Serfaus Fiss Ladis Ski Resort Austria
On paper, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski resort definitely stacks up in the world of sliding on snow. What might seem relatively unremarkable to Europeans gets the juices flowing in everyone else. Over 1,600m of skiable vertical, 214km of on-piste trails, a vast off-piste & 68 lifts of varying type, certainly makes one take notice. These are Whistler-like statistics. Having finally visited in February 2022, we were left wondering why the hell we took so long to explore this fantastic ski area. The reality makes the 'on paper' look tiny. This is a monster of a resort with terrain on and off piste for everyone.
Serfaus Fiss Ladis deserves a place amongst the great, mega ski resorts of the world. Lifts, piste trails, off-piste terrain, snow quality, food, family friendliness, accommodation and general infrastructure are all fabulous. We especially love that in amongst a bevy of fantastic intermediate terrain, there are a series of black trails that, unlike many European ski resorts, are genuinely black……. dark black even! Put Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis on your 'must visit' list of Austrian ski resorts.
Pros & Cons for Serfaus Fiss Ladis Ski Resort
Pros
- Immense ski resort that is deserving of a multi-day exploration by every world ski traveller.
- Modern, comfortable & super-efficient lift system.
- High-quality & quantity snow in the upper zones of the resort
- Superb range of on-piste trails for all levels of ability.
- Excellent novice & beginner facilities & terrain in multiple locations.
- Wonderful advanced on-piste trails, the likes of which we only rarely see in Europe.
- Incredible amount of off-piste terrain on all-aspects.
- Limited numbers of off-piste skiers leave the freeride terrain relatively unsullied for days after a storm.
- Numerous fantastic on-mountain restaurants & après ski options throughout the resort.
- Plethora of ski-in ski-out accommodation, plus other lodging options throughout the villages & valley that will suit all budgets & tastes.
- Fantastic value lift pass price for such a huge, impressive ski area.
- Reasonable public transport access by bus from Landeck Zams train station, plus ample free car parking for day trippers right near the lifts.
- Serfaus village has an amazing, modern subway train system for fast efficient transport around town and to the lifts.
Cons
- Several very busy sectors, particularly at the ski lift base areas in Serfaus & Fiss and in the mid-mountain beginner/intermediate areas.
- Major ‘return’ trails can get quite ‘skied off’, bumped and busy later in the day.
- Despite a full lifted vertical of 1,620m, the most one can string together in one run is around 1,309m (ish) down to Ladis, but the majority of runs have a lot less than that. (A quibble really!)
- Some awkward lift and trail connections (which one can expect in such a vast ski area).
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Sunny south-aspect villages and lower slopes can be a tad ‘green’ during parts of winter.
- Generally snowboarder friendly throughout, however some long connecting trails need speed to complete without walking. Surface tows tend to fill in the gaps!
- Resort has numerous non-traditional winter resort distractions like amusement park rides dotted above Fiss and other locations.
- Accommodation in the 3 main resort villages can be relatively expensive & books out quickly throughout much of the season.
- The main resort villages are only just clinging to their previous authentic Austrian alpine charm ….. it is rapidly getting gobbled up by new development.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Terrain
The magnitude of the ski terrain at Serfaus Fiss Ladis is hard to fathom until you have been there & seen it for yourself. It seemingly goes on and on and on and on. And whilst the majority of on-piste trails are perfect for beginners & intermediates (common across Austria), what we were so impressed by was the large swathe of terrain preferred by powder hounds (both on and off piste) that is left relatively untouched for days after the last snowfall. Genuine advanced terrain on Lazid (2,351m) & Pezid (2,770m) at one end, plus Zwölferkopf (2,596m) at the other end, provide some of the funnest turns on black pistes in the Alps. Fresh powder lines next to these runs is all but guaranteed. Other black pistes, like #160 off the spectacular 2,828m Masnerkopf, are way steeper than they first appear, but more heavily frequented by those less advanced in handling it! Lovely, steep, fall line skiing on-piste is always a treat in the Alps but if you are not into that, take heart in the massive amount of intermediate terrain here.
For novices there are two main learn-to-ski areas. The busiest one is just above the village of Fiss and accessed via the gondola to Ladis. Getting off at the ‘mid-station’ at Sonnenburg one can ski easy slopes just below. This is a good place to start if your accommodation is in Fiss or Ladis, or if the weather up the mountain is feral. The better place to learn when the weather is clear is the nest of surface conveyors, tows, and features around the mid-mountain station of Komperdell. The perfect novice & family area, access is direct from Serfaus village via the Komperdell gondola. Novices/beginners should not venture into the terrain beyond Komperdell toward Lazid as there are very few easy options connecting lifts & terrain. A smaller novice/beginner area is also at the Ladis base area.
Before you visit, start salivating over the ski trail map below.
Lifts
A thoroughly modern, comfortable lift system that is continually being modernised is what one gets at Serfaus Fiss Ladis. Anyone staying at the far end of the resort in Ladis may have some long, tedious journeys in the morning to get to the goods, but at least it is in the comfort of a gondola. Aside from that, some early morning congestion around the main lift hubs in Serfaus and above Fiss quickly dissipates as the horde disperses across the vast terrain. The one real ski lift chokepoint in the entire resort is the short chairlift back up to Komperdell from the bottom of Lazid at lunchtime or later in the day.
