Quick Facts

Resorts in the Ski Amadé area

Ski amadé is made up of five regions, each with its own linked ski area, so the resorts below are grouped by region. Most visitors base themselves in one region for their stay, and the network pass lets you spend a day or two exploring the others, a short drive or bus ride away.

Salzburger Sportwelt

The Salzburger Sportwelt is the largest region in Ski amadé, with 250km of pistes spread across several valleys south of Salzburg. Zauchensee, Flachauwinkl, and Kleinarl share a linked ski area that connects by gondola to the slopes above Flachau and Wagrain, while Filzmoos has its own smaller ski area beneath the Dachstein.

Kleinarl

Kleinarl's slopes climb from the edge of the village onto the Shuttleberg, between around 1,000m and 1,980m, and link over the top to Flachauwinkl. The Kleinarl side holds most of the mountain's challenging terrain, with sporty reds and a black run that drops more than 400m towards the valley. Beginners have a practice area with a conveyor belt at the base, and an easy family run winds more than 3km down to the village. Intermediates can cruise long, varied runs, including the longest on the Kleinarl side, which drops more than 500m. Confident skiers can race down a cross run with banked turns, and after fresh snow, secured but ungroomed freeride routes open up higher on the mountain.

Kleinarl is a traditional village at the entrance to a narrow, quiet valley that ends at two mountain lakes, the Jägersee and, higher up, the Tappenkarsee. Family-run hotels and guesthouses line the valley road, and the lifts start right at the edge of the village. Away from the slopes, cross-country trails and winter walks lead up the valley to the Jägersee, set in a nature reserve, with trails running down the valley towards Wagrain, too. Evenings centre on cosy inns and restaurants serving hearty Salzburg cooking.

Zauchensee

Zauchensee sits high in the Salzburger Sportwelt, at 1,350m, and the slopes start right outside the hotels. It's best known for the Kälberloch, one of the toughest sections of the women's World Cup downhill, raced on the Gamskogel above the village. Beginners have gentle slopes around the village to learn on. Intermediates can cruise wide carving runs and tree-lined pistes across the linked ski area. Advanced skiers at Zauchensee can take on the World Cup course and the freeride routes off the Gamskogel, including its steep east face.

Zauchensee is a small, compact resort, made up of a handful of hotels set right at the foot of the slopes. Most accommodation is ski-in, ski-out, which makes it an easy base for anyone who wants to spend as much time on the snow as possible. Evenings centre on the hotel bars and a few lively spots at the base.

Flachauwinkl

Flachauwinkl sits at the junction of two linked ski areas, with lifts climbing from the base to Zauchensee on one side and Kleinarl on the other. Beginners and intermediates have a good mix of blues and reds on both sides. If you like to go fast, you can also test yourself on a timed speed track where skiers reach 100km/h.

Flachauwinkl is a small, quiet village at the head of the valley, and a great choice if you'd like a peaceful base with fast access to the slopes. Accommodation is mostly in hotels and apartments close to the lifts. The lift base is the hub of village life, with a bistro, cosy bars, and an outdoor après-ski bar right by the slopes. Up on the mountain, around 16 huts and restaurants serve hearty Austrian food made mostly with local and regional produce, from rustic ski lodges to terraces with big views across the peaks.

Filzmoos

Filzmoos's ski area spreads across two mountains on either side of the village, with around 20km of pistes beneath the twin rock towers of the Bischofsmütze. On the Rossbrand side, a gondola climbs to the longest run in the area, which drops 540m over 2.7km straight back to the village, along with the resort's black run. On the Grossberg, a FIS race course has both red and black descents, and lifts link over to the neighbouring village of Neuberg. Beginners have wide, gentle practice slopes close to the village, along with a fun slope for children.

Filzmoos is a pretty, traditional village set on open meadows between the Bischofsmütze and the Dachstein, with family-run hotels and guesthouses around its centre. When you're not on the slopes, the village is full of traditional winter activities, from horse-drawn sleigh rides across the meadows to a mountain hut, to tobogganing on a floodlit natural run and cross-country skiing on a high-altitude trail with views of the Dachstein glacier. Dining is hearty and traditional, with cosy village restaurants serving Austrian classics and rustic huts on the slopes, including an old pasture barn turned ski hut near the lifts.

