Upper Austria Ski Resorts

The Austrian state of Upper Austria (a.k.a. Oberösterreich) has a handful of ski resorts that are worthy of exploration. Situated to the east of Salzburgerland, all the skiing is located in the south of the state along the line of high peaks that border with Styria (Steiermark) & to a lesser extent Salzburgerland. The skiing holds a few surprises for its diversity. Classic piste resorts, a long, cross-border ski-safari style resort, extreme freeride ski areas and everything in between. Most are little known outside Austria, but that's a good thing, right?

The state capital is Linz, Austria’s third largest city. Situated on the banks of the Danube River not far from the border with the Czech Republic, Linz may as well be in a different world when looking at the ski resorts of Upper Austria. All the ski resorts are instead better accessed via Salzburg, or Munich.

Upper Austria Skiing & Snowboarding

The ski resorts in Upper Austria are all in the mountains in the ‘lower’ part of the state to the south where the border butts up against Styria (Steiermark). The ski areas of interest to powder hounds include the freeride mecca of Krippenstein, perhaps the state's best all-round ski area Hinterstoder, plus its neighbour Wurzeralm, the cross-border Dachstein West and the lesser known Feuerkogel-Ebensee and Kasberg. All other ski areas in the state are too low elevation to be reliable in any way for ski travellers.

• Hinterstoder is one of the bigger ones with stats not to be sneezed at! 1,400m of skiable vertical on cold north-aspect slopes, plus a longest run of 7.5km & 40km of pistes. Base altitude is a very low 600m, but there is gondola up from the valley if the snow down low is shite. Location is in a classically Austrian rural setting in the vicinity of Tauplitz, a known snow magnet. Multi-day passes tend to be valid for both Wurzeralm & Hinterstoder, but the price is unknown due to the infernal ‘dynamic lift pass pricing’ that shits everyone! Just set a bloody price!!!!
• Dachstein West (Gosau-Russbach-Annaberg). With around 55km of pistes & ski routes, Dachstein West and its 24 ski lifts provide a surprising ski area from the villages of Gosau, Russbach & Annaberg and spanning the border of Upper Austria & Salzburgerland. Located in one of the prettiest parts of Austria (east of Hallstatt & south of Dachstein Glacier), the ski resort is popular with the locals but relatively unknown to international travellers. The lift system has several super-modern 6-seater chairs, plus several gondolas to get the heavy lifting done. The longest run of over 4km is on a skiable vertical of just under 900m. The highest lifted point is a relatively modest 1,620m, but the arrangement of the lifts & pistes allows for long ski safaris linking the extensive area together.
• Krippenstein is a less frightening, less intimidating Austrian version of the legendary La Grave in France. With only a few lifts, one main piste trail, and diverse, untamed freeride terrain, the parallels are striking. Add in the quiet, traditional village of Obertraun at its base (not to be confused with Obertauern!), & you will find the major differences are only the local language and the lack of a requirement to bring a rope!
• Wurzeralm is a small ski resort near the unfortunately named, but delightful village of Spital am Phyrn. Close to one of the region’s better ski areas, Hinterstoder, and run by the same lift company, Wurzeralm presents as an intriguing ski area. For a start it utilises an elevated funicular railway for access to the main alpine bowl above. The highest lifted point of 1,870 on Frauenkar provides spanking views and the start of a long 1,000m+ vertical descent over 6km to the valley station. With just 23km of pistes it may hold your attention for a good day and could be worth a visit. As mentioned above, multi-day passes tend to be valid for both Wurzeralm & Hinterstoder, but the price is unknown due to the infernal ‘dynamic lift pass pricing’.

Review & More Info

The Powderhounds have previously skied at Krippenstein in Upper Austria, but we are yet to get to any other ski resorts in the state. Exploration & storm-chasing are the keys to skiing this region, so we are always on the lookout for the right conditions. Click on the various ski resort links via this overview or our website menu to see all the reviews.

See how the Austrian ski resorts compare 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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