Skiing in Zell Am See-Kaprun in the Austrian Alps

Winter in Austria means snowcapped mountains and quaint ski towns. While driving through the Austrian Alps, you’ll see town after town with ski lifts, so there are many options to hit the slopes. We went skiing in Zell Am See which is a great spot with three main ski resorts side by side.

It was my first time visiting Austria and we drove down from the Netherlands for a ski vacation. The country is incredibly scenic to drive through with great mountain views.

About the Zell Am See-Kaprun Ski Region

The Zell Am See-Kaprun ski region covers three different ski resorts in Austria that are right next to each other. They are: Zell Am See, Kaprun and Saalbach–Hinterglemm.

Between the three resorts, there are 408km of pistes (ski runs). The Ski ALPIN CARD is your lift ticket and covers all three resorts so if you buy a multi-day pass, you can switch it up and ski a different resort.

While you can’t ski between the three, it’s easy to take a bus between them. Bus 660 will take you from the city center of Zell Am See and drop you off at several of the lifts in Kaprun. The bus is free to use with a valid ski ticket. The trip takes about 20 minutes and buses come every 15 minutes during the winter.

For Saalbach, you can ski down a red piste from Zell Am See and then catch a short bus ride (<10 minutes) over to that ski area. Or if you don’t want to do the red free ride, you can take the ZellamseeXpress lift down and get the bus from there.

Dotted red lines on the map mean it’s a free ride route. There’s a decent section in Zell Am See with mostly red routes, so if you’re a beginner, make sure you get on the right lifts. Red routes will be steeper and/or include moguls. Each red route we ended up on had moguls at some point. Black routes will have the steepest runs and are the most challenging.

Snow Conditions in December

We went skiing in Zell Am See at the end of December between Christmas and New Years. It was my first time skiing in the Alps. In Colorado, you can usually ski around the end of November if there’s good snowfall and by December, the snow conditions are pretty good.

That wasn’t quite the case in Austria. Evidently the busiest time is February and I assume that’s because the snow conditions are at their best. At the end of December, the slopes were pretty icy in areas and I busted my tailbone several times from hitting ice patches.

We also skied/boarded down at twilight and you could see sparks from people’s skis and boards from skiing over rocks. Not quite the powder we were hoping for and it was a bit rough towards the bottom. So if you’re wanting optimal snow conditions, you’ll want to push your trip back to fall more in the middle of winter.

Skiing in Zell Am See

Zell Am See is a small town nestled between snowcapped mountains and a lake. It’s a cute, walkable town and a great place to stay. The ski resort here takes you up Schmittenhöhe mountain which gives you a view of 30 peaks over 3,000m and Lake Zell. Generally, this ski resort is considered more family friendly and has some great, open runs.

The cityXpress lift is right in town and from there you can connect to other lifts that put you higher up the mountain. At the top of the mountain is where you’ll find a little chapel in the middle of the snow and a popular Après-ski restaurant and bar. The views are great and well worth the stop!

If you’re more of a beginner, there are blue runs from the top all the way to the bottom. On the right side of the mountain is where you’ll find mostly red runs and there are blacks sprinkled throughout.

Après-ski

One of the fun things about the Alps is the Après-ski culture. If you aren’t familiar, it translates into ‘after skiing’ and typically refers to social activities after you’re done skiing–aka drinking on the slopes. Après-ski can be on the slopes or off but a lot of the bars on the slopes have turned into party hubs.

It’s easy to take the lift up, have some beers, hit the slopes and come right back. The bars have DJs blaring music and by the end of the day, there’s likely to be several skiers on the bar dancing in their ski boots. It’s definitely a fun time!

But take note, if you stay at the bar too long, you still have to ski down lol. We stayed until sunset and caught the most incredible sunset at the top of the mountain. But we severely underestimated the time it would take to get down the mountain from the bar and mid-way through, the sun had completely set.

