Highest Ski Resorts in Austria: Top 7 by Altitude

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

As of September 2026, the Pitztal Glacier is the highest ski area in Austria, with lift-served pistes at 3,440 m reached by the Wildspitzbahn. Hintertux Glacier (3,250 m) is the only Austrian area open 365 days a year, and Stubai Glacier (3,210 m) is the country's largest glacier ski area. Seven areas top 3,000 m; Kitzsteinhorn in Salzburg and Moelltal Glacier in Carinthia are the highest outside Tyrol.

Highest Ski Resorts in Austria: Top 7 by Altitude, ranked

1.

Pitztal Glacier

The outright altitude record: the Wildspitzbahn ends at 3,440 m, Austria's highest lift, and Cafe 3440 is Tyrol's highest viewing platform. Lifts normally turn from late September to May, and the pass also covers the Rifflsee area, the Kaunertal Glacier and the Kaunertal Glacier Road. Terrain is wide and largely intermediate, with the 10 km-plus Taschachtal variant for off-piste days. Access is a bus ride up-valley from Imst-Pitztal station.

Best for: Highest lift-served skiing

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2.

Hintertux Glacier

The only Austrian ski area open 365 days a year, with pistes from 1,500 m to 3,250 m. It has 64 km of slopes split 17.2 km blue, 35.1 km red and 11.7 km black, 20 lifts and uphill capacity of 94,000 passengers per hour. The Schwarze Pfanne descent to Hintertux measures 12 km, the longest run in the Zillertal, and the surrounding region offers 206 km from 630 m upwards.

Best for: Summer and year-round skiing

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3.

Soelden

Soelden is the only Austrian resort where two glaciers, Rettenbach and Tiefenbach, are lift-linked into a full valley resort with skiing above 3,250 m. Three cable cars reach summits over 3,000 m, and the Rettenbach glacier hosts the Alpine Ski World Cup opener each October. That mix of high glacier terrain, long red pistes down to 1,350 m and a large lift fleet makes it the strongest all-round choice on this list for a full week.

Best for: Glacier plus full resort skiing

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4.

Stubai Glacier

Austria's largest glacier ski area, running from 1,750 m to 3,210 m with 26 lifts and 65 km of marked terrain, of which 21 km are ski routes. The most recent published season ran 10 October 2025 to 17 May 2026. Only about 2 km is graded difficult, so it suits beginners and intermediates, and the panorama takes in 109 peaks above 3,000 m. Innsbruck is roughly 50 minutes away, with a free ski bus from Neustift.

Best for: Biggest glacier terrain near a city

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5.

Kitzsteinhorn

Salzburger Land's only glacier ski area and Austria's first, opened in 1965 above Kaprun. Lift-served terrain reaches 3,029 m at the Gipfelwelt 3000 platform, and the 3K K-onnection gondola links the glacier down to the Maiskogel and into Kaprun village. The Ski ALPIN CARD combines it with Zell am See's Schmittenhoehe, which is the main reason to choose it over a Tyrolean glacier: you get high autumn snow plus a lake-side resort base.

Best for: Salzburg base with glacier access

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6.

Moelltal Glacier

Carinthia's highest ski area, with slopes reaching 3,122 m above the Moelltal valley at Flattach. A funicular from Innerfragant carries skiers into the glacier basin, so no glacier toll road is involved. Terrain is compact and mostly intermediate, and the area is used for autumn training by national race squads. The combined ticket with Ankogel at Mallnitz gives a second, lower mountain when glacier winds shut the upper lifts.

Best for: High skiing in southern Austria

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7.

Kaunertal Glacier

A quiet glacier area topping out at 3,108 m at the Karlesjoch, next door to the Pitztal in Tyrol. It is included on the Pitztal Glacier combination pass alongside Rifflsee and the Kaunertal Glacier Road, so many visitors ski both in one trip. Terrain is limited compared with Stubai or Hintertux, but the freeride reputation and short lift queues are the draw. Access depends on a toll mountain road that can close after heavy snow.

Best for: Uncrowded freeride glacier

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Which ski area in Austria is the highest?

The Pitztal Glacier holds the title. Its Wildspitzbahn cable car ends at the Hinterer Brunnenkogel at 3,440 m, which is also the highest lift in the country, and the Cafe 3440 next to the top station doubles as Tyrol's highest viewing platform. Behind it come the two Soelden glaciers, Rettenbach and Tiefenbach, with lift-served terrain above 3,250 m.

The rest of the 3,000 m club is short. Hintertux Glacier reaches 3,250 m from a 1,500 m base, Stubai Glacier tops out at 3,210 m, Moelltal Glacier in Carinthia at 3,122 m, Kaunertal Glacier at 3,108 m and the Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun at 3,029 m. Everything else in Austria, including Ischgl, Obertauern and St. Anton, stays below 2,900 m.

