How to Plan a Ski Trip in Austria

How to Plan a Ski Holiday in Austria – Step-by-step Guide

Austria is one of the most popular Ski destinations in the world.

Our guide has everything you need to consider before planning your ski trip to Austria.

If you are considering planning a ski trip to Austria but do not know where to start, our easy-to-follow guide.

First-time skiers to Austria may find planning their trip overwhelming, but all aspects are easily organized. To make it easier, we have compiled the top tips for the common questions to ensure you have the best ski trip.

Here are the 10 Steps to Plan your Austrian Ski Trip

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Start planning at least 6 months to 1 year in advance.

Accommodation in popular resorts tends to be booked 6 months to 1 year in advance.

1. Decide when to go skiing

Because Austria has many snow-sure Ski Resorts, you can pick the best time for your circumstances.  

The season starts mid-December to after Easter at most of the Ski Resorts

The ski season in the glacier resorts starts mid-October to the end of May/early June

The least busy time with the best snow tends to be from January 6 to the beginning of February.

High Season: Accommodation is more expensive, the pistes are busier and you must book ski lessons and ski rentals in advance.

*The period between Christmas and New Year’s and up to ~ January 6 is very busy.

*The entire month of February is a School holiday throughout Europe; it is when everyone comes to Austria to go Skiing. 

2. Decide on the Ski Resort

There are over 460 ski resorts in Austria- from luxury to more family-friendly. Almost all ski resorts cater to a wide range of abilities, from beginners to Experts.

Some things to consider when picking a Ski Resort

1. Location and access. Is there public transport to the Ski Resort? What is the travel time to the Ski Resort?

2. How big is the Ski Area? Beginners may prefer a smaller resort, while intermediate and expert skiers are looking for a variety of pistes.

3. Proximity of Accommodation to the Slopes.

4. Resort Amenities. Après Ski, Restaurants, activities and events to suit your group.

3. Decide to use a Ski Company or Book DIY

Although it seems overwhelming, organizing your Austrian Ski Trip DIY is not difficult. In fact, almost all Europeans organise their ski holidays this way. The DIY planning route tends to be cheaper and allows you to customise your holiday.

Ski Companies such as Crystal Ski are popular with English-speaking travellers, especially from the UK. These companies provide package ski trips, including flights, ski resort transport, accommodation (many include breakfast and dinner), and sometimes lift passes. These Ski holidays last mostly 5-7 days and arrive on a Saturday (the busiest day) in the resort.

The advantage of using a Ski Company is almost everything is planned for you.  And sometimes the Ski companies provide excellent deals. If you are planning to use a Ski Company, we recommend following them on Social Media so that you can be alerted of the discounts.
The disadvantage of booking through a Ski company is that many times, a ‘one-size fits all’ Ski trip is not the best for your group. 

4. Book Accommodation

In every ski resort, there is a wide range of accommodation options, from luxury 5-star hotels to Pensions (Bed and Breakfast), Hostels, and Self-catered Apartments (called Ferienwohnungen or FeWo in German).

Resorts and hotels may offer three different food catering options:

• Breakfast only
• Vollpension (full-board) means you have breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
• Halbpension (half-board) means you have breakfast and dinner included.

Most skiers are on the mountain during the day- so Vollpension is not normally required.

Important: The best accommodations tend to start being booked 6 months to 1 year in advance during Christmas/New Year and February Ski holidays.

We recommend reserving accommodation by July and no later than October to find the best selection.

5. Organise Flights/travel to Austria

Both Innsbruck and Salzburg have airports. Both airports are close to most Ski Resorts, meaning you can be at the resort in under two hours.

It is also possible to fly into

• Munich (~2 hours to Salzburg / 2.5 hours to Innsbruck) or
• Vienna (~3 hours to Salzburg / 5 hours to Innsbruck)

6. Reserve Rental Equipment and Book Ski Lessons

We recommend booking ski lessons at least three to six months before your ski trip. This is especially important for skiing during the High Season of Christmas/ New Year’s or February Ski Breaks.

