Großarltal-Dorfgastein Ski Resort Austria

Dorfgastein combines with Großarl to provide a fun-filled addition to any ski trip to the Gastein valley. Long pistes, better than expected alpine freeride terrain & loads of mountain huts are quintessentially Austrian. And to top it off, we rate Großarltal-Dorfgastein as one of the best après ski mountains in Austria. On either side of the resort, there are multiple, top to bottom après ski bar locations where one can stop and have a little fun.

Pros & Cons for Grossarltal-Dorfgastein Ski Resort

Pros

• Skiable vertical of 1,165m, mostly below the treeline, making it the ‘go to’ ski resort in the Gastein region when the weather (viz & wind) are at their worst.
• Discreet, fun, untracked off-piste freeride terrain for the more adventurous.
• Extensive top to bottom on-piste trail network perfect for progressing beginners & all intermediates.
• Ski lift infrastructure is mostly modern, efficient and improving every year.
• Least crowded of the Gastein resorts with no lift queues.
• Fabulous snow-making system guaranteeing all season coverage.
• Exceptional après ski from top to bottom across the entire resort.
• Superb mountain restaurants & bars.
• Multi-day lift pass valid in a multitude of nearby ski areas.
• Good accessibility by train and ski bus, plus driving is easy from Salzburg

Cons

• Limited novice (learn-to-ski) zones for children & rank beginners (head to Angertal between Stubnerkogel & Schlossalm to learn).
• Few on-piste trails for advanced skiers & snowboarders (just go fast or off-piste!).
• Snow quality on the lower piste trails can suffer during mild winters.
• The highest lifted point is actually the lowest in the Gasteinertal!
• Due to its elevation & orientation, Dorfgastein village can often be snowless in winter.
• Expensive multi-day lift passes.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Choice of two villages (or more if one includes Bad Gastein & Bad Hofgastein) at the base of the ski area.
• Whilst there are bars & restaurants aplenty, after-dinner entertainment is limited.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain

Skiing & snowboarding at Dorfgastein-Grossarltal includes around 70km of marked ski trails & routes, longest run of 8km; 1,165m of skiable vertical; highest lifted point of 2,033m; and all served by 18 gondolas, chairlifts & surface tows. Added to this, we found the alpine off-piste terrain on the backside of Fulseck summit to be wonderful and found good tree skiing as well. On a storm day, when the upper mountain zones at Bad Gastein & Sportgastein are closed, come to Dorfgastein instead. And even if the weather is warmish, the snow-making system here is first-class and guarantees peak to valley descents throughout the season.

Check out the Großarltal-Dorfgastein ski trail map below.

Grossarltal-Dorfgastein Ski Trail Map

On piste, the mountain is an intermediate skiers’ wet dream. Long wide groomers are tremendous for non-stop big turns down the entire vertical. Shame there are so many great mountain restaurants that will inevitably interrupt your passage!

For novices, the tiny beginner zones at the base of Dorfgastein & mid-mountain on the Großarl side will get you sliding, but this is not really the mountain for those starting out. For progression, several beginner trails wind their way down the mountain, seemingly via snow-covered summer roads rather than true pistes. The trails #D7 and #3 are the pick of them. Ridgeline upper reaches with expansive views are a glorious starting point for full vertical descents to either Dorfgastein or Grossarl. The D7 trail is around 8km long and will test the mettle of any beginner.

Off-piste, the upper mountain on the Dorfgastein has tree skiing, but it is the backside of Fulseck summit into Grossarl where the real action is. With a little traversing & climbing there is plenty of variety and exits can be either to the base of the Kreuzkogel 6-seater, or for the more intrepid further down & across to the Harbachbahn 6-seater. Older trail maps show several marked routes on the backside of Fulseck, but time has deleted them so now relatively few people seek them out. Take advantage of that!

The ski lifts have a modern feel to them, despite some showing a little age. Fat skis don’t fit into a few of the gondolas door slots, but this is more of a race skiers hill so don’t despair. Most chairs and gondolas are from the late 90s & early 2000s. The most recent addition was in the 23/34 with a new 10-seat gondola, the Kieserlbahn I & II, heading up from Großarl (890m) up to 1,950m. At the top station, the high-end restaurant & bar add little to the mountain’s offering, other than to suck in those with more money than sense. Some prime off-piste can be accessed with a short climb up from the top though, plus the gondola provides convenient access back to Dorfgastein, something that has been an issue for some time apparently.

