Zell am See Schmittenhöhe

Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria · 760–2,000 m

Vertical
1,240m
Pistes
77km
Lifts
27
Summit
2,000m
Day pass
from82 EUR
Season
December – April

Trail map

Panoramakarte Schmitten / Zell am See

Official map at Schmittenhöhebahn AG

Published by Schmittenhöhebahn AG, panorama by Schmittenhöhebahn AG; this copy via bergfex. The current official map is at Schmittenhöhebahn AG.

Routable 3D map

The whole lift and piste network of Zell am See is routable in the app: difficulty limits, live lift and piste status, alternative ways to the same place, and a 3D view of the terrain.

Open in SkiAllDay

The verdict

The Schmittenhöhe is the ski mountain above Zell am See in Salzburg's Pinzgau, with 77 km of marketed piste between 760 and 2,000 m and 27 lifts, six of them feeders from three valley bases. Our own measurement finds 63.5 km. Most of it is easy or intermediate, and the black Trass descent drops about 1,000 m. Only 32% of the piste faces north, so snow is the weak point.12345

Goes well for

  • Intermediates who want long valley descents: 28 km of red piste, and the operator counts five descents of more than 1,000 m of vertical
  • Families: Schmidolin children's areas sit at the areitXpress valley station and the Glocknerbahn top station, and our measurement finds 43% of the network reachable without leaving easy pistes
  • A town base: cityXpress and trassXpress start in Zell am See itself, and the day ticket also covers Saalbach and Kitzsteinhorn

Goes badly for

  • Snow-sure spring skiing: the lifts run from 760 to 2,000 m, none of the piste is above 2,500 m by our measurement, and only 32% of it faces north
  • Expert terrain: 19 km of the 77 km is black, and by our measurement only 3% of piste length is steeper than 40%
  • A Saalbach link you can ski both ways: the operator describes a shuttle bus from the zellamseeXpress valley station in Viehhofen to the Skicircus, and a piste (168) running from the Skicircus down to Viehhofen

Key facts

Every card opens. The headline number is the answer; underneath is how it was measured and where it came from.

Elevation 1,240m vertical · 760–2,000 m
Village—
Lowest piste760 m6
Highest lift-served point2,000 m6
Vertical drop1,240 m

The operator's panorama map prints 2,000 m for the Schmittenhöhe, 760 m at the areitXpress valley station in Schüttdorf, 780 m at the cityXpress, 865 m at the zellamseeXpress in Viehhofen and 945 m at the shared valley station of the trassXpress, Schmittenhöhebahn and Sonnenalmbahn. The summit itself is 1,965 m according to Wikipedia, and the highest node in our graph is at 1,964 m, so the 2,000 m on the map is a rounded figure. Skiresort.com gives the same 760 to 2,000 m range.

Pistes 77km 63.5 km measured from the network
1
  • Easy 30km 39%
  • Intermediate 28km 36%
  • Difficult 19km 25%

Marketed vs measuredThe operator markets 77 km of piste (30 km blue, 28 km red, 19 km black) plus 8 ski routes, and skiresort.com repeats the same split. Our measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 63.5 km of piste, about 18% less, which fits the usual gap between a centre-line marketing figure and a graph measurement. The operator's 408 km is a different thing: it is the combined figure for the three regions on the Ski ALPIN CARD (Schmittenhöhe, the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, and Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun) and is not used here. This page covers the Schmittenhöhe only, which our graph shows as one connected network.

