Here Comes the Sun! Spring skiing in Austria

Spring is around the corner but that doesn’t mean the winter sport season has to be over for good. In fact, it might well be the opposite. Just factor in the extra sunshine hours and milder temperatures on the slopes as well as the sun terraces just next to them.
 

BRITS LONG FOR A MOUNTAIN BREAK

Austria is Europe’s number 1 winter sports hub with 54 % of all holidaymakers enjoying their break in the Austrian mountains (IPK International, 2019). And 71 % of them name skiing as their top priority when choosing their destination. What’s more, recent studies show that many Brits still plan a break in the snow in the coming months.

Austria boasts more than 400 ski resorts and a total of 7.350 km of slopes. Snow conditions are excellent up until May and the Covid-19 protocols are easing, ensuring an even more enjoyable holiday. So, pack your best sunscreen and shades, strip off the thick layers and head to the Austrian Alps for spring skiing in style.
 

SKI RESORTS WITH AN XXL-SEASON

But where would you go? The good news is that some of Austria’s best ski resorts are perfect for skiing later in the year. In Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Gasteinertal, Hochkönig in SalzburgerLand as well as in Vorarlberg’s Montafon ski lifts and gondolas operate until 18 April. Lech Zürs in the Arlberg region is open until 24 April, just like Obergurgl in Tirol’s Ötztal – famously known as British world cup winner Dave Ryder’s favourite Austrian resort!

In the Ski amadé resort in SalzburgerLand and Styria you can whisk down the slopes until 1 May whereas Sölden in Tirol has an even longer season – the snow-sure resort will officially close Austria’s  winter season on 8 May.

EARLY MORNING SKIING

More sunshine hours mean more time for skiing, adding another advantage to hitting the slopes in springtime: early morning skiing! Depending on the resort, 50 to 100 skiers can enjoy the freshly groomed pistes before everyone else. In Vorarlberg’s Silvretta Montafon, early morning skiing is possible every Friday from 7.20 AM up until 1 April (Nova Exklusiv). Zillertalarena in Tirol opens its slopes for early risers Thursdays and Sundays at 6.55 AM from 6 to 27 March whereas Wagrain and St. Johann-Alpendorf (Snow Space Salzburg) offer early morning skiing every Sunday until 13 March. Heading to Styria or Carinthia? Turracher Höhe welcomes early risers on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 12 April.
 

THE LONGEST SKI CIRCUITS

If you fancy a challenge, we recommend Austria’s longest ski routes. The Run of Fame at Arlberg resort boasts 85 km of slopes across the Arlberg, Flexen and Hochtannberg mountain pass. Along the way, signs feature some of Arlberg’s ski heroes and celebrity guests. Sölden is home to the BIG3 Rallye, an almost 50 km long circuit including all three three-thousanders. Experienced skiers can complete it in around 40 hours. New this winter season are the 80 km long Kitz Ski World Tour in Tirol’s Wilder Kaiser-Brixental region and Salzburg’s 12 Peaks Trophy in Snow Space Salzburg (46 km). Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn challenges you to Ski your limit. The 65 km long circuit takes experienced skiers around seven hours, without a lunch break.
 

USEFULL APPS ON THE SLOPES

Where is the next blue (easy) slope, the closest hut, and the best way to get back to the valley? Apps are helpful companions for skiers. Free Wi-Fi is widely available in most Austrian winter regions. The Ski amadé resorts (Salzburger Sportwelt, Schladming-Dachstein, Gastein, Hochkönig, Großarltal) have their own App called Ski amadé Guide showing pistes in 3D, recording skied kilometers, altitude and speed, and making it easy to find friends and family members on the slopes thanks to the so-called “Friend Tracker”. Another useful App is the Alpine Card Navigator, guiding skiers visually and acoustically through the Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn, Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See and Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun ski regions.