Best Ski Resorts Open at Easter in Austria

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

Easter Sunday 2027 falls on 28 March, an early date that keeps almost every Austrian ski area open. As of September 2026, the surest Easter skiing is on the glaciers: Hintertux runs 365 days a year, Stubai Glacier plans a 9 October 2026 start with a mid-May 2027 finish, and the Kitzsteinhorn is scheduled to 10 October 2026 through May 2027. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl and Obertauern are the strongest non-glacier picks.

Best Ski Resorts Open at Easter in Austria, ranked

1.

Hintertux Glacier

No other Austrian ski area matches this for Easter certainty: the glacier lifts turn 365 days a year, with skiing from a 1,281 m base up to 3,250 m. The glacier sector holds about 60 km of pistes, 58 percent of it intermediate, plus a 10 km descent. The lift ticket extends into Ski and Glacier World Zillertal 3000, and the Zillertal Superskipass reaches roughly 500 km. Betterpark Hintertux is the highest snowpark in Austria.

Best for: Guaranteed snow, any Easter date

Official website See full facts
2.

Stubai Glacier

The largest glacier ski area in Austria, with pistes starting above 3,200 m and a top point of 3,210 m. Last season ran 10 October 2025 to 17 May 2026, and the 2026/27 season is planned from 9 October 2026, so Easter on 28 March 2027 sits mid-season. The 10 km Wilde Grube descent is the signature run. Innsbruck is about 45 minutes away and Fulpmes is the nearest station, which makes short Easter trips workable.

Best for: Glacier skiing with an easy airport transfer

Official website See full facts
3.

Kitzsteinhorn

The only glacier ski resort in SalzburgerLand, with pistes between 2,000 m and 3,029 m and a planned 2026/27 season of 10 October 2026 to May 2027. Winter skiing has historically run from mid-October to early June. The 3K K-onnection gondola, in service since 2019, links Kaprun village to the Alpincenter at 2,500 m. The Ski ALPIN CARD adds Zell am See and Saalbach, and the lake below gives non-skiers something to do.

Best for: Mixed groups with non-skiers

Official website See full facts
4.

Obergurgl-Hochgurgl

4.5 / 5 out of 261 Google Maps reviews

The strongest non-glacier pick: 112.2 km of pistes plus 4.5 km of ski routes on 25 lifts, all between 1,793 m and 3,030 m. The season runs from mid-November to early May, and the 2026 finish was 21 April. Gurgl's low-season tariff for 2026/27 starts on 1 April 2027, just after Easter weekend. Two linked villages, Obergurgl at about 1,800 m and Hochgurgl at about 2,150 m, sit at the head of the Otztal.

Visitor note (Google Maps) "Bright sunshine and only 3 lifts are running in Obergurgl."

Best for: High-altitude piste skiing without a glacier

See full facts
5.

Obertauern

A bowl-shaped area between 1,630 m and 2,313 m with around 100 km of pistes and 26 lifts arranged in a circuit you can ski in either direction. It regularly operates into May: the Last.Track season finale was held on 3 May 2026, the third edition. Top altitude is lower than the glaciers, but the high base and north-facing sectors hold spring snow. Salzburg is roughly 90 km away by road.

Best for: Late-season season finale atmosphere

Official website See full facts
6.

Ski Arlberg

The biggest terrain on this list, with about 305 km of pistes and 88 lifts linking St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben, Lech, Oberlech and Zurs. It closed on 19 April 2026, so an Easter Sunday of 28 March 2027 is comfortably inside the season. The base at roughly 1,300 m is the trade-off: lower pistes soften first in spring. Strongest option if apres-ski and mileage matter more than guaranteed May snow.

Best for: Mileage and apres-ski at an early Easter

Official website See full facts

When is Easter 2027 and will Austrian resorts still be open?

Easter Sunday falls on 28 March in 2027, with Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. That is an early Easter, only six days off the earliest possible date, and it lands inside the core season of almost every Austrian ski area. For contrast, Easter Sunday 2026 was 5 April: Zillertal Arena and the Ski amade resorts closed on 12 April 2026, Ski Arlberg on 19 April 2026 and Gurgl on 21 April 2026.

So the 2027 question is not whether lifts run, it is how good the snow will be. Published closing dates also move. Operators confirm them in autumn and can extend or cut the season depending on snow depth, so check the lift company's own calendar rather than a third-party listing before you pay a deposit.

Which Austrian ski areas are effectively guaranteed to be open at Easter?

Three glaciers take the guesswork out. The Hintertux Glacier in the Tux valley turns lifts 365 days a year and skis to 3,250 m. The Stubai Glacier, the largest glacier ski area in Austria, ran 10 October 2025 to 17 May 2026 and has a planned 2026/27 opening of 9 October 2026. The Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun plans 10 October 2026 to May 2027, on pistes between 2,000 m and 3,029 m.