Lifts 27 5 types in the fleet
  • Chairlift 10
  • Gondola 7
  • Drag lift 6
  • Cable car 2
  • Magic carpet 2

The operator counts 27 installations in winter, six of them feeder lifts: trassXpress, areitXpress, cityXpress, zellamseeXpress, Sonnenalmbahn and Schmittenhöhebahn. The count includes two magic carpets and two rope tows listed as drag lifts. The operator's own winter capacity is 51,104 people an hour. A new Kapellenbahn replaces the old one from December 2026. The routing graph holds one section of the zellamseeXpress, not both.7

Season December – April winter season
Winter seasonearly December – early April
Lift hours08:30–16:30
Day pass EUR 82 adult, main season
AdultEUR 823
YouthEUR 623
ChildEUR 413
Multi-resort passesSki ALPIN CARD season pass: valid at the Schmittenhöhe, the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel in Kaprun, the Hinterreitlifte in Maria Alm and the Naglköpfl in Walchen. Adult price is 875 euro if bought by 8 December 2026 and 1,049 euro from 9 December 2026; the operator lists lower prices for children and youths.
Multi-day tickets in the combined region: 2 days 161 euro, 3 days 240 euro, 7 days 489 euro for an adult in the main season, on consecutive days only.
Half-day tickets: from 11:30 or until 12:30, 70 euro for an adult in the main season, and the morning ticket is not valid at Kitzsteinhorn.
Night slope only: 15 euro for an adult, 8 euro for a youth or child, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 January to 25 February 2027 (not 9 February), until 20:30.
The operator lists itself as a partner of the Super Ski Card together with 20 other regions in Salzburg, Tyrol and Styria.

Prices for the 2026/27 winter from the operator's ticket page, published in euros including 10% VAT. The one-day ticket listed there is the combined ticket valid in the Schmittenhöhe, the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn and Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun; the table shows no Schmittenhöhe-only day price. Main season runs 19 December 2026 to 12 March 2027. During the start and bonus periods (27 November to 18 December 2026 and 13 March to 4 April 2027) the adult day ticket is 74 euro. Children are born 2011 to 2020, youths 2008 to 2010, and children born 2021 or later ride free with an adult. The keycard deposit is 2 euro. The night slope is included in a valid day ticket.

The mountain

These figures come from measuring the resort's actual piste and lift network rather than from its brochure. Measured from the SkiAllDay routing graph on 17 October 2026. Where the resort publishes a figure of its own, that figure is the one shown.

Piste km per lift km

1.16

Piste km opened by each kilometre of lift line. It measures how sparse the lift network is, not how good it is: a high figure means long runs off few lifts, so more skiing between rides but more traversing and more people funnelled onto each lift; a low one means dense lift service, quick laps and short waits, at the cost of repeating the same runs.

measured

Lift minutes per ski hour

80 min

Time riding up for every hour spent descending, from the graph’s own traversal times.

measured

Longest continuous descent

9.4 km

The longest run of linked pistes that never rides a lift.

measured

Reachable on easy runs only

43%

Share of piste a skier can reach from the base without ever descending something harder than an easy run.

measured

North-facing terrain

32%

Piste facing N, NE or NW, from the bearing of each descent. Shaded aspects hold snow longest.

measured

Vertical on that descent

1,207 m

measured

Uphill on surface lifts

6%

Share of climbing served by drag lifts and platters, weighted by vertical rather than by lift count.

measured

Piste above 2,500 m

0%

measured

Median piste altitude

1,470 m

Half the piste length lies above this height and half below, weighted by length.

measured

Skiers per piste km

100

At full lift capacity — a ceiling for comparing resorts, not a forecast of your day. Derived from uphill capacity, lift ride times and the split between riding and descending.

measured

Average lift capacity

2,220/h

People per hour, averaged across lifts. High can mean short queues, or a lot of people arriving on the same runs.

measured

Mean piste gradient

20%

Length-weighted across every piste. Comparable between countries in a way that piste colour is not.

measured

Piste measured

63.5 km

measured

Lift length measured

54.8 km

measured
metres piste length in this band 500 750 1,000 1,250 1,500 1,750 2,000 0.9 km 16.9 km 19.2 km 26.6 km Schmittenhöhe summit 2,000 m Areitbahn III top station 1,900 m Sonnkogelbahn top station 1,835 m Hochmaisbahn top station 1,765 m areitXpress top station 1,400 m Schmittenhöhebahn valley station 945 m zellamseeXpress valley station, Viehhofen 865 m cityXpress valley station, Zell am See 780 m areitXpress valley station, Schüttdorf 760 m
Piste length by altitude band, against the villages and lift stations that sit at each height. Squares are villages and valley bases, circles are lift stations and summits.

