Things to Do in Zell am See in Winter: Skiing, Winter Walks and Days Without Skis

For me, Zell am See is not just where I work; it is a place I have grown very fond of, with its mountains, its lake and some truly special moments. 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

Skiing in winter 2026/27

The Schmittenhöhe, Zell am See's own ski area, plans to open the season on 4 December with the areitXpress in Schüttdorf and the trassXpress, depending on snow and weather. Last winter, skiing there began on 29 November 2025, and the winter before on 6 December 2024. On the operator's plan the cityXpress follows on 10 December, and the Schmittenhöhebahn, the Sonnenalmbahn and the zellamseeXpress link lift on 11 December. The Schmittenhöhebahn is planned to run until Easter Monday, 29 March 2027, the others until 4 April 2027. Their planned hours are 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, and 8.30 am to 5 pm on the Schmittenhöhebahn.

The Schmittenhöhe

The Schmittenhöhe has 77 km of pistes: 30 km blue, 28 km red and 19 km black, served by 27 lifts. It reaches from about 750 metres in the valley to about 2,000 metres, and from Schüttdorf the areitXpress gondola takes you up in seven minutes. From the town you go up on the cityXpress, the trassXpress, the Schmittenhöhebahn or the Sonnenalmbahn, and the zellamseeXpress links the Schmittenhöhe with the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn.

Ursula's tip for your first day on the slopes: just explore everything, head over to the lifts around the Sonnalm and down into the Schmittental; there is a very nice warm-up slope by the Breiteckbahn. For complete beginners, the tourism board points to Schmidolin's Magic Carpet, a practice area right next to the areitXpress valley station. Which mountain suits whom, and where each lift starts, is in our guide to skiing in Zell am See.

The Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Kaprun

From Zell am See, ski bus 660 takes you to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Kaprun. Its 2026/27 season began on 10 October 2026 and is planned to run until 17 May 2027, depending on weather and snow. The Maiskogelbahn and the 3K K-ONNECTION, the cable car link from Kaprun via the Maiskogel to the glacier, are planned to open on 5 December 2026. The tourism board counts 61 km of pistes there and calls the Kitzsteinhorn Salzburg's only glacier ski area.

Lift passes

The lift companies' rates for a one-day Ski ALPIN CARD are €82 for adults, €61.50 for youths and €41 for children in peak season, from 19 December 2026 to 12 March 2027. At the winter start until 18 December and in the bonus season from 13 March, it is €74, €55.50 and €37. The pass covers the Schmittenhöhe, the Kitzsteinhorn with the Maiskogel and the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn: 408 km of pistes and 121 cable cars and lifts in all.

Hotel Der Schütthof guests buy the pass without queuing at the main reception in Hotel Latini next door; collected at check-in, it works from 3 pm on the day of arrival. Multi-day prices and age bands are in our guide to the Zell am See ski pass.

Night skiing and Ski'n'Brunch

On the Schmittenhöhe's plan, subject to change, the Nightslope at the Ebenbergbahn in Zell am See is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 January to 25 February 2027, except 9 February, until 8.30 pm, depending on snow. Night skiing is included in a day pass; an evening-only ticket costs €15 for adults and €8 for youths and children.

Ski'n'Brunch, first on the freshly groomed pistes and then breakfast, is planned for every Thursday from 7 January to 11 March 2027, meeting at the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station; you need to register.

Cross-country skiing

Zell am See-Kaprun and the wider region have 107 km of cross-country tracks, with beginners' tracks on the southern shore of Lake Zell. The Golfplatz trail in Zell am See is an easy 6.26 km for classic and skating, starting and finishing at the Brückenwirt by the Salzach bridge, with a view of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. Several tracks in the region are floodlit on some evenings, and the region's sports shops hire out equipment.

Winter activities without skis

Ursula's tip for a winter day without skis: snowshoe into the peace and untouched beauty of the winter landscape, then enjoy a delicious hot chocolate and Kaiserschmarrn in a cosy mountain hut.

Up the mountains

Without skis, you can still take a round trip up the Schmittenhöhe. From Schüttdorf on the areitXpress and the Areitbahn II and III it costs €39 for adults and youths, €35 with the guest card or online and €19.50 for children. On the areitXpress alone, up to 1,400 metres, it is €27.50, €25 and €13.50. Tickets for winter walkers are valid on the Schmittenhöhe only. For longer stays, the Sonnenkarte for non-skiers gives you two rides a day: €89 for three days or €178 for seven for adults, €44.50 or €89 for children.

