The Schmittenhöhe is Zell am See’s local mountain and a popular ski area for beginners and advanced skiers. SnowTrex gives you five good reasons to spend your next skiing holiday on “the Schmitten”.
1. High-tech already in the lift
With 77 kilometres of pistes, 5 valley runs and 25 ski lifts, the Schmittenhöhe offers a varied yet manageable range of activities. The latest highlight: the areitXpress. The modern cable car provides maximum comfort in its 10-seater cabins with heated seats, intercom system and free Wi-Fi. You’ll need to enjoy it quickly, as the journey ends after just seven minutes. Once you arrive at the mountain station at 2,000 metres, the snow-covered slopes and the picturesque panorama with Lake Zell are at your feet.
2. Action & fun for everyone
In the ski area on the Schmitten, there are fun offers beyond the classic pistes, and not just for the little ones. For example, there is the XXL Funslope, which consists of tunnels, waves and smaller steep turns and is the longest Funslope in the world at 1,300 metres! It runs through the forest in places and also features various sound elements. Competitive winter sports enthusiasts should also take on the WISBI course (“How fast am I” course) to measure their speed and perhaps even increase it. And if you want to feel like a real racer, you can even have yourself filmed on the Skimovie course.
3. Ski resort for gourmets
The way to the heart is through the stomach. This makes the Schmittenhöhe an ideal ski resort for couples, as culinary delights are a major theme here. Skiing or snowboarding makes you hungry. Thanks to the sophisticated gastronomic offer, a stop at a hut on the Schmitten is a highlight at every meal. Throughout the day, over 20 mountain restaurants and huts provide hungry mountain sports enthusiasts with classic delicacies from cheese platters to Kaiserschmarrn! Sundays are also always gourmet day on the Schmitten. On “Pinzga Day”, a dozen ski huts and mountain restaurants serve up very special delicacies every Sunday. With Pinzgauer Kasnock’n, Kaspressknödl, chamois soup and farmer’s doughnuts, mountain sports enthusiasts and idlers can enjoy themselves.
4. Special flair through art on the mountain
In addition to skiing and leisure fun in the snow, the Schmitten is also interesting for art lovers. With the “Gallery on the piste”, nature on the Schmitten becomes an open-air exhibition space for art objects and sculptures. Regional and international artists have created the sculptures from predominantly local materials such as wood, stone and clay. There are now 30 works of art spread across the mountain. The artists last came together in Zell am See in 2015. The works of art on the mountain can be admired free of charge all year round.
5. Kitzsteinhorn right next door
Those looking for a change from the pistes on the Schmitten will find Salzburg’s only glacier ski area right next door: the Kitzsteinhorn. The pistes above Kaprun reach up to an altitude of 3,000 metres. Up there, the “Top of Salzburg” viewing platform, glacier pistes with the super steep “Black Mamba” challenge and the finest snow park offerings await.
One thing is certain: The Schmittenhöhe ski area near Zell am See and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area near Kaprun together offer a large, varied selection of pistes in the Zell am See-Kaprun ski region for every taste!
