runs stretching over the Swiss border, you can spend a week here and never ski the same run twice. But you’ll need to maintain your energy levels in to the evening too if you want to make the most of another of Ischgl’s big assets – its famed après-ski scene, one of the liveliest in the Alps.
Credit – TVB Paznaun
Located in the beautiful Paznaun Valley, Ischgl offers snow-sure skiing from November right through to May. There’s ski terrain to suit all tastes, from carefully manicured slopes at Idalp to thrilling freeride terrain off Piz Val Gronda. You can even ski over the swiss border to the duty-free village of Samnaun and pick up some bargains in your back pack (so long as you keep within your duty-free allowance!).
Its lively après-ski scene tends to kick off each afternoon at venues like Kuhstall before moving on to live shows and top DJs at nightspots like Trofana Arena and Pacha. At the end of the season, the Top of the Mountain concerts bring in global superstars to perform on the slopes. The list of big names to have performed here over the years gets ever longer, but include names like Kylie, Pink, Rhianna, Robbie Williams, Katy Perry and Elton John (twice).
Credit – TVB Paznaun
For families, the cosy village of Galtür, just 10-minutes up the valley is a great alternative. It has an incredibly family-friendly ethos from its ski slopes to its hotels and restaurants.
For more information: www.ischgl.com/en
Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: Little known in the UK, it’s a real find for those hunting for somewhere new.
The Zugspitz Arena is located close to the German border in an unspoilt region of the Tirol. It offers a combination of charming traditional villages and some surprisingly varied skiing opportunities.
Taking its name from the glacier-capped Zugspitze mountain, the highest peak in the region, the Zugspitz Arena is not one ski area, but six – all on a single lift ticket and seamlessly interconnected by an efficient ski bus service. So, you can choose a different area for pretty much every day of the week.
Start the day off early by signing up for First Tracks at Lermoos and you’ll have access to the slopes before everyone else and have pristine slopes to yourself. Or have a lie in instead then cruise down the lovely tree-lined runs at Wetterstein and Grubigstein or the unspoilt slopes at Ehrwalder Alm and Marienberg. Other options include Zugspitzplatt, known for its great views from the slopes, or if you’re not exhausted from that early start in Lermoos, there’s night-skiing on offer at Berwang.
Credit – C. Jorda
The Zugspitz Arena pass even covers you to pop on the train over the invisible border to ski at famous German resorts like Garmisch Partenkirchen, Grainau and Mittenwald if you wish, all included in the Zugspitz Arena’s Top Snow Card.
Back on the Tirol side there’s lots to do after the lifts close too. Après-ski fun can include floodlit toboggan runs, ski shows, or ice skating or you may prefer to just cosy up in a snug Tirolean bar or restaurant and après-ski at your own pace in this beautiful region.
For more information: www.zugspitzarena.com/en
Innsbruck
One of the world’s most striking cities has an added ace up its sleeve – fantastic skiing on its doorstep!
Lots of skiers fly in to Tirolean capital of Innsbruck then travel to one of the region’s famous resorts, but it’s equally possible to stay in the city and visit one of the nine surrounding ski areas from your city centre hotel each morning.
Credit – Christof Lackner
There’s nowhere in the world quite like Innsbruck. True, there are some cities (none quite as nice as the capital of Tirol) that offer skiing nearby. But not access to nine resorts with a total of 285km of runs all included in the single Olympia Ski World pass.
Innsbruck may be known for its historic architecture, vibrant city scene with hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants as well as culture-packed museums and attractions but it is also the only city to have hosted three Winter Olympics, equalling London’s record for hosting the Summer Games.
There are so many choices of where to ski and different ways to reach them, but each area is included in your Olympia Ski World pass.
Credit – Klaus Polzer
You could reach the Nordkette ski area by funicular railway from the city centre or take the free bus to the Patscherkofel. The pass also covers glacier skiing at Stubai or the slopes of Axamer Lizum where many of the Olympic ski runs are located. Schlick 2000, Glungezer, Muttereralm and Rangger Köpfl all have a great mixture of terrain and Kühtai, the highest altitude ski village in Austria, is located 45 minutes from Innsbruck centre, and was the venue for the TV show, The Jump.