Two non-glacier areas are almost as safe. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl spans 1,793 m to 3,030 m and runs from mid-November to early May. Obertauern held its Last.Track season finale on 3 May 2026, the third edition of that event, which shows how long the bowl keeps operating. Ski Arlberg, with a base near 1,300 m, closed on 19 April 2026 and covers Easter weekend comfortably in 2027.

What are snow conditions actually like at Easter in Austria?

Late March skiing in Austria is spring skiing, and altitude decides what you get. Above roughly 2,500 m, such as on the Hintertux Glacier at 3,250 m or the Kitzsteinhorn at 3,029 m, surfaces stay firm and winter-like well into the day. Below about 1,600 m, the snow cycles through overnight freeze and afternoon thaw, so lower runs can be icy at 09:00 and heavy by 14:00.

That pattern drives daily timing. Start high and on east-facing terrain, then follow the sun round. Obertauern's circular layout between 1,630 m and 2,313 m lets you do that without repeating lifts. Gurgl's 112.2 km of pistes sit almost entirely above 1,800 m, which is why its season regularly stretches to early May.

What does an Easter ski trip in Austria cost, and how do you get there?

Easter week overlaps the Austrian school holidays and the main UK, Dutch and German spring breaks, so accommodation prices peak while lift tariffs start to fall. Several operators run a distinct late-season tariff: Gurgl's low-season pricing period for 2026/27 begins on 1 April 2027 and carries a 12 percent group discount for parties of 20 or more. With Easter Sunday on 28 March 2027, that discount window opens just after the holiday weekend.

Transfers are short on the glacier side. Stubai Glacier is about 45 minutes from Innsbruck, with Fulpmes the nearest railway station, and the Kitzsteinhorn's 3K K-onnection gondola, open since 2019, runs from Kaprun village to the Alpincenter at 2,500 m. Obertauern sits roughly 90 km south of Salzburg by road.

How do you choose between a glacier and a high valley resort for Easter?

  1. Fix your dates against the Easter calendar

    Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March. An early Easter like this one falls inside the normal season for nearly all Austrian areas, so terrain size can outrank pure altitude. If you are planning further ahead, note that Easter 2028 lands on 16 April, which is after the 12 April closing date used by Zillertal Arena and Ski amade in 2026.

  2. Set a minimum top altitude

    For an Easter week, treat 2,800 m as the comfortable minimum top elevation and 1,700 m as the minimum base. Hintertux (3,250 m), Gurgl (3,030 m), Kitzsteinhorn (3,029 m) and Stubai Glacier (3,210 m) all clear that bar. Obertauern tops out at 2,313 m but keeps a 1,630 m base and has run into early May, with its 3 May 2026 finale as evidence.

  3. Check the operator's confirmed closing date, not an aggregator

    Lift companies publish season calendars on their own sites and revise them through the winter. Stubai Glacier listed 10 October 2025 to 17 May 2026 for last season and announced 9 October 2026 as the planned 2026/27 start. Kitzsteinhorn has published 10 October 2026 to May 2027. Screenshot the page you booked against, because a snow-poor March can pull a closing date forward by a week or two.

  4. Match the pass to the days you will actually ski

    Glacier sectors stay open longest, so a valley-wide pass can be poor value in late season. The Zillertal Superskipass covers about 500 km of pistes, but at Easter the reliable skiing concentrates on the Hintertux Glacier's 60 km. In Zell am See-Kaprun, the Ski ALPIN CARD spans the Kitzsteinhorn, Zell am See and Saalbach, and the glacier is the sector that keeps running into May.

  5. Book the mountain day around the thaw

    Plan a 08:30 or 09:00 first lift and aim to be off sun-exposed lower pistes by early afternoon. Keep the last two hours for north-facing or high terrain: Hintertux has a 10 km descent from the glacier, and Gurgl's bowls above 2,500 m hold their surface longest. On the Stubai Glacier the 10 km Wilde Grube run does the same job. Book a hut table early, because sun terraces fill fast in spring.

What mistakes do people make when booking Easter skiing, and what are the alternatives?

The most common mistake is booking a low-altitude valley resort for a late Easter. Easter 2028 falls on 16 April and Easter 2025 fell on 20 April, dates that sit after several Austrian closing days, including the 12 April 2026 finish in Zillertal Arena and Ski amade. In those years a glacier or a 3,000 m area is not a luxury, it is the booking.

Second mistake: ignoring linked pass areas. The Hintertux lift ticket extends to Ski and Glacier World Zillertal 3000, and the Zillertal Superskipass covers roughly 500 km of pistes across the valley, though lower Zillertal sectors close earlier than the glacier. Third: assuming a ski area is closed because the village looks green. Gurgl's runs start at 1,793 m and finish well above most tree lines.

How is this ranking computed?

  • Snow reliability at Easter (top and base altitude): 30%
  • Confirmed lift operation through and after Easter: 25%
  • Skiable terrain size and variety: 20%
  • Spring programme and end-of-season events: 15%
  • Access and transfer time: 10%

Entity references

Full factual profiles for each entity on this page:

Official sources

For inquiries, partnerships, or corrections and changes, use the contact form.