Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn Skiing & Snowboarding
When combined with nearby Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach, the diversity of elevation, lifts & terrain comprises the Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn ski resort's real strength.
Kaprun ski resort is made up of three vastly different ski areas offering vastly different, but complementary ski & snowboard experiences - Lechnerberg, Maiskogel and Kitzsteinhorn.
Lechnerberg has low angle surface lifts in town perfect for first timers. Maiskogel has quality lifts and a huge vertical directly out of town, perfect for foul weather days. Kitzsteinhorn offers high elevation quality snow, wonderful intermediate trails and off-piste freeride opportunities for a long season, but on a skiable vertical that is shorter than one would expect (1,053m).
See the Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn trail map below.
Ski Lifts
Right near the centre of town, the surface tows called the Lechnerberg are perfect - great for first timers and families. They are sheltered from the weather and are subject to a cheaper lift pass.
For the Powderhounds, Maiskogel was the real surprise package at Kaprun. It is Kaprun’s real family ski hill, but with a very serious side. A new gondola & a modern chairlift (6 person) head up a healthy 960m vertical above town providing some wonderful piste which suits all skiers and snowboarders. A surface tow mid-mountain is perfect for families to enjoy the kid’s terrain park and fun-slope.
A new gondola system connecting Maiskogel to Kitzsteinhorn started in Dec 2019, removing one of the biggest bugbears of the area - the shuttle buses. From experience we can say that whilst the journey is long, the new lifts make for an incredibly pleasant connection between the two areas. However, whilst we dislike taking buses, the fastest way up to Kitzsteinhorn on a powder day is still to take the bus from Kaprun to the base at Gletscherjet 1!
See where the new lifts went in here.
Kitzsteinhorn has modern lifts which are continually being improved. A new 8-seater chair more recently replaced several old surface lifts. It adds to the funicular, cable car, 5 gondolas and 3 other chairlifts. Several surface lifts servicing the glacial areas make up the remainder of the lifts. Several of the chairlifts on Kitzsteinhorn serve quite short verticals - i.e. Schmiedingerbahn & Sonnenkarbahn have only about 250m of vertical.
The linking of Kaprun to Kitzsteinhorn via gondolas from Maiskogel (removing the need for shuttle buses to the glacier) is a game changer for the area. The linking of lift passes to both Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach is an absolute triumph.
Lift Passes Linked with Zell am See & Skicircus Saalbach
The Kaprun ski area is lift-pass-linked to the delightful Zell am See (also known as Schmitten) & Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. Day passes are valid in both Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn & Zell ma See, and multi-day passes become the combined Ski ALPIN lift ticket which covers the slopes of Kitzsteinhorn, Maiskogel, Schmittenhöhe, Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang & Fieberbrunn. The difference in vertical from the base near Zell am See (760m) to the top of the ski-able area of Kitzsteinhorn (3,029m) makes for an impressive 2,269m vertical across the resorts - shame you can can’t ski it all in one hit! It does however provide access to a total of 408km of trails and 121 ski lifts - an area comparative to the massive Ski Arlberg.
Check out the ski trail map for Kaprun, Kitzsteinhorn & Zell am See below.
Snow and Weather
Whilst snowfall statistics are difficult to acquire, the high elevation and northerly aspect of Kitzsteinhorn will generally guarantee quality snow conditions - a pleasing thought for all Powderhounds. With its resident glacier, Kitzsteinhorn has a long season, effectively from mid-October to the start of June, but can be susceptible to poor weather conditions. The lower elevations of Maiskogel (particularly the base) & Lechnerberg, leave them vulnerable to above freezing temperatures early & late in the season. The region’s amazing snow-making systems make up any shortfalls in the lower reaches of the resorts.
Summer Skiing on Kitzsteinhorn
The upper glacier area of Kitzsteinhorn was once open in the early summer months for skiing & snowboarding, often well into July if the snow is in good condition. These days it is only open until late May but can extend into June at the latest. Terrain is limited but good enough to have a bit of fun sliding on-piste, leaping in a terrain park or learning to ski in the relative warmth. Break out the t-shirts but the clock is ticking on how long summer skiing continues in the Alps as the glaciers suffer more and more from extreme summer temperatures.
Kaprun Ski Areas
Lechnerberg
Lechnerberg has beginner J-bar tows & conveyers in a sheltered position right in town and great for first timers and families. All the facilities and entertainment for children from 3yr and older are available.