Schladming-Dachstein

Schladming-Dachstein is the only Ski amadé region in Styria, centred on four mountains linked by lifts and pistes, with 123km of continuous runs. Alongside this main circuit, the region has several smaller ski mountains, popular with families and beginners for their quieter, gentler slopes. High above the valley, the Dachstein glacier is the only glacier in the network, with skiing that runs from autumn into late spring.

Schladming

Schladming's skiing starts right in town, with a gondola climbing the Planai from the centre and runs leading back down to the streets. From here, you can ski across all four linked mountains without taking your skis off, from the Reiteralm in the west to the Hauser Kaibling in the east, the highest point at 2,015m. Beginners have practice areas and nursery slopes at the foot of the mountains, along with wide, easy blues on the Hauser Kaibling. Intermediates can cruise long, well-groomed blues and reds that stretch across the whole circuit, with views of the Dachstein massif from much of the mountain. Advanced skiers at Schladming can tackle four steep blacks with gradients of up to 80%, mogul runs on the Planai, and the 5km World Cup course from the top of the Planai into the valley.

Schladming is a lively historic market town at around 745m, with a pedestrianised main square lined with colourful, frescoed buildings from the 16th to 18th centuries. Accommodation ranges from hotels around the square to apartments and chalets, many within walking distance of the gondola. Styrian cooking is a highlight, from hearty regional dishes in the old inns on the square to mountain huts serving local produce, and the town even has its own brewery, founded in 1909. Après-ski is one of the liveliest in the network, starting at the bars by the slopes and carrying on around the main square, often with live music. When you're ready for a break from the pistes, you can ski under floodlights on the Hochwurzen, race down its 7.7km floodlit toboggan run, or head up to the Dachstein glacier for big views across the Alps.

Gastein Valley

Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein's skiing is big and varied, with lifts rising straight from town onto two mountains and runs linking across to Bad Hofgastein. Intermediates have the most to enjoy, with long, wide reds built for fast, flowing turns and huge descents back to the valley floor, including a run all the way down to Bad Hofgastein that's often called one of the best intermediate runs in Austria. Even with so much red terrain, beginners are well looked after, with a dedicated learning hub between the two towns, where practice areas, magic carpets, and gentle blues give you room to find your feet. Advanced skiers can head to the Graukogel, which hosted the 1958 World Championships, where steep runs through old stone pine forest still have a classic, demanding character. After fresh snow, the high bowls at Sportgastein, a short ride up the valley, are a designated freeride area with powder that lasts long after the lower slopes are tracked out.

Bad Gastein is a historic spa town built into a steep gorge, with grand Belle Époque hotels stacked around a waterfall that drops 341m through the centre. Accommodation ranges from restored grand hotels and stylish design hotels to apartments, many with their own spa. When you're not on the slopes, you can soak in the Felsentherme, a thermal spa built into the rock face, cross a 140m suspension bridge at the top of the Stubnerkogel, or race down a floodlit toboggan run. Food ranges from coffee houses serving cakes and strudel to fine dining in historic grand halls, and evenings have a stylish edge, with bars tucked into the old hotels.

Bad Hofgastein

Bad Hofgastein's skiing spreads across a wide, open mountain above the town, with runs dropping through the forest to the valley floor and linking across to Bad Gastein. Known locally as the family and adventure mountain, it's mostly wide, well-groomed reds and blues, with a fun slope for children. Its signature run starts at the top of the ski area, at 2,300m, and drops around 1,440m over more than 10km, first through high alpine terrain and then through the forest all the way back to town. Intermediates can spend days on the network of reds linking the town with the valley's central ski hub and the slopes above Bad Gastein. Beginners have a small nursery slope by the main lift and a much larger beginners' area between the two towns. For more of a challenge, a ski route of deep snow or moguls drops down the far side of the mountain, and Bad Gastein's steeper slopes are an easy ski away.

Bad Hofgastein is a market town in the wide, open middle of the Gastein Valley, at around 860m, with a pedestrianised centre of shops, cafés, and pubs. Many hotels sit close to the Alpentherme, the town's large thermal spa and one of the resort's highlights, with indoor and outdoor pools, a family area with slides, and even an underwater aquarium. There's plenty more to enjoy in the snow, too, from horse-drawn sleigh rides through the valley to curling and skating at the ice arena and a 3.6km toboggan run from halfway up the mountain. Long cross-country trails follow the valley floor, and winter walking paths lead out from the town. Restaurants serve hearty Austrian food, and the valley is known for its pastries and cakes, from Kaiserschmarrn to Sachertorte.