How long do these glacier seasons actually last?

Season length is the practical reason to care about altitude. Hintertux Glacier runs lifts 365 days a year, so it is the one Austrian option in July and August. The Stubai Glacier published 10 October 2025 to 17 May 2026 for its most recent winter, a span of roughly 31 weeks.

The Pitztal Glacier advertises snow cover from September through May, with the lift season starting in late September. Kaunertal Glacier and Moelltal Glacier follow a similar autumn-to-spring pattern, which is why race teams use them for pre-season training. Valley resorts in Tyrol and Salzburg typically open in early December and close in mid-April, so a glacier adds two to three months at each end of the calendar.

Does higher altitude really mean better snow?

Mostly, but not automatically. The top station height only tells you where the highest lift stops. What matters for a week's holiday is how much terrain sits above roughly 2,500 m and how much of the rest has snowmaking. Stubai Glacier reports snowmaking on about 25 percent of its pistes, because the glacier terrain itself rarely needs it.

Vertical drop cuts both ways. Hintertux Glacier spans 1,500 m to 3,250 m and its 12 km Schwarze Pfanne descent only skis top to bottom when the lower slopes hold cover. Soelden and the Kitzsteinhorn link glacier pistes to lower valley terrain, which is a bonus in midwinter and a weakness in late April. High glaciers are also exposed: wind holds on the upper lifts are common in December and January.

How do I choose between Austria's glacier ski areas?

  1. Fix your travel dates first

    Dates rule out most of the list. For July or August, Hintertux Glacier is the only Austrian choice, since it operates all 365 days. For October and November, Pitztal, Kaunertal, Stubai, Soelden and Moelltal all normally run glacier lifts, and the Stubai Glacier opened on 10 October in its most recent season. For a standard February or March week, altitude matters far less and the bigger linked areas give better value.

  2. Match terrain to ability

    Glacier pistes skew easy to intermediate. Stubai Glacier counts 26 km easy, 16 km medium and only 2 km difficult across 65 km, plus 21 km of marked ski routes. Hintertux Glacier is more balanced, with 17.2 km blue, 35.1 km red and 11.7 km black inside its 64 km. Advanced skiers who want black pistes and long descents should look at Hintertux or Soelden rather than a pure glacier plateau.

  3. Check the pass, not just the lift ticket

    Combination passes change the maths. The Pitztal Glacier pass covers the glacier plus Rifflsee, the Kaunertal Glacier and the Kaunertal Glacier Road, and the operator was selling 2026/27 winter tickets online with savings of up to 30 percent as of 15 September 2026. Hintertux sits inside a regional network of 206 km of pistes between 630 m and 3,250 m. The Kitzsteinhorn is bundled with Zell am See on the Ski ALPIN CARD.

  4. Plan the transfer

    Glacier valleys are dead ends. The Pitztal Glacier is served by bus from the Imst-Pitztal railway station, roughly 40 km up the valley. The Stubai Glacier is about 50 minutes from Innsbruck and has a free ski bus from Neustift. Kaunertal is reached by a toll glacier road that can close in heavy snow, so check the road status before booking a same-day return.

What do first-timers get wrong at 3,000 m?

Three things. First, altitude: going from a 600 m hotel to a 3,440 m top station in under an hour leaves many people short of breath, and the standard advice is to drink more water and ski the first morning slowly. Second, weather: a 3,250 m ridge can be in cloud and 15 degrees colder than the valley, and upper lifts close on wind days.

Third, expectations about terrain. Glacier skiing in October usually means one sector open, often 10 to 20 km of pistes rather than the full advertised area. Check the daily lift status page before you drive up: at Hintertux and Kitzsteinhorn the autumn offer is a fraction of the midwinter one, even though snow cover is reliable.

Which high resorts are worth it if you skip the glaciers?

Plenty of Austrian resorts sit high without a glacier. Obergurgl-Hochgurgl in the upper Oetztal runs pistes above 3,000 m and its village base is around 1,930 m, the highest church village in Austria. Ischgl tops out near 2,870 m in the Silvretta Arena, and Obertauern in Salzburg keeps its whole ski area between roughly 1,630 m and 2,313 m.

These three usually beat the glaciers on lift-linked kilometres and on nightlife, and they are cheaper to reach by train than the dead-end glacier valleys. The trade-off is season length: none of them opens in October, and most close by late April or the first week of May.

How is this ranking computed?

  • Top lift-served elevation: 30%
  • Season length: 20%
  • Terrain size and variety: 20%
  • Lift infrastructure and capacity: 15%
  • Access and onward lift links: 15%

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