Silvretta Montafon Ski Resort

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Silvretta Montafon ski resort Vorarlberg Austria looking over Nova Stoba
Silvretta Montafon ski resort Vorarlberg Austria looking over Nova Stoba
Storm riding powder in the Versettla sector of Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Storm riding powder in the Versettla sector of Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Dropping into the steep R22 ski route in the Valisera sector of Silvretta Montafon
Dropping into the steep R22 ski route in the Valisera sector of Silvretta Montafon
Beautiful powder turns in Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Beautiful powder turns in Silvretta Montafon ski resort's Grasjoch sector
The Montafon valley & villages from Sankt Gallenkirch to Gaschurn
The Montafon valley & villages from Sankt Gallenkirch to Gaschurn
Powder day in the Grasjoch sector with skier
Powder day in the Grasjoch sector with skier's on-piste, off-piste & climbing the ridge
Hochalpila gondola takes skiers to Silvretta Montafon
Hochalpila gondola takes skiers to Silvretta Montafon's highest lifted point of 2,430m
Freeride powder on the steeps below Hochalpila at Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Freeride powder on the steeps below Hochalpila at Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Early morning powder skiing in the Kapell sector of Silvretta Montafon
Early morning powder skiing in the Kapell sector of Silvretta Montafon
Wormser Hütte is perched high above Schruns, providing traditional food & affordable lodging
Wormser Hütte is perched high above Schruns, providing traditional food & affordable lodging
Silvretta Montafon low angle powder & piste in the Grasjoch sector
Silvretta Montafon low angle powder & piste in the Grasjoch sector
Powder turns on R60 in the Versettla sector of Silvretta Montafon
Powder turns on R60 in the Versettla sector of Silvretta Montafon
Skiing to the modern Sonnen 8-seater chairlift in the Valisera sector of Silvretta Montafon
Skiing to the modern Sonnen 8-seater chairlift in the Valisera sector of Silvretta Montafon
Silvretta Montafon has lots of tree skiing opitons for the more adventurous
Silvretta Montafon has lots of tree skiing opitons for the more adventurous
The Silvretta chair is important when skiing Valisera on a powder day & links into many other lifts & restaurants
The Silvretta chair is important when skiing Valisera on a powder day & links into many other lifts & restaurants
Silvretta Montafon can be easily accessed via train to Schruns and then local buses
Silvretta Montafon can be easily accessed via train to Schruns and then local buses
Kapell mountain station in the early morning at Silvretta Montafon ski resort
Kapell mountain station in the early morning at Silvretta Montafon ski resort
The deck at Kapell restaurant is the perfect place to check out your powder turns!
The deck at Kapell restaurant is the perfect place to check out your powder turns!
Powder turns down into the valley above Schruns at Silvretta Montafon
Powder turns down into the valley above Schruns at Silvretta Montafon
Silvretta Montafon ski resort (viewed from Galtuer) is a spectacular place to visit in Austria
Silvretta Montafon ski resort (viewed from Galtuer) is a spectacular place to visit in Austria

Silvretta Montafon Ski Resort

Readers Ratings

Silvretta Montafon

Silvretta Montafon4/58
Silvretta Montafon4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews
  • Recommend
    88%
  • Would Revisit
    88%
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Wagner Custome Skis

Nearby Ski Resorts

Damuls-Mellau
Gargellen

Silvretta Maps & Stats

     Silvretta Montafon Ski Trail Map
  • Silvretta Montafon Ski Trail Map
  • Vertical (m)
    700m - 2,430m (1,730m)
  • Average Snow Fall
    8 - 10m
  • Lifts (36)
    10 Gondola/cable car
    18 Chairs
  • Opening Dates & Times
    Early December to mid-April
    8:30am to 4:30pm
  • Terrain Summary
    Runs - 140km (incl. routes)
    Longest run - 12km+
    Advanced - 22%
    Intermediate - 35%
    Beginner - 43%

    Montafon-Brandnertal - 295km
  • Ski Lift Pass Price
    Day Ticket 24/25
    Adult - from €55.50
    Child - from €33.50
    Child u/6yr - Free

    All passes are dynamically priced online
    Lift passes of 2-days or more duration valid in all Montafon Brandnertal ski resorts
     Montafon-Brandnertal Ski Resort Map
  • Montafon-Brandnertal Ski Resort Map

