I worked in Silvretta Montafon for the winter 2023-2024 season as a liftie. I worked at Grasjoch Bahn, and at Hochalpila, and occasionally at Freda and Platina. I was however not in Austria to work, but primarily to ski.

Snow:
Early on in the season there was endless bottomless pow, but in the months of January and February, It was quite dry, and very sunny leading to some criminally solid coral reefy conditions. It rained once on the mountain, above 2100 meters in January as well. When it did snow it was ok quality, nothing compared to the blower pow of Canada, but still fun nonetheless. The snow would however turn to slush after 2 days, due to the relatively low altitude of the resort, Which can be very upsetting if you have to work the day after a powder dump, and then when you are off the snow will be slush by then. The whole resort suffers from a lot of flat light, for the amount of snow it gets, which again is annoying.

Grasjoch:
The kind of skiing i stive to do it freeride, or pillows when the conditions allow it. When the conditions are poor (a lot of slush, coral reef, or generally icey) I like to ski park, or ski fast on piste and hit side hits. When the conditions are perfect ie. powder and clear skies I found that the Grasjoch area of the resort was the best. Both side under Hochalipa bahn had some fun freeride, especially earlier on in the season, before glide cracks plagued most of the offpiste under Hochalpila. Zamangspitze stayed excellent all the way through the season as the skiing face is on a north facing slope, meaning the snow will stay quality days after snowfall. In my opinion it is well worth the approx 20 minute bootpack up the ridge, as it also serves as an introduction to ski mountaineering. The ski tunnel is cool, but at the end of the day just served as a way to get from the Grasjoch side to the Kapell side of the resort. I would more reccomend experienced skiers to go up sennigrad II, a super short double seater, to gain lots of good freeride terrain, and some steep pistes. The park at Platina, and slopestyle type courses at Freda, were both fun, but both are a pain to ride due to their length, especially Freda.

Kapell:
Kapell was my least favourite area of the whole resort. It was the busiest, and usually the most icy. There were many fun side hits on run 1 towards Kapell bahn and the valley run, but when the valley run shut, i found myself spending very little time on this side of the resort. This side of the mountain also has many old slow double seaters, ie. Sennigrat I, and Kapell Bahn, which take an absolute age to ride.

Valisera & Versettla:
Valisera was my go to area on days where conditions were poor, as it had the most amount of trees. Silvretta and Madrisella bahn have many secret tree, and pillow lines, if you know where to look. Nova was my favorited chair of the season, due to its short lift time, and endless tree runs. A short hike up Gantakopf also unleashes many more secret tree runs, both back towards Nova or a dangerous, hidden and illegal run to Versettla valley station which is very very fun if the snow conditions allow. Versettla has some nice tree runs, and also has the amazing t bar called Burg, which is favorited by the pros that ride here, such as Max Hitzig, and Fabio Studer.

Touring:
There are many many options to go touring outside of the resort. Madrisella peak, reachable from burg, has some super scary couloirs if you know where to look, and on the other side of the valley, Heimspitze has a very long and big couloir. Scheimerch is a fun climbing route for those that are into light ski mountaineering. The largest area for touring in Montafon however is up vermunt bahn, in Partenen.
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My first time skiing in Europe and this mountain did not dissapoint. My trip lasted 10 days and I probably experienced 4 snow/powder days during that time. The infrastructure was very new and becuase my visit was mid/end January time there were hardly any skiers around.

I flew in from Canada to Zurich and took the train right into Schruns, was a bit tough managing the skis and suitcase but wasn't all that bad. People were very friendly and I actually teamed up with a regular that showed me around the mountain on my very first day (strictly on-piste). From the second day on I stayed off piste and had the time of my life. So many amazing runs, I was literally in heaven. Quite shocking to see all the off piste terrain and powder just sitting there while the locals just stuck to the on-piste runs.

Another great experience was signing up for the Freeride Adventure Day, this was well worth it and one of the most memorable moments of the trip. You are basically teamed up with a group of enthusiastic skiers and snowborders and a guide that will take you to all the best hidden secret powder runs on the mountain, truely an amazing expereince that I highly recommend.

