Ski Austria

Welcome to the Ski Austria page, providing a regular round-up of the skiing conditions and current snow reports for the main ski resorts in the Austrian Alps. Over recent years some of the most consistent good piste conditions have been reported at Kaprun, Zurs, Obergurgl, St Anton, Hintertux, Neustift, Lech and Pitztal showing a mix of glacial resorts and those most exposed to prevailing storm tracks.

However, in any given week or season the best slope conditions may be found at any of the other high Austrian resorts or at lower elevation ski stations in poor weather. For off-piste powder, resorts such as Kuhtai, Kaprun, Galtur, St Anton, Lech, Zurs, Obertauern and Ischgl have proven among the most consistent over the seasons, either brought on by regular snowfalls, favourable sun aspect or for not getting tracked out quickly. It is worth noting that while St Anton is an off-piste mecca it does get extremely busy and the lift accessed routes get tracked very quickly, however, it does benefit from regular heavy snowfalls.

Austrians have a very relaxed policy when it comes to skiing or boarding off-piste, however it is important to observe the warnings because Austria has its fair share of avalanche fatalities. Check out the snow reports below for the latest news as conditions change quickly in the Alps. Generally the best snow conditions arrive in Austria with weather systems tracking in from the north and northwest but you can expect snow from any direction producing reliable snow cover at most of the higher altitude resorts.

Austria is one of the world’s six leading ski nations and has played a crucial role in the development of downhill skiing over the past century.

There are more than 600 Austrian ski resorts of all sizes that fill every corner of the country, from the famous mountainous regions of Tirol and Stiermark in the West to the rolling hills of Eastern Austria.

Unlike in its Alpine neighbours, purpose build ski resorts are a real rarity in Austria. Although many of the country’s most famous resorts have been 95% built from scratch due to their success and expansion over the past 60 years, almost all new building is to strict planning regulations in the classic chalet style so villages always look attractive and it’s hard to know what is 2 years old and what 200.

Critics of Austrian skiing say that as a result of not building ski resorts on mountain tops most Austrian resorts are low – ranging from perhaps 600 to 1000m above sea level, and often their top lifts are below 2000m – which, the argument goes, can be bad news for snow cover.

In fact one of the most famous resorts criticised for that, Kitzbühel, published stats showing that their snow cover is little changed in the past 50 years. Perhaps, on average, arriving a day sooner and ending a day later than in the 1960s, but otherwise fairly constant.

Austria also beats its neighbours, and indeed any other country in the world, for glacier skiing. For much of those seven months of the year from May to November when few ski areas are open, up to eight glacier ski areas are open to ski Austria when no more than three are open in any other country north of the equator. These include the country’s highest ski lift at Pitztal Glacier 3440m.

Skiing in Austria was the most popular destination choice for British skiers in the 1970s and 1980s and remains second most popular after France. It lacks the vast ski areas of the French Alps – the largest region the slightly tenuous connection between the 280km of the Skiwelt and 160km or so around Kitzbühel, but Austria’s fans point out the terrain is more varied with runs down through the forest; friendly wooden mountain restaurants to stop off at, rather than vast motorway-services style concrete-cafeterias, and prices are generally 10 or 20% less for a lift ticket too.

The fore-runner of the style of downhill skiing we all enjoy today actually began in those smaller hills near Vienna. Pioneer Mathias Zdarsky developed it from the Norwegian Telemark technique invented 40 years earlier in to the first ‘Alpine’ style in 1905 and taught thousands of people the basics, many in huge 100+ people classes. Within a few years the Arlberg technique had appeared in St Anton, pioneered this time by one Johann ‘Hannes’ Schneider, which further developed downhill and popularised skiing worldwide as Schneider appeared in films and took the invention to Japan before going to the US when asked to support the Nazis. Instead he helped train the US Army mountain division, veterans from which were in turn behind the post-war development of ski areas in the Western US states like Colorado. read more...