Maiskogel
Maiskogel is surprising. It rises a fabulous 960 metres vertical above town, with a brand new 10-seater gondola & modem 6-person chair making their way up to the top at 1,730m elevation. A limited number of piste trails to suit all snow riders wind their way back down to Kaprun, or better, the mid-station at Stanger (1,137m). Maiskogel is a great option for bad weather days on the 'real' ski hill, Kitzsteinhorn.
A very good beginner - intermediate hill with a truly local feel, the skiing is past & around houses in the lower half. Some interesting off-piste freeride adventures go through farm fences and lanes down to the southern end of Kaprun. There are loads of quaint mountain huts including one, Maiskogel-Alm, complete with a ‘ranch’ consisting of four extraordinarily cute miniature donkeys and at least one very friendly dog.
The Maiskogel base area looks exceedingly busy because it is. The base area was once reminiscent of a carnival, effectively organised chaos, but the new gondola and terminal building introduced for the 2018/19 season has created a far more user-friendly experience. An alpine coaster (sled type ride, the Maisiflitzer) snakes its way alongside skiers-left of the bottom section of the final piste. Around the car park are hotels, bars, ski schools, cars, buses, people, ticket offices, plus hangers-on of all types!
Up the hill it is totally different. The vertical is huge for such a “local’s hill”. Snow quality all the way down can be excellent but tends to soften 7 get a little bumped by the end of the day. Lower sections get sun most of the day, and at the fringes of the season the only snow at the base will often only be the man-made snow on the piste. The upper section is shaded after lunch. J-bar lifts (Maislift I & II) finish off the lifts in the mid-section of Maiskogel & serves a novice learn-to-ski area and kid’s fun slope run over whoop-dee-doos, past animals, & snaking its way down the hill through light trees.
Kitzsteinhorn
All the Kitzsteinhorn ski area is above tree line in sometimes quite complex glaciated terrain. Kitzsteinhorn is very quiet in poor weather and so can be worthy of a visit if hardcore enough for serious fresh tracks (and assuming the lifts are running!
Kitzsteinhorn has 41km of piste skiing and nearly 10km of marked ski routes available from 1,976m up to 3,029m, and a skiable vertical of around 1,053m. The piste terrain is mostly suited to intermediates with wide easy-going trails. The mountain also has an extensive pipe park complex for those that way inclined.
For advanced skiers, the Black Mamba is the steepest piste run on the hill. It lacks any real venom but is fun, nonetheless. Five freeride routes ranging from 250m to 700m skiable vertical allow for some safe exploration. Wide open off-piste powder fields, bowls, natural halfpipes & rock gardens await the more adventurous.
Kitzsteinhorn’s complex terrain has lots of odd dips and active glaciers necessitating a myriad of lifts criss-crossing the ski resort. A modern 8-seater chair replaced some old surface lifts in season 2016/17 vastly improving the look & movement of skiers back up the hill. However the mountain still does look a tad cluttered.
Gipfelwelt (Summit world) is well worth the journey up the top cable car. Access to Gipfelwelt is via a fascinating tunnel and has stupendous views.
Note that one cannot ski directly from the summit building and a descent on a short funicular (from level -1) is required. It is possible to drop into ski route X1 on skiers right of the funicular or go through another tunnel to the Gletscherjet 4 and descend with the masses on the piste. If doing the later, we suggest cutting hard right at the base of the huge rock outcrop and join X1 early if there is unadulterated fresh snow.
Off-Piste Freeride Routes
Five designated Freeride routes are on Kitzsteinhorn, named X1 to X5 amounting to about 9km in length. All are full of natural half pipes, hits and ridges running down multiple gullies. Great fun in fresh, particularly if you know where you are going.
X1 is a wide-open powder bowl/field, but it can get wind affected.
X2 goes out wide and has some terrain traps and a gnarly exit if you don’t recon it.
X3, 4 & 5 go down the same fall line as the Black Mamba with X4 being the longest and most varied.
Head up the Kristallbahn to get the most of X2 and 4. Depending on whether you want to take your ski gear off or not, use the Gletscherjet 2 or Langwiedbahn quad chair to access X3 & X5.
For the Powderhound
When it snows in town, the off-piste terrain on skiers right of Maiskogel provides super enjoyable freeride descents through the fields & woods directly into town. Best scoped first from the centre of town, it is easy to make a wrong turn, but fun working it all out. Watch out for fences! Otherwise get up early & out wide on Kitzsteinhorn. With a little skinning, freeride descents from Kitzsteinhorn can be nearly 2,000m skiable vertical in good snow conditions with potential exits all the way to Mühlbach. Whilst a guide is not essential, the journeys tend to require a little more planning than may be apparent.