PISTE MAP
SKI Area
It's best to explain the three different areas / passes you can buy in the Zell am See area.
ZELL AM SEE SKI AREA
First up, the mountain directly above Zell am See is called Schmitten (or Schmittenhohe). The 2000m summit is accessed by lifts from both Zell am See and the suburb of Schuttdorf. The gondola from Schuttdorf pretty easy, but as most visitors take the Schmittenhohebahn straight to the top.
The pistes cover almost every aspect of the mountain – north, east, south and west – and are a mix of reds, blues and the black pistes on the slopes immediately above Zell. In many other resorts most of these baclk runs would be graded as reds, and the whole area is ideally suited to intermediates, especially when there’s fresh, cold snow on the slopes. It's only when conditions are icy that the black runs become more testing. In mid-winter there are decent nursery slopes at the bottom of the slopes near Zell am See and at Schuttdorf, but we wouldn’t recommend them after mid-February as they are very low, and susceptible to daytime melting.
KITZSTEINHORN GLACIER
Once you've got your ski legs in above Zell, it will be time to take the free ski bus from Zell, past Kaprun and up to bus stop number 35 for the Kitzsteinhorn. The free ski bus takes around 30 minutes between Zell and See and the Kitzsteinhorn stop. Once there take three gondolas to whisky you up to 3,000m. Intermediates keen to get some km's under their belt should here, especially on a sunny, bluebird day (thank us later).
The glacier is a mele of mainly blue and red runs, but don't forget, expert skiers will want to take on the steep, 63% Black Mamba piste!
SKI ALPIN CARD
For the ultimate ski experience in Zell am See, grab the Ski Alpin card. Not only does this give you access to Schmittenhohe, the Kitzsteinglacier and night skiing, but it also permits you to ski in Saalback, giving you 270km of extra piste the explore!