Stories from the ski areas
Not only the sun smiles on you
Pure fun in the snow always goes hand in hand with a good portion of indulgence in Zillertal. Culinary highlights and super-sunny descents ensure a very special feeling of happiness here during an exceptionally long ski season.
The sun is shining, making the fresh snow on the slopes glisten mystically. Ahead of you lie seemingly endless downhill runs – and the anticipation of an indulgent stop for refreshments at an idyllic mountain hut. There are skiing days that are so beautiful you want to frame them. And in Zillertal there are in fact an exceptional number of them. As the ski season starts very early and ends very late here due to the geographically exposed location and perfect altitude of the ski areas, ranging from 630 metres to 3,250 metres above sea level. These particularly high slopes ensure a unique snow guarantee until well into April. Perfect for Easter holidays. And if that’s not long enough for you, you can carve your tracks in the eternal ice. It doesn’t matter whether it’s autumn or spring, the Hintertux Glacier offers skiing fun on perfectly groomed slopes even when snow is just a distant dream elsewhere.
À la grandma
The exceptionally long ski season with its many sunny days makes Zillertal a biotope for culinary highlights. Alongside skiing fun, the icing on the cake can be found at over 80 mountain huts offering indulgent treats. As not only is Tyrolean hospitality proudly upheld here, regional delicacies and products are also held in high esteem in Zillertal – in the form of traditional dishes à la grandma or reinterpreted in the style of modern cuisine. On the menus in Zillertal you will find everything you can usually only dream of, from Kaiserschmarrn to delicacies such as Zillertaler Krapfen or Groiggn. Even true gourmets will find what they are looking for: the Mountain Loft in the Spieljoch ski area has even been awarded a Gault Millau toque!
“This long ski season
in Zillertal is like a biotope
of culinary highlights.”
Celebrate festivals as they come
To present the Zillertal land of milk and honey in all its many facets, all four holiday regions entice visitors with special culinary highlights. Every year, the Hochzillertal- Kaltenbach ski region kicks off the epicurean season with its legendary “Ski Food Festival” in mid-December. Specialities from twelve countries are combined with fantastic ski slopes to create a “special menu” with several courses. Especially exciting for gourmets: All dishes are inspired by the culinary art of inter-national celebrity chefs, who advise the hut hosts and their chefs on the preparation. Also worth mentioning: Samples are already served at the bottom stations, so
you can swish from one delicacy to the next and really enjoy your lift ride with finger food.
Indulgence by moonlight and in a gondola
The Zillertal Arena, on the other hand, is set up for romantics. You can experience the special magic of a sundowner with a live DJ and a cosy dinner on the mountain afterwards with “moonlight skiing & dinner” on the full moon dates from January to March including downhill skiing over mystical glittering slopes in the moonlight. After pre-booking, all night owls can test the mystical highlight’s immediate effect on their skiing skills for themselves. On the Hintertux Glacier, on the other hand, the finest gondola breakfast is served while suspended in a special ski gondola. And just recently the Brettljausen gondola, a second indulgence gondola was added and invites you to dine high above the mountains and slopes. The culinary variety ranges from alpine spreads to Kaminwurz sausages, smoked bacon and ham to different types of Zillertal cheese. It’s not only the culinary delights that are unique, so is the spectacular view into the distance over Zillertal’s mountain scenery.
An Ice Bar
And anyone who wants to combine culinary highlights with an exclusive form of après-ski is on the right track in Mayrhofen. In the WhiteLounge on Mount Ahorn plateau, the Schneebar tempts you with drinks accompanied by chilled lounge music in a deck chair, while the view sweeps over the fantastic scenery of one mountain peak after the other. What’s really special about this location: it is built out of ice and snow! This means it is rebuilt every year as soon as the temperatures permit. In spring, when the last skiers are carving home, the whole thing is used as a water source for the surrounding alpine pastures.
Photos: Cover photo: Tom Klocker, following pages: Max Drager and text: Johannes Stühlinger Zillertal year-round magazine 2024
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Find the right accommodation for your perfect winter holiday in Zillertal – from cosy private rooms to luxury five-star hotels.
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Zillertal is located in the west of Austria and is the widest of the side valleys on the south side of the Inntal Valley. Get to Zillertal safely and comfortably.