For more information: www.innsbruck.info/en/
Credit – Christian Vorhofer
Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau
Two of the Austrian Tirol’s most picturesque valleys are united in the Ski Juwel.
The Ski Juwel unites the Alpbachtal and Wildschönau Valleys, both home to beautifully authentic Tirolean mountain villages in one wonderful ski area.
A ski holiday in Ski Juwel is about as close to the classic picture-postcard image as you can find. The traditional alpine chalets of the area’s quaint villages are surrounded by snow-covered woodland on each side of the valley with white alpine peaks towering above.
You’ll find everything any skier or snowboarder could want on the 109km of slopes – one of the 10 largest ski regions in Tirol. There are wide, well-groomed carving runs, off-piste powder routes to tackle with a local guide and even a permanent Giant Slalom race course where you can time your best speed. Oberau, one of the villages on the Wildschönau side, also offers night skiing on floodlit runs.
Credit – Alpbachtal Seenland Tourismus
Families are particularly well looked after with some great childcare options, ski schools for the kids, along with snow parks for the youngest skiers to play in and three terrain parks for the teens to practice their freestyle skills in.
Whether you choose to stay on the Alpbachtal or Wildschönau side of the Ski Juwel, you’ll find each of the ancient villages rich in tradition and offering a truly authentic Tirolean holiday for you and your family. That means a warm welcome, cosy accommodation and great food. Local specialties well worth trying include kaiserschmarrn (pancakes) and speckknödel (bacon dumplings), washed down with a spot of local schnapps. It’s the perfect way to round off the day in this wonderful mountain region.
For more information: www.skijuwel.com/en
Kitzbuhel
One of the great names in world skiing, Kitzbühel combines an unparalleled Alpine heritage with state-of-the-art ski slopes.
Credit – T Dankl
There are few, if any, ski destinations in the world that mix winter-sports with a stylish lifestyle in quite the way that Kitzbühel does. Not only is the famous ski town home to the biggest event in the annual Alpine skiing calendar, it is also one of the most beautiful ski towns in the world with its ancient cobbled and walled resort centre chock-full of enticing shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.
Remarkably Kitzbühel has one of the longest ski seasons in the Alps, opening in mid-October each year, a full month before any other ski resort outside of Scandinavia manages to do so – unless they have a glacier that is. The early opening is mostly thanks to Kitzbühel’s favourable geographic location on the North-West side of the main alpine ridge, meaning Kitzbühel’s mountains regularly boast eight feet of snow by mid-winter.
The resort sits at the heart of a ski area with more than 100 miles of runs locally, and a regional pass that provides access to circa 1200km of slopes at neighboring ski areas all on the one ticket. Along with all the perfectly-groomed runs, Kitzbühel has long been famous for its off-piste freeride terrain and a local guide will be happy to take you to the best of it.
No description of Kitzbühel is complete without mention of the infamous Hahnenkamm race staged here each year, the most fearsome on the World Cup circuit and the one that the world’s best racers want to win, perhaps even more than an Olympic downhill. It’s Austria’s biggest annual sports event, summer or winter, attracting tens of thousands to the village and millions around the world to their TV screens. You can ski the race course yourself after the competiton if you’re brave enough, or perhaps meander down one of the gentler sections of pistes used for it just to say you tackled some of it!
For more information: www.kitzbuehel.com/en
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental
One of the biggest ski regions in Austria, linking some of the Tirol’s best-loved resorts with mile after mile of perfectly-groomed piste.
The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental’s huge ski area has something to suit every kind of skier, from beginners and families through to the most demanding experts. Easy to reach too, it’s all just an hour’s transfer from Salzburg, Munich and Innsbruck airports.
The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental has a long-standing reputation for offering some of the most varied terrain in Tirol, supported by a state-of-the-art lift network to whisk you back up the slopes. The area brings together the skiing above nine interconnected resorts, ranging from lively Söll or picturesque Westendorf to small towns like Ellmau.
