High in the Austrian Alps, the ski village of Kühtai sits at an elevation of 6,625 feet, making it one of the highest in the nation.
Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in Austria: A Comprehensive Guide
Discover the best family-friendly ski resorts in Austria that offer snow-sure conditions, gentle terrain for beginners, and extensive family-oriented facilities.
Obergurgl
Located at an altitude of 1,800m to 3,082m, Obergurgl guarantees excellent snow reliability. This resort is renowned for its family-friendly atmosphere, with many beginner slopes, nursery slopes equipped with moving carpets and button lifts for kids, and excellent ski schools.
Zell am See
Zell am See provides a wealth of blue (easy) runs and themed fun runs ideal for beginners and children. The resort offers nursery slopes, special ski schools for kids, and family-friendly amenities such as an indoor swimming pool with toddler areas and a floodlit toboggan run open late.
Wildkogel Arena
Family-oriented and snow-sure, Wildkogel Arena boasts 70 km of pistes, running from November to April. The resort is famous for the longest floodlit toboggan run in the world (14 km), adding to family fun.
Gut Wenghof - Family Resort Werfenweng and Gradonna Mountain Resort Chalets & Hotel
Rated highly for family friendliness, these resorts provide child-friendly services and locations near ski lifts, with amenities suitable for families.
Kinderhotel Kröller
Kinderhotel Kröller offers thoughtful family amenities, ideal for larger family groups including grandparents. The resort provides excellent service with easy ski access, focusing on family comfort and beginner needs.
Additional Considerations
Many of these resorts offer ski-in-ski-out access, dedicated kids’ clubs, and facilities such as indoor pools and wellness spas that help families relax after skiing.
Innsbruck and Beyond
For a city-meets-ski experience, Innsbruck, the Tyrolean capital, offers the Ski Plus City Pass covering 13 resorts, including the Stubai glacier, with over 200 miles of pistes and routes. A private, English-speaking guide is available for sightseeing tours of Innsbruck's highlights.
Gurgl, in Tyrol's Ötztal Valley, offers snow-sure skiing at high altitudes, with skiing reaching an altitude of 9,940ft and guaranteed from well before Christmas until late April. Kitzbühel, also in Tyrol, is known for its Hahnenkamm Races, one of the most prestigious FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events.
Connected Resorts
The Ski Amadé lift pass covers more than one single lift pass and allows access to various resorts within easy daily reach of Salzburg. Stuben, in the west, is replacing its 1983 two-seater chair with an eight-person gondola. A free bus to Flachau for lift-pass-holders makes it easy to visit Salzburg city and take part in the late-January Mozart Festival.
New this season is a joint lift pass for Kappl and See, their collective 55 miles of runs united by shuttle bus. Both are also included in the Silvretta ski pass, which covers big-time Ischgl. Kühtai's neighbouring resort of Hochoetz is included in the Kühtai ski pass and accessed by free shuttle. This, along with freestyle, snowcross, and ski touring options, widens Kühtai's appeal as a week-long destination.
Natural Wonders and Relaxation
Ski Amadé includes such standout areas as Hochkönig, which connects the villages of Maria Alm, Dienten, and Mühlbach. Bad Gastein, a historic town with natural hot springs, offers the Felsentherme complex and Alpentherme Gastein, featuring thermal pools, saunas, steam rooms, and children's pools.
Visiting Austria late in the ski season may mean less snow, but it can offer a more relaxed ski experience with warmer temperatures likely from April. Kühtai is a small, faff-free ski resort in Austria, easily navigable with numerically labeled pistes. It is among Austria's highest ski villages and offers 27 miles of pistes, making it well-suited for families and beginners.
Exploring Innsbruck
The 12th floor of Adlers Hotel provides a viewpoint to watch Innsbruck's lights twinkle, with the option for an Aperol spritz. At Kaiser Max, on Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse, one can enjoy lunch with an unrivaled view of the Nordkette mountain chain, and try traditional Tyrolean dish gröstl. The restaurant Bergisel Sky, located at the mouth of the Zaha-Hadid-designed Olympic ski jump (nicknamed The Cobra), offers breakfast with views of Innsbruck.
Zell am See-Kaprun
Zell am See-Kaprun is a lakeside spa town with wondrous views, now connected to the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrun winter sports area. Saalfelden-Leogang, a ski area in Austria, now uses plant-based fuel to run its piste-grooming machines, reducing CO2 emissions by 90%.
Austrian Delights
Austria is the second-most-popular destination for British skiers, known for its local cuisine, including beer, schnapps, and hearty mountain fare. Austrian ski regions are known for their picturesque Alpine towns, cosy chalet hotels, advanced lifts, and large, linked ski areas.
For more information about visiting Mooshaus in Kühtai, please refer to Innsbruck.info.
Obergurgl and Zell am See are family-friendly ski resorts in Austria that cater to lifestyle choices, offering snow-sure conditions, ample beginner slopes, and numerous family-oriented facilities, such as nursery slopes, specialized ski schools for kids, and family-friendly amenities like indoor pools and floodlit toboggan runs.
Travel and sports enthusiasts can experience the city-meets-ski life in Innsbruck, Tyrolean capital, which offers the Ski Plus City Pass, accessing 13 resorts, including the Stubai glacier, with over 200 miles of pistes and routes, as well as private, English-speaking sightseeing tours. For a more relaxed ski experience, consider Kühtai, offering skiing at high altitudes, numerically labeled pistes, and options for freestyle, snowcross, and ski touring.