Silvretta Montafon Ski Resort Austria

An extensive area of over 140km of trails across two mountains, Silvretta Montafon ski resort has a reputation for great snow & amazing freeride terrain on powder days, setting itself up as a quieter alternative to the hugely popular Ski Arlberg. Long summit to valley piste trails, modern lifts & loads of activities ensure it has appeal for all snow enthusiasts. Numerous villages provide all manner of lodging options in classically Austrian Alps style, plus the region is accessible by train to Schruns via Bludenz - even better! Skiing powder in this resort is so good, we suggest it should be renamed from Montafon to Monta-fun!

Pros & Cons for Silvretta Montafon Ski Resort

Pros

  • Rated 3rd in the Powderhounds Best Overall Ski Resorts in Europe category in 2022.
  • High snowfall region with most terrain over 2,000m altitude.
  • Long skiable vertical of over 1,700m.
  • Vast network of lifts & ski trails, including valley runs up to 12km long.
  • Fabulous off-piste freeride terrain.
  • Remarkably quiet mid-week.
  • Quality on-piste trails for beginner & intermediate skiers & snowboarders.
  • Masses of fantastic quality mountain and valley restaurants
  • Excellent value multi-day lift pass that includes other regional resorts (incl. the magnificent secret stash of Gargellen).
  • Public transport access by train & bus is fantastic.
  • Loads of car parking for day trippers, mostly free, some new undercover ones come a small fee.

Cons

  • Low elevation villages (from 700m altitude) may not have natural snow for much of winter.
  • Several ancient slow double chairlifts.
  • Connecting some parts of the resort by lift or bus can take an inordinate amount of time (it stretches for miles!).
  • No live lift status boards in the resort make decisions difficult during high wind or avalanche days.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

  • Has the world's longest ski tunnel!
  • The resort also has one the weirdest bars is the shape of a globe.
  • Many of the marked freeride routes are short(ish) (but unmarked routes can be huge!).
  • Numerous small villages around the ski area base & seven different access points can be confusing to first time visitors.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain

The Silvretta Montafon skiing & snowboarding terrain is split between two separate mountains connected via gondolas through the valley at Sankt Gallenkirch village. The two sectors are broadly referred to as Nova & Hochjoch. Combined statistics are exciting: 140km of piste trails & marked routes, 1,740m of skiable vertical, 8 to 10m of snow annually, over 50% of the terrain over 2,000m altitude & longest run of over 12km. The terrain split is reasonable with around 22% of the trails rated as advanced. Naturally, as with most Austrian ski areas, beginners & intermediates are well catered too. It is possible to ski the entire 1,740m of vertical at Silvretta Montafon from the summit of Hochalpila (2,430m) all the way down to the town of Schruns (690m) via the world’s longest ski tunnel.

Check out the ski trail map for Silvretta Montafon below.

Silvretta Montafon Ski Trail Map
Silvretta Montafon Ski Trail Map

Silvretta Montafon is recognised as having superb off-piste freeride terrain but refreshingly, even though they are geographically close to each other, it lacks the hordes of freeride powder hounds found at nearby Ski Arlberg (St Anton, Lech, Warth-Schroecken & Zurs). Whilst not having the vast extent of high-altitude alpine zones as the Ski Arlberg region, the off-piste & backcountry opportunities at Silvretta Montafon are a whole lot wider than the trail map might indicate - a good topographical map reveals all the possibilities. Whilst most of the freeride descents are above the tree line, there is tree-skiing & even pillow line descents in the north-aspect slopes below Garfrescha and Versettla. In good snow conditions, full top to bottom backcountry descents in the realms of 1,650m vertical are possible - not too shabby!

The ski lifts at Silvretta Montafon are diverse mix of ancient double cars & surface lifts to ultra-modern hooded chairs & gondolas. There are seven different lifts (4 gondolas, a cable car & 2 chairlifts) taking skiers & snowboarders from the various valley stations up to the mountains. Six of the seven valley stations have ski trails leading down to them, with the runs into Gaschurn & Schruns outstanding early in the day. Once up in the alpine zone, the mix of chairlifts does the heavy lifting, but also several gondolas reach some of the resort’s highest points, including the 2,430m high Hochalpila.

