Hintertux is located in the Zillertal Valley, Tyrol province in Austria. Altitude difference: 1500-3250 m. The total length of the tracks is 86 km, of which: blue 23 km, red 49 km, black 14 km. The skiing season is year-round: 18 km of tracks are open in the summer. The huge Hintertux glacier is interesting, first of all, to experienced skiers. For snowboarders, a fan park with a half-pipe (120 m) has been built on the top of Olperer. There is also an opportunity for off-piste skiing.
Hintertux is a place where you can easily ride with a world-class snowboarding star, it is a place where various national ski teams train. First of all, the resort is suitable for extreme lovers, as it is home to one of the largest areas for freeride.
The pride of the resort is Betterpark, which is located at an altitude of 3200 meters above sea level. The park has three lines, each of which has different types of obstacles, on one of them there is a 100-meter pipe.
The resort has more than 70 kilometers of snowshoe trails. At an altitude of 2,100 and 2,660 meters above sea level, there are restaurants that not only offer delicious dishes, but also offer panoramic views of the mountains.
A vacation in Hintertux is a visit to one of the most beautiful ice monuments in Austria.
The resort has an ice cave, the depth of which is 30 meters. Here, the temperature is always stable – 3 degrees below zero, and the ice never melts.
Another pride of the resort is the frozen wall, which is an eternal glacier. A special cabin with a capacity of 15 people takes everyone to the top of the wall (more than 3,000 meters above sea level). Spannagel cave, 10 kilometers long, is also interesting to visit.
Tours in Hintertux are unforgettable experiences, a great mood, as well as fresh air and beautiful ski slopes for every taste.
How to get to Hintertux
Not far from the glacier are the villages of Vorderlanersbach, Juns, Madseit and others. But Hintertux is easy to reach from any other ski area in the Zillertal Valley. From Mayrhofen, a bus to Hintertux departs from the bus station once an hour. If you have a ski pass, travel is free, you can get on the bus in ski boots. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. There is a bit of serpentine.
That is why we buy the most convenient plane ticket from Ukraine to the nearest city in the Zillertal valley – to Munich. From Munich, we travel by train to Mayrhofen, travel time is about 2.5 hours. If there are a lot of you and/or with a lot of luggage, we recommend ordering a transfer directly from the Munich airport to the hotel in Mayrhofen.
2019 prices for Hintertux
The cost of a ski pass for 3 days is 147.50 euros. If you have a ski-pass for 5 days (or more) in any other ski area in the Zillertal valley, then its effect also extends to the Hintertux area . In 2019, the cost of a ski pass for 5 days is 221 euros, for young people (up to 21) – 177 euros, for children (up to 15 years). – 99.5 euros.
There are not many hotels in Hintertux or Mayrhofen, so we recommend that you book your accommodation in advance here or on Booking.
Lifts in Hintertux
You need to climb to the top of 3250 m in funicular-cabins with three “transfers”. Even in the cabins, you can feel how much the wind is getting stronger, but the visibility is still bearable, and you can admire the stunning views of the glacier and the picturesque cliffs below the cable car.
Hintertux ski slopes
The red tracks that start at the top are very good: wide, even slope, long length. From the peak, which is 3250 m high, you can descend directly to the village along the red track. Its length is 12 km, the height difference is 1750 m.
Hintertux has many more interesting trails than other resorts with glacial skiing areas. There are some really challenging black runs on the glacier itself and some good hard off-road below. Access to the glacier skiing area is carried out by three rows of lifts from the village of Tuks. This pretty alpine settlement with two thousand local residents, stretched for several kilometers along the Tuxertal valley, is located at its very end at an altitude of 1300 – 1500 m. In the lower part of the village, two gondola lifts open access to two more skiing areas – Eggalm (20 km of slopes , highest skiing point 2300 m) and Rastkogel (14 km of pistes, highest point 2500 m). The most famous is the longest track in the region (12 km with a drop of 1,750 m), along which you can descend from the glacier to the village. Also interesting are the black descent into the Schlegeistal valley and the red runs in the area of the slopes of the Kaserer and Leimstange mountains. For beginners, we recommend descents from the Tuksa Joch pass, 2313 m to the Sommerbergalm restaurant, 2080 m.
In case of bad weather on the Hintertux Glacier, do not get upset. The local super ski pass allows you to ride 650 kilometers of trails in the Tuxertal and Zillertal valleys, and the free ski bus will quickly take you to the desired region.
Duration of the ski season
You can ski on the Hintertux glacier all year round. Another thing is that depending on the time of year, you can do it with different degrees of comfort and different consequences for skiing or snowboarding. In the summer months, the slopes are not as well maintained as in the winter. Therefore, the snow cover leaves much to be desired.
However, in the spring, for example in March-April, in the vicinity of Mayrhofen, the sun warms more actively than in January. As a rule, the ski slopes are broken “into porridge” as early as 12-13 o’clock in the afternoon. But for those who want to ride from dawn to sunset, there is an excellent solution to the problem. This, of course, is the Hintertux glacier, located on top of the mountain with the same name, some 19 kilometers from Mayrhofen .
