The Tiroler Zugspitz Arena offers seven sensational ski resorts, all of which can be reached quickly and easily within the Alpine region of Tirol.
From easy slopes best for beginners and families, to more challenging runs for experienced skiers – the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena has skiing and snowboarding suitable for all ages and levels.
This region makes a great choice for cosy ski holidays for families and beginners – and with such a large natural area the slopes are often uncrowded for wide open skiing in a winter wonderland.
The arena also offers “Active” après-ski, with activities on offer such as night tobogganing, ski shows, live music, and my personal favourite, Igloo building in the Tirolian wilderness.
I would genuinely say that the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena is a hidden gem of Tirol. It’s great for all the family, and wonderful value for money. It’s a pretty perfect option for a unique and cosy wintertime travel experience.
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Here is your winter guide to Tiroler Zugspitz Arena:
Getting there
Your transfer time to Zugspitz Arena from Innsbruck airport is 60 – 70 minutes away (80KM). Alternatively, you can fly to Zurich Memmingen airport which is much more closer. Or Munich airport and hire a car to reach the resort area.
Skiing and Snowboarding
The Arena offers you seven sensational ski resorts, which can all be reached quickly and easily using the amazing resort ski lift infrastructure. Skiing in this resort offers a lot of variety when it comes to the slopes, and of course a lot of unforgettable snow fun.
Piste hopping is pretty easy here. State-of-the-art lifts and gondolas make it easy for you to explore several ski resorts in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena. With a total of 139 kilometres of slopes, 93 of which have snow cannons and therefore guaranteed snow, and 58 mountain lifts, it’s pretty easy to get around and make the most out of your skiing time.
From the glacier ski run on the Zugspitze Plateau (with guaranteed snow throughout the season), to the sunny slopes of the Ehrwalder Alm and the Wettersteinbahnen resort in Ehrwalder, friendly hills in Biberwier and Berwang or steep powder lines in Lermoos – there’s a resort to suit everyone.
From race carvers, to leisure skiers and ski tots, to adult beginners, everyone can ski here on slopes that are right for them.
Family friendly skiing at its best at the Zugspitz Arena
Each ski resort has about 30km of slopes, and most of them blue and red graded in terms of difficulty. This makes skiing fun for all the family, no matter their level of ability.
All the ski resorts in the Arena are also easy to reach, which is great when you’ve got the kids to look after.
Most of the runs and lifts start right in the centre of the villages. Your time on the slope will often just be a short walking distance away, and you can also make use of the local bus system to get there. It’s all very accessible and totally ideal for family ski holidays.
Zugspitzplatt
This fantastic resort is a piece of ski heaven across almost 3,000 metres. Enjoy 17 kilometres of slopes with magnificent views and explore powder snow and glacier sun on 2,962 metres, ski-runs with snow guaranteed, modern gondolas with no waiting and free parking, powder snow rides for boarders and skiers, and of course panoramic views everywhere you look. This resort is open December til April.
Ehrwalder Alm
Ehrwalder Alm has 26.5 kilometres of slopes, and is one of the most family friendly & diversified resorts in the region. Also open December til April.
Ehrwalder Wettersteinbahnen
Ehrwalder Wettersteinbahnen can be found to the bottom of the Zugspitze, and gives you 23 kilometres of awesome slopes and top notch family skiing.
Grubigstein
Grubigstein gives you plenty of ways to get up the mountain with a choice of 10 lifts that take you up to 27 kilometres of slopes. So much fun & action you’ll probably need to visit more than once.
Marienberg
Marienberg is one for the skiers who want to take it at a slightly more relaxed pace – this resort has 9 kilometres of slopes and is perfect for families who want easy access into the skiing world.
Ski Area Berwang
Ski Area Berwang on the other hand is where you want to head if you’re after some ski action that covers a lot of ground. This resort boasts 36 kilometres of pistes in the ski area of Berwang & Bichlbach.
Lift passes – Top Snow Card
For skiing in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, getting a Top Snow Card will take you to pretty much anywhere you need to go. Your ski pass comes with many benefits – with the Top Snow Card you can go skiing in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald and Grainau – including the Zugspitze.
Lift tickets are also available for individual ski areas of the region or the Zugspitze. Lift tickts for children under 4 years are free of charge.
Free ski buses and the guest bus Bayern-Tirol (Bus between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Tiroler Zugspitz Arena) are free of charge for guests with their guest card, and wintersport athletes.
Fun facts about Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
- 58 Lifts
- 139 Km of Slopes
- 110 Km of Cross-Country Skiing Trails
Keep an eye out as you go up to the top of the mountain by ski lift. You might be in luck and catch a sighting of one of the many local Tirolian mountain goats – they like to hang out here close to the top as they search for food.