I had purchased the multi-day pass which worked out to $60CAD or $45USD per day, you definatly can not argue with that!
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We went there during the end of January, in one if the hotels of Silvretta Montafon. I must say, hotel is ok, people there were really nice.
But kinda shocked by how they managed the ski resort. Some of the locals appeared to be hostile towards guests. Stress good and right, but leaving it out on others is not very professional.
Then, there was bad pretty weather, is ok, happens. But charging the full price when maybe half of the resort is open? And this advertised super "new dynamic price system" is doing nothing else than "dynamically emptying your pockets"...
We knew it before we came, but couldn't believe you charge 100% when barely something is open. So we went to visit other places close to the area instead..
What is this new cable car station at Valisera? Absolutely zero crowd managment, endless waiting time, no space or bars to lead people and they just go somehow.
I mean, all good and right, but for someone working in a leading position at a company, it is clearly noticeable that there is a bit of an unorganised chaos. And for this price you can expect seriously more, maybe less frozen food?....
So we will not visit this place again. We will go to Tyrol from now on. Much friendlier alalso to their guests.
Was nice to revive old memories, but not worth the stress around, especially not for this costs and "dynamic price system".
You can not spontaneously say "today is good snow, let's go ski.". You'll pay a ton more money, than if you predict like a fairy the weather weeks prior to the day"....
It is literally designed to make money but overpromise, not provide. That's my impression today, after a couple of times Silvretta Montafon over the years.
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We rate Silvretta HIGHLY. So much so that it has entered the top 5 in our Best Overall Ski Resorts in Europe category. Coming in at number 3, its strengths all rise from its combination of snow, lifts, terrain diversity, accommodation, and lack of crowds.

We booked our accommodation last in late January and ended up staying in a fabulous, traditional self-contained apartment only 100m from the Zamang gondola on the outskirts of Schruns. Walking into the village was easy. Schruns is the largest of the resort’s villages, with a wide variety of shops, bars & restaurants. We used both our car, our feet and the local ski bus to get to and from the various lift bases. All was quite straight forward.

During heavy winter blizzards, if upper lifts are closed, the Versettla sector above Gaschurn is the ‘go to’ zone for storm riding. The gondola runs all the way to the top & seems to be one of the few sectors that have a decent skiable vertical when the wind blows and snow flows. Loads of beautiful alpine, forest & ‘rural’ terrain to be explored off-piste all the way down from the top gondola station to the lift base. From our experience, the other sector that usually opens during heavy storms is Kappell, but usually not to the top which seriously limits terrain if the trees are not skiable.

The Grasjoch sector & highest lifted point, Hochalpila, seems to open only after the storms have settled, so be patient and ready to go the moment it does. Some fine freshies in the upper bowl are to be had. The steeps under the Hochalpila gondola are serious but sssooo good. Easier fall line powder turns are available all around the bowl, but it is only just over 400m vertical of skiing, so it is not super-long, just super-nice. It is a shame that one has to download from the Grasjoch sector back down to St Gallenkirch. There may be way down off-piste (in fact we are sure there is) but it required way too much time to work it out and the south-aspect snow on the lower descent was not in great condition.

Of all the valley trails, the two best are into Schruns and Gaschurn. Both descend through classic Austrian Alps rural landscapes in the lower sections. Beware the ‘road crossing near the bottom of the run into Schruns. The others valley trails tend to be less piste and more ‘snow-covered road’, so don’t feel too bad if you download!.

The Wormser Hütte is one of the most traditional mountain restaurants in the ski resort. Also providing affordable accommodations.

The centre of the resort is the village of St Gallenkirch. The ski lifts are a short distance from town but allow access to both main sectors of the Silvretta Montafon. The new Valisera gondola from the St Gallenkirch valley base provides the expected comfortable ride from around 870m altitude all the way up to 2,100m. The new complex at the valley station has wonderful facilities including brand outdoor & undercover car parking, plus a fantastic new bar & ‘street food’ area that should not be overlooked. Some very tasty food in relaxed contemporary setting.

With the amount of wind and snow during our stay, an entire zone at the resort did not open in the days we skied there. Numerous lifts, ski routes & pistes in around the 2,300m Schwarzköpfle were closed due to avalanche mitigation works. We witnessed the helicopter bombing the zone when skiing the Valisera and it would have opened the next day, but we had moved on to Gargellen by then (an excellent choice too!). The point is, we never got to sample a lot of the ski hill. Its big, and with plenty of diversity.

