Salzburg Ski Resorts

Salzburg: A Wonderful Mix Of Culture, Winter Sports - Salzburg is renowned for its charming old town and idyllic Alpine setting. Winter visitors can enjoy the Christmas markets, classical concerts, and surrounding ski areas. The Gastein Valley ski area offers skiing for all levels, including 60 kilometres for beginners, 117 for intermediates,... Full Overview

Salzburg: A Wonderful Mix Of Culture, Winter Sports -

Salzburg is renowned for its charming old town and idyllic Alpine setting. Winter visitors can enjoy the Christmas markets, classical concerts, and surrounding ski areas.

The Gastein Valley ski area offers skiing for all levels, including 60 kilometres for beginners, 117 for intermediates, and 24 kilometres for advanced. Skiers and boarders can enjoy well-groomed slopes and reach altitudes of 2650 metres. Gastein is divided into four ski areas: Schlossalm – Angertal – Stubnerkogel; Sportgastein; Graukogel; and Dorfgastein-Grossarltal.

The largest connected skiing area is Schlossalm – Angertal – Stubnerkogel with 81 kilometres of ski runs reaching up to 2300 metres altitude. The pistes are linked by modern lifts and cable cars. Beginners are especially well suited to the Angertal Valley. One of the longest runs in the Eastern Alps is the Hohe Scharte Nord stretching eight kilometres; it has an altitude difference of 1440 metres.

Sportgastein is the highest skiing area in the Gastein Valley with skiing between 1590 and 2650 metres. Graukogel is famous among skiing experts for its challenging runs. It boasts long difficult downhill pistes twisting and turning through forests. Graukogel does not have a lift connection with the other ski resorts in the area.

Dorfgastein-Grossarltal offers a family-friendly atmosphere with slopes ranging from beginner to advanced levels: 19 kilometres of beginners’ runs; 46 kilometres of intermediate runs; and 15 kilometres of advanced runs. The modern cable cars and chairlifts link pistes ranging from 850 to 2003 metres. With the Gipfelbahn Fulseck, skiers and boarders can reach the highest point and enjoy panoramic views from the Grossglockner to the Dachstein.

The town of Dorfgastein-Grossarltal has managed to maintain its traditional feel and is surrounded by untouched countryside. Other winter sports in the Gastein Valley include: an ice rink, alpine curling alley, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing, and 34 kilometres of winter hiking trails.

Other popular ski resorts outside Salzburg include: Seefeld, Schladming, and Ellmau. Seefeld offers 19 individual pistes. In addition to skiing in Seefeld itself, which offers 27 kilometres of skiing, the resort is also connected to the Olympia Region Seefeld Ski Area.

Schladming offers 170 kilometres of pistes divided into 41 individual runs, but it is also connected to the Dachstein-Tauern Ski Area with its 865 kilometres of downhill pistes and 293 runs. Schladming town has a shopping area with plenty of cafes, bars, and restaurants.

Ellmau is part of the SkiWelt Area and offers access to 250 kilometres of pistes divided into 297 runs. The SkiWelt Area is one of the largest in Austria, but the resort of Ellmau is one of the quieter resorts in the area and particularly well suited to beginners and families.

The most convenient way to the ski areas surrounding Salzburg is from Salzburg Airport, which is approximately an hour’s drive away. The other nearby airports of Innsbruck and Munich are approximately two hours away.

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