Last Updated on 3rd September 2019 by Steve
There is a wealth of choice for those looking for a destination for their summer ski holiday in Austria. But it is probably easier to split the list of ski resort options into two different kinds of resorts: those that offer year-round (or almost year-round) skiing and those which close late in the spring and then open again in late summer or early autumn. (That would be fall, for those reading in North America…)
Skiing Austria 365 days a year
Hintertux Glacier – Tyrol
The Hintertux ski area is just about the most un-glacier-like you could imagine, with year-round opening, some tough red and black runs alongside the cruiser blue pistes and cute Tyrolean mountain villages to stay in near the base (or the livelier resort of Mayrhofen further away down the valley).
Nearly all-year-round
Mölltal Glacier – Carinthia
Photo: Felix Koenig/Wikimedia
Not quite 365 days skiing a year but the Mölltal glacier reckons it just loses a month in each 12 for renovations and a necessary breather. Winter skiing generally goes on until mid-May and then the summer skiing opens up again at some point in June. The skiing goes up to over 3000 metres and the fact that the Austrian and German National Ski Teams use this as one of their training bases will give you an idea of how reliable the snow is.
Stubai Glacier – Tyrol
The Stubai glacier is not far from the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck and it is another of Austria’s summer ski areas which provides a relatively extensive skiing challenge over much of the year. The winter/spring/early summer season finishes near the end of June and the late summer/autumn skiing starts up again in late September or early October.
Kitzsteinhorn Glacier – Salzburg
The Kitzsteinhorn glacier near the ski resort of Kaprun in the Austrian province of Salzburg is another large summer skiing destination with a slightly confusing set of opening times. The winter/spring season finishes at the beginning of June. The lifts then close down for around a month before opening up near the end of June through to around the last week in July. They then close again until the autumn opening in October.
High Summer Break
Sölden – Tyrol
The Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers above Sölden make up an extensive high-altitude ski area in the winter, fully linked to the main ski runs above the town. The winter season lasts until early May, when the glaciers close to reopen again in late September for autumn skiing. The area, reached in summer and autumn by a glacier road, is a popular training location for national ski teams and Sölden usually kicks off the World Cup ski race season in October.
Kaunertal Glacier – Tyrol
The Kaunertal glacier winter season finishes in mid-May before opening again in late summer – generally towards the end of September.
Pitztal Glacier – Tyrol
The Pitztal glacier is another of the smaller glacier areas which close late and open at the start of autumn. Generally the area finishes near the beginning of May and reopens in mid-September.
Dachstein Glacier – Styria
The small Dachstein glacier ski area is situated in the southern Austrian province of Styria. It has restricted its summer ski season in the past few years and now closes in May and reopens in September.
