Winter Love in Tirol

Spoilt for Choice 

There’s no place in the alpine region where there’s as much choice for skiers and snowboarders as in Tirol. From huge resorts to small, family-friendly ones and the year-round ski slopes on the Hintertux Glacier, the province boasts a total of 80 ski areas with around 3,000 km of slopes. Amongst the most well-known are Ski Arlberg, the Silvretta Arena with Ischgl in the Paznauntal, family-friendly Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, the 5 glaciers of Tirol, and the resorts in the Kitzbühel Alps or Zillertal. Skiers can look forward to ultra-modern cable cars and lifts across all of the resorts. Whether beginner or pro: highly qualified guides welcome you at more than 360 Tirolean ski schools and they speak a range of languages too. Freestylers can practice their tricks in the snowparks and freeriders will find numerous deep snow slopes. There is also a large selection of easy and challenging tours for ski tourers. 

In addition, some ski areas are particularly committed to sustainability. The Silvretta Arena in the Paznauntal and SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental have both been recognised as climate-friendly ski areas, the latter one was recently voted one of Austria’s "most environmentally friendly ski resorts" by skiresort.de. 

The Tranquil and the Celebratory Winter 

Cross-country skiing is another way to enjoy the fresh air in Tirol, a sport that is considered to be particularly healthy. There are 4,000 km of trails to choose from across the province, with Tannheimer Tal, Olympiaregion Seefeld, Lake Achensee, the Kitzbühel Alps, and East Tirol being particularly renowned for cross-country skiing. "Venosta Nordic" is the new cross-country skiing network that connects 6 cross-country skiing areas with 9 trails in Nauders on the Reschen Pass and the Vinschgau in South Tirol.  

Winter and snowshoe hikers can enjoy the quiet side of winter in all parts of Tirol. The Wipptal near Innsbruck and Kartitsch in East Tirol, for example, have dedicated themselves entirely to winter hiking. Kartitsch has been Austria’s first certified winter hiking village since 2018 and hosted the European Winter Walking Days in 2022.   

Those who visit Tirol‘s Advent and Christmas markets are sure to get that special "Tirol feeling", which describes the many little heartwarming moments. "Advent in Tirol" is the initiative that has set the high standards of 9 atmospheric markets for 10 years now. Achensee, Hall in Tirol, Innsbruck, Kitzbühel, Kufstein, Lienz, Rattenberg, Seefeld, and St. Johann in Tirol focus on tradition and customs, offering a varied programme – from their music to the food. All 9 markets are currently scheduled to open on the first Sunday of Advent, the 28th November 2021. 

Tirol Facts and Figures 

• Number of ski resorts: more than 80 including small resorts with just 1 lift 

• Largest ski resorts: Ski Arlberg (with Vorarlberg): 88 lifts / 300 km of slopes, Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental 90 lifts / 263 km of slopes, Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn (with SalzburgerLand): 70 lifts / 249 km of slopes 

• Total km of slopes: around 3,400  

• Ski schools: more than 360 with around 7,000 snow sports instructors 

• Glaciers: 5 Tirolean glaciers (Kaunertal, Pitzal, Sölden / Ötztal, Stubai Glacier, Hintertux Glacier) 

• Groomed cross-country trails: around 4,000 km. Largest cross-country skiing area: Olympiaregion Seefeld with 245 km of trails. Truly spectactular: the high-altitude trail on the Pitztal Glacier at up to 2,500 m above sea level 

• Winter hiking regions: 15 

• Toboggan runs: 220 with a total length of 750 km, including several illuminated tracks for night sledding 

• Advent markets: 13  

• 124 inns have the "Tirolean Inn" quality seal and serve traditional, regional cuisine. In 2021, 99 restaurants were awarded a total of 170 Gault Millau toques 

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