Skiing in Zell am See: Pistes, Lifts and Who It Suits

My personal highlight: a few runs on the Schmittenhöhe, with the glorious view over Zell am See and the surrounding mountains.

Ursula Auer, Hotel Der Schütthof

The ski areas at a glance

Zell am See has its own mountain, the Schmittenhöhe, with lifts that start in the town. Kaprun, reached by ski bus, adds the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the Maiskogel.

One pass covers the lot. The Ski ALPIN CARD is valid on all three mountains and in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn: 408 km of pistes and 121 cable cars and lifts in all.

What the skiing is like

The Schmittenhöhe's 77 km of pistes are 30 km blue, 28 km red and 19 km black. There are five long valley runs with more than 1,000 vertical metres, and eight ski routes for secured off-piste skiing. It has 27 lift facilities and 6 feeder lifts (trassXpress, areitXpress, cityXpress, zellamseeXpress, Sonnenalmbahn and Schmittenhöhebahn), and for lunch and afterwards there are 23 mountain huts, restaurants and après-ski bars.

For freestyle there is a snowpark, plus the Funslope XXL, one of the longest fun slopes in Austria.

The Schmittenhöhe's season is planned for early December to early April; for a week outside it, plan on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Kaprun instead. Days in Kaprun or Saalbach include a bus ride from Zell am See, so allow time for it.

Where you start: the lifts from Schüttdorf, the town and Viehhofen

Can you ski from Zell am See? Yes: five of the six lifts up the Schmittenhöhe leave from the town itself, and the sixth from Viehhofen. The three access areas:

• Schüttdorf: the areitXpress, a gondola up to the Schmittenhöhe. Its 10-person cabins take seven minutes to reach 1,400 m, and in winter Areitbahn II and III or the Glocknerbahn take you further up.
• Zell am See town: the cityXpress, trassXpress, Schmittenhöhebahn and Sonnenalmbahn.
• Viehhofen: the zellamseeXpress.

Of these six lifts up from the valley, the areitXpress and the trassXpress have the earliest planned start, on 4 December 2026. A free shuttle runs twice a day through Schüttdorf to the areitXpress and back. Hotel Der Schütthof is in Schüttdorf, about 5 minutes on foot from the areitXpress valley station. It has in-house ski hire with 10% off, a ski pass service and a camera-monitored ski room. In winter there is a ski school, and a sports shop, at the Areitbahn III mountain station, further up from the areitXpress. For lessons, the hotels' own ski instructor is at the main reception of Hotel Latini next door: ask there about ski school, and book your course on the spot.

For the layout, open the Schmittenhöhe interactive ski map or the Kitzsteinhorn, Maiskogel and Lechnerberg piste map.

The Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the Maiskogel in Kaprun

Kaprun's Kitzsteinhorn glacier has the longer season, which makes it the place to ski before the Schmittenhöhe's planned opening in early December or after its planned close in early April, and a good day out in between. From Zell am See it is a ski bus ride away, on line 660 and Line K, and the same Ski ALPIN CARD covers it.

Besides the glacier, Kaprun has the Maiskogel close to the town and the Lechnerberg in the town centre, where beginners take their first turns.

The glacier is the only glacier ski area in the Salzburger Land, with pistes from 1,976 m to 3,029 m. Skiing runs from 10 October 2026, planned until May 2027 depending on weather and snow, with the Glacier Spring Festival, the end-of-season celebration, on 1 and 2 May 2027.

The Maiskogel, close to the town, is the family mountain: 20 km of pistes and 3 cable cars and lifts between 768 m and 1,730 m, and part of the Kitzsteinhorn ski area. Maiskogel ski passes are valid from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

In peak season, from December 2026, the 12 km 3K K-ONNECTION links Kaprun's centre via the Maiskogel with the glacier. In October and November, while the Maiskogel and the 3K K-ONNECTION are closed, you take Line K to the Kitzsteinhorn valley station and ride the Gletscherjet 1 or 2 up to the glacier.

Getting around without a car

You can ski all three mountains without a car: the Schmittenhöhe's lifts start in town, and Kaprun is on the ski bus.

• Line 660, Zell am See to Kaprun: every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the season and the time of day.
• Line K in Kaprun: every 30 minutes, to the Kitzsteinhorn valley station and the MK Maiskogelbahn.

Timetables are on ÖBB Scotty, at the stops and on the Kitzsteinhorn ski bus page.

With a valid ski pass, the ski buses are free during the lift operating hours. In Kaprun itself, and between Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn, they are free for everyone, ski pass or not.

