Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschoenau Ski Resort Austria

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau resort is a classic Tyrolean snow holiday destination. Perfect for a family-friendly getaway or if conditions allow, a powder filled adventure, the resort includes one of Austria's most beautiful valleys & the village of Alpbach.

Close to Innsbruck and spread across two valleys with numerous accommodation & access options, the combined ski area is of typically huge Alps proportions with a skiable vertical & ski trail network big enough to comfortably cater for all snow-sliding abilities, making it a tempting prospect for a true Austrian Alps ski vacation.

Pros & Cons for Ski Juwel

Pros

• Expansive, family friendly ski resort with modern facilities and superb ski trails.
• Majority of terrain and trails above 1,600m elevation and east to north-aspect.
• Actual skiable vertical of over 1,070m with numerous superb valley trails & routes, plus a longest run of over 7km.
• Quality on-piste trails, particularly for intermediate skiers & snowboarders.
• Great value lift pass.
• Comfortable gondolas seamlessly connect the main ski area from bottom to top & east to west.
• Very quiet during the week & during snowstorms!
• Some delightful side-country descents with exits close to ski lifts.
• Public transport access by train & bus is good, plus local ski bus network is excellent and day-parking is free.
• Numerous on-mountain restaurants and bars.

Cons

• Main village of Alpbach is not lift or ski trail connected to the resort (but at least the free ski buses run regularly).
• Lower elevation parts of the resort (below 1,200m) becoming increasingly ‘climate challenged’ (an issue for most ski regions!).
• Relatively modest skiable vertical in the alpine sectors (b/w 160 to 430m vertical from the upper mountain chairlifts).
• For a large resort, limited novice & advanced on-piste terrain.
• Bluebird Sunday’s are busy, but that’s true of most ski resorts and nothing that getting up early for first lifts won’t fix!

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Five main resort villages to choose from, all of which are popular over weekends.
• A large area of potentially awesome mid-mountain terrain is fenced off as protected forest (it’s a tall, serious fence too, so stay out!).
• Niederau sector is not lift interconnected to the rest of the resort, and there is no piste trail connecting Wildschoenau to Alpbachtal (gondola download required or off-piste adventure!).
• Whilst beginner terrain may be relatively limited, there are loads of novice ski lifts dotted throughout the resort and in each village & hamlet.
• Non-ski activities include two long sledding trails at Auffach & Niederau.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

Boasting over 113 km of marked skiing trails & routes Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschoenau stretches across two valleys all connected by gondolas, chairlifts & ski bus. With a skiable vertical of 1,200m, typically modern lifts & infrastructure plus an even spread of terrain in fabulous alpine, forest and rural surrounds, the skiing & snowboarding experience at Ski Juwel can be as good as anywhere in the Alps.

The Ski Juwel skiing & snowboarding terrain is split between 4 sectors, two are lift interlinked to form the main ski area, the other 2 are accessible via the free local ski bus. The main two sectors comprise the bulk of the ski resort. Spanning from between the Wildschönau village of Auffach (875m), up over the Schatzberg (1,900m), down to the Alpbachtal village of Inneralpbach (1,050m), back up to Gmahkopf (1,900m) (& to the highest lifted point at Hornalm, 2,032m), then finally down to the Wiedersbergerhorn gondola valley station at 830m altitude. Two smaller sectors flank either end. To the east, the Niederau sector has steep, shaded north-aspect terrain above the village (828m), rising up to 1521m at the highest lifted point. To the west of the main ski area, Reith-im-Alpbachtal (703m) has a simple north-aspect, local ski hill with an impressive skiable vertical of around 600m.

Check out the ski trail map for an overview of the resort's lifts & terrain.

Ski Juwel Trail Map

Generally east-facing terrain (with the exception of Niederau & the backside of Gmahkopf) skiing with the sunrise can be absolutely glorious. Get up early to make the most of it. A highlight for most visitors to Ski Juwel when on the groomers here is the long, top to bottom valley trails. Ranging in length from 5 to 7km, they provide a leg muscle quivering option for every ability. Whilst all rated intermediate the longest (and probably easiest) of them is probably the 7km, 1,025m vertical.

A thoroughly modern set of ski lifts was more recently improved with the replacement of the Hornbahn quad with a new high-speed, hooded 6-seater chair. The name of the lift hasn’t changed, but the comfort on the lift certainly has. All valley bases are connected to the mountains by gondolas, which is great for families & pedestrians. Buses play a big role in connecting al of the ski sectors together.

For more information on ski lifts, terrain trail maps & lift passes, see our Ski Juwel Skiing & Snowboarding page.

Where is Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau Austria?

Ski Juwel is spread across two gorgeous valleys in the Tyrol of Austria. The closest valley, Alpbachtal, is centred on the villages of Alpbach & Inneralpbach & is less than 50km east of the best ski city on the world, Innsbruck. The valley of Wildschönau is slightly further away & is centred on the villages of Auffach & Niederau. By road it is 76km east of Innsbruck & 10-15km south of the rail transport hub of Wörgl.