When compared to the nearby Ski Arlberg (Lech, Zuers, Stuben & St Anton et al), Silvretta Montafon might have the magnitude of long, skiable vertical freeride runs, but it has similarly great snow, lifts, terrain diversity, great value lift pass & superb access by train. All this without the Arlberg crowds on powder days & the high-priced Arlberg accommodation.

Despite a few ancient double chairs blighting the landscape in a few zones, the lift system appears to be ever improving. The new integrated gondola station at the important St Gallenkirch hub is a ripper. Combining two gondolas, undercover carparking, bus stops, lift pass sales, gear rental, a fantastic food & beverage hall plus affordable accommodation it certainly sets a standard for future developments in the resort.

Whilst it is true that the lack of crowds during our visit in early February may have been in part due to some ongoing covid travel uncertainty, we can only call it as we see it. A return visit is definitely on the cards for 2024 to ensure we get it right.

See our thoughts on the full pros & cons the ski resort on the Silvretta Montafon overview page.

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We stayed in Schruns only a 5 minute walk down the hill to the Zamang Bahn which rises straight out of the town from 700m to 1862m. A magnificent location and such a very European thing to do, walk through town to the gondola. Loved it!

It was a sketchy weather day. Some snow and sleet, windy and cold so not the best but enjoyable none the less. This was very much a scouting mission for the following day so was limited to the Kapell and Grasjoch areas. In this area is the world's longest ski tunnel at 476m long which was a novelty, albeit a flat slow one.

Plenty of great options on and off piste here and would be great in better conditions. We did manage to ski back down into town to the bottom of the Hochjoch Bahn which was long and fun but the snow was a bit marginal down below. It was a stuffy crowded ride back up though in the big cable car.

I do love the interface of the skiing infrastructure with the town. Schruns is a beautiful old town with gorgeous buildings, great accommodation and superb restaurants. Shout out to Hotel Krone and Pizzeria al fiume! And what's not to love about the name of the ski area, Silvretta Montafon. It just rolls off nicely and exudes notions of something fantastical. Which for skiers and seekers of powder it is.

I love it so much I just want to say it again..................Silvretta Montafon. Memorable and saying the name alone takes me straight back there. Visit this place with confidence. You won't be disappointed.

This day out marked the end of my ski trip. From Schruns I made the journey by train back to Munich via Bregenz which was simple and hassle free. The train infrastructure throughout Austria servicing ski towns is excellent.
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Cloudy here on the first few days of our stay there, but with the cloud came schnee or as they say in english, snow. Quite a few lifts on hold due to avalanche danger and wind. The snow gods should stop farting after schnee falls, but it blew hard for days.
Skiing seemed limited with the top lifts on hold but fresh powder was enjoyed, particularly in Gaschurn.
When the skies cleared and the farting stopped the vast terrain is yours for the taking. Lots & lots to be had here.
See our video here

Had fresh snow every day and a brilliant time both on and off-piste. Could lap runs and still get freshies.
Assume that in the past there were multiple resorts that are now combined because the connectivity to different areas can be challenging to start with and the infrastructure is diverse (read: a few ancient chairs still exist).
This is emphasised when there has been snow and you have to decide which area to start in for the day and the on ground "live" lift status was often not accurate. With fresh snowfall this meant either stayed in a small/restricted area or committed to making the journey around by bus or car. Because of the snow quantity and quality experienced, all options worked out!
All up, a fantastic all-round ski experience made even better with a few bombardinos and other assorted 'hot' drinks at the end of each day.
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Silvretta Montafon offers over 100km of pistes on two sides of the valley with the highest station over 2300m. Most of the pistes are red and blue, but wide and fast and even on a weekend in February were not crowded. There are some black runs which were do-able even for an intermediate. The ski area features the longest ski tunnel in the world (nearly 500m so make sure you get momentum if you are on a snowboard), and the excellent Hochjoch Totale run, 1700ms of vertical descent on reds and blues from the top station to the valley station at Schruns. Doing this first thing in the morning was the high point of the trip for me. There are a couple of antiquated chair lifts, notably up to the top of the epic 3A black run, but the other facilities are modern. Incredible views down the valley on a clear day from the top station of the Hochalpila gonda.
See our video here