Snow: next 3 days

Ski resorts of Austria, alphabetically

Resort	Webcam (click to zoom)	Top and bottom snow depth	On-piste	Off-piste	Forecast snow in next 3 days (click for forecast)	Weather forecast for 3 days ahead Weather report	Last snow
Abtenau					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 29.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Achenkirch am Achensee					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 49.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Admont/Kaiserau					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 36.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Aflenz					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 30.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Alberschwende					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 67.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Alpbachtal					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 36.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Alpl bei Krieglach					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 35.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Altaussee					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 34.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Andelsbuch					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 72.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Annaberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 36.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Arabichl/Kirchberg am Wechse					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 39.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Arnoldstein-Dreiländerecke					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Auffach					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 33.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Axamer Lizum					10 cm	Heavy rain (total 24.0mm), mainly falling Mon afternoon. Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Mon night
Bad Gastein					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 19.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Bad Hofgastein					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 19.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Bad Ischl/Katrin					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 35.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Bad Kleinkirchheim					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Berg in the Drautal/Emberger Alm					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Bergeralm					1 cm	Heavy rain (total 26.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Mon night
Berwang-Bichlbach-Rinnen					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 99.0mm), heaviest during Mon night
Biberwier					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 85.0mm), heaviest during Mon night
Bizau					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 74.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Bodental					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 11.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Brandnertal					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 44.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Bregenz/Pfaender					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 67.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Brixen im Thale					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 33.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Dachstein Glacier		280 cm 0 cm	Fresh	Fresh	2 cm	Heavy rain (total 21.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed morning Snowing lightly, refreshing pistes	5 cm on 20 May
Dalaas					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 53.0mm), heaviest during Tue night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Damüls					2 cm	Heavy rain (total 55.0mm), heaviest during Tue night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Defereggental/St Jakob					2 cm	Heavy rain (total 20.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed morning
Diedamskopf					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 80.0mm), heaviest during Tue night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Dienten					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 23.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Dobratsch					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 15.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Donnersbachwald					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 37.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Dreilaendereck					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Durrnberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 30.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Eben/Monte Popolo					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 30.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Ebensee am Traunsee					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 28.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Eberstein-Saualpe					2 cm	Heavy rain (total 22.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Mon night
Ehrwald					34 cm	Heavy rain (total 23.0mm) on Mon afternoon. Becoming colder with heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Mon night
Ehrwalder Alm					1 cm	Heavy rain (total 77.0mm), heaviest during Mon night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Ellmau					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 33.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Embach/Hoerndl					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 40.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Etmissl					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 28.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Falkert					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 12.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Fanningberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 23.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Fendels					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 58.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Fieberbrunn					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 29.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Filzmoos					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 33.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Finkenberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 32.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Fiss					16 cm	Mild with heavy rain (total 24.0mm), heaviest during Mon night. Becoming colder with a moderate fall of snow heaviest on Tue night
Flachau-Reitdorf					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 28.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Flachauwinkl-Kleinarl					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 25.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Fladnitz/Teichalm					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 28.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Flattach					2 cm	A dusting of snow turning to light rain (total 5.0mm) on Wed afternoon
Flattnitz					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 14.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Fontanella-Faschina					11 cm	Mild with heavy rain (total 35.0mm), heaviest during Tue night. Becoming colder with a moderate fall of snow heaviest on Tue night
Forstau/Fageralm					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 32.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Fügen/Spieljoch					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 37.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Fulpmes					2 cm	Heavy rain (total 36.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Mon night
Furx					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 51.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Füssener-Jöchle-Grän					1 cm	Heavy rain (total 118.0mm), heaviest during Mon night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Gaal/Gaaler Lifte					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 27.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Gaberl/Stubalpe-Salla					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 21.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Gaissau-Hintersee (Spielbergalm)					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 31.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Gargellen					9 cm	Heavy rain (total 22.0mm), mainly falling Mon afternoon. Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Tue night
Gaschurn					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 44.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Gasteiner Tal					2 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm) at first, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed morning
Gemeindealpe					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 25.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Gerlitzen					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 16.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Gerlos		140 cm 50 cm	Excellent	Crust	2 cm	Heavy rain (total 23.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Mon night Cloudy this morning, clearing later	0 cm on 12 Apr
Glungezer					3 cm	Heavy rain (total 31.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Mon night
Going					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 32.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Goldeck					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Goldegg					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 13.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Golm					9 cm	Heavy rain (total 22.0mm), mainly falling Mon afternoon. Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Tue night
Golzentipp					1 cm	Heavy rain (total 22.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Tue night
Gosau-Zwieselalm					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 37.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Gostling					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 16.0mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon
Grän/Füssner-Jöchle					1 cm	Heavy rain (total 122.0mm), heaviest during Mon night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Grebenzen-St Lambrecht					0 cm	Moderate rain (total 17.0mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon
Gröbming					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 39.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Großeck-Speiereck					2 cm	Heavy rain (total 29.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Grossarl-Dorfgastein					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 23.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Grossglockner Resort (Kals und Matrei)					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 25.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Thu morning
Grünau im Almtal					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 27.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Hallein-Bad Dürrnberg/Zinken					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 31.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Harmanschlag/Arralifte					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 37.0mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon
Hauser Kaibling					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 37.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Hebalm am Packsattel					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 22.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon
Heiligenblut					4 cm	Moderate rain (total 10.0mm) heaviest on Mon afternoon, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed morning
Hinterstoder					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 32.0mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Hintertux		305 cm 0 cm	Fresh	Fresh	10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Mon afternoon Snowing lightly, refreshing pistes	3 cm on 20 May
Hirschegg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 89.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Hittisau/Hausberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 87.0mm), heaviest during Tue night
Hittisau/Hochhäderich					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 87.0mm), heaviest during Tue night. Later becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Hochficht-Schwarzenberg					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 21.0mm), heaviest during Mon night
Hochfügen					8 cm	Mild with moderate rain (total 19.0mm) on Mon afternoon, Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Mon night
Hochjoch-Schruns					0 cm	Heavy rain (total 48.0mm), heaviest during Tue night