Gateway international airports are Innsbruck (INN) or Salzburg (SZG) (for Europe & UK origins) & Munich (MUC) (for everyone else). Recommended mode of land travel is train, then public bus or private transfers from a local railway station like Brixlegg for Alpbachtal (Alpbach & Inneralpbach villages), or Wörgl for Wildschoenau (Auffach & Niederau villages). But if touring around the Alps, the resort is an easy drive in a rental car from any airport.

Once in the valleys, it is straight forward to get around on the free local ski buses or with one's own vehicle. Ample free, open-air car parking is available adjacent to all of the gondola valley stations.

For hints, tips & warnings about getting to Austrian ski resorts in winter, see our Travel in Austria page.

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschoenau Accommodation

The Ski Juwel resort area is surrounded by several traditional villages located either at the base of the ski lifts or connected by free ski bus. The main ski area villages include Alpbach, Inneralpbach, Auffach, with Niederau and several smaller hamlets also convenient to the lifts. Away from the main ski area, Reith-im-Alpbachtal and even Brixlegg provide alternative options. Whilst it appears convenient due to it train station proximity to Niederau, Wörgl should be avoided as a place to stay overnight.

Search & book all Ski Juwel accommodation.

Accommodation choices in the Alpbachtal with direct access to main ski lifts include in the village of Inneralpbach plus a nest of lodgings around the locality of Außerland (apparently still part of Alpbach!) near the convenient Wiedersbergerhornbahn gondola valley station. Austria's most beautiful village (allegedly!), Alpbach, is between the two, requiring a short free ski bus ride to reach the lifts. Alpbach has a full range of boutique hotels, guesthouses & apartments available. Lower down the valley, Reith im Alpbachtal provides further lodging potential with numerous hotels & guesthouses, only a short car or ski bus trip from the ski lift bases.

In Alpbach we can recommend the Gasthof Jakober for the fantastic combination of comfortable & affordable lodgings, central village location, fantastic breakfast and the best bar in the village. Loads of other affordable, family-run guesthouses are dotted across the village including the centrally located Gästehaus Wöll.

Amongst a plethora of high-quality hotels, Hotel Der Böglerhof offers the village’s best accommodations, located just above the centre of town. An expansive ‘resort’ but completed in a tasteful ‘Austrian mountain chic’ style, the hotel has enough quality rooms, suites, spa, pools, food & facilities to satisfy the most discerning guests & families alike. For a sophisticated boutique hotel offering, Boutiquehotel die Alpbacherin is fabulous. At the Wiedersbergerhornbahn valley station, apartments at Liftstüberl are super (if you can get one!), plus are above a fun après ski bar as well. All through Alpbach are a range of other 3 to 4-star hotels & numerous high-quality guesthouses & apartments, the numbers of which appear to be increasing yearly.

At Inneralpbach you will find the best location for immediate access to the entire ski area. All the local guesthouses & apartments are of the highest standard but book out quickly. For a fun, 4-star hotel, it is hard to beat the Galtenberg Resort Hotel. Any hotel which has a massive water slide sprouting out of its top floor cannot be anything other than a fun place to stay for families and friends alike, never mind that the ski lifts are just across the road! nearby is a some great examples of the local guesthouses, Pension Rieder and Guesthouse Hummerau. Many of the houses in the village have fantastic rooms and/or apartments for holiday rental via the accommodation listings.

Search & book all Alpbach ski accommodation.

In the Wildschönau valley above the major train junction of Wörgl, Auffach is the best located village at the base of main ski area. Above Auffach there are at least two ski-in ski-out mountain lodges from which to get the full Austrian Alps experience. The Berggasthof Schatzbergalm and Berghaus Koglmoos are well located for quick access to the slopes but can book out quickly. Berghaus Koglmoos has a range of self-contained apartments and is accessible by car or gondola in winter, whereas the Schatzbergalm is by gondola only. Both are wonderful places to eat & drink! Down in Auffach itself, one is most likely to get an affordable room at the superb, centrally located Hotel Platzl or perhaps at the 4-star Hotel Auffacherhof, though its 'over-the-top' décor may a little much for some guests! The village also has numerous rooms & apartments available for rent in private residences & guesthouses throughout, with the Talwinkel Apartments having the most options.

Search & book all Auffach ski accommodation.

Just down the valley & with its own interesting ski area (part of the Ski Juwel lift pass) is charming Niederau. The village has several ski-in hotels along the base of the local lifts, plus many more options across the road in the centre of the village. Niederau is connected to the main skiing sector by regular free ski bus to the gondola base at Auffach.

Search & book all Niederau ski accommodation.

For something completely different, why not stay in 1000-year-old castle in nearby Brixlegg? An excellent overnight stop for travellers with a rental car, the Hotel Schloss Matzen is one of those travel experiences hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Ski Rentals & Lessons

Ski rentals are available in Alpbachtal Wildschoenau from our partners near Alpbach at the Wiedersbergerhorn gondola valley station. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Alpbach Ski & Snowboard Rentals page.

Check out ski & snowboard lessons & mountain guiding via our partners in the following listings.

Review

The Powderhounds last visited Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau in January 2022. We experienced the perfect weekend balance of a heavy blizzard followed by a bluebird day. 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 Ski Juwel compares to the rest of the Austrian ski resorts 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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