The views of Hintertux are simply stunning, the Alps are impressive with their grandeur. The impressions received cannot be expressed in words, you have to see it with your own eyes! The weather on Hintertux can be drastically different at different altitudes. For example, at 2,100 meters it is still warm and the sun is shining brightly, and already at the peak point of 3,250 meters, you can be grabbed by the nose by a frost below minus 20 with a strong wind. So, you need to dress a little warmer for a trip to the glacier than, say, to Ahorn or Penken!
Mountains around Hintertux
If you are staying in Mayrhofen or its surroundings, we recommend that you go skiing on Hintertux, having previously watched the webcams on local TV in your room in the morning. Do you see “milk” on the TV screen? It is definitely not worth going there! The trails will almost certainly and almost all be closed, and you won’t see anything or it will be freezing. It is better to skate this day somewhere in the Arena or Penken, and to go to Hintertux on a more or less sunny, good day.
About ice skating. Where to go skiing in the summer
Features of ice skating
Summer skiing on glaciers has a number of features that should be taken into account in your expectations in order to get maximum pleasure and minimum disappointment:
- Great heights . The areas for skiing on glaciers are located at altitudes from 2500 m above sea level. and above Therefore, if you go to the mountains only 1-2 times a year, you may need a few days to acclimatize. The first manifestations of mountain sickness can occur during a rapid ascent or descent precisely in the height ranges between 2500 and 3500 m above sea level, so if you feel bad, you should reduce the time of skiing, rest more and drink sweet hot tea.
- Lack of freeride . A glacier in the summer is a rare snowfall, which means that you have to ride mainly on prepared tracks.
- Metamorphoses of snow . Hard packed ice snow on a glacier can quickly turn to slush under the powerful summer sun, so it’s worth sacrificing sleep to enjoy the better part of the day. In addition, snow melted during the day acquires the structure of large liquid crystals, which freeze overnight and form an ice crust by morning. Such snow can scratch your skin if you fall. Be careful if you decide to ride in a t-shirt. For the same reason, it is necessary to protect the sliding surface of your projectile. We recommend that before your first trip, you visit the workshop and renew the protective layer of paraffin, which is selected by the master in accordance with the conditions that you need to tell him about.
- A short rolling day . In summer, the glaciers open access to their territory early in the morning and work part-time in order to preserve the quality of the snow cover and extend the season as long as possible. There are glaciers that even in summer work all day and close at 3-4 in the afternoon, but if you are not a fan of porridge from melted snow, then it is better to start skiing right from the opening of the resort until twelve o’clock.
- Small skating areas . Glaciers have a rather limited area. It is good if it is possible to prepare 30-40 kilometers there in the summer. So, if you are used to vacationing at resorts with a total length of tracks of 100 km or more, this option is not for you.
- Temperature drop . The temperature difference between morning and daytime hours on glaciers can be more than 10 ° C, which means that you need to have the right equipment. If you are sure of good weather, consider the option of SoftShell clothing. It will replace the membrane and fleece together, but at the same time it breathes much better.
- The bright sun in the summer is especially bad in the mountains. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen and good sunglasses. It is desirable to have a mask with polarization, more sun, reflection from snow and glare, respectively, too. Good ventilation in the mask also becomes an important point.
Hintertux
Hintertux is a small village with six hotels, located at the very end of the Zillertal valley, 20 km above the famous Mayrhofen, right at the foot of the glacier of the same name. In 1968, it became the first year-round skiing area in Tyrol.
From the Ski & Glacier World Zillertal 3000 zone, only about 20 km remain here in the summer. But you will certainly get pleasure from them, they are maintained in excellent condition throughout the day. For this reason, there are a lot of athletes here in the summer, including world-famous skiers from different countries. So, if you are a fan of sports skating, you will definitely be interested here.
The excellent Betterpark snow park, which attracts snowboarders from all over Europe, is also open all year round.
The best time for skating is from the opening until eleven o’clock. Later, the snow lets go and only on the upper slopes there is no porridge. At the beginning of May, there are often fogs here. Sometimes strong, but in most cases visibility is enough for good skiing. There is also a plus in this: the tracks remain hard longer and do not become soggy even after noon.
After skiing, you can go for a walk in the surroundings, go hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, paragliding, tennis, golf and swimming in the outdoor pool. There is not much variety at the top, but if you have a car, you can go down to Mayrhofen or drive into the nearby small valleys. It is very beautiful there and there are many options for easy trekking. A little further away there are many more interesting places, for example, the highest waterfall in Europe, Krimml, 63 km from Hintertux. And the mountain road through the Gerlos pass is very beautiful.
The price of a daytime annual ski pass does not differ much from the winter one and is 45 € per adult, 36 € per teenager and 20.50 € per child.
