What’s New This Winter In SalzburgerLand?

Does size matter? SalzburgerLand’s 2000km of perfectly pisted slopes, 30 snowparks and 2,400 km of winter walking trails may help you to decide. Add 100 toboggan runs, 66 ice-skating rinks, ice-climbing, snow-kiting, sleigh rides, natural thermal bathing, luxurious spas and flawless hospitality, and you have the recipe for a perfect winter holiday.

New in SalzburgerLand’s region’s Ski Amadé resorts – a collective with 760km of piste across five areas - are 28 designated touring routes created in response to the rapidly growing enthusiasm for this traditional approach to the sport, which offers health-giving escapism in peaceful Alpine surroundings. Each route safely navigates a beautiful ascent through woods and empty snowfields to vantage points where skiers can savour the satisfaction of summiting before the thrill of the descent, on or off the piste 

Zell-am-See-Kaprun has nominated Ronachkopf as its first ski-touring mountain and also offers a number of marked ascents on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. For beginners, Fuschlsee, the Salzburger Saalachtal areas and Obertauern have instructor trails for initiation. For cross-country skiers, the new high-altitude Pillstein route on the Zwölferhorn is a 2km circuit with views over Wolfgangsee Lake.

New accommodation, facilities and refurbishments, include:

• The Cōmodo, Bad Gastein: a new luxury hotel created out of the former Habsburgerhof clinic. Exquisite contemporary décor, 70 rooms/suites, Spa and restaurant.
• Aparthotel Golden Lodges, Rauris: 26 new apartments across three buildings close to the ski lift. A choice of self-catering or Bistro dining.
• Das Seehäuser, Mattsee Lake: a choice of 21 new wooden lodges of differing styles from cottage to treehouse in a blissfully tranquil location.
• DAS Hintersee, Fuschlsee: five new chalets and four zuahäuser offer superlative accommodation with wellness facilities, underground carpark and four e-charging stations.
• Hotel Krallerhof, Leogang: set to launch an expanded and enhanced spa area for spring 2023
• Hotel Steiner, Obertauern: new Rooftop-Mountain Spa with separate adults and family areas.
• Das Seekarhaus, Obertauern: 13 new rooms and suites, new infinity pool and enhanced wellness facilities.
• Naturhotel Forsthofgut, Leogang: a new stables block for year-round riding and including new teen-studio and mini-zoo.
• Hotel Der Loewe, Leogang: new geothermally heated outdoor pool open year-round and a new relaxation area.
• Biohotel Rupertus, Leogang: fully renovated and upgraded wellness facility.
• AlpenParks, Glemmtal: a new apartment opens this winter bringing the total number of accommodations to 160.

Each resort has its own discounted low-season weeks, flexible lift passes - the earlier you buy the cheaper they are - and many new in-resort experiences. Two standouts, one for families and one for adults are:

• the Hexen Funline in Almenwelt Lofer is an easy piste guarded by 24 witches whose screeches are triggered as skiers pass by. Not too scary for the very young
• the Ice4Life event in Gastein for the first time (26-29 Jan ’23), is a serious test not for the faint-hearted. Over two days competitors spend an hour running and cross-country skiing followed by a 10-minute dip in ice-cold water. Entry is €175 per person (details here) and beneficial effects for the immune system are gratis.

Common threads that bind SalzburgerLand’s 22 ski resorts are high-tech infrastructure, exceptional piste management, and delicious cuisine on and off the slopes. Comparing like for like across the Alps, value for money is outstanding. In the region that leads Europe in green technology and sustainability, Seeham - near Salzburg - was recently voted the Best Organic City in Europe in the first EU Organic Awards (more details here).

SalzburgerLand’s five major ski areas are Zell am See-Kaprun, Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn (Skicircus), Salzburger Sportwelt (Eben, St Johann, Wagrain-Kleinarl, Flachau, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Filzmoos and Radstadt), Hochkönig (Mühlbach, Dienten, Maria Alm) and Gastein. Self-contained resorts of note include Obertauern, Rauris and Grossarl (ski-linked to Gastein).