Our third visit to Kitzsteinhorn in January 2022 has firmly put the ski area on an upward trajectory in our estimations. The new 3K link gondolas from Kaprun all the way across to the mountain base of the Kitzsteinhorn ski lifts are a major factor in the uptick! But also a cheeky (and largely unexpected) bluebird powder day plus a fun restaurant & apres ski session in Kaprun & Zell am See show the true strengths of the mountain.

A strong storm the previous day meant operations on the glacier were closed. The resulting 10 to 25cm of cold, dry fresh snow remained unsullied until the next morning. Very few people were up early to reap the harvest, and most of those that were, appeared not the slightest bit interested in the powder. More for us I said!

Untracked powder was everywhere on Kitzsteinhorn this day. The wind direction had clearly been perfect for the mountain. The broad zone around ski route X1 was absolutely fabulous, with snow over thigh deep in parts (according to all the signage though it was all closed!). Routes X2 and X4 were also sublime, but then again so was just about anywhere else. The groomed piste trails were absolute perfection and almost as much fun as the powder (I said almost!). The incredible quality of the snow at this elevation on a shaded northerly aspect is why we ski Europe in January.

We had a very late lunch at the Saulochalm near the top of Maiskogel and cannot rate it more highly. Superb service, meals & atmosphere.

If interested in lively apres ski action & wondering where the best place to stay in the area is, the centre of Zell am See is the answer. Loads of bars, restaurants and fellow snow-sliders looking to have a great night, after a great day!

Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn has the full gamut of interesting snow stuff. Every kind of upward ski lift & conveyance imaginable, a glacier, long wide piste trails, fun and at times challenging off-piste, quality terrain parks, a long season, non-ski activities & viewpoints, great eating and drinking options, lively apres ski in Kaprun or even better in Zell am See, great accommodation, not too many people & of course, reliable snow.

What Kitzsteinhorn lacks is size (it is smaller than it looks), more steep groomers & expert off-piste, and tree skiing. Thankfully its lift pass is valid at Skicircus Saalbach & Zell am See so these deficiencies are made up nearby.

At the end of the day, one of our group described it as 'the best day of skiing he has ever had'. Not a bad endorsement.
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"More man made snow", I grumbled as the gondola rose above the lower pistes near Kaprun. I had my head in my hands when the new cable car carriage turned left. "Lovely view", my travelling companions said as the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and its peak came into view. I agreed but could not see where we would ski within the many mounds of rocks. After putting on the skis we had a warm-up run down a groomed piste on fresh snow. It was pleasant. A chair and surface lift ride later we found some powder. "Well that was fun but I doubt there is any more", I said. "Shut up", my companions said. "Don't be such a misery guts". On the next lift ride up the last bit of cloud had disappeared to expose a huge bowl of untracked snow. 'It must wind scoured rubbish' I thought. "Lets give it a crack", the companions said. I agreed to join them. BLOODY HELL it was boot deep beautiful light powder. Bloody hell I was wrong about the whole place.......
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Unless you hit the snow levels bang-on then the Kitzsteinhorn will be your friend. Maiskogel not really worth bothering with unless you've beginners with you, in which case it's perfect. If there's a lot of snow then Zell am See is well worth it for the stuff down the front of the hill towards the town. Over the back towards Pinzgauer Hutte is easier but holds the powder well - it's skied out pretty quickly though.
Nah, head to the Kitzsteinhorn, the top of which sits at a respectable 3200m and the top lift just edges over 3000m so at this height you're assured of great snow, great bier and great times. There are 4 or 5 'off-piste' runs which although they really are top end runs - they have the added benefit of coming back to the bottom of a lift! The Eis Bar is pumping at lunchtime and early evening (the whole building carved from ice & snow). A really great place to eat out is Gugenbichl (Lookout Hill), it's a wee bit of a walk from town (20mins) but gets the appetite going nicely. Good traditional fare awaits, the attached organic farm run by one brother and the Gasthaus the other. Kaprun has everything from cheap & cheerful accomodation for those on a budget to top-end Funf-sternen Hotels that serve Sekt (Austrian/German method-Champenoise) at breakfast - the choice is yours (or you bank balance's)!
Don't delay, get there soon.

Prost, zum Voll!
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What a wonderful combination having Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel from the same base at Kaprun.

Really surprised by the length and quality of skiing, huts, and facilities on Maiskogel (the miniature donkeys are sooo cute).

Kitzsteinhorn's terrain is a bit smaller than one expects, but the snow quality, lack of humans, fresh lines several days after the last snowfall, interesting off piste terrain and non ski attractions like the tunnel walk out to the viewpoints (Gipfelwelt 3000 ) are fabulous.

Combined with Zell am See it is a great ski destination.

Apres in Kaprun is not as good as I remember it (or don't !) from a previous visit, but nearby Zell am See has a beautiful town centre and thriving bar district that can more than make up for it. In fact, one could easily argue that Zell am See is the better place to stay when skiing Kaprun.

Only downside for those without a car is that Kitzsteinhorn requires a bus trip - no one likes bus trips!!
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Great skiing and views on Kitzsteinhorn. Worth a visit.
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Really enjoyed our time here with friends making great figure 8s off piste,exploring the bowl and taking in the fantastic views.You can never get tired of hearing "Country Road" by John Denver coming from the Apres bar!. The People are friendly and helpful and the lift system was great with the long ski down testing out the knees!
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Beautiful location, great snow and the sun was shining!
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