Zell am See Ski Pass 2026/27: Prices and Which Pass to Buy

I'm Ursula Auer. Working in quality management, I am involved in all sorts of things at the hotel: sometimes at reception, sometimes in the office, and really wherever there is something to be done. My personal highlight: a few runs on the Schmittenhöhe, with the glorious view over Zell am See and the surrounding mountains.

How much is a ski pass in Zell am See for 2026/27?

A six-day pass costs an adult €440 in peak season 2026/27 (19 December 2026 to 12 March 2027) and €396 in the early season (27 November to 18 December 2026) and the late season (13 March to 4 April 2027), which have the same lower prices; on the lift companies' price lists, look for winter start and bonus season.

Young children need a photo for their free pass, and youth and child prices need proof of age. Ski ALPIN CARD prices are shown including 10% VAT.

For youth and child prices on the other passes, check the Schmittenhöhe's price list.

Early-season prices start on 27 November 2026, but the Schmittenhöhe plans to open on 4 December 2026 and run to 4 April 2027, snow permitting (the Skicircus from 27 November, the Kitzsteinhorn from 10 October 2026).

Which lift pass should you buy?

For a week's skiing, buy the six-day pass. Multi-day passes run on consecutive days only, and every day and multi-day pass already includes Kaprun and Saalbach, so there is no area to choose. If you want a rest day, the flexible passes let you pick your days: 5 in 7 days, or 10 in 14 days. For five days in a row, though, the ordinary 5-day pass costs less: €381 in peak season against €400 for 5 in 7 days. A pass that spans two price periods, across 19 December or 13 March, is charged at a mixed price calculated from the days in each period (this does not apply to the flexible passes), and a pass of 8 days or more needs a photo.

Two bigger passes are rarely worth it for a single holiday. The SuperSkiCard covers up to 23 ski regions, including the Schmittenhöhe, the Kitzsteinhorn with Maiskogel and the Skicircus, but six days cost €449 against €440 in peak season, and €449 against €396 in the late season, because its adult peak price runs to 9 April 2027. Take it only if you will ski some of its other regions too. The season pass, valid from 10 October 2026 to 2 May 2027, costs an adult €875 if bought by 8 December 2026 and €1,049 after. For one holiday of up to two weeks the 14-day pass at €692 in peak season costs less, so the season pass is for guests who come several times a winter.

If you plan a day on the Kitzsteinhorn, skip the morning ticket: it is not valid there. And if you will only ski Maiskogel and Lechnerberg, Kaprun's family ski area and beginner area, a Maiskogel day ticket, valid on both, costs an adult €58 from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

Skiing before 27 November 2026? On the Kitzsteinhorn the summer tariff still applies from the ski start on 10 October 2026 to 16 October (adult day €61.50), then €74 from 17 to 22 October and €77 from 23 October to 26 November 2026; these autumn passes are sold by the Kitzsteinhorn and valid on the glacier only. From 27 November the pass for Kaprun, as for the whole region, is the Ski ALPIN CARD.

What does the Zell am See-Kaprun ski pass cover?

All three ski areas. Every day and multi-day pass is valid on all the cable cars and lifts of the Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See, the Kitzsteinhorn, Maiskogel and Lechnerberg in Kaprun, and the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn: up to 408 km of pistes (270 km in the Skicircus alone) and 121 cable cars and lifts. The pass also includes:

• the ski buses, during the ski areas' operating hours;
• night skiing on the Nightslope;
• the afternoon before: day and multi-day passes are valid from 3 pm on the day before they start (not flexible, discounted or special-offer tickets).

The areas share one pass, and buses link them. The bus between Zell am See and Kaprun (line 660) takes the ALPIN CARD during the lifts' operating hours, and ski shuttles and bus 680 link the zellamseeXpress valley station in Viehhofen with the Schönleitenbahn in Saalbach. At Hotel Der Schütthof the Guest Mobility Ticket is included: it covers public transport across the Salzburg region, including the bus between Zell am See and Kaprun, but not the specially marked ski buses, which your lift pass covers.

Is it cheaper to buy ski passes in advance?

Not for day and multi-day passes: they cost the same online as at the ticket counter. Buying ahead saves you the queue at the ticket counters, and you can carry the pass on your phone.

