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Hochzillertal-Hochfugen, Austria

By Sean Newsom | on September 19, 2012 | 0 Comment
Ski Resorts
Hochzillertal-Hochfugen, Austria | Welove2ski

Photo: © Florian Weiss/Skiresort Hochfugen

 

The Stats

Altitude: 558m

Top Lift: 2501m

Ski area: 181km of piste

Adult lift pass: 224€ for six days

site Official Site | site Ski Map | site Webcam

In a Nutshell

The union of two very different resorts on the western slopes of the Zillertal has created a medium-sized ski area of great variety. Hochzillertal provides the easy-skiing pistes, and Hochfugen the freeride terrain. Off-pisters in particular should put it on their hit list.

Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip

The Zillertal is a flat-bottomed, steeped-side valley that burrows into the mountains east of Innsbruck – and Hochzillertal-Hochfugen is one of several ski areas dotted along its length. The other main ones are Mayrhofen, Hintertux and the Zillertal Arena – and together they offer a mind-boggling 671km of piste. They can all be skied on a single lift pass, and day-tripping between them is easy. (There’s a good public transport system of trains and buses, but having your own car will make the commute much more convenient.)

It’s not just the extent of the skiing here that’s impressive. It’s the variety too – and nowhere more so than in Hochzillertal-Hochfugen. It’s actually a union of two separate ski areas, which are now joined by a single gondola, and in terms of the skiing on offer, they’re chalk and cheese. The former is made up of wide, easy-skiing pistes above the treeline. The latter is more heavily forested, and mixes high Alpine bowls with tree-studded slopes lower down, which are cut with the occasional rock band and cliff. It adds up to the best mix of off-piste terrain in the Zillertal.

Hochzillertal-Hochfugen is best for day-trippers and weekenders

No doubt about it, this is an interesting area. It’s a must-ski destination for off-pisters holidaying in the Zillertal, and is also home to one of the best mountain huts in the Alps, and one of the best restaurants, too.

But we wouldn’t recommend it as base for a week’s holiday for most people: for the simple reason that it lacks a decent resort village at the bottom of the lifts. The little cluster of hotels in the trees on the Hochfugen side of the ski area is the most attractive base. And for a group of well-heeled thirty or fortysomething off-piste skiers, it would be a near-perfect perch for a short break or weekend – thanks to its snow micro-climate, freeride-friendly culture and excellent off-piste tuition.

But anyone looking for proper ski-town buzz will be quickly bored here: and we certainly wouldn’t recommend the village of Kaltenbach, on the Hochzillertal side as an alternative. It’s dominated by a vast car-park used by day-tripping Austrians and Bavarians, and is no substitute for the bustling resort town of Mayrhofen, further up the valley.

The Loveometer

Where to Ski Loveometer 69% | Welove2ski

We Love

We Hate

tick The variety – on one side of the ski area you’re on classic Alpine pistes. On the other, you could be in Utah.
tick The Kristalhutte – one of the best mountain huts in the Alps.
tick The extra effort made to help off-piste skiers in Hochfugen.
tick The fact that there’s so much more skiing nearby in the Zillertal.
tick The fact that one of Austria’s best chefs has a restaurant here.
tick The recently updated infrastructure and accommodation.
cross The lack of a proper resort at the bottom of the lift system.
cross The lowish altitude of the ski area – although you can drive up the valley to the Hintertux glacier during a thaw.

Continue Exploring Hochzillertal-Hochfugen

  1. Guide to the Mountain

    Guide to the Mountain
  2. Where To Stay

    Where to Stay
  3. Where to Eat

    Where to Eat
  4. Where to Learn

    Where to Learn
  5. Where to Party

    Where to Party
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Author Description

Sean Newsom

As well as founding Welove2ski in June 2007, Sean has written about skiing and snowboarding in the British press for 28 years. For the last 20 of them, he’s also been the ski travel editor at The Sunday Times.

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