Kaprun Skiing & Snowboarding
When combined with nearby Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach, the diversity of elevation, lifts & terrain comprises the Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn ski resort's real strength.
Kaprun ski resort is made up of three vastly different ski areas offering vastly different, but complementary ski & snowboard experiences - Lechnerberg, Maiskogel and Kitzsteinhorn.
Lechnerberg has low angle surface lifts in town perfect for first timers. Maiskogel has quality lifts and a huge vertical directly out of town, perfect for foul weather days. Kitzsteinhorn offers high elevation quality snow, wonderful intermediate trails and off-piste freeride opportunities all year round on a skiable vertical that is shorter than one would expect (1053m).
See the Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn ski trail map.
Ski Lifts
Right near the centre of town, the surface tows called the Lechnerberg are perfect - great for first timers and families. They are sheltered from the weather and are subject to a cheaper lift pass.
For the Powderhounds, Maiskogel was the real surprise package at Kaprun. It is Kaprun’s real family ski hill, but with a very serious side. A new gondola & a modern chairlift (6 person) head up a healthy 960m vertical above town providing some wonderful piste which suits all skiers and snowboarders. A surface tow mid-mountain is perfect for families to enjoy the kid’s terrain park and fun-slope.
A new gondola system connecting Maiskogel to Kitzsteinhorn started in Dec 2019, removing one of the biggest bugbears of the area - the shuttle buses. From experience we can say that whilst the journey is long, the new lifts make for an incredibly pleasant connection between the two areas. We dislike taking buses!
See where the new lifts went in here.
Kitzsteinhorn has modern lifts which are continually being improved. A new 8-seater chair recently replaced some old surface lifts. It adds to the funicular, cable car, 5 gondolas and 3 other chairlifts. Several surface lifts servicing the glacial areas make up the remainder of the lifts.
The linking of Kaprun to Kitzsteinhorn via gondolas from Maiskogel (removing the need for shuttle buses to the glacier) is a game changer for the area. The linking of lift passes to both Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach is an absolute triumph.
Lift Pass Linked with Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach
The Kaprun ski area is lift pass linked to the delightful Zell am See (also known as Schmitten) & Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. The combined Ski ALPIN lift ticket covers the slopes of Kitzsteinhorn, Maiskogel, Schmittenhöhe, Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang & Fieberbrunn. The difference in vertical from the base near Zell am See (760m) to the top of the ski-able area of Kitzsteinhorn (3029m) makes for an impressive 2269m vertical across the resorts – shame you can can’t ski it all in one hit! It does however provide access to a total of 408km of trails and 121 ski lifts - an area comparative to the massive Ski Arlberg.
Kaprun Snow and Weather
Whilst snowfall statistics are difficult to acquire, the high elevation and northerly aspect of Kitzsteinhorn will generally guarantee quality snow conditions – a pleasing thought for all Powderhounds. With its resident glacier, Kitzsteinhorn has a long season, effectively from mid-October to end of July, but can be susceptible to wild weather conditions. The low elevations of the base of Maiskogel and the entire Lechnerberg, leave them vulnerable to high temperatures early and late in the season.
Kaprun Ski Areas
Lechnerberg
Beginner tows called the Lechnerberg are in a sheltered position right in town and great for first timers and families. All the facilities and entertainment for children from 3yr and older are available.
Maiskogel
Maiskogel is surprising. Maiskogel rises a fabulous 960 metres above town, with a brand new 10-seater gondola & modem 6-person chair making their way up to the top at 1730m elevation. A limited number of piste trails to suit all snow riders wind their way back down to Kaprun. Maiskogel is a great option for bad weather days on the 'real' ski hill, Kitzsteinhorn.
A very good beginner - intermediate hill with a truly local feel, the skiing is past & around houses in the lower half. Some interesting off-piste freeride adventures go through farm fences and lanes down to the southern end of Kaprun. There are loads of quaint mountain huts including one, Maiskogel-Alm, complete with a ‘ranch’ consisting of four extraordinarily cute miniature donkeys and at least one very friendly dog.