Buying early does pay for two passes: the season pass, €875 for an adult if bought by 8 December 2026 instead of €1,049 from 9 December, and the SuperSkiCard's 10-day flexible pass, which covers any ten days from 10 October 2026 to 2 May 2027, at €750 for an adult if bought by 3 December 2026 instead of €810. Return trips for non-skiers on the Schmittenhöhe also cost less online.

Buy online from the Schmittenhöhe or the Kitzsteinhorn's online shop, or at the lift companies' ticket counters. In the Kitzsteinhorn's shop a ticket is tied to the date or period you choose, and you need an account (there is no guest checkout).

When you spend your ski holidays at Hotel Der Schütthof, there is a ski pass service in the hotel, and the areitXpress valley station, the way up the Schmittenhöhe, is about 5 minutes on foot. We also have packages with a 2-day ski pass on selected dates.

Where do you collect a ski pass bought online?

On your phone, if you like: a pass bought online for the Schmittenhöhe or the Kitzsteinhorn can be activated as a smartphone ticket in the Zell am See-Kaprun app, which works over Bluetooth with no physical KeyCard. The Kitzsteinhorn's shop also emails you a collection code for the ticket machines or counters at the valley stations, and you can print a QR code at home and scan it at the gate, or reload a KeyCard you already have and go straight to the lifts. KeyCards carry a €2 deposit, which you get back for an undamaged card at any ski pass sales point.

Are there discounts on Zell am See ski passes?

Yes, but do not look for discount codes: the vouchers in the shops are gift vouchers, not discounts. You pay less in these ways:

• Travel early or late. Day and multi-day passes cost less from 27 November to 18 December 2026 and from 13 March to 4 April 2027.
• Young children ski free. Children born 2021 or later get a free ski pass and ride the lifts free with an adult; they need a photo.
• Saturdays for under-19s. With the Junior XPLORE CARD, anyone under 19 (born 2008 to 2020) skis for €15 every Saturday on the Schmittenhöhe, the Kitzsteinhorn and in the Skicircus; buy it at the ticket counters in the ski area, not at the hotel.
• Easter for families. From 20 March to 4 April 2027, all the family's children born 2011 or later get a free ski pass when one parent buys a pass for at least 4 days; the children's passes run as long as the parent's and also work on the Kitzsteinhorn and in the Skicircus. Ask at the lift companies' ticket counters and bring proof of age.
• Groups. Groups of 20 or more get reduced prices on the Schmittenhöhe. Reductions for groups, people with disabilities and special promotions are only available at the ticket counters, with proof.

Can you get a refund if the lifts close?

Usually not. You have no right to a refund for bad weather, avalanche risk, closed lifts, runs or ski areas, or illness. Money comes back only if an epidemic, a pandemic or another official order closes all lifts in all ALPIN CARD regions for at least 4 weeks after you bought the pass.

If injury or illness stops you skiing, the lift companies may still refund a pass as a goodwill gesture (never a 1-day ticket) against a local doctor's certificate; report it straight away. The pass is not transferable, even within a family, and a lost or damaged one can be replaced for a €15 handling fee plus the KeyCard deposit. Check the full terms (in German) on the Ski ALPIN CARD website.

Are there pedestrian tickets for the lifts?

Yes, on the Schmittenhöhe: a partner who does not ski can ride up and down on winter hikers' tickets, which are valid on the Schmittenhöhe only, and the return trips cost less if you book them online through the Schmittenhöhe.

• €39 for adults and youths, €35 online or with a guest card, €19.50 for children: a return trip on the Schmittenhöhebahn, the trassXpress, the Sonnenalmbahn with the Sonnkogelbahn, the areitXpress with Areitbahn II and III, the cityXpress with the Hirschkogelbahn and Areitbahn III, or the zellamseeXpress.
• €27.50, €25 online or with a guest card, €13.50 for children: a return trip on one lift, the Sonnenalmbahn or areitXpress or cityXpress.
• Adults €89 for 3 days or €178 for 7 days, children €44.50 or €89: the Sun ticket for non-skiers (Sonnenkarte), with two trips a day.

The Kitzsteinhorn sells return trips online in advance too, and its lifts are open all year for sightseeing guests.