With Austria's highest ski area, the Pitztal Glacier is predestined for the first turns in the snow. But it gets particularly exciting when you not only carve on the white surface, but also get a glimpse of the ice, which unfortunately is no longer eternal, as part of a glacier hike.
GLACIER REGIONS are the ideal terrain to start the ski season. Especially on such picture-perfect days as those offered in the first half of November. Picture-perfect days, of course, only for all those people who are allowed to emerge from the urban fog of Central Europe. As Austria's highest ski area, the Pitztal Glacier is the ideal starting point for what will hopefully soon be a snowy season at lower altitudes too. The nature experience culminates on the platform in front of Café 3.440 at the summit station. The view sweeps over Austria's second highest mountain, the Wildspitze (3,768 m). Some ski tourers take the risky trail over the Taschachferner to complete the few hundred meters of altitude to the summit.
It is safer to stay in the ski area. Even if a small rockfall blocked a slope in the form of a rock avalanche, the short section can be easily bypassed since November 10th. The upper section of the Mittelbergbahn has therefore been open again since then. Ten days before the SKI GUIDE AUSTRIA 2025 hit the bookstores, it turned out to be the ideal time to put it to the test: is it still possible? As always, the ski-free six months have more of an impact on fitness than technique. The lack of breath is noticeable beyond the 3000 mark. After all, it usually starts steeply here before the descents - typical of glaciers - become more flat. It can still be difficult, because given the eternally good weather, the slopes were rock hard. This was much to the delight of the huge number of ski teams who trained in the forest of flags (see photo). Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA and numerous Eastern European teams were represented. Superstars like Henrik Kristoffersen took a break during the busy weekend, but prepared here during the week for the first World Cup slalom in Lapland.
The Pitztal Glacier is an experience NOT JUST ON THE SLOPES. Although there is actually no such thing as “the” Pitztal Glacier. The Mittelberg glacier is the main area that is accessible, but nowadays skiing is done on slopes that are only partially prepared on glacier ice. How the terrain has changed becomes apparent in the afternoon when a glacier hike is announced. In the pre-winter period, the first quarter of an hour is a “there used to be a glacier” hike over grey moraines. It is unimaginable that four decades ago there was a glacier lift here for summer skiing. Today there are only a few remnants of dead ice under the rock. We then reached one of the glaciers behind the experienced guide. Its strength was evident in a glacier mill, into which two girls abseiled a good 20 metres down. We hiked to the end of the glacier. Our guide revealed that the access to the glacier gate was lower there than it had been in the spring. We also realised that the destination of the glacier hike from the previous year no longer exists today. Scientists predict that there will be ice in the Pitztal glacier ski area for another 44 years. This caused the two local 13-year-old girls Anika and Theresa more grief than the abseiling into the glacier mill frightened them. She emerged laughing from under the bright blue ice next to the glacier outflow. It is truly hard to imagine that this glacier world will be history in just a few decades (the photos show the two girls and pictures from the spectacular, unfortunately no longer so eternal ice).
BUT THE RECESSION of the glacier only reduces the joys of a winter holiday in the Pitztal in the long term. The Pitztal Glacier ski area and the Rifflsee ski area right next to it, which reaches up to 2,800 metres, are an absolute must for ski freaks due to the long season and the amazing variety of slopes, who - assuming there is enough snow - can also tackle the spectacular downhill tour through the Taschachtal with a ski guide. In addition, the wide circuit of the Hochzeiger ski area near Jerzens in the Pitztal is another snow-sure and varied region in winter, where 54 kilometres of slopes are accessible via nine lifts.
Further information is available from the tourist office on Tel.: +43 (0)54 14 / 86 999 or from the glacier cable car on Tel.: +43 (0)54 13 / 86 288.