Austria’s ski resort, Pitztal is located in the area of ​​the highest point of Tyrol – Vilspitze. The height of this peak reaches 3774 meters, which guarantees the possibility of skiing on its slopes for the longest possible period. A significant amount of high-quality natural snow not only brings a lot of pleasure to those who ski, but also makes the process itself safer. The local slopes are adapted for skiers of all levels, from beginners to professionals. In the ski schools of the ski complex, designed for training both adults and children of all ages, experienced instructors teach the basics of skiing to everyone.

The variety of terrain and wide opportunities for winter sports attract not only skiers, but also snowboarders, freeriders and carvers. The total length of the slopes is over 272 kilometers. Pitztal is also distinguished by its entertainment infrastructure and a wide selection of hotels, among which three- and four-star ones predominate, which are quite affordable for tourists with an average income. The convenient location, just 65 kilometers from the airport Innsbruck, allows resort guests to diversify their leisure time by making an interesting and informative excursion to this beautiful city.

In Pitztal there are several skiing areas connected to each other by cable cars, along which high-speed lifts move, delivering vacationers to different points of the ski complex. Not far from the village of Erzens, at an altitude of about 1,500 meters, is the Hochzeiger ski area, with a height difference of over 900 meters. This area is suitable for all categories of skiers. The slopes for professionals are located at an altitude of over 2,500 meters, while the routes for beginners and intermediate skiers are limited to an altitude of 1,500 meters. There is also a snow park with a high-fi pipe for snowboarders and a floodlit toboggan run, several kilometers long. A little higher, at a level of two to three thousand meters, is the Rifflsee ski area, more recommended for professionals and experienced skiers. The highest ski area in the resort is the Pitztal Glacier, located at an altitude of 1,750 to 3,440 meters. There is always a good thickness of snow cover here, and the slopes are mainly divided into difficult and medium difficulty categories, although there are routes for inexperienced skiers. They are all interconnected and from any point you can get to the resort area and lift stations.

Pitztal Ski Resort, Austria

500 meters from the Rifflsee slope is the village of Mandarfen, located at an altitude of 1675 meters above sea level. Most of the slopes lead from here directly to the Pitztal Glacier, which can also be reached using two funiculars. First, the Pitzexpress takes tourists to an intermediate station, and from there, the Pitzpanoramabahn takes them to the top of the Hinter Brunnenkogel mountain, at an altitude of 3,440 meters. The ski lifts are located in close proximity to the hotels, which allows tourists staying in them to freely move around the region right from the doorstep of their hotel. The level of local hotels is limited to three and four stars, but their quality is quite high. Mandarfen belongs to the St. Leonard district, which is lined up along the entire mountain range and includes several other settlements, including Plangeros, which is the only village that is not inferior to Mandarfen in size and area.

Pitztal has gained much of its fame as a famous family resort thanks to two modern ski centers for children, Bambinipark and Kinderland. They are perfectly equipped and annually receive a large number of visitors. The school staff is staffed by experienced certified instructors who “put” children on skis in a quality manner and in the shortest possible time. In addition, there is a kindergarten that accepts children from three years old. As a great gift for parents, the resort has a special Bombini card, which is distributed to all young skiers under the age of ten. It gives the right to free skiing in any zone for children of this age.

For tourists wishing to diversify their stay at the resort, there is a wonderful sports complex, equipped not only with sports grounds, bowling alleys and bowling alleys, but also with a swimming pool, sauna and solarium. Those who are tired of sports can relax in local restaurants and appreciate the quality of Swiss cuisine, as well as have fun at a disco, go to the cinema or visit a shop. Most entertainment venues are located in the village of Mandarfen, where the main entertainment facility is a bar with the specific name “The Cauldron of Witches”, decorated in the best traditions of American horror films.

Pitztal has one important distinguishing feature from most ski resorts in Austria. The season lasts here from the end of September until mid-June. This is due to the high-mountain location of the resort and the significant amount of natural snow that lies in the area of ​​the Pitztal glacier until the very summer. The large number of slopes and their large geography allow skiers to be in different skiing areas without concentrating in one place. Thus, the appearance of a small number of vacationers is created. Meanwhile, this resort has a good reputation in Europe, and thousands of winter sports enthusiasts come here every year to appreciate the picturesque landscapes from a height of almost 3800 meters and enjoy skiing on the impeccable, snow-covered mountain slopes of this region.