Hotel Der Schütthof includes the Guest Mobility Ticket. Overnight guests in Zell am See-Kaprun can use it in winter too, from the day of arrival to the day of departure, on all public transport in the Salzburg region, including line 660 between Zell am See and Kaprun.

Can you ski from Zell am See to Saalbach?

Not on skis all the way. The route over includes a bus ride, and skiing back depends on a natural snow slope being open. One Ski ALPIN CARD covers both the Schmittenhöhe and the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn.

Going over, you ski across the Schmittenhöhe and ride the zellamseeXpress link lift down to its valley station in Viehhofen, then ski bus shuttle no. 5 or bus line 680 to the Schönleitenbahn in Saalbach, every 10 to 30 minutes (with a lunch break in the timetable). Coming back, the natural snow slope 168 runs from the I4 Polten 8er towards Viehhofen down to the zellamseeXpress valley station.

Check that slope 168 is open before you count on it to get back. The ski buses are free with the Ski ALPIN CARD, and the zellamseeXpress is planned to run from 11 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

Who it suits: beginners, families and strong skiers

Beginners can start on Schmidolin's Magic Carpet at the areitXpress valley station: an extra-wide, gentle practice slope and a covered conveyor belt, with ski schools, ski hire and places to eat close by. On the Maiskogel in Kaprun, children and beginners have a practice area at the Maisilift and a gentle practice slope with a button lift.

Families with children will find adventure spots on the Schmittenhöhe themed on Schmidolin, the Schmitten dragon. In Kaprun, the Maiskogel is the family mountain, with the Maisi Park for freestyle beginners and children. For a week planned around the children, see family winter holidays at Hotel Latini next door.

Strong skiers have 19 km of black runs and eight ski routes on the Schmittenhöhe. Among them is the Trass run, with gradients of up to 70 per cent, nearly 1,000 vertical metres and more than four kilometres in length. On the glacier, the Black Mamba reaches a gradient of up to 63 per cent, and there are five freeride routes close to the lifts. Freestylers have the Funslope XXL and a snowpark on the Schmittenhöhe, and four snowparks on the Kitzsteinhorn.

Season dates and lift hours 2026/27, and when to go

The Schmittenhöhe plans to open on 4 December 2026; the start depends on snow and weather, so check before you book. Planned hours: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, the Schmittenhöhebahn until 5 pm.

On the glacier, the daily hours depend on the current weather, snow and operational conditions, so check the Kitzsteinhorn's hours of operation page on the day.

When to go:

• December and Christmas: the glacier is already running, the areitXpress and the trassXpress are planned to open on 4 December 2026 and the other lifts from the valley by 11 December, so all six are planned to be running over Christmas and New Year.
• January to mid-March: Ski'n'Brunch on the Schmittenhöhe lets you be among the first on the slopes every Thursday from 7 January to 11 March 2027, and the Culinary Ski Days, with live cooking and wine tastings, run from 12 to 14 March 2027.
• Easter and April: Easter Sunday 2027 falls on 28 March. The Schmittenhöhebahn is planned to run until 29 March 2027 (Easter Monday), the areitXpress, trassXpress, cityXpress, Sonnenalmbahn and zellamseeXpress until 4 April 2027, and the glacier into May 2027.
• Late season: the glacier carries on, with the Glacier Spring Festival on 1 and 2 May 2027.

Night skiing. The floodlit piste no. 6 opens on Tuesday and Thursday evenings; in winter 2025/26 that was from 6 January to 26 February 2026, 5 pm to 8.30 pm, so check this winter's dates before you plan an evening around it. The Ebenbergbahn takes you up, the rides are included in a valid Schmittenhöhe lift ticket, and the times may vary with the snow.

For conditions on the day, check the official snow report for the Zell am See-Kaprun region.

What non-skiers can do

A non-skier in the group can still spend the day on the mountain. On the Schmittenhöhe, guided snowshoe hikes are particularly popular; you can also go winter hiking with or without snowshoes, or visit the Art on the Mountain project. The huts serve regional dishes such as Wiener Schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn, so lunch is the natural time to meet up with the skiers, and the 23 mountain huts, restaurants and après-ski bars take care of the après-ski.

Back in town, there are winter and St Nicholas boat cruises on Lake Zell on selected dates from 29 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. In Kaprun, the lifts up the Kitzsteinhorn run all year for sightseeing visitors, and the Maisi Flitzer alpine coaster on the Maiskogel is open all year.