Hochkönig

The Hochkönig region sits at the foot of the 2,941m Hochkönig massif, where high limestone plateaus drop into rolling, forested valleys. Its 120km of pistes link three traditional villages, with wide, open slopes made for carving, steeper runs for confident skiers, and big panoramic views from much of the mountain. The Königstour, a 35km circuit across six summits, ties the region together, with giant wooden thrones marking the best viewpoints along the way. It's a family-friendly corner of Ski amadé with an easy-going village atmosphere.

Maria Alm

Maria Alm's skiing starts right in the village, where a gondola climbs to the local slopes and runs link across to the main Hochkönig ski area and the Königstour. The terrain is mostly wide and well groomed, with runs through the forest and big views. Beginners have nursery slopes right in the village, along with a small freestyle park of gentle waves, boxes, and a jump for first-timers. Intermediates can cruise wide, consistent reds and long, easy descents, including a run from the very top of the local slopes all the way back to the valley. Advanced skiers can head to the high point above the village, at around 1,900m, for short, steep blacks and marked freeride routes that are avalanche-checked but left ungroomed. You can also ski under floodlights in the village several times a week.

Maria Alm is a picture-postcard village at around 800m, with a car-free centre of timbered chalets and centuries-old buildings. Accommodation ranges from family-run hotels and guesthouses to chalets and apartments, many a short walk from the gondola in the village centre. Après-ski is friendly and sociable, starting at the umbrella bars at the foot of the slopes and moving into the village's cosy bars, where evenings can run late. Dining has a traditional feel, with family-run inns serving hearty Austrian cooking and mountain huts with terraces facing the Hochkönig. Off the slopes, the 6km floodlit toboggan run is a favourite with families, and 30km of cross-country trails wind across the valley floor.

Hinterthal

Hinterthal sits right on the slopes at around 1,020m, so you can step out of your chalet and click straight into your skis. A chairlift climbs from the village into the heart of the Hochkönig ski area, where you can join the Königstour and explore wide, open runs. Beginners have their own nursery slopes and a well-regarded ski school in the village. Intermediates can spend days cruising the linked area.

Hinterthal is a small, stylish mountain village tucked away at the end of a valley, which keeps it peaceful and free of through traffic. It has an upmarket feel, with a cluster of chalets, chalet apartments, and hotels set right beside the pistes, and it suits families and couples looking for a calm base with skiing on the doorstep. Evenings are quiet and cosy, spent in the village's cafés, restaurants, and hotel bars, and a ski bus links you with Maria Alm when you'd like a livelier night out.

Grossarltal

Grossarltal is a long, high valley known as the valley of alpine pastures, with around 40 mountain huts scattered across its slopes and farmhouses that have stood for centuries. Its ski area links over the ridge to Dorfgastein in the neighbouring Gastein Valley, with around 70km of wide, well-groomed pistes served by modern lifts. The terrain is mostly long, winding blues and reds through the forest, a great fit for families and intermediates who love to cruise, with a top-to-bottom descent of more than 1,100m on the Dorfgastein side.

Grossarl

Grossarl's slopes form one linked ski area with Dorfgastein, just over the ridge, so you can ski from the Grossarl Valley into the Gastein Valley and back on the same lifts and pistes. A 10-seater gondola climbs more than 1,000m from the valley straight to the summit plateau, right in the heart of the slopes. Most of the terrain is wide, well-groomed blues and reds, with long runs winding through the forest and a longest descent of more than 8km. Beginners have nursery slopes and learning areas at the base, along with a fun slope and fun park for younger skiers. Intermediates have the most to enjoy, with a big network of long, flowing reds on both sides of the ridge. Advanced skiers will find steep reds and a few short blacks beneath the high point, at just over 2,000m, and after fresh snow, marked off-piste routes lead into quiet side valleys.

Grossarl sits in the middle of its valley, with a historic village centre surrounded by alpine pastures and the peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park rising at the head of the valley. Accommodation ranges from family-run hotels near the gondola to farm stays across the valley, and a ski bus links the villages with the lifts. What really sets Grossarl apart is its hut culture, with around 40 huts across the valley serving hearty regional food, many with terraces facing the peaks. Après-ski starts at the huts on the slopes and carries on at the bars near the base stations. Away from the slopes, there's a large leisure centre with an adventure pool, floodlit toboggan runs, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and torchlit winter walks and snowshoe hikes through the snowy pastures.

