Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Skiing for 15 years and visited resorts in:
🇦🇺 Australia (6) • 🇺🇸 USA (15) • 🇯🇵 Japan (5) • 🇪🇺 Europe (10)
Kaunertal Glacier is one of Austria's highest and most snow-reliable ski areas, spanning 2,150m to 3,113m across 55km of pistes and 36km of marked ski routes deep in the Tyrolean Alps. The resort is home to the Black Ibex — Austria's steepest groomed slope — with a gradient of 87.85%, steeper than the Mausefalle at Kitzbühel's famed Streif. The mountain sits on the Austrian-Italian border, with three summits exceeding 3,000m and a 360-degree viewing platform at the Karlesjoch that sweeps across Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
The glacier terrain is predominantly above the treeline, set in a wide north-facing bowl that preserves snow quality throughout an exceptionally long season. A single lift pass covers both the glacier ski area and the family-focused Fendels resort further down the valley, as well as the Feichten village lift — making the combined offering well suited to mixed-ability groups. Despite the calibre of the skiing, lift queues remain rare, a consequence of the resort's deliberately remote setting.
Total Runs
27
Total Area
55km
34.2 miles
Nine lifts serve Kaunertal Glacier's terrain between 2,150m and 3,113m, with three installations reaching above 3,000m. The network includes two gondolas, one aerial tram, two quad chairlifts and three T-bars, complemented by a surface lift at the glacier base. The Karlesjochbahn gondola accesses the mountain's highest point at 3,108m, where the Black Ibex slope and the resort's signature 170-metre floodlit ski tunnel both begin. The Weißseejochbahn gondola terminates at 3,044m directly on the South Tyrolean border, opening up a broad sweep of high-altitude intermediate terrain added to the ski area in recent seasons.
The lower mountain is served by a quad chairlift departing from the base area at 2,150m, providing an efficient entry point before skiers reach the main glacier hub at 2,750m. For those targeting the Nörderjoch zone at 3,062m — which holds the FIS race piste and the snowpark — a snow groomer shuttle supplements the lift network on that section of the mountain.
Total Lifts
9
Lift Types
5
Kaunertal Glacier operates from early October through to late May, one of the longest guaranteed seasons of any ski area in the Austrian Alps. The 2025–26 season runs from 3 October 2025 to 25 May 2026, with the glacier elevation and north-facing orientation delivering consistent natural snow across the full season window. Annual snowfall averages 5 metres, and the resort's position above 2,150m means snow quality holds well into spring when lower-altitude areas have long since closed.
The extended spring period draws a dedicated crowd of freestylers and freestylers to the Snowpark Kaunertal, with the annual Spring Classics event a fixture on the Austrian freestyle calendar. The combination of reliable snow coverage and minimal lift queues makes mid-season visits particularly rewarding, while October and November openings attract race teams and early-season skiers seeking uncrowded glacier conditions.
Current Season
2025-2026
Opening Day
10/3/2025
Closing Day
5/25/2026
Days Open
235
Kaunertal Glacier sits at the head of the 28km Kaunertal valley in the Landeck district of Tyrol, accessed via the Kaunertal Gletscherstrasse — the fifth-highest paved road in the Alps, climbing 29 hairpin bends to the glacier base at 2,750m. The access road is toll-free for valid lift pass holders. The nearest town with services is Feichten im Kaunertal, 21km below the glacier base, with the regional hub of Prutz a further 11km down the valley at 884m.
Innsbruck Airport is the closest international gateway, approximately 90km to the east via the A12 Inntal Autobahn to the Landeck exit. Train services reach Landeck, from where bus connections run into the valley. Visitors driving from Germany can approach via Füssen or Garmisch to Imst and Landeck. The deliberate remoteness of the location — the Kaunertal road is a toll road for non-skiers — contributes directly to the unhurried atmosphere on the mountain that the resort is known for.
