Zauchensee Ski Resort Austria
Zauchensee ski resort in Salzburgerland Austria, is an uncrowded, user friendly area with fun piste trails & fine off-piste freeriding in larch forest. With north-aspect terrain and a higher than average base altitude of 1,350m asl, the resort, along with nearby Obertauern, is one of the region's most snow-sure and hence a natural target for freeriders when the powder is deep.
Whilst at the pricier end of the spectrum, the lift pass (& free ski bus) is linked to nearby Radstadt-Altenmarkt, plus the huge Snow Space Salzburg & the rest of Ski amadé, there is a lifetime of skiing in the region. As a bonus, the ski area is only a short drive or train trip from fabulous Salzburg, Austria’s most scenic city.
Pros & Cons for Zauchensee Ski Resort
Pros
- One of the most snow-sure ski resorts in the region, and along with nearby Obertauern, the best local ski resort for freeriders.
- Superb off-piste tree-skiing amongst larch forest on powder days.
- Uncrowded most days, deserted on blizzard days!
- Interconnected to a vast network of lifts & ski trails.
- Quality on-piste trails for all levels of skiers & snowboarders.
- Fantastic on-mountain and village restaurants & bars.
- Public transport access by train & bus is good.
Cons
- For off-piste freeriders, the most important lift at Zauchensee is also the oldest & slowest (but it does give plenty of time to recover for the next run).
- Relatively expensive ski lift pass.
- Zauchensee village is in shadow for long hours and quite cold during the heights of winter.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Petite, snow-bound village is easy to get around on foot but lacks the full services & shops of the nearby valley towns like Altenmarkt.
- The small village is lively at après ski time but may be a little too quiet after hours for some.
- Due to its high elevation village (high for the region!), it does not have a terribly long skiable vertical, but one can do a still healthy 930m into Flachauwinkl.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The Zauchensee skiing & snowboarding terrain is a fabulous mix of alpine & sub-alpine slopes that provide great riding in all weather conditions. Whilst on paper it has a skiable vertical of 1,188m, the reality is the most one can achieve on-piste is 930m, but it is generally more in the range of 550 to 700m. Not huge, but still more than adequate! With the village nestled in the valley at 1350m altitude, lifts head up to 3 main high points – Gamskogel (2118m at the top of the funicular), Tauernkar (1890m) and Roßkopf (1930m). The lowest part of the resort is at Flachauwinkl (1,000m), where the resort borders & will fully integrate with Kleinarl-Flachauwinkl & Snow Space Salzburg via the new Winkl Lift next season.
Check out the Zauchensee ski trail map below. Note that this simplified map does not show the off-piste alpine and tree-skiing potential of the resort.
Terrain mix appears heavily weighted toward beginner trails (nearly 50%), but this is misleading. There is alot more here for advanced and intermediate riders than appears, with much of the piste very well pitched and with very few flat ‘roads’ which so often blight ski areas. The best beginner trails are the long pistes 9 and 10. Steep, wide pistes run directly into the village from the western side of the resort and are a real treat. Intermediates will be pleased with all of the groomed trails, with all being approachable with care. The longest trail is 7km down to Flachauwinkl via pistes and a ‘road’, but there is a full intermediate piste the whole length as well. Crowds increase the closer one gets to Flachauwinkl. Runs up to 4.5km long exist of the Gamskogel & Tauernkar. The World Cup piste is very popular with visitors. A perfect novice area with surface tows is right on the heart of the village, opposite the outside day car park
Off-piste, the larch forest and alpine sectors on the Gamskogel (accessed from the old Schwarzwandbahn) provide around 750m of sublime skiable vertical on diverse terrain that sucks in the snow. There are endless deep powder runs in this sector around ski-route 3 on a powder day. loved. Fabulous super schooming could be had all over the resort in the right snow conditions.