Skiing in Ski Amadé by level

Beginners in Ski Amadé

Ski amadé is a rewarding place to learn, with nursery slopes, magic carpets, and ski schools in every resort, and around 275km of blue runs across the network. Many of the learning areas sit right in the villages or at the foot of the lifts, so you can start skiing from your very first morning. The pistes are carefully groomed, and plenty of the easier runs are wide and gently pitched, giving you room to take your time. Several resorts also have fun slopes and small freestyle areas, which make learning feel like play for younger skiers. Ski schools across the network run lessons for adults and children, whether you're starting from scratch or brushing up after a few years away.

For gentle, uncrowded slopes, Filzmoos is a great choice, with wide practice areas close to the village and easy blues winding through the trees. In the Hochkönig region, Maria Alm has nursery slopes right in the village and a small beginners' freestyle park, while Hinterthal has its own learning area and a well-regarded ski school, both particularly well set up for families. Grossarl has learning areas at the base of its gondola and wide, well-groomed blues higher up. In the Gastein Valley, Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein share a large learning hub between the two towns, with practice areas, magic carpets, and gentle blues. Kleinarl and Flachauwinkl both have beginner areas at the base, and Zauchensee has gentle slopes around the village. Schladming has practice areas at the foot of its mountains too, though much of its terrain suits skiers with a few days behind them. Wherever you stay, you'll find nursery slopes and ski schools close by.

Intermediate skiing in Ski Amadé

Intermediates have the most to explore in Ski amadé, with around 390km of red runs alongside plenty of blues. The pistes here are made for cruising, with long, wide, well-groomed runs on open slopes up high and forest trails winding back down to the villages. Some descents are seriously long, too, with runs of 8km to more than 10km dropping well over 1,000m from the top of the lifts to the valley floor. Several regions are built around linked circuits, so you can spend a whole day skiing from mountain to mountain with big views of limestone peaks and glaciers along the way.

Around Schladming, four mountains are linked by 123km of pistes, with long, well-groomed blues and reds across the whole circuit and views of the Dachstein from much of the mountain. In the Gastein Valley, Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein share long, wide reds built for fast, flowing turns, including a descent of more than 10km from the top of the ski area back to Bad Hofgastein. The Hochkönig region has the Königstour, a 35km circuit across six summits that's a great day out for confident intermediates. In the Salzburger Sportwelt, Zauchensee has wide carving runs and tree-lined pistes, and the slopes between Flachauwinkl and Kleinarl have long, varied reds on both sides of the mountain. Grossarl has long, winding blues and reds through the forest, linked over the ridge to the Gastein Valley. With a multi-day pass covering the whole network, you can also spend a day skiing a different region, a short drive or bus ride away.

Advanced and off-piste in Ski Amadé

Ski amadé has a strong racing pedigree, and advanced skiers can test themselves on the same slopes used by the World Cup. Alongside around 95km of black runs, you'll find steep mogul fields, tough race courses, and marked ski routes that are avalanche-checked but left ungroomed. Much of the skiing sits below 2,000m, so the best steeps are often found through the trees, where the snow stays sheltered after a storm. Higher up, the head of the Gastein Valley holds the highest skiing in the network, with open freeride bowls up to around 2,680m.

Schladming has the biggest concentration of steep terrain, where four blacks reach gradients of up to 80%, mogul runs line the Planai, and you can ski the 5km World Cup course into the valley. In Zauchensee, you can take on the Gamskogel, home to the Kälberloch section of the women's World Cup downhill and a steep east face for freeriders. Bad Gastein's Graukogel, which hosted the 1958 World Championships, has steep runs through old stone pine forest, and the high bowls at Sportgastein are just up the valley. In the Hochkönig region, the high point above Maria Alm has short, steep blacks and several marked freeride routes, and Kleinarl's side of the Shuttleberg holds its black run and secured freeride trails.

After fresh snow, the off-piste is at its best in the Gastein Valley, where the high bowls at Sportgastein are a designated freeride area with an avalanche training centre, and powder lingers long after the lower slopes are tracked out. Hochkönig has a freeride info point at the top of the gondola above Maria Alm, with up-to-date routes and avalanche conditions, and quiet side valleys in Grossarltal reward those willing to explore. Terrain outside the pistes and marked routes isn't controlled, so carry avalanche safety equipment and head out with a local guide. Ski touring is part of everyday life in Austria, too, and several areas have signposted touring routes on the pistes, so you can earn your turns on the way up.

