Kaunertal Gletscher Ski Facts
LOCAL AREA: Kaunertaler Gletscher
CONNECTED AREA: Fendels – no lift connection. Ski ticket from the Kaunertaler Glacier is valid
SEASON START & END: Beginning of October – End of May
SKI ALTITUDE: Kaunertaler Gletscher 2150-3113m / Vertical Drop- 963m / Fendels 1386-2272m / Vertical Drop- 886m
PISTES: 45% Beginner/ 38% Intermediate / 17% Expert
LOCAL RESORT: 23 Pistes for a total of 55 km / (11 Blue / 7 Red / 5 Black) + 36 kms of itinerary routes.
CONNECTED AREA: 12 Pistes for a total of 10,6km (6 Blue / 4 Red / 2 Black)
LIFTS: Total 14. Kaunertaler Glacier: (Gondola 3 / Chair lift 2 / Drag Lifts 2/ Moving Carpet 1) // Fendels: (Gondola 1 / Chair lift 1 / Drag Lifts 4)
SNOW: Kaunertal Glacier, around 40 % of the slopes (34.2 ha out of 120 ha) require snowmaking, the rest of the area is all natural snow due to altitude.
LIFT TICKET 2023/24 Adult 1 & 6 day Ski Pass: Online early bird discount up to 30% HERE
Kaunertaler Glacier: 64 Euros – 1 day / 320 Euros – 6 in 7 days // Fendels: 45 Euros – 1 day / 218 Euros – 6 days
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: 33km of trails
LANGUAGE: German
AIRPORT: Innsbruck 95km / Memmingen 175km / Munich 220km / Zurich 245km
TRAIN: Landeck/Zams (30km)
More Ski Facts
-Snow secure from October to May – all pistes are above 2100m.
-3x over 3000m summit experience.
-Ski area is accessible to all (wheelchair friendly – awarded the EDEN-Award for accessibility.
-Snowpark Kaunertal: the best setup in the Alps in autumn and spring for snowboarders and freeskiers.
-Events with cult status: Kaunertal Opening and Spring Classics-
-Children up to the age of 8 ski travel for free
-Senior citizens from 80 years get a discount
-Toll is included in the ski pass
-Free ski bus and parking
-The 6 day lift passes for the Kaunertal Glacier are also valid at Fendels, Winterberg, Pitztaler Glacier and Rifflsee.
Kaunertal Town
The nearest town to the Glacier is Feichten im Kaunertal at 1287 metres located in the Landeck district, one of the tranquil areas of the Tyrol. The town is small but has some good shops for skiing equipment and a great grocery store. We stayed at the 4-star Weisseespitze Hotel, just a little out of town. This is quite a unique hotel, since 1991 the hotel has been popular with people with wheelchairs due to the facilities, from the low bar to 30 of the rooms which are extremely spacious and designed with wheelchairs in mind plus the wellness area has pool access aids too.
From the town of Feichten im Kaunertal, it is a 45-minute drive to the glacier, but this is no ordinary drive. Once you leave civilisation behind the road becomes very exciting with a road that climbs its way up a breathtaking dam built in 1964 to provide electricity for Germany, and then along a road that clings to the mountain above. The road then winds its way up the mountain through forest and then above the tree line past the ski lifts and pistes finally arriving up at a breathtaking (literally) 2750 metres, higher than many ski resort’s top lift stations! So make sure you have a good car with winter tyres, snow chains and a sense for adventure.
Skiing on the Kaunertal Gletscher
The Kaunertal Glacier or Gletscher is one of the lesser known glaciers that one can ski on in the Alps and in some ways this is a shame, but it also means that it is a little secret that we can keep to ourselves and go ski whilst other mountains might be crowded.
The pistes here are open from October to May, with the ski lifts ascending to 3113 metres delivering you to the Austrian border with stunning views of Italy. The main car park at 2750 metres gives access to the main centre of the skiing with a ski shop, the huge Gletscherrestaurant Weissee which includes a changing area, toilet facilities and the highest bus stop in Austria! A free Ski bus runs guests to the slopes from morning through to the evening. From this centre two main lifts transport one to around 3000 metres: the Karlesjochbahn and the Falginjochbahn. There is also an opportunity to park lower down the mountain at the Ochsenalm restaurant and take the ski lift from here.
The Kaunertal has achieved several awards since 2013 for its accessibility for people with disabilities. With the EDEN Award (European Destinations of Excellence), the Tirol Touristica Prize and the title TOP 5 Alpendestination at theALPS Award. You may notice the sliding paths for sit skis, barrier free systems and the staff are specially trained.
There may not be loads of choices when it comes to Apres Ski, but how much do you need when you are a serious skier with skiing being the centre of attention?
BEGINNER
There are blue pistes pretty much from the top of most ski lifts, however, I would not say they are best for complete beginners, but then Kaunertal would probably be a little extreme for complete beginners; however, if you have a few ski miles under your belt then it could be a good option due to fewer crowds and being open before most ski resorts open.
INTERMEDIATE
The Kaunertal is your oyster! With long red and blue pistes and stunning views, this is somewhere you will certainly enjoy. The pistes are interesting as they twist and turn their way down the mountain with varied pitches and usually good snow conditions to be enjoyed by all.
EXPERT
You have two long black pistes to pit yourself against, pistes 19 and 23. Once again the varied terrain of the mountain makes for some steep pitches that roll and navigate the terrain. To experience the steepest slope in Europe, with a gradient of over 87.85% try piste 11- the Black Ibex slope.
OFF PISTE / FREERIDE
The Kaunertal mountain area has over 7 various off pistes/freeride routes and variations. The website has details for each itinerary route, or you can join the ‘Glacier Safari’ and ski at least 4000 metres with a guide.
Ecology & Sustainbility Facts
-Modern lift systems with intelligent and resource-saving technology such as energy recovery when going downhill, use of drive heat to heat the building, energy-efficient direct drive, worldwide unique parking system for the Weißseejochbahn gondolas has saved 10% of the cubature of the building.
-Snow farming enables an early start to the season and saves valuable resources when it comes to snowmaking. Due to the altitude, 80% of the snow depots remain.
-Photovoltaics at the lift stations provide approx. 40% of the energy required for the Ski resort. The remaining amounts of electricity are obtained from renewable energy, mainly hydroelectric power.
-There are four e-charging stations
-Weißsee Glacier Restaurant: Regional food and drinks, no PET bottles, 1/3 of the hot water requirement comes from solar heating.
– Own sewage treatment plant
– Best Tourism Village by UNWTO in 2021 for sustainability (Only location in Austria)
-Project CLAR Kaunergrat – Clean Alpine Region through sustainable development in a climate friendly manner integrated regional
-Project KLAR Kaunergrat (since 2017) – Climate Change Adaptation Model Region. 6 municipalities working with the aim of preparing for climate change.
Kaunertal
Feichten,
6524 Kaunertal
Tyrol
Austria
All images copyright of © TVB Tiroler Oberland I Kaunertal