The ski lifts at Zauchensee are a mix of the functionally old and magnificently modern. The best lift on a powder day is the afore-mentioned Schwarzwand gondola. Built in 1987, it still provides reliable movement up the mountain to great terrain on the foulest of weather days. The World Cup Express funicular at the top of the Gamskogel does not appear to be open very often and is more for race access and a gimmick, rather than for those that actually pay for a ticket! Other gondolas and hooded chairs exit the village in all directions providing quick egress from the valley. At the Flachauwinkl base, an 8-seater gondola, the Highliner, extends up to mid-mountain. The new Winkl Lift will no doubt increase skier numbers in the resort.
Lift Passes
Lift tickets at Zauchensee are relatively expensive if not intending to ski the broader Ski Amadé region. What one does get guaranteed for that price though, is access to an incredible range and quality of ski lift & piste infrastructure second to nowhere else in the world.
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Where is Zauchensee Austria?
The Zauchensee ski resort is only 85km (1hr ish by rental car) south of the gorgeous city of Salzburg. (If you have never been to Salzburg, make sure you spend a night or two there on your travels.) the resort is less than 250km drive from Munich airport, 2¾hr by road northwest of the resort, and Vienna is 320km (4hr by road) to the east.
The best airports are Salzburg (SZG), Innsbruck (INN) (for travellers from within Europe or the UK) and Munich (MUC) or Vienna (VIE) (for everyone else!).
The most ‘planet friendly’ mode of travel to the region is taking the train to Radstadt and then local bus or taxi from there. Journeys from Salzburg take around 1¼hr, from Munich 4 to 5hr depending on connections, and from Vienna around 4hr. From the train station, buses, taxi, or a short walk will get one to the centre of Radstadt. Search & book here for train tickets to Radstadt.
Driving a rental car to the ski area is easy from just about anywhere, with no major alpine passes and just a few kilometres of relatively easy winding mountain road to deal with to the Zauchensee village, and no winding mountain roads to the Flachauwinkl base. The centre of Zauchensee village has ample, free outdoor parking close to (or next to!) the lift bases and undercover parking too. Local buses from Altenmarkt stop at the lift bases as well.
Anyone allergic to public transport or driving on winter roads may want to avail themselves of a private shuttle to the area. Search & book here for all private transfers to Zauchensee, Radstadt, Altenmarkt or other location.
For hints, tips & warnings about getting to Austria ski resorts in winter, see our Travel in Austria page.
Zauchensee Accommodation
The resort base village at Zauchensee reminds us of the fabulous Kuhtai. Compact, generally quiet, yet lively for après ski, it is surrounded by masses of ski terrain and lifts on three sides, plus easy walking access to plenty of great bars & restaurants. Everything is either ski-in ski-out or very close to it! We recommend staying here if there is availability. Numerous hotel & apartment options exist. Most hotels are 4-star, so quality is assured, even if affordability is not! The closest to the lifts and pistes is the affordable Liftgasthof Apartments, plus Hotel Alpenrose and Hotel Zauchensee Zentral. A few steps further on, equally good options are the best value accommodations in the village, the 3-star Hotel Sportwelt, plus the Hotel Zauchenseehof, and Hotel Salzburger Hof Zauchensee. For the overall best rooms, restaurants & facilities in the village (& if you love a good indoor pool), try the Hotel Alpenhof Superior or Hotel FIRSTpeak Zauchensee.
Search & book here for all Zauchensee ski accommodation.
If looking to stay in the western sector of the resort at Flachauwinkl, there is plenty of accommodation near the Highliner gondola base and further north toward Flachau. Search & book Flachau & Flachauwinkl accommodation.
If one cannot score a reasonably price bed closer to the lifts, alternative accommodation is down valley in the large town of Altenmarkt or in the nearby (and more interesting) town of Radstadt. Regardless of where one stays, an afternoon wandering the nooks and crannies of the walled ‘old town’ of Radstadt is definitely worth it.
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Zauchensee in January 2022. We had a fun time stretching our legs on the long, deserted piste trails, challenging ourselves in amongst the larches, and satiating ourselves with too many beers & spinat knödels. 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 the Ski Paradies Zauchensee compares to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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