Lift Passes

Silvretta Montafon lift passes can pre-purchased online for strongly reduced rates via a dynamic pricing model. All ski passes of 2 or more days duration are valid for the entire Montafon-Brandnertal ski region adding another 155km of piste trails for a grand total of 295km on the one lift pass. The lift pass is valid in Gargellen (on our list of powder day pleasures), Golm & Brandnertal to name but the larger resorts.

See below for the Montafon-Brandnertal ski resorts map.

Silvretta Montafon Ski Trail Map
Montafon Brandnertal Ski Resorts Map

Where is Silvretta Montafon Austria?

The Silvretta-Montafon ski resort is in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, close to the Swiss border. Spread over two mountains, the major base village of Schruns is 145km (1¾hr) by road west of Innsbruck & 13km (20min) southeast of the nearest major town, Bludenz.

The closest major airport is Innsbruck (INN), but all intercontinental travellers (non-UK/European) will find Zurich (ZRH) a better option at only 160km (2hr) away by road. A little further away by road (2½hr), Munich (MUC) airport is also a useful alternative & has been utilised by the Powderhounds to access the region. If not interested in a rental car, private transfers provide the fastest & most comfortable ride to the ski resort.

Search & book here for all airport transfers to Silvretta Montafon villages.

To Protect Our Winters (POW), we recommend using the train for travel to Silvretta Montafon. Schruns village has its own train station, the terminus of a local line from Bludenz. From Innsbruck central station, the train journey is around 2¼hr with a change at Bludenz. From Zurich airport the journey is longer by train but can still be done in little over 3hr depending on the service chosen. The best trains to select go direct from the Zurich airport station in the direction of Innsbruck, & then change along the way for Schruns. Local buses or taxis complete the journey to the valley villages. The route 85 bus is the most important in the valley, linking Schruns to St Gallenkirch & Gaschrun. It is free for skiers during the day. Trains to the region from Munich are also simple via Bregenz with journey times in the realms of 4 to 4½hr.

Search & book here for train tickets to Bregenz, Bludenz & Schruns.

Silvretta Montafon Accommodation

Silvretta-Montafon benefits from a wide range of accommodation options in several local villages, all connected to the resort by modern ski lifts. The main villages include Schruns-Tschagguns, Sankt Gallenkirch & Gaschurn. Of the three, Schruns is the easiest to get to by virtue of its train station and has excellent access to the Hochjoch sector via a cable car & gondola.

St Gallenkirch is the best located to access both parts of the ski area, with gondola lift connections to the Hochjoch & Nova from a base just out of town. For the ultimate proximity to the gondola station, try the new Revier Mountain Lodge Montafon.

Gaschurn is the highest altitude (980m)(and hence is more likely to have snow in the village), has the highest concentration of hotels & other lodgings, plus has a new piste trail leading to it from the ski area. The ski area above Gaschurn is also one of the most likely to operate during high winds and storms.

Search & book here for all Silvretta Montafon ski accommodation.

Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding

Ski rentals are available throughout the valleys via our local partners in Schruns, St Gallenkirch & Gaschurn. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Silvretta Montafon Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

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Review

The Powderhounds visited Silvretta Montafon in early February 2022 during a huge winter storm and had a fabulous time skiing deep powder on long descents despite the weather playing havoc with lift operations! Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how Silvretta Montafon compares to the rest of the Austrian ski resorts on the Austria ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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Tours in or near Silvretta Montafon

Single-Base, Single-Ski-Area Tours

Ride & Learn in the Alps
GUIDED OFF-PISTE SKIING & LEARNING
4 Days | 4 Nights | 4 Days Skiing
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
The Ride & Learn tour is an 'active learning' powder-chaser trip where the location in the Alps is dictated by the best powder conditions at the time. Options include Livigno, Santa Caterina Italy, Graubuenden Switzerland or Montafon Austria. Ride amazing off-piste snow & do it safely over a long weekend ...
Price p/p Base/invoice currency is EUR, per person on a 4 day tour (2024 rates), minimum 5 guests on tour
Price includes all taxes
*displayed price may vary slightly due to exchange rate fluctuations
USD 571
View Details
 
See all Single-Base, Single-Ski-Area tours that visit Silvretta Montafon here
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