As an avid skier, I am passionate about finding the best places to ski around the world. For the first time this season, I stepped foot to go skiing in Austria ready to experience the trip of a lifetime.
If you are wondering ‘does Austria have good skiing?’
You are in the right place! If you are looking for extensive ski areas, spectacular nature, incredible cuisine and breathtaking mountains, then Austria is the right place for you.
And this season Austria is celebrating the people that live and breathe this way of life, with a campaign called Austrian Lebensgefühl.
All of the amazing people we met in Austria exceeded all of our expectations, from the snow-shoe instructor to our amazing ski guides and the staff at our hotel. Are you ready to find your dose of Lebensgefühl?
Contents
List of Austrian ski resorts
- Gurgl
- St Anton
- Ischgl
- Saalbach Hinterglemm
- Sölden
- Bad Gastein
- Kitzbühel
- Mayrhofen
- Innsbruck
- St Christoph
Where is Gurgl?
Located in the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol, Austria, Gurgl is a 5* ski resort set up with some of the world’s best ski runs, top culinary delights, stunning hotels and incredible activities for after you’ve come off the lifts. It’s one of the best skiing areas in Austria.
For our stay in Asutria we situated ourselves in the adorable town of Obergurgl is a village in the municipality of Sölden, at an elevation of 1,930 m making Obergurgl the highest parish in Austria. And thanks to their altitude of up to 3,030 metres, the region is one of the snow-surest ski areas in the Alps.
When to ski in Gurgl?
If you are a spot of April skiing in Europe, look no further! The ski season here is not only snow-sure but also long, from mid-November to the end of April. We headed to ski here at the beginning of April and found the mountains full of snow, with all lifts running and all of the additional activities were still in action. There was no ‘unsure’ days of skiing and we headed right on to the slopes each morning confident of our day ahead. It’s one of the best skiing in Austria.
Is Obergurgl good for beginners?
Obergurgl is great for beginners, with so many amazing slopes in the region. Even though I have skied 4-5 times before I am not a confident skier and loved this resort for it’s varied runs. There are two lifts that are free for anyone in ski school and there are three other beginner lifts serving decent slopes at each end of Obergurgl, and also just above Hochgurgl.
How big is the ski area in Obergurgl?
The ski area is massive with a total length of 112 km (Hochgurgl Ski Area: approx. 56 km, Obergurgl Ski Area: approx. 56 km). All slopes are freshly prepared in full length and width every day. These aren’t the biggest skiing areas in Austria, but they do offer some of the best snow-sure pistes in the country, possibly the world.
Skiing in Austria piste map
Suggested 5 day itinerary in Austria
Day one
Arrival Innsbruck Airport (INN) from your home country.
On arrival in to Gurgl, you will want to check in at Hotel Mathiesn, a stunning hotel right in the middle of town.
This comfortable hotel is located right next to the ski school meeting point and the ski lifts. All of the rooms have a special flair, with great decor and space, and our room even had a balcony.
We dined downstairs in the hotel most nights and found it to serve some excellent cuisine. For after those long days on the slopes the hotel also had a sauna, steam bath and relaxation area.
Once you’ve checked in, head to pick up your ski equipment. Following this take your skis back to the hotel, and head for a stroll around town. Then in the evening we relaxed at the hotel, before having dinner.
Day two
Morning breakfast at the hotel
We decided as it was our first time in the region to get a ski guide for our first day skiing in Gurgl. So we got up early and headed our to meet our ski guide at Hohe Mut gondola station.
Our guide was amazing showing us all of the runs in the area, as well as taking us to some amazing spots on the mountain including Top Mountain Star. He really looked after us and reminded us why we chose to go on a skiing trip to Austria.
Once we had spent a few hours navigating the mountain, we ended our time with our guide with a stop for lunch at the mountain top restaurant Crosspoint.
We grabbed a table outside and sat in the sunshine looking out across the Tyrolean mountains. All of the dishes are home-made and hand-produced, and it was clear they care about sustainable, seasonal and regional ingredients.
Afterwards, we headed inside to the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum. In the Motorcycle Museum, more than 500 classic motorbikes from 120 international manufacturers as well as hand picked curiosities leave no one unimpressed and fulfil great expectations on a surface area of more than 4.500 sq.m.
After we finished at Crosspoint we headed back on the mountain for another few hours of skiing in Austria, before making our way back to Obergurgl and our hotel.