The Maiskogel base area looks exceedingly busy because it is! Try and avoid getting run over by cars moving through. The base area was once reminiscent of a carnival, organised chaos! The new gondola and terminal building introduced for the 2018/19 season has altered much of the past’s issues, for the better! An alpine coaster (sled type ride, the Maisiflitzer) snakes its way alongside skiers left of the bottom section of the piste. Bars, ski schools, cars, buses, people, ticket offices, plus hangers-on of all types give it a festival feel.
Up the hill it is totally different. The vertical is huge for such a “local’s hill”. Snow quality all the way down was excellent, even at the end of the day. Lower sections get sun most of the day. The upper section is shaded after lunch. A T-bar finishes off the lifts in the mid-section of Maiskogel & serves a kid’s fun slope run over whoop-dee-doos, past animals, & snaking its way down the hill through light trees.
Kitzsteinhorn
All the Kitzsteinhorn ski area is above tree line in sometimes quite complex glaciated terrain. Kitzsteinhorn is very quiet in poor weather and so can be worthy of a visit if hardcore enough for serious fresh tracks (and assuming the lifts are running!
Kitzsteinhorn has 41km of piste skiing available from 1,976m up to 3,029m, and a skiable vertical of 1,053m. The piste terrain is mostly suited to intermediates with wide easy-going trails. The mountain also has a huge half pipe and extensive park for those that way inclined.
For advanced skiers, the Black Mamba is the steepest piste run on the hill. It lacks any real venom but is fun nonetheless. Five freeride routes ranging from 250m to 700m skiable vertical allow for some safe exploration. Wide open off-piste powder fields, bowls, natural halfpipes & rock gardens await the more adventurous.
Kitzsteinhorn’s complex terrain has lots of odd dips and active glaciers necessitating a myriad of lifts criss-crossing the ski resort. A modern 8-seater chair replaced some old surface lifts in season 2016/17 vastly improving the movement of skiers back up the hill.
Gipfelwelt (Summit world) is well worth the journey up the top cable. Arrives on level 0. It is not immediately obvious where everything is. A restaurant level and a lookout are in the main building. Access to Gipfelwelt is via a fascinating tunnel and has stupendous views.
Note that one cannot ski directly from the summit building and a descent on a short funicular (from level -1) is required. It is possible to drop into ski route X1 on skiers right of the funicular or go through another tunnel to the Gletscherjet 4 and descend with the masses. We suggest cutting hard right at the base of the huge rock outcrop and join X1 early if there is unadulterated fresh snow.
Off-Piste Freeride Routes
Five designated Freeride routes are on Kitzsteinhorn, named X1 to X5. All are full of natural half pipes, hits and ridges running down multiple gullies. Great fun in fresh, particularly if you know where you are going.
X1 is a wide-open powder bowl/field, but it can get wind affected.
X2 goes out wide and has some terrain traps and a gnarly exit if you don’t recon it.
X3, 4 & 5 go down the same fall line as the Black Mamba with X4 being the longest and most varied.
Head up the Kristallbahn to get the most of X2 and 4. Depending on whether you want to take your ski gear off or not, use the Gletscherjet 2 or Langwiedbahn quad chair to access X3 & X5.
Summer Skiing on Kitzsteinhorn
The upper glacier area of Kitzsteinhorn is open in late May, June and July for a short summer skiing season. Terrain is limited to the glacier terrain serviced by the Maurerlift and Kitzlift surface tows plus the 8-seater Schmiedingerbahn. Access is via the Gletscherbus 4. The terrain is good enough to have summer ski fun or learn to ski in the relative warmth.
For the Powderhound
When it snows in town, the off-piste terrain on skiers right of Maiskogel provides super enjoyable freeride descents through the fields & woods directly into town. Best scoped first from the centre of town, it is easy to make a wrong turn, but fun working it all out. Watch out for fences! Otherwise get up early & out wide on Kitzsteinhorn. Freeride descents from Kitzsteinhorn can be nearly 2,000m skiable vertical in good snow conditions. Whilst a guide is not essential, the journeys tend to require a little more planning than may be apparent.
