Tirol snow forecast

Skiing in Tirol

Tirol, in western Austria, has more than 80 ski areas and around 3,400 km of pistes. This region page brings together three areas: West Tirol, the Zillertal and the Kitzbühel Alps. Ski Arlberg, which straddles Tirol and Vorarlberg, has its own page.

The three areas cover a wide spread of altitude. West Tirol holds the high, snow-sure resorts and glaciers: Ischgl's Silvretta Arena, family-focused Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Sölden and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl in the Ötztal, and the Stubai Glacier near Innsbruck, several of which open in autumn and run into May or later. The Zillertal shares one lift pass across four ski areas, from lively Mayrhofen to the year-round Hintertux Glacier. The Kitzbühel Alps are lower and gentler, with large linked areas such as KitzSki and the SkiWelt that are full of easy blue and red cruising but more dependent on snowmaking in mild spells.

That spread is useful when choosing where to ski. In a warm or lean spell the glacier and high-altitude resorts of the Ötztal, Stubai and Tux valleys are usually the best bet, while after fresh snowfall the lower, tree-lined areas of the Kitzbühel Alps can ski very well and are more sheltered in bad weather.

The main season runs from early December to Easter, longer on the glaciers. Innsbruck is the hub for air and rail, with Salzburg and Munich also close, and good train links run along the Inn valley to Landeck, Jenbach, Wörgl and Kitzbühel.