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Day three
Morning breakfast at the hotel
Then we headed back out for another day exploring the mountains and skiing in Austria. We had so much fun skiing within the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski area, dipping between 1800m and 3030m altitude and thanks to the state-of-the-art mountain gondola’s and lifts we were barely waiting longer than a few minutes to head back up the mountain.
Half way through the morning we headed up the Wormkurgl to visit the iconic Top Mountain Star located at 3030 meters.
Unfortunately the morning we stopped by it was snowing so we didn’t get many good views, but this panorama bar is well worth the stop, especially on a clear day where you can get awe-inspiring views of the Ötztal Alps all the way to the popular Dolomites!
We stopped by and grabbed a hot chocolate to warm up before heading back down the mountain to spend the afternoon relaxing.
Then after a quick nap and a shower, we headed off to do something really exciting; fondue at 3000m!
We jumped on the Hohe Mut Banh 1 and 2 gondola from just outside our hotel up to the world-famous Hohe Mut Alm, Tirol’s most beautiful mountain ridge, for an amazing evening in their isolated chalet in the snow.
We enjoyed a hot drink on arrival before heading inside for a traditional Austrian fondue and live music. It was an incredible evening and we especially loved the gondola back down at 9pm, where you could see the region lit up by the lights!
Day four
Morning breakfast at the hotel
For our last full day in the region we decided to do something different and spend the morning snowshoeing in the area with a local guide. We met our guide at the local ski school, before heading out on the gondola with all of our kit to explore the mountains in a different way.
We first headed up to Hohe Mut again to admire the incredible views in the daylight of the 21 peaks at 3000m, and then continued on admiring the majestic glaciers and eternal ice fields both near and far.
As we trudged our way through the deep snow-covered no man’s land, there were times where we felt truly alone on the mountain, away from the skiers. For much of our morning the only the sounds we could hear where of nature.
If you fancy trying it out yourself every Wednesday afternoon the local ski schools invite you to try out the gentle winter sport in “Yeti’s footsteps”. The guides decide about the tour’s destination at short notice, depending on weather and snow conditions. All equipment for this 2-hour adventure is of course provided.
Then it was back to our hotel, to grab the skis for the last time as we headed out for a spot of night skiing in the area. In Obergurgl it’s every Monday where the ski area is floodlit twice a week in the evening, with the blue piste no. 6 is illuminated brightly so you can enjoy an exceptionally long night skiing 8 km back in to town.
In Hochgurgl, it’s every Thursday where you can take the Hochgurglbahn I mountain gondola to the middle station at 2160m above sea level, from you can they ski down the red slope no. 33 or glide towards the valley on the 3 km long toboggan run. This once in a lifetime experience was so much fun!
Day five
Morning breakfast at the hotel
On our last day and after five days of adventure we decided to head to one of the most unique and incredible spa experiences in the world, AQUA DOME – Tirol Therme Längenfeld.
This enormous complex is home to 12 indoor and outdoor pools with water at 34 – 36° C on 22,000 square meters; 7 saunas, including a loft, gorge, earth and hay barn sauna; The Alpen Arche Noah children’s world; SPA3000 the private adult’s only area; as well as an outdoor area featuring an iconic architectural structure, which is modeled on a mountain peak. The floating bowls rise into the air on the sides and offer you various bathing worlds to explore.
And as if the spa itself wasn’t enough you can sit in one of their many many areas, with all around you the mountain panorama of Fernerkogel and Gamskogel in view.
And then before we knew it, it was then time to head back to the airport, reminiscing about the amazing trip we had skiing in Austria.
Looking for glacier skiing in Austria? Check out the five major glacier ski resorts with almost 300km of slopes at Kaunertal, Pitztal, Sölden, Stubai, and Hintertux.
My Travel Tips and Recommendations
Flights
To book flights, I always use flight search engine, Skyscanner, I regularly use the Everywhere tool to find the cheapest places to travel. It’s how I get to travel so much all around the world. I find it the easiest way to compare flight prices across airlines and get the best deals.
Accommodation
For accommodation, I would recommend booking through Aspect Holidays. You can find a large selection of properties in Cornwall and surrounding areas for rent, with amazing views in great locations.
Photography and Technology
Here is a list of the technology I always travel with:
Travel Insurance
Picking travel insurance that covers you in all eventualities is an essential part of planning a trip for every single person. If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. You never know what’s around the corner.
You can also find me on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
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Thank you for reading and as always happy adventuring! If you have any questions about the destination please leave these in the comments below.
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Sophie X