How steep is it, really

Piste colour is set by each resort under its own rules, so a red in one country is a blue in another. Measured gradient is comparable everywhere.

Share of piste length by gradient, measured along the run rather than at its steepest point.

Guide

Three valley bases feed one connected network on the Schmittenhöhe: Zell am See and Schüttdorf on the lake side, and Viehhofen toward the Glemm valley.

Six feeder lifts and three ways in

The operator lists six feeder lifts: trassXpress, areitXpress, cityXpress, zellamseeXpress, Sonnenalmbahn and the Schmittenhöhebahn. Entry points are Schüttdorf (areitXpress), Zell am See (cityXpress, trassXpress, Schmittenhöhebahn and Sonnenalmbahn) and Viehhofen (zellamseeXpress). Our graph holds the zellamseeXpress section II only, so measured figures leave out the lowest lift section from Viehhofen.128

Mostly blue and red, with one famous black

The operator splits the 77 km into 30 km blue, 28 km red and 19 km black. Our measurement puts the average gradient at 20%, with 57% of piste length under 20% and 26% above 30%. Only 3% is steeper than 40%. The Trass descent is the headline black: the operator describes it as more than four km long with gradients up to 70% and about 1,000 m of vertical, running from the summit to the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station.152

Long descents to the valley

The operator counts five valley descents with more than 1,000 m of vertical. Our measurement finds the longest uninterrupted descent at 9.4 km and 1,207 m of vertical, about the full height of the mountain. The numbered pistes on the operator's site include the Schüttabfahrt (4), the Nordabfahrt (5), the Standard Abfahrt (13) and the Tannwaldabfahrt (21). The operator says it widened the Tannwaldabfahrt in the summers of 2025 and 2026.12910

Where the easy terrain is

Our measurement finds 43% of the piste reachable from the base without descending anything harder than an easy run. The operator puts its children's offers at the areitXpress valley station (Schmidolins Zauberteppich), the areitXpress top station (Drachentunnel) and the Glocknerbahn top station (Drachenpark and Kidsslope). The Funslope starts at the Hochmaisbahn top station at 1,765 m, and the snowpark at 1,715 m has two areas, one for beginners.275

Snow and aspect

The lifts run from 760 to 2,000 m, the median piste altitude is 1,470 m, and none of the measured piste is above 2,500 m. Our measurement finds 32% of piste faces north, northeast or northwest. The operator extended snowmaking up to 2,000 m in 2001 and built the Plettsaukopf storage pond, 174,000 cubic metres, which began filling on 13 September 2010.2116

Saalbach by gondola, Kaprun by road

Since 7 December 2019 the zellamseeXpress has run from Viehhofen up to the Schmittenhöhe, which links it to the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn: piste 168 comes down from the Skicircus to the Viehhofen valley station. The way back is a shuttle bus between Viehhofen and the Schönleitenbahn in Saalbach, running every 10 or 20 minutes. Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel in Kaprun are a separate area, reached by road. The Ski ALPIN CARD and the day ticket cover all three, which is where the operator's 408 km comes from.12473

