Kitzbuhel austria
Review of snowboarding and skiing in Kitzbuhel Austria.
Kitzbuhel Ski Holiday Facts
Established in 1893 the Austrian ski resort Kitzbuhel lies at 2000 metres altitude in the Tirol / Tyrol region of the Austrian Alps / Alpes. With the highest lifts and ski slopes below 2500m Kitzbuhel ski area is not snow sure. Over 500 snow cannons ensure artificial Kitzbuhel snow making covers 84km of ski trails, which equates to around 50 of the ski slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Kitzbuhel (Austria) is Salzburg at a distance of 80km or approximately 60 minutes driving time. Kitzbuhel ski season runs from December to April.
SNO-man says
Austria's most famous resort, a lively town with chic overtones which most skiers agree has Austria's best intermediate/expert skiing in the mountains above it.
alpine downhill runs to ski in Kitzbuhel Austria
Beginner Trails
 0 runs 0km |
0% |
Intermediate Trails
 21 runs 67km |
35% |
Advanced Trails
 26 runs 78km |
43% |
Expert Trails
 13 runs 13km |
21% |
Kitzbuhel Resort & Holiday Info
| Beginners learning to ski |  |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Expert Skiers | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family friendly | |
| Snowsure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Ski Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | €170 - €196 |
Traditional Ski Village / Purpose Built Ski Resort |
| Ski Resort Opens | Dec 2011 |
| Ski Resort Closes | Apr 2012 |
| (snow conditions often influence resort opening & closing) |
Ski Area Kitzbuhel Mountain
| Downhill Ski Runs | 168km |
| total length of Kitzbuhel trails |
| Longest lift serve Run | 7km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by ski lift |
| Ski Slope Orientation | N S E W |
| direction Kitzbuhel ski areas face |
| Top Altitude | 2000m |
| top station of highest ski lift |
| Bottom Altitude | 800m |
| bottom of lowest ski run |
| Resort Altitude | 800m |
| centre of Kitzbuhel ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 1173m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 1173m |
| can include extra hike up which may be possible above top lift - stat used by some resorts to con us about true "vertical drop" which is lift-served |
Skiing in Kitzbuhel
Skiing Kitzbuhel you'll enjoy 60 pistes and trails and that means approximately 168km of ski runs. Kitzbuhel lifts number 54 with the capacity to uplift 89300 skiers up the mountain per hour. The longest ski run in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbuhel is over 7km long.
SNO-man says
Kitzbühel ’s local skiing covers 160km (100 miles) of largely lift inter-linked ski runs, which are suited for beginner-intermediate levels, served by 60 lifts between the neighbouring resorts of Aschau, Aurach, Jochberg, Kitzbühel, Kirchberg, Pass Thurn and Mittersill. For confident skiers Kitzbühel skiing is great as you can ski many days in a row without using the same lift twice. For the real experts, there are still a number of challenging off-slope areas, with pretty good off-piste and mogul skiing is also pretty good.
And with the great snow cannons the slopes are excellent, Kitzbühel ski resort is expert in dealing with thin snow conditions. Kitzbühel snow conditions are broadcast on local TV every morning.
There is a popular 35km (22 mile) one-day 'Ski Safari' route, entirely cover by snow making, pistes marked with an elephant symbol, which includes the spectacular 3S gondola ride, which rises 400$$m above the valley floor in some places.
The Ki-West gondola extends to the SkiWelt ski area, which, just about links ups, with a short bus trip here and there , to create a ski region with around 400km of pistes.
Further more the giant Kitzbüheler Alpen Ski Pass opens the area even further to include more than 30 of the surroundings villages to include a massive 700km of trails.
There are a number of ski schools, including the internationally famous Rote Teufel School or 'Red Devils' with over 200 instructors offering tuition in all disciplines.
Kitzbuhel Ski Area
Kitzbuhel ski area has 0% beginner ski runs or nursery slopes, 35% intermediate, 43% advanced ski slopes and 21% for expert skiers - the most difficult Kitzbuhel piste is the 2km Skiroute Streif Rennstrecke run, with a steepness/slope angle of 45%. You can ski Kitzbuhel after dark as there is night skiing on ?km of illuminated piste.