Snowboarding in Ski amadé

Ski amadé is a great place to ride, with long, wide, well-groomed pistes made for carving big, fast turns, and modern gondolas and chairlifts across most of the network. Snowboarders are a big part of the scene here, with dedicated snowboard schools alongside the ski schools and a strong freeride and freestyle culture in every region. After fresh snow, the forested slopes above Bad Gastein and Grossarl have plenty of trees to explore, and freeriders head for the high bowls at the head of the Gastein Valley, where powder lingers long after a storm. If you're learning to ride, the wide practice areas and gentle blues in Filzmoos, Grossarl, and the Gastein Valley's learning hub give you plenty of space to get comfortable on your board. Most lifts are easy to ride with a board, though a few of the smaller areas still have drag lifts.

For freestyle, Ski amadé is one of Austria's great playgrounds, with snowparks across all five regions. On the slopes between Flachauwinkl and Kleinarl, the Absolut Park is one of the largest freestyle parks in Europe, with kicker lines, rails, boxes, and a halfpipe, along with a natural park through the trees, and the mountain is served entirely by chairlifts. Schladming's Planai has a big park with pro, medium, and beginner lines, and Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein share a huge practice park in the hub between the two towns. Across the network, fun slopes with waves, banked turns, and small jumps are a great way to build confidence before you head into a park.

Ski Amadé pass

Ski amadé is split into five regions, and each region sells its own regional pass. A regional pass covers all the linked lifts and pistes within that one region, such as the four connected mountains around Schladming, or the slopes Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein share in the Gastein Valley. Regional passes are sold for a single day, so they suit a short visit or a day on the slopes near where you're staying.

As soon as you buy a pass for two days or more, it automatically becomes a Ski amadé pass, covering all five regions, 760km of pistes, and around 270 lifts. There's no separate multi-day pass for just one region, so whether you're coming for a weekend, a week, or ten days or more, you'll have the whole network on one ticket. Most visitors ski their home region for much of the trip and spend a day or two exploring another, a short drive or bus ride away. Multi-day passes run on consecutive days, and season passes are available too.

How to get to Ski Amadé

Most international visitors fly into Salzburg, the closest airport to the network, around 60km to 100km from the resorts. Munich is around 190km to 260km away, and Innsbruck around 135km to 265km, depending on where you're staying. From any of these airports, you can hire a car or book a shared or private transfer.

Travelling by train is easy, too. Schladming sits on the main railway line between Salzburg and Graz, and Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein are served by regular trains from Salzburg along the Gastein Valley. For Flachauwinkl, Zauchensee, Kleinarl, and Filzmoos, the nearest stations are in the valleys below, with buses up to the resorts. For Maria Alm and Hinterthal, the nearest station is Saalfelden, around 5km to 15km away, and Grossarl is reached by bus from St Johann im Pongau.

Once you arrive, you won't need a car to get around your home region. Ski buses run between the villages and the lifts in most resorts, and in the Gastein Valley, buses link Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein with the rest of the valley. In the Hochkönig region, a ski bus connects Maria Alm and Hinterthal. In Schladming and Maria Alm, gondolas rise straight from the village centre, and in Hinterthal and Zauchensee, you can step onto the slopes from many hotels. A car is handy if you'd like to ski a different region, though some resorts, such as Filzmoos, also run ski buses to other parts of the network.

Best time to visit Ski Amadé

For the most dependable snow across the network, mid-January to mid-March is the best time to visit Ski amadé. The season usually starts in late November or early December, with the slopes around Schladming and Flachauwinkl among the first to open, and runs into early April. Snowmaking covers most of the pistes, which helps keep the main runs open from top to bottom early and late in the season. The high slopes hold their snow best, from the head of the Gastein Valley, which rises to around 2,680m, to the north-facing runs above Schladming and Zauchensee.

Christmas and New Year, February, and Easter are the busiest times, when Austrian and other European school holidays fill the slopes and lift queues get longer. If your dates are flexible, January, outside the New Year week, and the first half of March give you good snow with more room on the pistes. The very start and end of the season are quieter still, though not every lift is always running then.

Spring is a lovely time to come, with longer days, softer snow, and long lunches on hut terraces in the sunshine. The high slopes at the head of the Gastein Valley and around Zauchensee keep their snow longest, while the lower runs back to villages such as Maria Alm depend on conditions. There's plenty going on through the season, too, from the World Cup night slalom in Schladming, usually in late January, to a week of wine tastings and the highest farmers' market in the Alps in March. In the Gastein Valley, March and April bring a spring programme of events and spa offers.