Best Snow Sure Resorts in Austria

When it comes to finding a snow sure ski resort, one of the most important factors is usually how high the ski slopes go …with the higher normally the better when snow cover is concerned.   

Austria has slightly fewer high-altitude resorts than its neighbours but despite that, it boasts the most glacier ski resorts of any country in the world (there are five in the Tirol region alone). Thanks to that Austrians have more ski areas open to enjoy in early autumn and late spring than skiers in any other country.  

Austrian ski resorts are also famous for their high-quality, high-spec infrastructure which typically means things like fast, comfortable chairlifts and gondolas, but also extends to extensive state-of-the-art snowmaking systems. These cover the slopes of Austria’s best resorts as soon as temperatures dip low enough in the autumn, building a secure base for the natural snow to fall on.  

Here are six of the most snow sure resorts in Austria 

Ischgl 

Ischgl is very proud of its long ski season which begins in late November and ends in early May. It celebrates and highlights this with big music concerts on the slopes, the Top of the Mountain gigs, to remind people just how snowsure it is. Big stars like Kylie, Elton, Rihanna and Robbie along with dozens of other international stars have enjoyed the Austrian’s slopes performing there over the years. Ischgl has both high slopes and a huge snowmaking arsenal and works hard to open lots of terrain from the very start of the season.

Innsbruck 

The city of Innsbruck may not be your first thought when considering the most snow-sure Austrian ski resorts. But consider that the very affordable ‘SKI plus CITY’ regional lift pass covers no less than 13 ski areas around the city including some very snow sure options. These include the Austrian resort of Kühtai, situated at over 2,000m above sea level (that’s higher than the top of the lifts at quite a few well-known Austrian resorts). The iconic Stubai glacier, with skiing between 2300m and 3200m and a ski season lasting from September to the following June, is also on the pass.

Kitzbühel 

Kitzbühel is officially actually the lowest major Austrian ski area and was once mentioned in a UN report on the future impact of climate change as a likely early victim. Rather than be defeated by this gloomy prediction though, the Austrian resort decided to defy expectations and has actually extended its season, now boasting 200 days of skiing from October to May!  Kitzbühel has not cheated nature exactly but uses snow farming - a technique of stockpiling stored snow from the previous winter in a shady spot under cover through the summer then spreading it back out on the slopes as things get cooler – to build an early base.

Schladming 

Schladming is not the highest Austrian ski area, although topping out at 2,700m certainly makes it one of the higher ski regions of the country’s most famous resorts. The resort does have a reputation for its snow reliability, opening as early as October some years and being awarded the maximum 5 stars for snow reliability by ski resort testing portal SkiResort.Info. The site notes the resort has an incredible 1,200 snow guns, one of the highest numbers in the Austrian Alps, to cover its slopes if needed, whenever temperatures are low enough. Schladming also has the added bonus of proximity to the Dachstein glacier with its year-round snow cover.

Sölden 

Sölden is one of Austria’s most snow sure resorts with its ski season usually starting in September each year, months before most other Austrian ski areas. It’s possible thanks to its twin glaciers and multiple peaks up above 3,000 metres altitude. It also needs to get the slopes prepared as the world’s TV cameras zero in on its slope in late October as the opening events of the annual Alpine world Cup ski tour are staged here.

St Anton am Arlberg 

St Anton and the high-altitude hamlet of St Christoph, which share the vast Austrian Arlberg ski region, both have reputations for reliable snow cover. The season here starts in late November and extends through to early May, one of the longest for a non-glacier ski area in Austria. The lifts and slopes do climb up to a very high 2,811 metres however and it is blessed by a geographic location which means it averages 11m of snowfall each year, often leaving it top of the snow-depth charts in Austria. If that’s not enough, 72% of the area's slopes have snowmaking, making it extra snow sure.