Austria, Europe · Tyrol Pass
Kaunertal Glacier
Ski Austria's steepest slope on 55km of Tyrolean glacier terrain, spanning 2,150–3,113m, open October to May.
Season 2025-2026
Opens
3 Oct 2025
Closes
25 May 2026
Days open
234
Annual snow
5m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
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.
963m
Vertical
27
Runs
55 km
Piste
5m
Annual snow
Tyrol Pass
Pass
The Terrain
27 runs across 55 km of piste
Kaunertal Glacier spreads 27 runs across 55 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 41%, with 11 beginner runs to find your feet and 5 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
27
runs
27 runs across 4 grades
Beginner11 runs · 41%
Intermediate11 runs · 41%
Advanced5 runs · 18%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Kaunertal Glacier
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.
Season 2025-2026
3 Oct 2025
Opens
25 May 2026
Closes
234
Days open
5 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Kaunertal Glacier, and where to stay
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.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Kaunertal Glacier, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.
26 Aug 2026
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed
I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.
23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
22 Aug 2026
Kaunertal Glacier Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 30 Aug 2026
3113m
summit
+0cm
new snow · last 24 hours
Clear4°C / 11°C · SW 20km/h
Snowfall
24 hours
0cm
48 hours
0cm
7 days
7cm
Base depth
0cm
Season total
58cm
Total lifts9
Live open status isn’t available right now.
3 Oct 2025 - 25 May 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 38 hours· Updated Aug 30, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
3,113 mUpdated Aug 30, 2026 at 6:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0cm
Days 8–14
2.5cm
Sun, Aug 30
Overcast
Temp11° / 4°°C
Snow0.0cm(3%)
Wind20 km/h SW
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Kaunertal Glacier snow report
See what's happening on the mountain at Kaunertal Glacier right now — snowfall, snow depth, and weather data to help you plan your day in Austria.
Snow measurements
Snow depth at Kaunertal Glacier is tracked at both the base and summit, since the two elevations often see different totals — roughly a 963m difference here. We report fresh snowfall over the last 24 hours and 7 days alongside the running season total, in both metric and imperial units.
Weather conditions
Current weather conditions affect snow quality. Cold temperatures with low wind typically preserve snow quality, while warm temperatures or rain can impact conditions negatively — something worth watching closely at Kaunertal Glacier's 2150m base elevation, where temperatures run milder than the summit.
Data sources
We pull Kaunertal Glacier's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 18 lifts, including an aerial tram and 2 quad chairlifts.
When to check
The biggest swings usually happen right after a storm. Check Kaunertal Glacier's report in the morning for the freshest numbers, and again in the afternoon as conditions evolve.