This resort truly is fun for the whole family with: Winter Hiking Zugspitz, Tobboganing, Snowshoeing, Ski shows, Laser Biathlon and Igloo Building, there is just so much to do here as well as skiing and snowboarding.
New Funslope on Ehrwalder Alm
The fun park at Ehrwalder Alm is a new instalment that is well worth checking out. This place has fun loops and jumps, and also interactive activities you can do on your skiis. So much fun for all ages.
Dine on the slope
Traditional food & true hospitality – you can’t beat it. Let the day fade away in one of these lovely ski huts or après-ski restaurants.
Tirolerhaus – Bergrestaurant, restaurant
A mixture of modern and traditional – Tirolerhaus is the destination for authentic cuisine in the winter time. This mountain hut offers fantastic culinary dishes and is located right at the top mountain station of the Ehrwalder Almbahn at 1,500 m – right at the heart of the ski action. Traditional local Tirolian dishes are served up in this beautiful setting. This location is perfect for lunch after a nice half day of skiing on the piste.
Accomodation – Where to stay in Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
Hotel Alpenhof
For a touch of luxury on your next visit to Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, stay at the Hotel Alpenhof. A luxury alpine setting with a cosy sense of home, this location is sure to delight.
Book a comfortable room with the option to use the swimming facilities and sauna. Soaking off a day’s skiing and warming up in the sauna makes this an ideal place to stay.
Be sure to consider the dining option too, which gives you world class service and a great selection of local Tirolian dishes. Don’t forget to enjoy the cheese board at the end.
Other activities – Active Après-ski
Active Après-ski:
Enjoy even more winter activities after your day of skiing such as night tobogganing, riding on the Pistenbully, skishows and more. You can also spend an evening in a mountain hut and night skiing at Gamsalm.
Once a week, the Gamsalm opens up its doors to anyone who wants to experience an evening in a proper mountain hut. You can hike up to the hut where you spend the evening eating, drinking and listening to beautiful live music. Afterwards, you go down the illuminated slope into the valley.
- Start: Parking ground Wettersteinbahnen
- Dates: Every Wednesday from 5.00 p.m. – End of December – End of March
- Live music: Wednesday, 5.30 – 10.30 p.m.
Night sledding at Ehrwalder Alm:
Every Tuesday and Friday is sledding night on the Ehrwalder Alm. You can ride down the illuminated slopes – an unforgettable highlight for your holiday.
The Tirolerhaus, the Ehrwalder Alm, the Ganghofer Hütte and the Brentalm are open during the evening and serve delicious food. Live music is often playing.
- Length: 3 km
- Vertical: 400 m
- Start: top station Ehrwalder Alm
- Finish: base station Ehrwalder Alm
- Rental: at the base station
- Dates (if good snow conditions): Every Tuesday & Friday from 6.30 p.m. – 11.30 p.m. (last cable car down at 9.30 p.m.); End December till early March
- Prices: Lift tickets & cost for sledge rental (Keep an eye on your unique sledge and number given to get your deposit back, it’s easy to mix them up with others with so many sledges around.)
Go on a Toboggan run at Lermoos Grubigstein
On the Grubigstein in Lermoos, you can find the longest natural toboggan run in the entire Tiroler Zugspitz Arena.
- Length: 2.4 km
- Vertical: 330 m
- Start: Brettlalm | middle-station Grubigstein | Lermoos
- Finish: Base station Hochmoosexpress Grubigstein | Lermoos
- Rental: At the base station
- Dates (with good snow conditions): daily from 08:30 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. | winter season
- Prices: cost for lift tickets & cost for rental
Laser Biathlon Berwang
If you ever wanted to try a Laser Biathlon, now is your chance!
Once a week (every Wednesday), a biathlon course is set up on the Moosloipe. Before the race you can participate in the free trial lesson. Because you use laser rifles, shooting in the biathlon course is very safe.
Duration: 2 – 3 hours (introduction + race).
The Biathlon course is set up only on the day of the event, otherwise the Moosloipe is prepared as usual.
Workshop: How to Build an igloo
New to Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, and super fun to learn a new outdoor survival wilderness skill. Learn how to build an igloo with two local ski guides from the area as they walk you through the stages and steps to build your group igloo.
The workshop starts first with snow shoeing after getting the ski lift up to a perfect spot. The workshop is 4 hours in length, which includes refreshments and lunch. Cost is €45 per person and must be booked before Wednesday 3pm. Price excludes lift ticket which you must already have. Call +43 699 13308 for more details and booking.
I hope you found this Winter guide useful, there is so much to do in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, Austria.
Have fun on your next winter adventure!
Travel tip shared by Dave for Travel Dudes.