Every Ski resort has multiple options for Ski rental equipment. Some of the main providers are the larger Sports Shops such as Intersport, Hervis and Bründl.

To find where to rent skis, the easiest is to ask your accommodation for recommendations or do a Google search for [Ski resort name] + Ski rental.

And ask your hotel or accommodation if they have and special deals for ski rental and/or Ski lessons. 

7. Organise transport to the Ski Resort

It is easy to get to most ski resorts by Public transport. Trains go directly to most ski resorts, and in the winter, there are extra direct services from Vienna, Munich, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Check on ÖBB

Many skiers rent cars at the Airports in Innsbruck, Salzburg or Munich. In Austria, there are all the major car rental companies, such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty, and many smaller companies.

We have found that AutoEurope  CLICK HERE has the best offers, including one-way fees and no hidden charges.

Some four- and five-star hotels and transit companies offer Ski transport to resorts. Private transfers from the airport to the Ski Resort tend to be expensive. Check with your accommodation for recommendations.

8. Organise Ski Passes

Ski passes can be ordered online or bought at the resort. There is usually no advantage to purchasing ski passes before- unless you are buying an annual pass. 

The Ski passes all tend to be resort or region-specific.

If you want to ski at multiple resorts, we recommend the Super Ski Card . This Card gives you access to up to 87 Ski Resorts in Salzburgerland, Tirol, Carinthia, Upper Austria, Styria and neighbouring Bavaria.

There are different type of Ski passes, the most common are:

• Half-Day Pass: typically morning or afternoon
• Single-Day Pass
• Multi-Day Pass:  typically ranging from 2 to 7 days. They are cost-effective for longer stays.
• Flexible Pass: Some Ski Resorts provide flexible passes, for example, a 5 in 7 days pass, allowing where you can choose to ski any 5 days within 7 days.
• Season Pass:  provides unlimited access to the Ski resort for the entire season. For discounts on Season Passes, these normally need to be purchased before December 5th.
• Family Passes: Some ski resorts offer passes that provide discounted rates. Each Resort has different deals, so check directly with the Resort.
• Group Pass:  Group passes offer discounted rates for a specified number of participants (normally 10+). 

9. Organise Travel Insurance

Whether you’re a seasoned skier or a first-timer skier, you should ensure that your travel policy includes winter sports insurance.

Most travel insurance policies do not include winter sport/skiing/snowboarding coverage.

Although injuries are rare, the cost of medical treatment can be astronomical if you are injured. In addition, transporting you off the mountain may be extra expensive.

Insurance coverage varies depending on the company- the following are typical items to consider

• Medical treatment: whether it is unlimited overseas emergency assistance and your excess payment.
• Transportation. If you should need to be transported off the mountain by helicopter- it could cost thousands of euros.

The Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club) provides insurance for worldwide mountain rescue (up to 25,000 euros) with its yearly membership of 69€. Find out more HERE 

• Repatriation. If you need specialised transport back to your home country.

Other things to consider

• Coverage for bad weather conditions
• Stolen Ski gear
• Cancellations

10. Packing for a Ski Trip

Skiing needs a lot of gear and clothing, and it is easy to forget something. 

Ski Gear: 

• Skis and ski poles or snowboard
• Ski Boots or Snowboard boots
• Ski Goggles and Helmets*

*In Austria, children under 16 years old must wear a ski helmet. And highly recommended for everyone and you will see only a few people not wearing helmets on ski slopes in Austria.

Many skiers rent their equipment at the Ski Resort. You will want to rent your gear if you do not ski often or if this is your first time. If you are flying from overseas, it tends to be more convenient than transporting the gear.  Renting also has the advantage that you can try the newest models of skis.

Clothing and accessories.

Ski jacket, Ski pants (salopettes), thermal layers (shirt and leggings), gloves or mittens, ski socks, hat and balaclava. 

At some ski rental shops, you can also rent clothes.

Top Tip: Book your ski rentals in advance. This is necessary, especially during peak times.

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