When Does Ski Season Start in Austria?

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

As of September 2026, Austria's ski season starts on the Tyrolean glaciers in late September, not in December. Sölden sold tickets for 25 September 2026, with Kaunertal and Pitztal planning 26 September. Stubai follows on 9 October, Kitzsteinhorn around 10 October. Non-glacier resorts open later: Ischgl on 26 November 2026, Schladming's Planai on 4 December 2026. Most Austrian resorts open between late November and mid-December.

When Does Ski Season Start in Austria?, ranked

1.

Sölden

Sölden put early-season tickets on sale for Friday 25 September 2026, the first confirmed lift day in Austria for 2026/27. The Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers hold 34.5 km of piste between 2,675 m and 3,250 m on eight lifts, linked by a ski tunnel. An early-season adult day pass was listed at EUR 61.50. The valley ski area only follows in mid-November, so late September is a glacier-only trip.

Best for: Earliest confirmed opening

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2.

Hintertux Glacier

Hintertux ran from 27 September 2025 to 19 July 2026 last season, the longest stretch in Austria, and a late September 2026 restart is expected. Full-season terrain reaches 62 km with a 3,250 m top terminal, though opening weekend in 2025 offered about 15 km on 10 lifts. The adult day ticket showed EUR 79.00 on 15 September 2026, and the Park Opening runs 2 to 24 October 2026.

Best for: Longest season

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3.

Kaunertal Glacier

Kaunertal publishes exact dates rather than estimates: 26 September 2026 to 17 May 2027 for 2026/27, snow permitting. That is nearly eight months of lift-served skiing from a single quiet valley. Access runs on the Kaunertal Glacier Road, open daily with a night driving ban on the upper section, and the Weißsee glacier restaurant serves from 08:00 to 16:30. There is no linked village ski area, so plan around the glacier itself.

Best for: Fixed published season dates

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4.

Pitztal Glacier

Pitztal planned a 26 September 2026 start, matching Kaunertal, and it holds the highest lift-served terrain in Austria. That altitude is the reason autumn snow tends to hold its shape here into the afternoon. Skiers ride the Gletscherexpress funicular rather than driving a glacier road, which helps on icy mornings. The valley's other area, Hochzeiger, does not open until 4 December 2026, so autumn visits stay high.

Best for: Highest lift-served terrain

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5.

Stubai Glacier

The Stubai Glacier scheduled 9 October 2026, about two weeks after the first Tyrolean openings, but it compensates with scale: 22 lifts, 23 marked runs, a 3,201 m high point and 1,500 m of vertical. Skiing runs from mid-October into May, roughly 10 months of operation counting the summer excursion period. Fulpmes is the nearest station and Innsbruck the nearest airport, which makes car-free arrival realistic.

Best for: Most terrain once open

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6.

Kitzsteinhorn

Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun is expected to open on 10 October 2026, weeks before the rest of Zell am See-Kaprun. The Schmittenhöhe and the other sectors wait until the end of November, so an October trip means glacier pistes under the 3,203 m summit and little else. The pay-off is access: this is the closest early-season skiing to Salzburg and Munich for anyone avoiding the long Tyrolean valley drives.

Best for: Earliest start in Salzburg

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7.

Mölltal Glacier

Mölltal is Carinthia's only glacier ski area and started its 2025/26 season on 10 October 2025, with 9 October 2026 projected for this winter. It skied on until 31 May 2026, a longer spring than most Austrian resorts manage. Lifts run 08:00 to 16:30, last ascent 16:00, and close in bad weather. Terrain is modest next to the Tyrolean glaciers, but the drive is far shorter from Carinthia, Slovenia or Italy.

Best for: Early start in the south-east

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When does the ski season actually start in Austria?

There is no single opening day. Lift-served skiing restarts on the Tyrolean glaciers in the second half of September, then works its way down the valleys over the following ten weeks. For 2026/27, Sölden put early-season tickets on sale for Friday 25 September 2026, while the Kaunertal Glacier and the Pitztal Glacier both planned a 26 September 2026 start. Hintertux, which ended its 2025/26 season on 19 July 2026, is expected back at the end of September.

October brings the second wave. The Stubai Glacier has scheduled 9 October 2026, the Mölltal Glacier in Carinthia opens in the first half of October, and the Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun targets 10 October. Everything else waits for cold nights and snowmaking temperatures. Most Austrian resorts open between late November and mid-December, which is why a December booking remains the safe default if you want a whole mountain rather than a glacier plateau.

When do the big non-glacier resorts open for 2026/27?

