Fugen Ski Holidays

Twenty minutes’ drive from Mayrhofen, Fügen is Zillertal’s biggest town, having grown as a mining community over 600 years.

Now the lumbar and tourism industries have taken over: the Binderholz sawmills produce construction materials used throughout Europe, while skiing, hiking and other alpine activities draw visitors in the winter and summer.

The buildings are typically Tyrolean – painted white and pastel yellows and lining narrow streets, with the 15th century St. Pankraz Pilgrimage Church and baroque Marienberg church peering over all. Guesthouses, apartments and pensions make up the bulk of the accommodation, with more 3km up from the town in Fügenberg.

On the southwest edge of the town, the Spieljochbahn gondola provides access to the local Fügen-Spieljoch ski area, which has 17km of pistes, with a 7km red run leading back into Fügen. Anyone hankering after more terrain can take the shuttle over to the Hochfügen-Hochzillertal ski area. This larger area has 88km of pistes in total, shared between Hochfugen, Kaltenbach and Aschau im Zillertal. There’s talk of lift linking both ski areas which would be brilliant…

That’s not your lot, with the Zillertal superskipass covering Speiljoch and Hochfügen-Hochzillertal as well as nearby Zell am Ziller, Mayrhofen and the sky high Hintertux glacier.

Beginners can practice stops and turns on the magic carpet lifts at the base station, with more short blues served by the Lamark lifts over in Hochfugen. Schischule Kostenze teach in both Fugen and Hochfugen.

In the local area, the only blue run is the Moesl from Onkeljoch. Once you’ve conquered that, head over to Hochfugen for the Berg zu Tal runs from the Sesselbahn chair - #13 is the longest, with 830m of vertical.

Those confident on red runs have the benefit of being able to ski into Fugen on the wooded Talabfahrt, which you can connect onto from the Onkeljoch runs. In the wider area, take the Zillertal shuttle for the #1 Berg zu Tal run which is seriously scenic.

For experts, the Pfaffenbuhel drag lift serves a couple of black pistes and on the other side of the valley there’s the Obitraudi (get the Zillertal shuttle) which you can really race down. You’ll find a ski touring route in the local area, with more to explore all the way over to Aschau. If there's been a recent dump, get a guide to show you the off piste around the Neuhüttenbahn and Sonnenjet lifts.

If you fancy a change of scenery, the ski resorts of Mayrhofen, Zell am Ziller and Alpbach are all within half an hour’s drive if you want to explore further afield.

Did you SNO? This is where the Christmas carol “Silent Night” was introduced to the world, and locals are mighty proud. However, if you prefer your nights to be a little less silent, there are some decent après ski offerings… The Gogola bar in Hochfugen has live music and drinks from 3pm, giving you enough time to soak up the atmosphere with a tipple before heading back to Spieljoch. Closer to home, Herzalm pulls in the crowds with its giveaways, live music and themed parties and Kohleralmhof has a nice big sun terrace to sip your Jägertee or Glühwein from. On Dorfplatz, Kosis hosts themed parties with music from bands the likes of Cash Money Brothers.

Food-wise, Pizz pub does good pizzas and Cafe Restaurant Edhof is a favourite for Bernhard’s amazing steaks. Il Pittore is an Italian restaurant serving pasta, grilled meats and fish – just make sure to save room for their apple strudel…

When it comes to activities, the town is home to the Erlebnistherme – the ‘family spa and adventure world’ with its kids pool, play area, climbing net, wave machine, slide and sauna. The Spieljoch lift doubles up as a launch point for paragliders, with tandem flights available through Stocky Air.