The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Austria's first glacier ski area opened in 1965 and spans 61 kilometres of marked pistes across terrain ranging from 768 metres at Maiskogel to 3,029 metres at the TOP OF SALZBURG summit platform. The resort delivers 2,261 metres of vertical - the greatest elevation change accessible by continuous gondola in the Eastern Alps. Twenty-four lifts serve 68 runs across three distinct zones: the high-alpine glacier above 2,600 metres, the intermediate Langwied sector, and the family-oriented Maiskogel below the treeline.
Terrain splits favour progression-focused skiers: 47% beginner, 37% intermediate, 10% advanced, and 6% expert. The glacier plateau hosts wide, open runs ideal for carving, whilst the Black Mamba delivers a 63% gradient challenge dropping 290 vertical metres from the Kristall lift base. Five marked freeride routes sit close to lifts in the Langwied area, with the X1 route accessible via a gated entry near the summit funicular. Red runs dominate the glacier proper, making up roughly two-thirds of that sector's terrain.
The ICE CAMP presented by Audi occupies a plateau at 2,600 metres from mid-January through mid-April - three igloos constructed from 60 tonnes of ice and 2,500 cubic metres of snow housing an ice bar and sun deck. The TOP OF SALZBURG attraction at the summit includes Austria's highest cinema (Cinema 3000) and a 360-metre tunnel called the National Park Gallery cutting through the mountain. On clear days, views extend to the Grossglockner, Austria's highest peak at 3,798 metres.
The Ski ALPIN CARD connects Kitzsteinhorn with Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See and Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn - 408 kilometres of combined terrain accessible on a single pass. Free ski buses operate between resorts throughout winter. The extended October-to-May season suits skiers seeking guaranteed snow outside typical Alps operating dates, whilst the four terrain parks and Austria's largest superpipe - shaped by Olympic shaper Alli Zehetner with walls up to 6.5 metres - attract freestyle riders.
2262m
Vertical
68
Runs
61 km
Piste
5m
Annual snow
Ski Alpin
Pass
The Terrain
68 runs across 61 km of piste
Kitzsteinhorn Resort spreads 68 runs across 61 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 47%, with 32 beginner runs to find your feet and 11 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
68
runs
68 runs across 4 grades
Beginner32 runs · 47%
Intermediate25 runs · 37%
Advanced7 runs · 10%
Expert4 runs · 6%
Time it right
When to visit Kitzsteinhorn Resort
The 2025/26 season runs from 11 October 2025 to 25 May 2026, delivering over seven months of operations - among the longest in the Alps. Kitzsteinhorn typically opens first in Salzburgerland each autumn and closes last, making it the regional choice for pre-season training and late-spring skiing. Lift operations run daily from 8:15 to 16:15, with hours adjusted based on conditions and daylight.
The glacier receives between 7 and 10 metres of natural snowfall annually, with the high-altitude terrain above 2,600 metres maintaining reliable coverage throughout the season. Snowmaking covers 29 kilometres of runs using 200 snow cannons, concentrating on the Maiskogel slopes and key glacier connections. Base depths regularly exceed 2 metres mid-winter; the resort reported 135 centimetres in mid-May 2026 with a season total surpassing 534 centimetres.
Early-season visitors (October-December) find fewer crowds and racing teams using the glacier for training - arrive after 8:45 to avoid the first-lift rush. Freeride conditions peak from mid-January onwards once rocks and gullies fill in completely. Spring skiing (March-May) brings warmer temperatures, corn snow, and the ICE CAMP Sounds DJ sessions every Saturday at 2,600 metres - the sun deck draws skiers for afternoon lounging.
The Glacier Spring Festival on 2 May 2026 closes the season with live music, culinary highlights, and free ski testing on spring snow. Weekly programming includes Tuesday Kitzsteinhorn Explorer Tours with National Park rangers, Wednesday snowshoe hikes to the ICE CAMP, and Thursday guided ski touring to the 2,762-metre Tristkogel. The SnowTime opening weekend in November combines the Freeride Film Festival, expert talks, and equipment testing.
Season 2025 - 2026
9 Oct 2025
Opens
21 Apr 2026
Closes
194
Days open
5 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Kitzsteinhorn Resort, and where to stay
Kitzsteinhorn rises within the Glockner Group of the High Tauern range in Austria's Salzburg province, positioned at the northern boundary of Hohe Tauern National Park - the largest protected alpine area in Europe. The mountain itself reaches 3,203 metres, though skiable terrain tops out at the 3,029-metre summit platform. The base village of Kaprun sits at 786 metres in the Pinzgau region, a former mining settlement of 3,000 residents now centred on tourism and the nearby hydroelectric power stations.
Zell am See lies 8 kilometres east along Lake Zell, offering additional accommodation, dining, and the Schmittenhöhe ski area connected via the ALPIN CARD. The city of Salzburg sits 100 kilometres north, reachable in approximately 80 minutes by car through the Salzach valley. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road - Austria's most famous mountain pass - begins south of Kaprun during summer months.
Drivers from Salzburg follow the A10 motorway south toward the Tauern tunnel, exiting before Bischofshofen and continuing through St Johann im Pongau and Bruck to Kaprun. From Innsbruck (150 kilometres), the route follows the motorway to Wörgl, then crosses Pass Thurn via Kitzbühel. Munich travellers (220 kilometres) head south through Rosenheim and cross at Kufstein. Free parking is available at both the Kaprun Center and the Gletscherjet valley station.
Salzburg Airport (SZG) provides the primary access point at 80-100 kilometres distance, with transfer times around 80 minutes. Innsbruck Airport sits 154 kilometres away; Munich Airport 223 kilometres. Zell am See railway station connects to Salzburg and Innsbruck, with Postbus line 660 running directly to Kaprun and the lift stations. From December 2025, WESTbahn operates three daily direct services from Vienna, and the ICE Großglockner runs weekend services from Hamburg and Munich through April 2026.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Kitzsteinhorn Resort, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
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
Kitzsteinhorn Resort Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 13 Sept 2026
3028m
summit
+0cm
new snow · last 24 hours
Overcast1°C / 8°C · W 15km/h
Snowfall
24 hours
0cm
48 hours
0cm
7 days
6cm
Base depth
0cm
Season total
28cm
Total lifts24
Live open status isn’t available right now.
9 Oct 2025 - 21 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 43 hours· Updated Sep 13, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
3,028 mUpdated Sep 13, 2026 at 6:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
9.3cm
Days 8–14
0.0cm
Sun, Sept 13
Slight Rain Showers
Temp8° / 1°°C
Snow0.0cm(68%)
Wind15 km/h W
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Kitzsteinhorn Resort snow report
Get the latest Kitzsteinhorn Resort snow report — real-time snowfall, snow depth, and mountain weather for this Austria resort, spanning 766m to 3028m in elevation.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Kitzsteinhorn Resort, summit conditions (3028m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
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 Kitzsteinhorn Resort's 766m base elevation, where temperatures run milder than the summit.
Data sources
Snowfall and depth figures for Kitzsteinhorn Resort come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 24 lifts, including an aerial tram and 2 8-person chairlifts.
When to check
The biggest swings usually happen right after a storm. Check Kitzsteinhorn Resort's report in the morning for the freshest numbers, and again in the afternoon as conditions evolve.