Dream snow in the mountains: The lifts are already running in these five mega ski areas
There is no better start to the 2023/2024 ski season: Thanks to the severe onset of winter in the last few days, many ski areas can open ahead of schedule – with fantastic slope conditions. We present the five largest and best ski areas in Austria.
The one with one
Links marked with a symbol or underline are affiliate links. If a purchase is made through this, we will receive one
commission – at no additional cost to you! More info
Passionate skiers and snowboarders have been reveling in happiness since the heavy snowfall at the beginning of December. For years the snow situation in the mountains hasn’t been this good at the start of the ski season. A number of ski areas – including in Germany – were able to put some lifts into operation before the official start and make piste fans happy. We looked around the more than 400 ski resorts in Austria and picked out the biggest and best and their season openings. Have fun waving in the Winter Wonderland!
1. Ski Arlberg: Ski universe up to 2800 meters altitude
Always at the forefront: Ski Arlberg celebrated the opening of the season on December 1, 2023 – as one of the first non-glacier ski areas. This suits the largest contiguous ski area in Austria; after all, it calls itself the cradle of alpine skiing. The fifth-largest ski resort in the world also enjoys an excellent reputation internationally with its more than 300 kilometers of marked runs, 85 cable cars and lifts and 200 kilometers of variants in open terrain. Around 50 nations meet in St. Anton am Arlberg alone in winter. The “Mooser Wirt” après-ski hut, the “Weißer Rausch” Vallugagrat ski race and the 22-kilometer-long “Weißer Ring” ski circuit are also legendary there.
The Arlberg ski area, which extends across the two federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, also includes the celebrity resorts of St. Christoph, Stuben, Lech, Zürs and, for ten years, the tranquil Warth-Schröcken ski region. That’s why Austria’s most famous ski area can also call itself the snowiest in Europe, because Warth-Schröcken holds the snow record with eleven meters of natural snow per winter. More than 300 snow cannons ensure additional snow security well into spring – 80 percent of all slopes can be sprinkled with artificial snow. Sorry: technical snow, as they say in Austria.
2. Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental: family paradise and night skiing
People from Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bergdoktor fans, families and night skiers love the Wilder Kaiser ski area. The impressive rocky massif in Tyrol can be reached in just over an hour by the city dwellers mentioned above and, with its 288 kilometers of slopes and 90 lifts, can be called the second largest ski area in Austria. The name Skiwelt comes from the fact that it includes a total of nine towns – Ellmau, Going, Scheffau, Söll, Hopfgarten, Itter, Kelchsau, Westendorf and Brixen im Thale. The area extends from an altitude of almost 700 meters to the summit of the Hohe Salve at 1,828 meters.
The official start of the ski season is on Friday, December 8, 2023, but given the fantastic snow conditions, seven lifts and 15 kilometers of groomed slopes opened on the first weekend in Advent. The highlight for small children are three free ski slopes with magic carpets. There are many red and blue runs available for families and the country’s largest night ski area awaits night owls in Söll from the end of December – with three lifts and floodlights on a total of ten kilometers of slopes.
3. Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm, Leogang, Fieberbrunn: Casual skiing fun
“Home of Lässig” – that’s what the four combined ski resorts from Tyrol and Salzburger Land call themselves. What the third largest ski area in Austria offers is of the highest standard – also in terms of variety: 270 kilometers of slopes with 140 kilometers of blue, 112 kilometers of red and 18 kilometers of black runs. 70 cable cars and lifts, more than 60 ski huts, numerous snow parks with fun slopes for children and teenagers, a freeride park with half pipes, race tracks and floodlit slopes. And après-ski at its finest, such as at the “Bärnalm”, “Burgi’s Bar” or the “Hinterhagalm”.
A week before the planned ski operations from Friday, December 8th, a number of lifts in the four ski resorts were able to open due to the top snow conditions. The opening parties will take place from December 8th to 10th, 2023 with the mountain festival (rock music) and the following week from December 14th to 17th, 2023, at the “Rave on Snow”, the world’s largest winter festival in the club scene.
4. Ski amadé: Ski swings from the Salzburger Land to Styria
Five regions with 25 resorts belong to the Ski amadé ski association, which with its 270 ski lifts is one of the largest winter sports areas in Europe. The ski world is roughly divided into the regions Salzburger Sportwelt, Schladming-Dachstein, Gastein, Hochkönig and Großarltal – with a total of 760 kilometers of slopes. There will be two major new openings in Großarl shortly before Christmas on December 21, 2023: the 10-person “Kieserl” gondola lift and the “Wolke 7” ski hut. The Kieserlbahn takes you up more than 1000 meters to the summit plateau of the Kieserl and thus opens up the ski area of the Roslehenalm, which was previously only reserved for experienced downhill skiers.
Right next to the mountain station, the two local hoteliers from “Nesslerhof” and “Edelweiß” show how they interpret the expression “floating on cloud 9”: in the form of a modern low-rise building with wooden shingles and a 360-degree panoramic terrace, gourmet kitchen in collaboration with regional farmers, fine wines, well-kept service and cool design – stylish and anything but mass tourism.
Some ski lifts in the Skiwelt amadé are already running: in Sportgastein since November 25th, 2023 and since December 1st, 2023 in the Großarltal, in Gastein, in Schladming-Dachstein and in four regions of the Salzburger Sportwelt. From December 7th to December 23rd, all lifts will gradually open.
5. Silvretta Arena: Unlimited flights of fancy
Shortly before the end of the narrow Paznaun Valley lies Ischgl, which is showing its best side again after Corona. The ski area starts at 1,360 meters and extends up to 2,872 meters and across to Samnaun in Switzerland. 239 kilometers of slopes and 45 lifts not only make it the third largest ski area in Tyrol, but also secure it a place among the largest in Austria.
As far as superlatives go, the Silvretta Arena has even more to offer: 90 percent of the ski area is above 2,000 meters in altitude, making it one of the most snow-sure. Spectacular mountain views of the Silvretta mountain range included. Not to forget the freeride area at Piz Val Gronda and the legendary après-ski parties.
The ski opening was on November 25, 2023, with the US singer Demi Lovato, who heated up the skiers and boarders at the Top of the Mountain Concert.