Ski hard and have fun in Zillertal

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Glorious pistes: Zillertal is home to Austria’s longest valley run CREDIT: THOMAS STRAUB

•  Sarah Gordon, travel writer

18 DECEMBER 2018 • 2:45PM

Enjoy an active break in the valley where you can swap your ski gear for a festival get-up – and you don’t need to be a morning person to enjoy the slopes here

In Austria’s beautiful Tirol, you will find the world’s most active ski valley, Austria’s longest valley run at 10km (six miles) and a festival atmosphere.

This is Zillertal, a beautiful valley covering four huge ski areas that stretch for 530km (330 miles), and you need just one ski pass to take it all in.

Whether you are travelling with your partner or hitting the slopes with friends, you are guaranteed a great atmosphere both on and off the slopes in this friendliest of Tyrolean valleys. You can relax and enjoy the wide, gentle runs, hit the long-valley pistes, test your skills at seven different fun parks or head to the Hintertux Glacier, which offers year-round skiing.  

You will be able to top off all that skiing with your choice of 80 different mountain huts, offering everything from gourmet lunches to a warming drink on a sunny terrace. And the whole season is crowned by the Snowbombing festival, held in Mayrhofen each April, and featuring the world’s most in-demand musicians.

Each of the four ski areas – Hochzillertal-Hochfügen-Spieljoch, Zillertal Arena, Mayrhofner Bergbahnen and Ski- & Gletscherwelt Zillertal 3000 – has its own charm, and if you want to discover them all, you can with the Superskipass.

With so much to explore, surely you don’t need more reasons to visit. But just in case you do, here are five great things about Zillertal…

Dine in style

You already know about the quantity of ski huts scattered across the slopes of the valley, but do you know about the quality? Albergo is a sleek new hut in the Ski-Optimal Hochzillertal, all wood accents and picture windows perched at 2,400 metres (7,900ft). It serves up delicious pastas, fresh fish and offers a little slice of the Mediterranean in the mountains.

Fine dining: find a number of ski huts across the valley serving exquisite cuisine CREDIT: THOMAS STRAUB

For a more traditional taste of the Tyrol, Platzlalm, in the ski area of Hochzillertal, is home to wonderful local cuisine, while cosy Larmachalm offers a roaring fire on cold days and a beautiful terrace for sunny weather, and the quirky pyramid structures of Mayrhofen’s Schneekarhütte are a landmark for fantastic regional ingredients.

Party on the slopes

In April 2019, Mayrhofen’s Snowbombing festival celebrates its 20th birthday. For 20 years, music acts from all over the world have hosted parties at huts on the slopes, entertained from a forest stage, held street parties and igloo raves and offered late-night parties at The Arena.

The 2019 line-up includes more than 100 acts, headlined by Stormzy as well as return stars The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Andy C and Groove Armada. Combine outstanding music with days on the slopes when you book a festival package, offering you a choice of accommodation, a festival wristband, ski pass, kit hire and even lessons.

Making tracks

If you dream of having the slopes all to yourself, it is possible, but involves an early start. Ski areas across the valley open some lifts as early as 6.55am, giving you the chance to beat the crowds and enjoy that magical moment when the only sound you can hear is the swish of your skis.

At Ski-Optimal Hochzillertal, Kaltenbach opens at 7.30am every morning, while the Zillertal Arena has slopes open from 6.55am at Zell, Gerlos and Königsleiten every Thursday and Sunday in March. In the Mayrhofner ski area, Ahorn and Penken have lifts open daily from 8am, while Hintertuxer Gletscher offers special early-bird events including brunch during April. You don’t have to be a morning person to enjoy a unique ski experience, the different ski areas also host floodlit night skiing and amazing ski shows.

Never-ending valley runs

No trip to Zillertal is complete without trying the 10km (six-mile) valley run, the longest in Austria. The piste in Zell am Ziller drops 1,930 metre (6,300ft) over the course of the run and is a challenging treat for adventurous skiers. It is far from the only long run in this valley.

Spectacular views: choose from a number of never-ending valley runs

The Hintertuxer Glacier has the Schwarze Pfanne (Black Pan) run that plunges 1,750 metres (5,700ft) to the village of Hintertux below, while the Ahorn Valley Run, in Mayrhofen, runs for 5.5km (3.4 miles) and is a challenging descent with spectacular valley views. The Spieljoch valley offers the longest downhill run and snow can be made up artificially.

Amazing après

If gourmet food huts and Snowbombing festival weren’t enough to convince you of Zillertal’s great atmosphere, perhaps its other après offerings will. Wherever you are skiing in the valley, you will find a great place for a post-ski drink as you discuss the day’s action and compare stories of derring-do.

Harakiri Bar, in the centre of Mayrhofen, is a stylish spot with great house music and an ultra-modern Alpine-style interior, while the panorama terrace at Seppi’s, in Zillertal Arena, has a DJ playing house and electro music and is a great place to party in your ski boots. Join the stylish set and party on the terrace at Postalm in Kaltenbach or hit the Alpine club scene at Kristallhütte (it translates as Crystal Hut) in Hochzillertal.

For more information, visit austria.info/wintertales and zillertal.at