Backcountry Skiing in Salzburg: find the best trails

The 10 most beautiful ski runs in Salzburg

Blick Richtung Norden. Abfahrt vom rechten Bildrand nach links unten

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Vom Seekareck über die Bärwurzkaralm zur Gnadenalm

recommended route Difficulty moderate

4.1 km

1:00 h

58 m

943 m

Freeridetour für Ski und Boards mit Start von der Bergstation der Seekareckbahn. Kurzer Zustieg zum Seekareck mit nordwestseitiger Freerideabfahrt bis zur Gnadenalm.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Von der Seekarspitzbahn übers Fuchsloch bis Untertauern

recommended route Difficulty moderate

6.5 km

1:30 h

34 m

1,226 m

Freeridetour für Ski (Boards eher zu flach für das Teilstück nach Untertauern) mit Start von der Bergstation der Seekarspitzbahn oder der Panaromabahn. Kurzer Zustieg zum Fuchsloch mit nordseitiger Freerideabfahrt und folgender Abfahrt bis Untertauern.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Descent from the small Kesselpitze in the centre. Right Gamsleitenspitze

Backcountry Skiing · Lungau

Kleine Kesselspitze east descent

recommended route Difficulty moderate

2.8 km

0:16 h

61 m

729 m

Freeride tour for skis and boards starting from the mountain station of the Gamsleiten II lift. Short ascent to the small Kesselspitze followed by an east-facing freeride descent.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Gnadenalm Route - From Seekareck via Bärwurzkaralm to Gnadenalm

Premium content Difficulty moderate

4.3 km

1:00 h

104 m

992 m

The Gnadenalm route is an easily accessible and yet little-used descent in the Obertauern area.

Outdooractive Premium

Start zur Radeckschartentour bei der Bergstation der Ankogelbahn

Backcountry Skiing · Hohe Tauern National Park Region

Ankogelbahn - Radeckscharte - Bahnhof Böckstein

recommended route Difficulty difficult

11.8 km

3:15 h

250 m

1,700 m

250 Höhenmeter Aufstieg, 1.700 Höhenmeter Abfahrt in grandioser Umgebung!Wie das geht? Ganz einfach - die Auffahrt mit der Ankogel-Seilbahn macht's möglich.Die Rückfahrt zum Ausgangspunkt mit der Eisenbahn durch den Tauerntunnel verleiht dieser großartigen Tour einen zusätzlichen Reiz.

Hohe Tauern - die Nationalpark-Region in Kärnten Tourismus GmbH

Backcountry Skiing · Uttendorf/Weißsee

From the Kitzsteinhorn to the First Mountain Hotel Kaprun

Premium content Difficulty moderate

7.5 km

2:00 h

0 m

2,003 m

Classic, not too demanding freeride run from the Kitzsteinhorn to the First Mountain Hotel Kaprun with bus connection back to the glacier lift.

Outdooractive Premium

Backcountry Skiing · Kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn - X1 Ice Age

recommended route Difficulty moderate

1.9 km

0:06 h

1 m

513 m

The highest freeride route on the Kitzsteinhorn.

Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH

Backcountry Skiing · Kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn - X2 Westside Story

recommended route Difficulty moderate

3.8 km

0:25 h

22 m

926 m

The longest freeride route at the Kitzsteinhorn.

Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH

Links die beschriebene Abfahrt, rechts davon beliebige Varianten möglich.

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Obertauern - Seekareck

recommended route Difficulty easy

2.1 km

0:30 h

43 m

572 m

Schöne und gut zu erreichende Abfahrt vom Seekareck in Richtung Kehrkopfbahn.

freeskiers.net

Backcountry Skiing · Zell am See-Kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn - X4 Jump Run

recommended route Difficulty difficult

2.7 km

0:10 h

0 m

714 m

Many cliffs and natural kickers for jumps have made the JUMP RUN route very popular with the locals.

Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH

Freeriding in Salzburger Land - definitely awesome

A drop here, a spray there - freeriding has become one of the most popular winter sports. With the necessary knowledge and equipment, you can experience unforgettable days off-piste. In the ski resorts of Salzburger Land, you will usually find a large crowd of athletes with fat powder skis and snowboards on days with fresh snow.

But before you head out into the open terrain, you should definitely familiarise yourself with the dangers and the necessary equipment. A course where you learn the tools for a safe day off-piste is therefore more a necessity than a recommendation. Here you will learn how to interpret the avalanche report, how to best navigate slopes and how to use safety equipment such as an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel in an emergency. With the necessary knowledge, you can then explore the best runs in Salzburger Land.

The best areas for freeriding in Salzburger Land

Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn

Salzburg's only glacier ski area in Kaprun is also one of the best addresses for cool runs away from the piste. Although climate change is not sparing the Kitzsteinhorn, the season here is still long and the amount of snow is often considerable. The Kitzsteinhorn also offers freeride fans specially designated routes and an info base where you can find out about the status of the runs and the current avalanche situation. One highlight is the X1 Ice Age route, which starts directly at the summit station of the summit lift at over 3000 metres above sea level.

Backcountry skiing routes in Kaprun
Backcountry Skiing · Kaprun
Kitzsteinhorn - X1 Ice Age
Backcountry Skiing · Zell am See-Kaprun
Kitzsteinhorn - X4 Jump Run

Obertauern

Obertauern is probably the most versatile ski area for freeriding in Salzburger Land. The snow bowl on the Tauern Pass right on the border of Pongau and Lungau is particularly snow-sure thanks to its altitude. Another major advantage of Obertauern's location is that it enjoys fresh snow in both north and south-facing weather conditions. Although most of the runs in Obertauern are not that long, there are numerous variants and those who are not afraid to carry their skis or board will find many more variants, such as the famous Kesselspitze.

Obertauern

Travel tip Backcountry skiing routes in Obertauern

Obertauern

Gastein Valley

Our third tip is the Gastein Valley. Sportgastein in particular is one of the places where you usually see more powder skiing than alpine skiing. Although there is only one gondola here, it opens up a huge area with numerous variants on the Kreuzeck (2688 m). The Sportgastein north and south runs are among the great classics. However, there are many more options in the Gastein Valley, especially on the Stubnerkogel in Bad Gastein.

Gasteinertal

What do I need to consider when freeriding?

Off-piste, you are travelling outside the secured ski area. This means that the terrain is not protected from alpine dangers as it is on the piste. Alpine dangers include the risk of avalanches, but also terrain traps such as streams or ditches. To be safe off-piste, you must therefore be able to assess the avalanche situation and read the avalanche report. You also need to keep an eye on the weather, as it can be difficult to orientate yourself when snowfall or fog sets in.

We have put together some knowledge pages where you can find out about the basics. At the start of your freeriding career, we recommend that you attend a course.

Avalanche safety equipment for skiing and snowshoeing

The Avalanche Report