Pitztal in detail

The Pitztal glacier has lost some of its slopes in recent years. There were not many of them – 68 km of the glacier together with the Rifflsee, but now there are 40.6 km of slopes. No, they have not disappeared, they just had to be re-measured according to new requirements – in a straight line. There are only 22.2 km of them on the glacier itself.

The highest point of the glacier is 3440 m. This is the highest glacier in Tyrol. Accordingly, there is also the highest mountain cafe, only not in Tyrol, but in all of Austria. The range of dishes in it is so-so, it will go for a snack.

There are 3 ski areas in the Pitztal Valley: Hochzeiger with its honest 40 km of slopes, Rifflsee and, in fact, the Pitztal Glacier. Rifflsee and the glacier are connected to each other, and you can get from one to the other (only through the bottom of the lifts), but Hochzeiger stands separately, closer to the entrance to the valley from the autobahn and railway.

From Munich Airport you can take a train to the Imst-Pitztal station, from there – by bus 4204, which goes to Pitztal every hour. The website pitztal.com states that you need to ask the owners of the accommodation for a voucher, then the bus ride from the station and back is free. Other passengers, when traveling back and forth through the valley, also have free travel with similar papers to the village of Arzl.

We’ve more or less figured out how to get there, now let’s decide where to live. Along the valley, like beads on a thread, strung on the road that runs along the Pitz River, are tiny villages and hamlets. If you plan to ski on the Hochzeiger, then it’s better to live in Jerzens, and if you plan to ski on the glacier from Rifflsee, then the lifts are within walking distance in Mandarfen. From all other places, you can easily get there by ski bus. After all, there is a stop in every hamlet. But it is advisable to settle no further than the Zaunhof Hairlach stop. (You can easily find this place on Google Maps). Because the number of ski buses is noticeably decreasing. From Hairlach to the glacier, there are enough of them to not experience any inconvenience. Starting from Weißwald, there are even more of them, but housing also becomes noticeably more expensive closer to Mandarfen. Of course, if you are by car, it doesn’t matter where you live.

Mandarfen

If you are by car, you can shop in Imst on the way to Pitztal. Next to the autobahn is a large shopping mall complex. Several supermarkets, including sports ones.

Restaurants in the valley are much better than shops. But still, not every village has one. And again Mandarfen wins, there are the most of them. So it turns out that Mandarfen and Jerzens, at the foot of the Hochzeiger, are the best in the valley in terms of infrastructure. But it is quite possible to live in the villages if you approach it consciously. And the interactive map of the valley will help you understand everything and get acquainted with the infrastructure. By clicking on the icons, you can display objects of interest, shops, restaurants and bus stops, etc.

There is also a bakery and a tiny shop with basic necessities within walking distance in Eggenstall.

The snow is falling, what a joy!

View from the balcony

Now that we’ve figured out where to live and where to eat, it’s time to talk about skiing. Let’s just say that we didn’t get to ski on Hochzeiger, and our impressions of Rifflsee are vague, we’ve been there a couple of times in bad weather. We mainly skied on the glacier, and once went to Kaunertal. But first things first. And you have to start with the ski pass, because there are nuances here. Two types of ski passes:

Ski pass Pitztaler Glacier + Rifflsee – when buying one for 6 days or more, the glacier in the neighboring Kaunertal valley is included, 2 days to choose from.

Pitztal Regio Ski pass – it is more expensive and includes the glacier from Rifflsee, Hochzeiger and Imst. But Kaunertal is no longer included for some reason. And it’s a shame, because you want both.

It is also worth mentioning the ski pass for 5 glaciers of Tyrol White 5. 10 days to choose from per season. Although, it is more suitable for locals.

The lower lift, Gletcherexpress, nicknamed by us “metro”, is the least favorite:

The Kyiv metro at rush hour, that’s what it is. In Kyiv, at least, trains run more often. Its productivity is low, so you had to stand waiting for a long time. And then – ride standing in a car tightly packed with skiers.

We went up to the upper metro station, there is a self-service restaurant, Intersport, and a rental. For complete beginners, you can go right, to a short rope on the training slope. Nearby is a long rope. Along it are gorgeous trails, blue on one side, red on the other.

Someone is always training on the red line.

Right in front of us is the new, modern Windschritzbahn gondola. Like a UFO that landed in the Alps.

This is what leads to the highest point, at 3440m. From the observation deck, there is a wonderful view in good weather.

There are wonderful red runs going down. Moreover, at the top they even turn a little black, then level out. I really like flying from this top to the bottom of another Mittelbergbahn gondola, it turns out such a beautiful long run. Along this gondola on both sides there are also wonderful wide red runs. Beginners can also ride here – on the far right (if you look down), but only to the intermediate station. The second half will really be red. And at the very top, the exit from the gondola is a small unpleasant section, because it is narrow, and there are a lot of people.