Kitzbuhel for skiing gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Snowboarding in Kitzbuhel
If you snowboard Kitzbuhel you'll want to know that, of the 54 ski lifts in total, 14 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives a good indication of how modern the lift system is and well set up Kitzbuhel snowboarding is - especially for beginners learning to snowboard. Kitzbuhel snowboard facilities include 1 terrain parks and 1 half pipe (longest half pipe length is 70 metres), 0 quarter pipe and 1 boardercross courses.
SNO-man says
The Kitzbühelerhorn is known as one of the world’s top areas for snowboarding. It is a popular venue for international competitions. Kitzbühel Horn mountain boasts two half pipes, one of which is a 3.5m high, 15m wide and 100m long, a quarter pipe and a sprint slalom course, as well as a 100m high, 450m meter long boarder cross course, which has 14 obstacles. From the table jump you can jump five to ten metres. There is also a snowpark with rails, kickers and boxes. For boarders who enjoy powder there is the The Ski Safari route .
Kitzbuhel for snowboarding gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Kitzbuhel Apres Ski
The apres ski Kitzbuhel scene and off-slope or "non-skier" activities include:
40 apres ski bars 60 restaurants 1 bowling 4 night club 1 cinema 1 billiards / pool 1 games room 1 concert 1 indoor swimming 0 outdoor heated pools 1 saunas 0 hot tubs 1 solariums 1 masseurs 1 indoor ice skating 1 outdoor ice skating 1 indoor sports centre 1 indoor tennis 0 squash racquetball 2 sleigh rides 2 ballooning 1 horse riding 70 prepare winter walks 0 climbing 4 golf 0 fishing 3 museum 1 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities Alpine Zoo, Art Gallery (4), Beauty Farm (6), Bridge, Chess, Curling, Bridge, Casino, Darts, German Lessons, Ice Hockey, Flights, Hunting, Mountain Biking, Spa, Tyrolean Evenings, Veteran Car Rally .
SNO-man says
Kitzbühel has the range of attractions and facilities you would expect from a resort of its stature, many of them offering discounts with the free guest card visitors receive. There are four museums, including a fascinating insight into the history of ski lifts in the area and three galleries.
A vast array of sports options are on offer and Ski Pass holders (two - 30 days) get half-price entry into the Kurhaus Aquarena indoor swimming pool and a discount on the sauna; other facilities available there include massage, solarium and mud baths. The floodlit toboggan run Gaisberg is another popular après ski attraction. Kitzbühel is centrally located and is a good base for excursions to Salzburg or Innsbruck.
Kitzbuhel for apres ski gets 5 stars out of 5 overall
More Kitzbuhel Snow Ski Area and Resort Information
Kitzbuhel resort - ski Kitzbuhel by any other name
The Austrian ski resort of Kitzbuhel ski resort is also known as Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm, Jochberg, Kitzbüheler Horn, Pass Thurn and has the following common misspellings: Bitzbuh, Kitzbhl, Kitzbhuel, Kitzbphl, Kitzbuehel, Kitzbuehl, Kitzbuehl, Kitzbuhel, Kitzbuheul, Kitzbuhl, Kitzbuhuel, Kitzbuiel, Kitzbundel, Skitzbuhel
Kitzbuhel ski area has ski slopes which face N S E W
The direction which the various Kitzbuhel ski slopes face can make or break your skiing or snowboarding holiday. If you want to guarantee good snow and ski conditions, you should choose a resort with ski slopes which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February you need a ski resort with some sunny south facing ski slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a ski resort with some cool and shady north facing slopes will ensure you're not skiing on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best ski resorts have ski areas and slopes which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating skiing whatever the weather. Kitzbuhel ski resort has ski slopes facing N S E W.
Kitzbuhel for snow gets 3 stars out of 5 overall