Credit – SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental
Altogether there’s an incredible 284 kilometres of runs backed up by one of the biggest snowmaking arsenals in the world to ensure good snow cover all season long. This size, and the fast, comfortable lifts, means that intermediate and advanced skiers can really travel from village to village across the area each day and make it back in time for dinner. Beginners have great slopes closer to each of the villages, along with highly-regarded ski schools waiting to teach you. Freestylers are also spoilt for choice with superb terrain parks dotted across the area.
If you don’t want it to stop, fear not, once the sun goes down the SkiWelt is also home to Austria’s largest night-skiing area. What’s more, if you need to take a break, there are no less than 77 mountain huts in which to stop for a breather to and take in the stunning vistas over the Wilder Kaiser range.
The villages all have a reputation for jolly après ski and most also offer attractions like indoor leisure centres with spa facilities and swimming pools. You can also swap your skis for a sledge and test one of the three toboggan runs dotted around the region.
For more information: www.skiwelt.at/en/
Ötztal
Ski all winter in one of Europe’s most snowsure destinations, the majestic Ötztal.
Wherever you based yourself in the 65km long Ötztal Valley, be it one of the big-name resorts like Sölden or Obergurgl or one of the smaller villages, you’re guaranteed a fantastic ski holiday.
Sölden is the biggest ski resort in the Ötztal and has one of the longest ski seasons in the world, thanks to its twin glaciers and famed 3000m peaks. Normally open from September through to the following May, with 144km of runs open in winter, it is staging the first AUDI FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races of the season on its Rettenbach Glacier in October before 99.9% of ski areas have even opened. That’s just the first in a long line of international events staged here through the season.
The resort’s spectacular iceQ restaurant is a must-visit. You’ll try to remember where you first saw this stunning glass building and may be able to recall it featured as an exclusive clinic in the last James Bond movie Spectre.
In fact, it’s actually a gourmet restaurant serving up fabulous Austrian cuisine and spectacular views. A new Bond-themed visitor attraction is also here so you can find out more about the famous franchise at one of its most iconic filming locations.
Credit – Das Central
15 minutes further up the Ötztal, close to the Italian border, lies the long-time British favourite of Obergurgl-Hochgurgl. With very high ski slopes between 1800m and 3080m, it is one of the first ‘non-glacier’ ski areas in the Alps to open in mid-November each year. Among its many attractions the village is home to the Top Mountain Crosspoint, a spectacular building housing Europe’s highest motorcycle museum.
In the other direction, towards the valley’s mouth, is the Ötztal’s best-kept secret: Hochoetz. This less-well-known smaller resort offers an intimate environment with a good mix of slopes, welcoming mountain inns and a homely atmosphere. A great choice for families with everything close at hand, it’s a great base for experiencing some of the best aspects of this unique alpine valley.
For more information: www.oetztal.com/en
How to get to Tirol
In the main ski season Innsbruck Airport is served by daily scheduled flights and numerous charter flights from UK airports. easyJet flies directly from London Gatwick, Bristol and Liverpool to Innsbruck. British Airways has direct routes from London Heathrow and London Gatwick to Innsbruck. From December onwards, easyJet runs daily flights from Gatwick starting at just £28 one-way, while British Airways flies six times a week from Heathrow, alongside its regular Gatwick service.
Credit – C. Jorda
In the autumn both easyJet and British Airways also offer regular flights from London (Heathrow and Gatwick) to Innsbruck so you don’t have to wait until December, you can ski now on one of Tirol’s already-open glaciers.
The airports in Salzburg, Munich, Friedrichshafen, Memmingen and Zurich are an alternative to get to the Austrian Tirol. Exclusive or shared transfers operated by “Taxi Tirol”, as well as car hire companies, are available to make the final journey to your destination.
It’s also perfectly possible to take the train to Tirol or drive there.
For more information: www.visittirol.co.uk
How to get there: https://www.tyrol.com/how-to-get-to-the-austrian-tirol
Main image credit – Klaus Polzer
Central image credit – T Dankl