Saalbach Hinterglemm guide

SkierVerdictWhy
Confident intermediate excellent 28 km of red piste, five valley descents of more than 1,000 m of vertical by the operator's count, and a longest uninterrupted descent of 9.4 km by our measurement.12
First-timer good Our measurement finds 43% of the piste reachable on easy runs alone, 30 km of the marketed 77 km is blue, and the operator puts a magic carpet at the areitXpress valley station with ski schools and rental beside it.21710
Family with mixed abilities good The operator lists Schmidolin children's areas at three lift stations, a Kidsslope, a children's restaurant at Areit 1400 and free carriage for children born 2021 or later with an adult.7103
Second-week skier fair Red and blue pistes dominate the links between sectors, but by our measurement 26% of piste length is steeper than 30%. A February 2025 r/skiing thread and a February 2023 snowHeads thread describe the blue home run to Zell am See as narrow and mogulled late in the day.21314
Advanced skier fair 19 km is black and only 3% of piste length is steeper than 40% by our measurement. The Trass descent, up to 70% steep and about 1,000 m of vertical, is the main challenge.152
Budget skier fair The adult day ticket is 82 euro in the main season, and it is the combined three-region ticket; the operator lists no cheaper Schmittenhöhe-only day price. The half-day ticket from 11:30 is 70 euro.3
Spring and snow-sure skiing poor The lifts top out at 2,000 m, none of the measured piste lies above 2,500 m, and only 32% faces north. Kitzsteinhorn, which the same day ticket covers, reaches 3,203 m according to the panorama map. A March 2025 r/skiing thread reports Schmitten slushy near the top in a warm spell while Kitzsteinhorn stayed good.62315

By car

The operator recommends entering the ski area at the zellamseeXpress valley station in Viehhofen to avoid queues; it has free parking, and the operator's highlights page counts 300 spaces there. At the areitXpress, lots 1 to 4 are free and part of lot 2 is paid; at the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station, lots 2 to 6 are free and lot 1 is paid. Parking is allowed from 07:00 to 20:00 only, and the cityXpress has no car park of its own.

By train

Zell am See has a main-line station, and the operator points to ÖBB and Deutsche Bahn timetables and an ÖBB combined rail and ski pass offer. The cityXpress is the lift nearest the station. The nearest airport is Salzburg, from which the operator says to continue by bus or by train from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. A Ski ALPIN CARD includes the ski buses inside Zell am See, Kaprun, Viehhofen, Saalbach Hinterglemm, Leogang and Fieberbrunn, and a free shuttle runs twice a day between Schüttdorf and the areitXpress.

Where to base yourself

Zell am SeeTown base: cityXpress, trassXpress, Schmittenhöhebahn and Sonnenalmbahn all start here
SchüttdorfThe areitXpress valley station, with Schmidolins Zauberteppich magic carpet, ski school and rental beside it
ViehhofenThe zellamseeXpress valley station, and the stop for the shuttle bus to the Skicircus Saalbach

  • Sonnkogel Restaurant

    Sonnkogelbahn top station · 1,835 m

    A restaurant the lift company runs itself, at the top of the Sonnkogelbahn on the Sonnenalm side.76

  • Franzl

    Areitbahn III top station · 1,900 m

    A self-service panorama restaurant run by the lift company, opened in 2018 near the top of Areitbahn III.1167

  • AreitAlm

    areitXpress top station · 1,400 m

    A leased restaurant beside the Kids Indoor Park Areit 1400, with the AreitLounge next to it.67

What skiers say

Gathered from public discussions, last swept 17 October 2026. Every tip links to the thread it came from.

  • Avoid the Areitbahn during Fasching or February half-term unless you are there for opening, because ski-school traffic can overwhelm both gondola stages and the surrounding pistes.1617

    A snowHeads trip report puts the crush down to ski-school groups. An alpinfans report from December 2025 found a nearly full car park and still only a two-minute single-line wait, so check the holiday calendar and the live queue rather than counting parked cars.

  • If starting at cityXpress, arrive before 09:00 and avoid returning to the Schmittental base during Thursday ski-school race mornings.14

    A February 2023 snowHeads poster timed a 20-minute cityXpress queue at 09:10, then found minimal waiting at trassXpress while ski-school races caused chaos at the bottom.

  • On warm or busy days, ski Breiteck, Schüttabfahrt and the other long valley descents early rather than saving them for the final run.1819

    Alpinforum reports from January 2022 and February 2026 describe Breiteck getting progressively bumpier after noon and the Schüttabfahrt already scraped and thin by 14:09.