There were no lights on the slopes and people were skiing down with their phone flashlights on! It was a little scary and incredibly icy. By the time we reached the bottom, it was pitch black. The crazy part is, we weren’t even close to being the last people to leave the bar! (Earlier when I said I busted my tailbone quite a lot, it was mostly during this run…)

Skiing in Kaprun

While Kaprun is a little smaller than Zell Am see, you can actually have a longer ski season here as it’s much higher–over 1,000m higher. Skiing in Kaprun is unique in that it takes you up the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. The highest point is 3,029 meters and called the Top of Salzburg.

There are two different sections where you can get on lifts within the town. One takes you up to a smaller piste area and the 3K Konnection lift that connects to the rest of the mountain. There’s a good variety of trails here including the Black Mamba trail which is the steepest piste at a 63% gradient.

The layout is a little different here. If you want to ski all the way back into town, you’ll have to take the 3K Konnection to get to the rest of the ski runs. Otherwise, you’ll be taking a gondola back down.

One thing I did like about Kaprun is that there are some other activities on the mountain apart from skiing:

Kitzsteinhorn Glacier

The highest part of the Kaprun ski resort takes you to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier and the viewing platform known as the ‘Top of Salzburg’. It’s at 3,029 meters and has a fantastic view of the mountains. There’s also a little tram you can take up to the Glacier that’s fun to do.

Ice Camp by Audi

If you time you’re trip just right, you’ll be able to go to the Ice Camp by Audi. Starting in mid-January, you can head to the Ice Camp which are snow igloos with ice sculptures, light installations and a sun deck bar. It wasn’t open yet when we were there but it looks like a fun experience to have while on a ski break.

Maisi Flitzer

Another fun activity to do is the Maisi Flitzer, the Alpine Coaster towards the bottom of the resort. It operates year-round and two riders can go at a time. A single ride is €14.50 for Adults.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

The third area to go to is Saalbach-Hinterglemm, also known as Ski Circus. The ski resort at Saalbach is one of the largest in Austria and has 270 kilometres of ski runs. There are 70 ski lifts, over 60 ski huts, several snow parks and toboggan runs.

We didn’t end up skiing in Saalbach, but next time for sure!

Ski + Snowboard Rentals

If you’re visiting Austria and aren’t traveling with ski gear, it’s easy enough to rent it at any of the local ski shops. We stayed in Zell Am See and rented from a local shop there. We reserved gear ahead of time but didn’t need to–you can walk in and rent without a problem. Our rentals cost about €30 per day.

Altitude

If you’ve been skiing in the US, you’ll know that altitude sickness can be a real thing. (My sister once passed out in a grocery store shortly after arriving in the mountains and nearly knocked out her front teeth.) And once you get up into the mountains, you’re trying to stay hydrated and catch your breath. That’s one of the main differences I noticed about skiing in the US and skiing in Zell Am See.

The altitudes are much different. (I actually thought the landscape of the Alps looks much more dramatic and therefore must be higher, but that isn’t the case here.) Denver, being the mile-high city, is around 5,280 ft and the highest point at Zell Am See reaches 6,562 ft. The summit at Breckenridge is nearly 13,000 ft–almost twice as high.

While Kaprun is higher (9,938 ft), I didn’t noticed any altitude symptoms at all. I did get a headache, but I always have headaches so that’s not unusual.

Where to Stay

The town of Zell Am See is really cute and that’s where we decided to stay. We found a place that was right off the main street which we thought would be the perfect location. It was not. The après-ski culture continues after the slopes are shut down and well into the night. We were kept up until 3-4am with people hanging out in the street.

A better option would be to stay 1-2 streets over so you can still sleep at night. The town is pretty walkable so a little further away won’t matter much.

• The House – $$ Great location near CityXpress ski lift
• The Gast House – $$ Great location and hotel design
• Nikolaus by Avenida Panoramic Wellness Suites – $$ Mountain views
• Grand Hotel – $$$ Beautiful property on Lake Zell

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