The poshest ski resort in Austria - Kitzbühel

If you have ever wondered where is the poshest place to ski in Austria, and one of the fanciest in the world, it is in Kitzbühel, a small beautiful town located in Tyrol and surrounded by the magnificent Alps. It is somewhere in the triangle between Innsbruck, Salzburg and Munich. The ski resort has good connections with the rest of the world, so you can reach it very conveniently and fast. The entire region of Kitzbüheler Alps is a Mekka for skiers, and a lot of other ski resorts can be found in its proximity - such as biggest Austrian areas Saalbach or Wilder Kaiser.

Kitzbühel - the town

Kitzbühel is a small town in Tyrol with 85 000 inhabitants, and it is one of the most important winter sports centres in Austria. Before it became a tourist hotspot, the town was one of the silver and copper mining centres of Tyrol, since the 15th century. Already from the beginning of the 20th century, Kitzbühel became the place of the rich and famous, where many celebrities live. During the period of National Socialism, Kitzbühel was a holiday destination for leading National Socialists such as Albert Speer, Hermann Göring and Leni Riefenstahl. A former Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop even bought a farm near Kitzbühel. After the Second World War, Kitzbühel experienced a rebirth as the winter sports resort. Numerous innovations in skiing started there. In the city and the surrounding area, many hotels and pensions are located, with around 9 000 beds.

Ski Kitz - ski area

The ski area known as KitzSki is actually more ski resorts connected in one, with the biggest two being Kitzbühel and Kirchberg. This ski resort has been declared the best ski resort in the world by Skiresort.de, the world's largest test portal for ski resorts, for the fifth time in a row. The resort has a lot to offer - 185 kilometers of slopes, 41 kilometers of marked ski routes (all difficulty levels), 4 kilometers of snowboard fun parks, natural toboggan runs and hundreds of kilometers of cross-country ski and winter hiking trails. Fifty-four lifts connect the mountains that surround Kitzbühel. Here, you can ski up to 200 days per year - from October to the beginning of May.

Snow farming in Kitzbühel

Kitzski is an example of how innovative technology in snow production can prolong a ski season.  So-called “snow farming" technology that has been used since 2014 allows Kitzski to be the first non-glacier area to open its slopes already in October. Snow farming involves the shielding of batches of snow from the heat, to prevent them from melting over the summer. By making huge mounds of snow and protecting them with insulating materials, the ski season can open earlier and last longer. In this way, about 65-80% of the snow can be preserved. This is the way the skiing industry, which is under increasing pressure to find ways to be environmentally sustainable, fights the consequences of global warming in Kitzbühel.

For those who want to ski with style and money, you should choose the poshest ski resort in Austria – Kitzbühel.

KitzSki Ski area

Kitzbühel, Hahnenkammstraße 1a, 6370 Kitzbühel, Аустрија