  • Use the opening hour for laps on piste 3 beneath Glocknerbahn instead of immediately traversing toward the summit.2017

    A March 2025 alpinfans report fitted in two areitXpress-plus-Glocknerbahn laps before Areitbahn II and III opened at 09:00, and a December 2025 alpinfans report found piste 3 empty at 08:20.

  • Watch for the resort's limited-date Frühfahrten early-opening offers and use them when available.21

    An alpinforum thread from March 2026 says that from 8 March 2026 the areitXpress, cityXpress and trassXpress opened at 07:30, Areitbahn II/III and Hirschkogel at 08:00, and the ticket offices at 07:15. Check the dates for the current season.

  • When approaching from Maria Alm or the north, use the Schmittenhöhe valley station rather than driving through Zell to Areitbahn.22

    A January 2017 snowHeads thread said the Schmitten base, with the trassXpress and two cable cars, gets skiers from car to summit in about 15 minutes with minimal queues; downloading avoids its black return pistes.

  • For Areit parking on a holiday or weekend, target roughly 08:20 rather than assuming there will still be convenient spaces at 09:00.17

    A December 2025 alpinfans visitor saw the Areit lot already looking full at 08:35, although the gondola still moved quickly.

  • From Zell station, consider the narrow-gauge train to Zellermoos/Areitbahn instead of the crowded Kaprun-bound ski bus.23

    An October 2022 snowHeads thread puts the platform across the road from the Areitbahn via an underpass, with a half-hourly service included in the lift pass. Confirm the current timetable and ticket validity.

  • From central Zell, bus 71 from Postplatz to the Schmittenhöhebahn/trassXpress base can be the quickest route to the summit blues.23

    The same October 2022 snowHeads thread says it avoids the multi-lift progression from the cityXpress and reaches the high area in one lift ride when the bus timing works. Check the current timetable.

  • If you want car-free mornings and a useful base for a non-skier, stay in or beside the old town and walk to cityXpress.2425

    A March 2026 visitor was five minutes from cityXpress and two minutes from the main restaurants and bars; Schüttdorf is more residential and requires transport back to the centre.

  • Leave the crowded central blues for the Sonnenalm–Sonnkogel reds, especially runs 12–19, when the snow is still firm.262728

    Undated snowHeads threads and a February 2026 r/skiing thread call it the quietest sector and say its reds are generally easier than their colour suggests, but the sunny aspect makes them soften quickly on warm afternoons.

  • Treat black 14 Trass as a conditions-driven run: ski it early in midwinter, or wait for brief softening around midday during a spring freeze-thaw cycle.262920

    An undated snowHeads thread calls it long, steep, narrow and mostly shaded, so it can be hard or icy. Alpinforum (March 2024) and alpinfans (March 2025) reports found excellent corn around midday in March, with dirt and stones emerging lower down later in warm spells.

  • For firmer afternoon snow, use the shaded black valley runs such as Standard 13 and Nordabfahrt rather than the sun-softened upper blues.2826

    A February 2026 r/skiing thread and an undated snowHeads thread say these steep descents get little sun and stay serviceable later, but they are genuine black terrain and can be icy.

  • A developing skier or snowboarder should lap piste 3 with Glocknerbahn and download via areitXpress at the end rather than chase every blue line on the map.30

    In a February 2026 r/snowboardingnoobs thread, a commenter who knows Zell gave this advice after a first-time mountain snowboarder found the busy blues bumpy, narrow and intimidating.

  • Choose Schmittenhöhe over the exposed Kitzsteinhorn on a snowy, foggy or windy day because its long forested pistes and numerous gondolas provide shelter and definition.3124

    An undated snowHeads thread and a March 2026 snowHeads trip report make the case for Schmittenhöhe in poor weather. The reverse applies on a clear late-season day, when the glacier's altitude preserves better snow.

  • When the main pistes are crowded, investigate the underused Hahnkopf, Osthang and Schmiedhof drag-lift pockets behind the headline gondolas.19

    A February 2026 alpinforum first-visit report said these separate pockets barely register on the piste map and found the Schmiedhof piste empty after lunch.