The black track seems to be there on the diagram, but in reality we did not see it. It seems that they left it in the virgin land for freeriders to tear apart.

What you get: one towbar (we don’t consider it small), two gondolas and one chairlift. Not a lot. In addition, the track along the chairlift is blue, and it would not be bad at all, if it were not used as a transit, by everyone in a row. Someone is learning the first steps, and someone is “flying” along it to get to the bottom of the gondola. Viebuks can also get caught – the most dangerous subspecies of skiboarders. Viebuk in French means an old goat. But the word viebuk itself is more capacious and understandable (although French) in relation to the situation on the slope, when someone viebuk … drives into someone. But we must give credit to this place, this has not happened, and not once has a rescue helicopter disturbed its carefree peace.

Maybe someone will get bored with the small number of tracks, but there are none here, they do not come here, devourers of kilometer tracks. They are over there, behind the ridge, in the neighboring Ötztal valley, where the famous Sölden is. We can even see its upper station.

There are rumors that they want to connect the Pitztal glacier with Sölden. It is hard to imagine how hordes of ski boarders will pour here, spoiling the serene peace, tearing up the slopes with hills … I hope this never happens. The region, of course, will receive a big boost to development, new hotels, shops, etc. will be built. But it will be a completely different Pitztal.

Pitztal Glacier is famous for its sparseness. Although, in season, it can be so lively that there are not enough seats in restaurants at lunch, everyone disperses on the wide slopes. It can be crowded in some places, and somewhere empty.

At first glance, the resort has room to develop. Here, for example, is a huge unplowed field. How many new trails could be laid …

But they will not be laid. Glaciers must be protected so that they last until the next ice age. They are not only for the pleasure of skiers, but also part of a complex ecosystem. While runners zigzag along this field, or ski tourists slowly, leisurely, climb up.

There is an (illegal) opportunity to ski down the glacier, bypassing the metro. Previously, this path was even indicated on the trail map. But after the accident with the Austrian coach, it was closed, erased from the map. And people still ride, carefully bypassing the prohibition signs. The path is periodically snow-shoed and kept as an emergency descent for evacuating people in the event of a metro breakdown. After the tragedy in Kaprun, it became necessary to have an emergency descent. Although it was built without the permission of the environmental protection agency, which is strongly against gross interference with nature.

We were mostly lucky with the weather, there was fresh snow and a slight frost. At the end, a strong wind blew and, to our great disappointment, it blew all the snow away, exposing in places the blue, uncovered continental ice. Of course, the snow, sealed by snow groomers, remained on the slopes. But this is not at all the same, this is ordinary Austrian reinforced concrete. In the wind, the Wildspitzbahn gondola was turned off – and what can you do, it’s a glacier.

And a few words about Kaunertal. If you are without a car, then Kaunertal is of no use to you. Ski buses do not go there. And it’s not fast to get there by car, almost an hour and a half. It’s better to go in good weather, because it’s a mountain road, after all, and at the very end there’s a serpentine. Let it be short and well-cleaned, but nevertheless.

Entrance to the valley is paid, if you have a ski pass, it’s free. At this checkpoint you can buy a ski pass, if you don’t have one. The valley is narrow, almost a gorge, very picturesque and unlike anything you’ve seen before. It looks harsh, wild and uninhabited.

A narrow path along an empty reservoir.

A small serpentine – and we are in the parking lot near the lifts.

Зона катання компактна, траси так само в відмінному стані до самого вечора. Велика частина – в тіні. Синіх трас багато, але є і червоні і чорні. Можна від душі поганяти в міру своїх можливостей. Людей мало, тому що.

Декілька років побудували лижний освітлюваний тунель під дорогою і проклали крізь нього нову чорну трасу, №6.

З верхньої точки можна заглянути в Італію. Якраз тут і проходить державний кордон.

З італійської сторони сонечко добре припікає. На те вона і Італія!

Всім хороший регіон, одне але – занадто багато бугелів. Але, як пояснюють, саме бугельні підйомники надають найменш руйнівний вплив на лід, який, до того ж, знаходиться в постійному русі через глобальне потепління. У проспекті стверджується, що льодовик рухається по 30-50 м в рік! І щоліта 35 працівників приїжджають сюди для відновлення опор під бугелі. Отже – не нарікайте, катайтеся собі на втіху і милуйтеся суворою красою тутешніх місць.

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