Glacier skiing in Austria

16th May 2011

Last modified on September 12th, 2021

Almost half a metre of snow has fallen in the last few days in the glacier resorts and many hundreds of people are out enjoying the wintery conditions. Hard to believe it is the second half of May! PlanetSKI reports from Hintertux.

OK we have been lucky, very lucky.

Conditions are not normally this good in May, but there is always some skiing to be had at this time of year even though many people simply don’t believe it.

At the moment here in the Austrian Alps it compares to mid-winter and last weekend in Hintertux it was snowing at resort level.

Further down the valley snow fell at 1,200m after a sudden change in the weather.

See the pictures below to illustrate how quickly the weather can change at this time of year, and what that change can bring.

This week in Hinterux. Image © PlanetSKI

Last week in Hintertux. Image © PlanetSKI

Below is a PlanetSKI video report from up on the Hintertux glacier.

It has been a bit bleak!

Austria has some of the best, if not the best, glacier skiing in Europe.

Solden has the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers with 37km of pistes. They are though now closed and re-open in September.

The Pitztal glacier has also shut until September.

However the Stubai glacier is the biggest in Austria with 110km of slopes and it is open until this weekend, 22nd May.

The Kaunertal has 54km of piste with cross-country skiing tracks too and is open until 12th June.

Here in Hintertux the glacier goes up to 3,250m and has year round skiing.

For some more images of what it is like at the moment see the photos below taken this week.

Difficult to believe it is the end of May.

Sticking together in the mist. Image © PlanetSKI

Rain and snow. Image © PlanetSKI

For some related stories we have set from Hintertux see this blog as James Cove arrived and this video report below from the glacier that was filmed last week before the fresh snow came.

The British Association of Snowsports Instructors, BASI, is holding its Spring Courses in the resort of Hintertux with over 500 course places running and the organisation also launched its new training manual.

The first for 15 years.

In the village of Hintertux it looks more like mid-winter too.