  • For a proper hut lunch reachable by both skiers and non-skiers, take Sonnenalmbahn to Blaickners Sonnalm and order the Hirtenspieß or Kasnocken.22

    A January 2017 snowHeads thread preferred it to the large lift-company self-service restaurants and praised those two dishes.

  • Use Hochzeller Alm for table-service local food without committing a non-skier to a difficult mountain journey.3233

    Undated snowHeads advice and a January 2017 EuroGA trip report describe it as a short walk north of the summit and recommend it for personal service, Tiroler Gröstl and family-run cooking.

  • For a quieter late lunch, drop to Schoberalm rather than joining the noon crush at the high mountain restaurants.14

    A February 2023 snowHeads poster escaped crowded upper stops on red 4 and recommended Schoberalm as the calmer option.

  • Visit Pinzgauer Hütte for the setting, Kaiserschmarrn and unusual tow back, not because it is the mountain's indispensable meal stop.22

    A January 2017 snowHeads thread is split on the food but agrees the long snowmobile rope tow is the memorable part, and unsuitable for anyone with an arm or shoulder problem.

  • In town, use Burger Factory for a comparatively inexpensive meal and treat Kraftwerk as the premium choice rather than a budget fallback.13

    A February 2025 r/skiing visitor recommended both but separated their price points; the same thread praised the new Sonnkogel restaurant for seating and service on the hill.

  • Do not assume the blue home run to Zell is an easy end-of-day descent; download on cityXpress if you are tired or tentative.131425

    A February 2025 r/skiing thread, a February 2023 snowHeads thread and an undated snowHeads family thread describe its final section as narrow, relatively steep and commonly mogulled, with struggling skiers at the bottom.

  • Do not book accommodation beside cityXpress expecting a nursery area or first-day ski-school meeting point at its base.25

    An undated snowHeads family thread says there is no beginner area at the cityXpress; the nursery facilities are at the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station and at the Areitbahn in Schüttdorf.

  • At Areit 1400, look for the onward Areitbahn II/III gondola before automatically following traffic toward Glocknerbahn.19

    A February 2026 alpinforum first-time visitor got out at the intermediate station and missed the continuing gondola toward the summit because its direction was not obvious.

  • Check Ebenbergbahn's live status before descending its apparently prepared pistes.34

    In January 2026 an alpinforum visitor found the chair closed while the pistes stayed groomed and not visibly blocked, which nearly led him into a dead end.

  • Do not treat the inviting gaps beside Schmittenhöhe's pistes as routine side-country terrain.26

    A long-time visitor in an undated snowHeads thread says much of the off-piste area is closed for forest protection, so read the signs rather than following tracks.

History

  1. 1893

    Graf Lambert and Hauptmann Wittek climb the Schmittenhöhe on skis for the first time.11

  2. 1927

    The Schmittenhöhebahn opens on 31 December, the first cable car in the province of Salzburg and the fifth in Austria.11

  3. 1996

    Two more sections, Areitbahn II and III, complete a direct gondola link from Schüttdorf to the Schmittenhöhe.11

  4. 2007

    The trassXpress and a new Breiteckbahn are built, in the year the Schmittenhöhebahn turns 80.11

  5. 2009

    New Schmittenhöhebahn cabins designed by Porsche Design Studio, Zell am See, replace the red ones.11

  6. 2010

    The Plettsaukopf storage pond, 174,000 cubic metres, begins filling on 13 September after two years of construction.11

  7. 2013

    The Glocknerbahn is rebuilt as an eight-seat chairlift, and the Funslope XXL and the Nightslope open.11

  8. 2017

    The areitXpress opens, along with the AreitLounge.11

  9. 2019

    Section I of the zellamseeXpress opens on 7 December, linking the Schmittenhöhe to Viehhofen in the Glemm valley and the Skicircus, and the Ski ALPIN CARD ticket association with Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun and the Skicircus is introduced.1112

  10. 2026

    A rebuilt Kapellenbahn is due in service from December 2026, and the widening of the Tannwaldabfahrt, begun in summer 2025, was finished in stages by summer 2026.10

Nearby and comparable

  • Saalbach Hinterglemm

    One of the three regions on the shared Ski ALPIN CARD, linked since 2019 by the zellamseeXpress from Viehhofen: a piste leads down from the Skicircus to Viehhofen, and a shuttle bus runs back.

  • Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun

    A glacier area with the Maiskogel family area, covered by the same day ticket and reached by road from Zell am See.

More guides in Austria

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All 21 guides to skiing in Austria

Questions

How many kilometres of piste does the Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See have?

The operator markets 77 km of piste at the Schmittenhöhe: 30 km blue, 28 km red and 19 km black, plus 8 ski routes. Our own measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 63.5 km. The 408 km quoted for the region is the combined figure for three areas on the Ski ALPIN CARD and is not one ski area.127

Is Zell am See connected to Kaprun and Saalbach by piste?

Saalbach yes, in one direction; Kaprun no. Since December 2019 the zellamseeXpress gondola has run from Viehhofen up to the Schmittenhöhe, and the operator describes piste 168 coming down from the Skicircus Saalbach to Viehhofen, so you can ski from Saalbach to Zell am See. The way back is a shuttle bus between the Viehhofen valley station and the Schönleitenbahn in Saalbach. Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel in Kaprun are a separate area reached by road.1247

What does a day ticket cost in Zell am See in 2026/27?

An adult one-day ticket costs 82 euro in the main season from 19 December 2026 to 12 March 2027, 61.50 euro for a youth and 41 euro for a child. In the start and bonus periods the adult price is 74 euro. It is the combined ticket valid at the Schmittenhöhe, the Skicircus Saalbach and Kitzsteinhorn Kaprun.3

Is the Schmittenhöhe good for beginners?

Reasonably. The operator lists 30 km of blue piste and a magic carpet at the areitXpress valley station, and our measurement finds 43% of the piste reachable without descending anything harder than an easy run. A February 2025 r/skiing thread and a February 2023 snowHeads thread warn that the blue home run to Zell am See can be narrow and mogulled late in the day.1721314

When does the ski season start in Zell am See?

The operator plans to open the 2026/27 season on 4 December 2026, depending on snow and weather. Its lift table schedules the areitXpress and trassXpress until 4 April 2027, and the Schmittenhöhebahn from 11 December 2026 to 29 March 2027.1037

How high is the Schmittenhöhe ski area, and is the snow reliable?

The lifts run from 760 to 2,000 m, with no glacier. Our measurement finds none of the piste above 2,500 m and 32% of it facing north. Snowmaking reaches 2,000 m, but low altitude makes spring snow the main risk; Kitzsteinhorn on the same ticket is the higher option.6211

Is there night skiing in Zell am See?

Yes, on the Nightslope (piste 6) by the Ebenbergbahn, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 January to 25 February 2027 except 9 February, until 20:30, snow permitting. A valid day ticket includes it, and an evening-only ticket costs 15 euro for adults and 8 euro for youths and children.5

References

Every claim on this page carries a numbered marker linking here, and every reference links back to the passages that used it. Numbers not yet checked against a source are marked like this.