Worth noting in this section is the incredible number of novice lifts in the resort. Of the total 68 lifts, a staggering 30 of them are surface conveyors of various lengths & configurations for skiers & boarders learning the sport. Unreal!
Lift Passes
Lift passes at the resort are quite simple to understand. Early in the season (from start of December) there are real bargains (particularly if one stays the night in one of the villages & has a Guest Card) prior to the high season period around Christmas/New Year. After that the difference between high & low season day lift passes (with or without a guest card) are negligible in the greater scheme of things.
Where is Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis Austria?
The Serfaus Fiss Ladis ski resort is associated with villages of the same name in the central Austrian Tyrol. By road, the largest village of Serfaus is around 30km south of the major transport hub of Landeck-Zams & only 100km from the best ski city in the world - Innsbruck. The best gateway airports are Innsbruck (INN) (for UK & European flight origins) & Munich (MUC) or Zurich (ZRH) (for everyone else).
We recommend using public transport to get to Serfaus Fiss Ladis; or at a minimum (considering travel in a post-covid world) take the train to Landeck-Zams & then maybe a private transfer to the resort from there. Trains from Innsbruck or Zurich all stop at Landeck-Zams (home of the Venet ski resort). From Landeck-Zams bus or train station, the route 4236 bus runs regularly all the way to the villages of Ladis, Fiss then Serfaus. Several bus services link up directly with the train services from Innsbruck. Journey time on the bus is slightly less than an 1hr to the most distant point on the route, which is Serfaus.
Search & book here for train tickets to Landeck-Zams. Purchase bus tickets to Serfaus, Fiss or Ladis from the driver.
Anyone with a rental car can easily access the 3 villages. For day trippers, one of the most convenient free day-parking areas is at the base of the Waldbahn gondola located just off the road between Fiss & Serfaus.
If staying in Serfaus, you will need to park your car on the edge of town and take the subway train, hotel shuttle, taxi or bus to your accommodation. The subway is an incredible piece of infrastructure for such a relatively small town, and a great option to get to the ski lifts as well.
Serfaus Fiss Ladis Accommodation
The three villages of Serfaus, Fiss & Ladis are propped on a sunny south-east facing bench above the Oberinntal. Between them they provide the lion’s share of the resort accommodation. Ladis is the lowest elevation village at 1,210m, with Serfaus (1,427m) & Fiss (1,436m) negligibly different in altitude, but vastly different in 'feel'. Ski-in ski-out is not a great feature of most accommodation here, but each village is well served by means to get around easily.
Search & book all Serfaus Fiss Ladis ski accommodation.
Ladis has an impressive castle (Burg Laudeck) overlooking the village, but the general area (aside from the pistes) can be bereft of snow through parts of winter. The ski lift base is near the centre of the oldest part of the village, but much of the accommodation has been (and is still being) developed down the road from the village. Parking near the lifts is limited. The Sonnenbahn gondola links the village to broader ski area via a middle station at Sonnenburg (1,535m) or the busy terminal station above the village of Fiss. Return trials to Ladis include the longest skiable vertical in the resort (1,309m). It is possible to ski back to Ladis via beginner runs from Fiss, or more interesting & lengthy combinations of intermediate, advanced piste, off-piste & ski routes from the 2,509m Schönjöchl summit.
Fiss is a sprawling village with a charming, authentic centre of town near the church. Accommodation choices are massive and include all possible variations for all budgets. The village bus gets visitors to the ski lift base above town, plus there is some convenient parking for those arriving early in the morning.
For convenience, liveliness, and best access to the majority of skiing terrain, Serfaus is the best of the villages to stay in. Serfaus is car free, with all vehicles required to be parked in a series of parking garages on the outskirts of the town. Access to the ski lifts and various parts of town is via an efficient underground railway running under the village. A bus service also runs through the town.
Access to Serfaus Fiss & Ladis is via the valley village of Ried-im-Oberinntal, which provides alternative accommodation, as do nearby Pfunds, Prutz & Fendels. The Powderhounds have stayed in Pfunds and loved it. Further afield, Landeck-Zams on the Innsbruck to St Anton train line makes a convenient base from which to explore the region.
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available in all the ski resort villages. Search & book via our Serfaus Fiss Ladis Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
The search for fresh tracks or skills /technique improvement can be made easier by skiing or riding with a local ski instructor or mountain. To narrow down the field, search & book a private/group lesson or mountain guide with the best providers via our partners on the Serfaus Fiss Ladis Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Nearby Ski Resorts
To round out a full Austrian Alps ski holiday experience, a visit to the nearby Kaunertal Glacier is worthwhile, particularly on a powder day, or if looking for an off-piste, backcountry adventure, ski over into See! Another small Austrian ski area worth a look is lovely Nauders. And of course the weird 'duty free' zone of Samnaun in Switzerland is close too.
Review
The Powderhounds were going to review Serfaus Fiss Ladis multiple times over the journey, but for some deranged reason, other priorities took precedence, and we finally visited in Feb 2022. What we found blew us away. The scale, snow, lifts, terrain, infrastructure and atmosphere are all first class. We will be returning this coming season. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews including our sparkling repartee, see some extra photos & chuckle over our droll postulations.
See how Serfaus Fiss Ladis 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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