Ischgl has confirmed 26 November 2026 as its first skiing day, paired with its traditional opening concert. Obertauern in Salzburg is expected around 20 November 2026, one of the earliest non-glacier starts in the country. Snow Space Salzburg (Flachau, Wagrain, St. Johann) lists 28 November 2026, snow permitting.

Early December delivers the volume. Schladming's Planai and Hochwurzen plus nearby Galsterberg are listed for 4 December 2026, as is Hochzeiger in the Pitztal, with St. Jakob im Defereggental following on 5 December 2026. As a reference point for how long those seasons run: in 2025/26 the St. Anton sector of Ski Arlberg operated from 3 December 2025 to 19 April 2026, and Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis from 5 December 2025 to 7 April 2026. Published dates move with snowfall, so treat them as targets.

What does early-season skiing cost, and how much terrain is open?

Autumn is not automatically cheap. Sölden listed a very early-season adult day pass at EUR 61.50 for its 25 September 2026 start, and Hintertux showed a EUR 79.00 adult day ticket as of 15 September 2026. You pay close to midwinter money for a fraction of the mountain.

Terrain is the real limit. When Hintertux opened on 27 September 2025 it ran roughly 15 km of trails on 10 lifts, against 62 km in full season. Sölden's glacier sector covers 34.5 km between 2,675 m and 3,250 m on eight lifts, while the village ski area below only starts in mid-November. Expect reduced ski school and rental hours, fewer mountain huts open, and race teams occupying training pistes on weekday mornings.

How do I choose between an October glacier trip and a December week?

  1. Match the trip to your ability

    Glacier openings suit confident skiers. In late September a resort like Kaunertal or Pitztal typically runs a handful of blue and red pistes above 2,700 m, with no tree-lined runs and no nursery area in the village. Beginners get better value from a December week at a lower-altitude resort where the full lift network, the ski schools and the children's areas all operate. If you are travelling with a mixed group, December wins on options.

  2. Work from confirmed dates, not seasonal averages

    Check the operator's own page before booking. Kaunertal publishes 26 September 2026 to 17 May 2027 for 2026/27, the Stubai Glacier states 9 October 2026, and Ischgl states 26 November 2026. Third-party aggregators often show projections: OnTheSnow, for example, lists a projected 1 October date for Sölden that sits later than the resort's own ticket sales. Where the two disagree, the lift company is the source that counts.

  3. Price the trip on what is actually open

    Divide the day-pass price by the kilometres available. EUR 61.50 for roughly 34.5 km on the Sölden glacier reads differently from the same money in January for the full 144 km network. Add the cost of accommodation that may sit 30 to 60 minutes below the glacier station, since many valley hotels do not open until late November or December.

  4. Keep the booking flexible

    Every published date in Austria carries a snow-and-weather caveat, including the 26 September 2026 glacier starts. Book refundable accommodation for anything before mid-November, buy lift tickets day by day rather than as a multi-day block, and re-check the lift status page in the 48 hours before you drive. Autumn heatwaves have delayed glacier openings and shortened the open terrain more than once.

What do people get wrong about the start of the Austrian season?

Three mistakes repeat every autumn. The first is assuming year-round skiing still exists everywhere: Hintertux moved from continuous operation to a September to July schedule, and it sat closed in August and early September 2026. The second is booking a November week at a resort whose published start is 4 December, then finding only a single gondola turning.

The third is treating glacier skiing as a beginner holiday. The open sectors in late September sit between roughly 2,600 m and 3,250 m, which means thin air, hard morning surfaces and frequent wind holds. Also watch the calendar around events: the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup opener on Sölden's Rettenbach glacier drew crowds on 25 and 26 October 2025, and race weekends restrict piste access.

When does the Austrian ski season end?

Closing dates are as staggered as openings. The Kaunertal Glacier lists 17 May 2027 for the end of its 2026/27 season, the Mölltal Glacier ran to 31 May in 2025/26, and Hintertux skied through to 19 July 2026 before its summer break. Sölden's glacier usually runs to late April or early May, and the Stubai Glacier skis into May.

Valley resorts stop earlier and for commercial reasons as much as snow ones. St. Anton closed on 19 April 2026 and Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis on 7 April 2026 in the 2025/26 season, both shaped by the Easter holiday window. For April skiing with reliable cover, favour the high glacier areas or resorts holding terrain above 2,500 m.

How is this ranking computed?

  • Confirmed opening date: 30%
  • Snow reliability at altitude: 25%
  • Terrain open in autumn: 20%
  • Season length: 15%
  • Early-season pass value: 10%

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