  1. 1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Skifahren auf der Schmittenhöhe: Das Skigebiet im ÜberblickSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  2. 2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n SkiAllDay routing graph, computed from OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · read 18 October 2026
  3. 3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wintertickets & Skipasspreise für Zell am SeeSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  4. 4. ^ a b c Skibus im Skigebiet von Zell am See-KaprunSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  5. 5. ^ a b c d e Pistenhighlights auf der Schmittenhöhe: Funslope, Trass Abfahrt und weitere AttraktionenSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  6. 6. ^ a b c d e f g h Pistenplan Schmitten / Zell am See (Panoramakarte, © Schmittenhöhebahn AG)bergfex · read 18 October 2026
  7. 7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Das Unternehmen Schmittenhöhebahn AGSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  8. 8. ^ Anreise zur SchmittenhöheSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  9. 9. ^ Schmitten / Zell am See: lift and piste list on the bergfex panorama pagebergfex · read 18 October 2026
  10. 10. ^ a b c d e f Wintersaisonstart 2026/27 auf der Schmittenhöhe in Zell am SeeSchmittenhöhebahn AG · 2026-09-23 · read 18 October 2026
  11. 11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chronik der Schmittenhöhebahn AGSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026
  12. 12. ^ a b c Grand opening of zellamseeXpressZell am See-Kaprun Tourismus · 2019-12-08 · read 24 October 2026
  13. 13. ^ a b c d e f Zell am see last week 🇦🇹r/skiing · 2025-02 · read 17 October 2026
  14. 14. ^ a b c d e Zell am see for nervous intermediatesnowHeads · 2023-02 · read 17 October 2026
  15. 15. ^ a b Nothing like good ol Kitzseinhorn on a nice spring dayr/skiing · 2025-03 · read 17 October 2026
  16. 16. ^ Trip Report - Zell am SeesnowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  17. 17. ^ a b c Schmittenhöhe - Zell am See 2025/26Alpinfans · 2025-12 · read 17 October 2026
  18. 18. ^ a b c Pinzgau 31.12.2021 - 06.01.2022 (Schmitten, Kitzsteinhorn, Saalbach, Hochkönig)alpinforum.com · 2022-01 · read 17 October 2026
  19. 19. ^ a b c Schmittenhöhe 08.02.2026 ***Gondelburger***alpinforum.com · 2026-02 · read 17 October 2026
  20. 20. ^ a b Schmittenhöhe, 9. 3. 2025Alpinfans · 2025-03 · read 17 October 2026
  21. 21. ^ Schmittenhöhe – Zell am See 2025/26alpinforum.com · 2026-03 · read 17 October 2026
  22. 22. ^ a b c Zell am See experts pleasesnowHeads · 2017-01 · read 17 October 2026
  23. 23. ^ a b Maishofen/Viehhofen as a base for skiing in Zell am See and Saalbach (2)snowHeads · 2022-10 · read 17 October 2026
  24. 24. ^ a b c d e Trip Report - Zell am SeesnowHeads · 2026-03 · read 17 October 2026
  25. 25. ^ a b c Zell am see advice for familiessnowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  26. 26. ^ a b c d Zell am See - anyone know it well?snowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  27. 27. ^ Obergurgl V Zell am seesnowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  28. 28. ^ a b c Need advice on skiing in Austriar/skiing · 2026-02 · read 17 October 2026
  29. 29. ^ Schmittenhöhe - Zell am See 23/24alpinforum.com · 2024-03 · read 17 October 2026
  30. 30. ^ A beginner in need 😩r/snowboardingnoobs · 2026-02 · read 17 October 2026
  31. 31. ^ a b Kaprun or Zell am SeesnowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  32. 32. ^ Zell am See - advice for a beginner please... :)snowHeads · read 17 October 2026
  33. 33. ^ Trip Report "Fly to Ski": Zell am SeeEuroGA Forums · 2017-01 · read 17 October 2026
  34. 34. ^ Schmittenhöhe (S) / 17. Jänner 2026alpinforum.com · 2026-01 · read 17 October 2026
  35. 35. ^ what does it mean that saalbach and zell am see-kaprun are conected?r/skiing · 2025-03 · read 17 October 2026
  36. 36. ^ Saalbach/Hinterglemm 28/2-6/3/26snowHeads · 2026-03 · read 17 October 2026
  37. 37. ^ Geöffnete Anlagen auf der SchmittenhöheSchmittenhöhebahn AG · read 18 October 2026

Page last updated 18 October 2026.

Route Zell am See as it skis today

SkiAllDay solves a way across the whole lift and piste network: held to the grade you actually want to ski, around whatever is closed, with the other ways round alongside it. Then it matches your day back to the runs and lifts you took.

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