I love to ski! Here are all the places I have skied so far across Austria, my current home.
A note: This is an incomplete list that I hope to add on to as I continue to get out into the mountains while living here. I also know that this list is pretty limited to the few hundred kilometres around Salzburg, but I also hope to get to ski in Tyrol one day too.
First published 6 February 2022; last updated 21 November 2024.
Before moving to Austria, I had never skiied in Europe (only in Canada!) and it had been more than three years since I was out on the slopes. On top of that, I'd never skiied alone, so as you can imagine I was a little nervous when I first started heading back up the mountains. Thankfully, I got right back into it, and fell in love with skiing all over again. I brought over all my ski stuff that had been packed up for the past three years at my parents' place in California while I was traveling the world. Now, I try to get out as much as I can every winter and explore some of the incredible hills of Austria!
Schladming
A fairly small hill, this one has two sides to explore: Planai and Rohrmoos. The grading system only has two categories, blue for easy and red for medium. There's many more red runs than blue, but it's still a fairly easy hill plus there's a little bunny hill for practicing on. The blue runs were actually tons of fun, and I even managed to get myself down a few of the reds too! Planai only has red runs, so stick to Rohrmoos for a bit of an easier day out.
From Salzburg: 1.5 hours by train | 1.25 hours by car
Zell am See
Zell am See is a big hill overlooking a beautiful lake with lots of runs of all three colours (blues, reds and blacks). When I visited, the visibility was extremely poor, having snowed heavily for a few days before and during, so the snow was extra powdery which made it quite bumpy and, as a not-great skiier, I found the conditions tough. However, I felt the runs and snow quality were both better than Schladming, but a more challenging option.
From Salzburg: 1.5 hours by train | 1.25 hours by car
Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein is by far my favourite ski hill of all the ones I've visited in the Salzburg region and with the conditions I had, it was probably my personal best skiing day ever. Bad Gastein is a big hill, in the very near vicinity of many other resorts including Bad Hofgastein, meaning there's tons of options to choose from. The Stubnerkogel Mountain which is the main peak from which most runs start is iconic, with views of Austria's tallest mountain, the Grossglockner, and an impressive suspension bridge running across the mountains. Truly a spectacular spot to spend the day.
From Salzburg: 1.5 hours by train | 1.5 hours by car
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel is world famous, which also makes it very touristy and busy. If you can look past the long lines at the ticket counters and to get up the first initial gondola ride up the mountain, the runs themselves are wicked fun. There's actually loads of blue runs here which make it a wonderful choice for less experienced skiiers and then the red runs are just a heck of a good time. Aside from the amount of people, I had a blast here.
From Salzburg: 2.5 hours by train | 1.25 hours by car
Saalbach Hinterglemm
Saalbach is exceptional and it's huge. The runs and options and lifts here seem to stretch on forever! It's essentially a cluster of different ski towns that are all connected in the mountains with one lift ticket. The conditions were amazing and while the runs themselves weren't that long, so by the time you really got into it it was time for another lift, I thought the variety was great. The train arrives at Leogang and from there you can make your way across the hills to whichever part of the greater Saalbach Hinterglemm resort you'd like to get to.
From Salzburg: 2.5 hours by train | 1.5 hours by car
Kitzsteinhorn
Kitzsteinhorn is a great hill, with stunning views and loads of runs. I had convinced a few people I had met at a birthday party the night before to head out for the day and together we shared a delicious typical Austrian ski hill lunch at the Gletschermühle lunch, and were out on the hill for hours, before the final ascent at 3:30pm.
From Salzburg: 2 hours by train and bus | 1.75 hours by car
Dorfgastein
Dorfgastein was a lovely little hill which I went to with one of my best friends, Ann Cathrin, who came to stay for the weekend from Vienna. This ski day was instrumental in reminding me of my worth and focusing my energy on a bright year ahead. We didn't spend very long on the slopes, just got a half-day pass, but it was perfect and finished off with a warm bowl of knödel soup to warm us up at one of the huts on the hill.
From Salzburg: 1.25 hours by train | 1.25 hours by car
Dachstein West
Dachstein West is an exceptional ski resort southeast of Salzburg. I loved Dachstein West so much because it's a massive resort, with 160km of runs to explore, with the best views I've ever had from a slope and an all-around total blast.
From Salzburg: 1 hour by train and bus | 1 hour by car
Flachauwinkl
Flachauwinkl is the highest ski resort in Austria with 45km of runs, so a bit smaller and perfect for a peaceful and lowkey half-day out. It was at Flachauwinkl that I first tried Frittatensuppe (pancake soup!) and it was the perfect post-ski meal.
From Salzburg: 2 hours by train | 1 hour by car
Zauchensee
Zauchensee had some some of the best ski conditions I've ever experienced. We had perfect sunny blue skies the day after a fresh snow fall which meant soft powder and absolutely stunning views. We stopped for lunch in one of the many huts and enjoyed proper Austrian hut food to fuel our long day out.
From Salzburg: 2.5 hours by train | 1.25 hours by car
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
