This article is sponsored by the Austrian National Tourist Office.
Surrounded by sparkling three-thousanders, Zillertal is all about the zoom. Up, up, up on 180 lifts that are speedy and modern, there are 542km of pistes – plenty enough for a week, month, even a whole winter full of skiing.
All ski areas of the four holiday regions are conveniently covered by one ski pass, called the Zillertal Superskipass, underlining the Zillertal commitment to quality and fun in the mountains. Heaped in authentic charm, this sunny and wide valley is dotted with hotels, inns and chalets whose chief aim is to pamper their guests. Notably, the welcoming family-run hotels of Zillertal are all owner-operated and often run by the same family for generations. Alongside tradition, hospitality and state-of-the-art ski lifts, Zillertal comes with a skiing guarantee 365 days a year on the Hintertux Glacier.
The Hintertux Glacier, in Tux-Finkenberg, is Austria’s only all-year ski area. As part of the Ski- & Glacier World Zillertal 3000 in winter, the glacier provides delightful and challenging skiing experiences with endless views. No wonder, considering the slopes start here at an altitude of 3,250 metres. Together with its smooth carving pistes, Zillertal is laced with long valley runs and demanding routes for powder hounds – countless freeride possibilities make the variety tough to beat. Indeed, cruise to your heart’s delight down the ultimate thigh tester in Hochfügen, one of three ski areas in Fügen-Kaltenbach. For 40-degree fun, ask your guide to show you Superbowl, a south-east facing classic off-piste descent.
In the market for a delightful skiing experience? Follow the smooth ski runs in Hochzillertal and Spieljoch, the other ski areas in Fügen-Kaltenbach. Stop there for excellent culinary moments with a choice of exclusive gourmet restaurants, chill-out lounges and traditional rustic huts. If looking for an added challenge, try the Harakiri run on Mount Penken in Mayrhofen-Hippach (Mountopolis) with its 78 percent grade. Or the valley’s longest run located in the Zillertal Arena, which offers a stunningly scenic 10km route with almost 2,000m in elevation. Looking for a perfect photo-stop? Pause at the observation deck at the Stuanmandl top station whose perch at 2,300m offers sweeping views over the valley and its stunning mountain scenery.
When you’re ready for a breather, some 80 huts provide cozy and warm stops for tasty drinks and delicious dishes from simple but big Schnitzel to fragrant strudel with creamy hot chocolate. Off the slopes, the action continues. Toboggan to a hut for warm drinks, winter hiking in the sparkling sun across hundreds of miles of cleared hiking trails, gliding across more than 125km of cross-country skiing trails…. There’s with skating, icestock sport and snowshoeing, indoor thermal bathing and relaxing spa time – whatever your heart’s desire, it’s on the menu in Zillertal.
November 14, 2023