On the Kitzsteinhorn in Kaprun, a round trip up to TOP OF SALZBURG at 3,029 metres costs guests without ski equipment €61 for adults, €45.50 for youths and €30.50 for children in winter 2026/27, or €58 for adults with the guest card. At the top are two panoramic platforms, the National Park Gallery and Cinema 3000. From about mid-January to mid-April, the tourism board says, three igloos stand in the ICE CAMP at 2,600 metres.

The tourism board says the Zell am See-Kaprun guest card brings numerous advantages and discounts, including the cheaper round trips above, which are for foot passengers only, and that after checking in at your accommodation and activating your account you find it in the digital wallet of the Zell am See-Kaprun app, together with the Guest Mobility Ticket. Guests of Hotel Der Schütthof get the card after check-in, digitally or printed out. The Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card, with its included lifts, is for summer only, from 15 May to 31 October.

Winter walks and snowshoe hikes

On the Schmittenhöhe, the winter walking trail runs from the trassXpress top station over the summit to the Sonnkogel and back the same way, about 2 to 2.5 hours. Every Friday from 8 January to 19 March 2027 a Schmittenhöhe mountain guide leads a snowshoe hike to the Schrambachkopf, meeting at 9 am at the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station. With a valid cable car ticket it is free, snowshoes can be hired there for €6, and you book online by noon the day before; the Schmittenhöhe winter hiking page has the details.

In the valley, flat winter walks include the lake promenade (11.1 km), the golf course circuit (4 km) and the Salzach path (5.9 km); the Bruckberg path is 3.4 km with 260 metres of climbing. Lake Zell is about 15 minutes' walk from Hotel Der Schütthof.

Tobogganing

The natural toboggan run through the Köhlergraben in the Schmittental is about one kilometre long and open daily until 10 pm when there is enough snow. From 30 December 2026 to 10 March 2027 the toboggan bus (Rodelbus) leaves the Zell am See post office every Wednesday from 6.50 pm, snow permitting. For a longer run, the Kohlschnait toboggan run in Bruck an der Glocknerstraße is three kilometres long and floodlit at night. The best way from the hotel to the Schmittental run is by bus. Sledges can be hired at rental stations in the area, and in Kaprun the Maisi Flitzer alpine coaster runs 365 days a year.

Ice skating

The outdoor ice rink on the forecourt of the Ferry Porsche Congress Center is open daily from 2 pm to 8 pm from 18 November 2026 to the beginning of March 2027, weather permitting; entry is free, skates can be hired there for €3, and you get there from the hotel by bus or train. At the Eishalle in the Freizeitzentrum Zell am See, public skating is Monday to Sunday from 12.45 pm to 2.45 pm, with an extra session on Tuesdays from 8.15 pm to 10.15 pm.

On Lake Zell itself you can only skate when it freezes, and only on the area opened to the public on the north shore at the Wieshof; outside it there is danger to life. Check the tourism board's lake skating page before you go.

Advent and Christmas in town

The Star Advent market on the town square, the Stadtplatz, runs from 18 November to 20 December 2026, Wednesday to Sunday from 3 pm to 9 pm. The Star Advent Market at Lake Zell, in the Stadtpark right on the lake, opens Thursday to Sunday from 19 November to 24 December, plus 7 and 8 December and 21 to 23 December, and daily from 4 pm to 8 pm from 25 to 31 December; on Christmas Eve it is open from 10 am to 2 pm.

The star cruises on Lake Zell leave from the Esplanade on ten dates between 29 November 2026 and 6 January 2027, with mulled wine, biscuits and Christmas music. On Christmas Day the water rescue divers bring a Christmas tree up from 15 metres below the surface from 5 pm, with punch at the Oberschneiderbucht on the Esplanade from 4 pm; entry is free. Hotel Latini has more in its guide to Christmas and Advent in Zell am See.

Balloon rides and paragliding

Balloon rides and tandem paragliding flights over Zell am See can be booked on request throughout the winter, including during the week-long balloonalps.

Rainy days and a trip to Salzburg

In bad weather the tourism board suggests the region's museums, a stroll through the pedestrian zone, a spa day at the Tauern Spa or the indoor pool at the Freizeitzentrum Zell am See, or a trip to the city of Salzburg, just under 1.5 hours away. Hotel Latini has guides to Zell am See in the rain and to the town's sights.

