Zell am See-Kaprun is one of the few ski regions in the Eastern Alps where a glacier and a classic local mountain sit side by side. The Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun reaches 3,029 metres and is among Austria’s most snow-sure ski areas; the Schmittenh\u00f6he above Zell am See offers around 77 kilometres of tree-lined pistes with valley runs right back into town. Together with the Maiskogel that makes a ski area which opens in October and runs into May \u2013 and which grows to roughly 408 piste kilometres with the Ski ALPIN CARD.<\/p>\n\n
Zell am See-Kaprun is not a single linked ski circus but a partnership of independent lift companies. That sounds like a technicality, but it is the single most important point for your planning: the two mountains ski completely differently, and which one suits you matters far more than any piste-kilometre figure.<\/p>\n
The Kitzsteinhorn is the only glacier ski area in SalzburgerLand. Around the Alpincenter you will find wide, gentle nursery slopes with guaranteed snow; higher up, the classic glacier runs lead into the summit area at 3,029 metres \u2013 long, even carving pistes with a panorama across the Hohe Tauern. The Maiskogel<\/strong>, Kaprun’s family mountain, adds a valley run of roughly five kilometres straight back into the village centre.<\/p>\n The two are joined by the MK Maiskogelbahn and the 3K K-onnection<\/strong>, a tri-cable gondola that carries you from the Maiskogel across the valley directly to the glacier. That makes Kaprun one of the very few places in the Alps where you travel from the village centre to 3,000 metres without a car and without a ski depot. The slopes are described in detail in our piste and glacier guide for Kaprun<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Schmittenh\u00f6he<\/a> is the counterpoint to the high alpine terrain. At around 1,965 metres it sits considerably lower, but it gives you what the glacier cannot: forest, variety and the Trass panorama with more than 30 three-thousanders. Its roughly 77 piste kilometres cover every level, from broad cruising runs to a demanding black. Valley descents into Zell am See make it the practical choice for anyone arriving without a car.<\/p>\n If you are torn between the two, our direct comparison Kitzsteinhorn or Schmittenh\u00f6he<\/a> goes through it properly.<\/p>\n\n Thanks to the glacier, Zell am See-Kaprun is one of the few regions where skiing is possible as early as October, while the valley is still in autumn. The glacier season then carries on through spring, with skiing planned into May. That is the region’s decisive structural advantage \u2013 but it does not apply to the whole ski area.<\/p>\n Honestly: in October and November you ski on the glacier only, on a limited set of pistes and with plenty of company on fine weekends. The Schmittenh\u00f6he and the valley runs typically join in December, depending on cold and snowmaking. If you come in early autumn, plan it as high alpine glacier skiing, not as a full ski holiday.<\/p>\nSchmittenh\u00f6he: the home mountain above Lake Zell<\/h3>\n
Early Start to the Ski Season<\/h2>\n