Lift Passes

A single day lift pass at Dorfgastein-Grossarltal is at the more expensive end of the spectrum in Austria, but such is it for all the resorts associated with Ski amadé. It does not include the other nearby Gastein ski areas.

Multi-day passes of 1½days duration or greater are valid in the entire Ski amadé region, including the local Gastein ski resorts. Ski amadé passes are valid in over 20 ski areas throughout the broader region covering 760km of ski trails including at Schladming 4-Berge, Snow Space Salzburg, Zauchensee & numerous other Austrian classics.

Where is Gastein Austria?

Dorfgastein is around 80km by road south of the beautiful city of Salzburg. The closest airports are Salzburg (SZG) (1¼hr drive) & Munich (MUC) (<3hr drive). The fabulous Bavarian city of Munich is the gateway for all intercontinental travellers and, just like Salzburg, is worthy of a night’s stay during the trip. Grossarl is in a valley (Grossarltal) parallel to the Gastein valley, and a similar distance and travel time from the airports.

Dorfgastein - Grossarltal ski resort is accessible from the airports via train and is the recommended mode of travel to the region. The Dorfgastein train station is 10 to 15-minutes’ walk from the village & ski lift base. Trains from Salzburg (which are a shirt taxi or bus ride from the airport) to Dorfgastein run every 2 hours and take less than 1¼hr. From Munich Hbf (central station) in Germany, trains take a tad over 3hr to reach Dorfgastein station, often with a change of train usually required in either Salzburg or further along at Schwarzach im Pongau-St.Veit to finish off the journey on the local train. Add an extra 35min if coming by train from the airport. If heading to Dorfgastein from the south of Austria (Carinthia), a brilliant car-train from Mallnitz links to the train station at Bahnhof Böckstein travels via a long tunnel directly through the mountains. Utilising the car-train avoids a 3 to 4hr drive. Foot passengers can use the car-train as well.

If staying in the Grossarltal, public transport is a little more complicated but still easily achievable. Train travel is the same as for Dorfgastein from Munich or Salzburg but anyone for Grossarl will get off two stations earlier at St. Johann im Pongau. The route 540 bus, then takes you from the railway station into the Grossarltal stopping at multiple locations along the way. Travel time from Salzburg station is around 1½hr, and from Munich Hbf about 3&frac;12hr.

Search & book train tickets to Dorfgastein.

Whilst the train & driving are great ways to get to the region, the easiest option for anyone with a few euro to spend (or if you are in a larger group) is to use a private transfer. Search & book private airport transfers to Dorfgastein or Grossarl.

Anyone using a rental car to get to and around the ski resort villages will find ample parking at all the major lift bases, but the reality is once in either valley, the local ski buses are probably a better way to get around. Free ski buses link Dorfgastein to the ski lift bases at Bad Hofgastein & Bad Gastein.

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

Grossarltal & Dorfgastein Accommodation

With base villages in both the Gasteinertal & Großarltal, there is plenty of choice when it comes to ski holiday accommodation in the region.

In Großarltal, the expansive village of Grossarl has loads of luxury accommodation (including several splendid 5-stars) & guesthouses near the two ski lift bases, some with ski-in convenience. Of interest is the ski-in ski-out Gehwolfalm, high up on the mountain.

On the opposite side of the hill, the compact village of Dorfgastein, plus the nearby Bad Hofgastein & Bad Gastein, has a multitude of lodging options, including several grand old 5-star hotels, plus a few budget hostels & guesthouses as well. If staying in Dorfgastein, the Aktivhotel Gasteiner Einkehr is the pick, right next to the gondola valley station. For ease of access to a wide variety of ski terrain & neighbouring ski resorts, we recommend staying in the Gasteinertal.

Search & book here for all Großarltal-Dorfgastein ski accommodation.

Review

The Powderhounds reviewed Grossarltal-Dorfgastein in late January 2024. 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 Großarltal-Dorfgastein 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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