Month by month, December 2026 to April 2027

Dates on the mountain are the lift companies' plans and subject to change, and anything on snow or ice depends on the weather.

Snow and weather from December to March

On the 1971 to 2000 averages, the weather station in town (766 metres) had at least 1 cm of snow on the ground on 24.2 days in December, 28.0 in January, 26.4 in February and 19.4 in March. On the Schmittenhöhe (1,973 metres) it was 29.5 days in December, 31.0 in January and March and 28.3 in February. Over the same years, December in town averaged minus 2.7 degrees, with a mean daily high of 0.5 degrees and a mean low of minus 5.3; January averaged minus 4.1 degrees.

Those are old averages, and nobody can promise snow. GeoSphere Austria says an average December in Austria has become about two degrees warmer over the last 50 years, and that a white Christmas is only reasonably reliable above about 800 metres; Zell am See lies at 757 metres. On the mountain, the Schmittenhöhebahn says all of its pistes have snowmaking.

If your trip depends on snow on a set date, check the tourism board's live snow report before you travel. Snowmaking and the long-term snow record on both mountains are in our guide to whether Zell am See is snow-sure.

Getting around without a car

Hotel Der Schütthof is about five minutes on foot from the areitXpress valley station, and guests walk there in their ski boots. You can ski back down to Schüttdorf on the single valley run, but it is not for beginners: they take the gondola down.

Ski bus 660 to Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn leaves from the Schüttdorf ÖBB-Postbus Garage stop, five minutes' walk from the hotel. It runs every 30 minutes until 18 December, then every 15 minutes from 19 December, except between 11.20 am and 2.20 pm, when it runs every 30 minutes (subject to change). To the cityXpress in the town centre, the ski bus is the easiest way. The Ski ALPIN CARD includes the ski bus during lift hours.

The Guest Mobility Ticket is included with your stay. It covers buses and trains across the Salzburg region, the ski buses and the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn too, whose Kitzsteinhornstraße stop is about 150 metres from the hotel; the only exceptions are steam and special trains and night bus lines. The ticket is valid on your arrival and departure days as well.

Trains and buses run later in the evening than people often assume: the last Lokalbahn train leaves Zell am See at 10.02 pm and reaches Kitzsteinhornstraße at 10.06 pm, and the last one into town leaves at 10.52 pm. In Advent an evening bus also runs from Zell am See to Schüttdorf, included in the Mobility Ticket. The hotel asks guests to check return times locally; the timetables are at reception.

Arriving by train, you can be picked up free from Zell am See station, daily from 8 am to 6 pm, if you arrange it at least 24 hours ahead. To use the Mobility Ticket on the bus from Salzburg airport, contact the hotel a few days before you arrive and it will send you the details.

Hotel Der Schütthof in winter

Hotel Der Schütthof is a three-star hotel in Schüttdorf; reception and check-in are at its sister hotel, Hotel Latini, next door. After its autumn break it takes guests again from the night of 1 December 2026, and its own ski hire between the two hotels opens the same day. The hotel closes on 30 March 2027, along with Kathi's Café & Bar; Hotel Latini stays open, and the ski hire runs at least until 4 April. Hotel guests get 10% off the whole range there, which includes touring skis and touring boots, though not snowshoes, cross-country skis or ice skates. Ski boots stay in the camera-monitored ski room, and printed piste maps are at reception.

After skiing, Kathi's Café & Bar is open daily from 3 pm in the winter season, and the rooftop Vulcano Spa with a Finnish sauna, bio sauna and steam room is included in the room rate from 4 pm to 8 pm, for guests aged 14 and over. Ski lessons are booked at reception with the hotels' ski instructor, Jürgen from the Skischule Zell am See, in English too.

For a Christmas ski holiday, the "Weihnachten im Schütthof" package is 7 nights from 19 to 26 December, from €885 per person in a double room, with breakfast, themed dinner buffets and, on 24 December, Father Christmas and a festive Christmas buffet; a lift pass is not included. Only a few rooms are left for Christmas; shorter stays can be booked up to and including departure on 27 December, and over New Year there is a 7-night minimum stay.

Hotel Der Schütthof has no pool of its own; its guests can use the pool at Hotel Latini next door for a fee. For families with small children who want a hotel with a pool, Hotel Latini has its own guide to a winter holiday in Zell am See with kids. How a whole ski week works from Hotel Der Schütthof, from flights out of the UK to ski hire and lessons, is in our guide to ski holidays in Zell am See.