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Dachstein West Ski Holidays

At a glance

  • Short transfers
  • 3 ski villages

Great for

  • Families
  • Quiet ski holidays
  • Intermediates

Ski Holidays in Dachstein West

This isn't the best known ski area in the Austrian alps, but that's half the charm. Three small villages come together in Dachstein West, the biggest ski area in Upper Austria and a treat for intermediate skiers and snowboarders.

  • Flight Time
  • 2 hours
  • From London
  • Nearest Airports
  • Innsbruck, Salzburg
  • Time zone
  • GMT + 1 hour
  • Language
  • German
  • Currency
  • Euros
  • Ski Season
  • Dec - April

Dachstein West Stats

Top Altitude
1620m
Bottom Altitude
780m
Resort Altitude
767m – 813m
Total Piste
142km
Longest Run
4km
Slope Orientation
Vertical Drop
Skiable Vertical
Night Skiing
Yes
Glacier Skiing
No

The Dachstein West ski area lies an hour away from Salzburg and slap bang in the middle of Austria, connecting the villages of Gosau, Russbach and Annaberg.

Belonging to the Salzkammergut region (Austria’s Lake District) Gosau’s a gorgeous part of the world, with traditional Tyrolean gasthof’s and spectacular sights of the Dachstein glacier and Lake Gosausee. Access into the ski area is via the Panorama Jet or Hornspitz Express lifts.

Pretty Russbach is known as “Salzburg’s Village”. Its pastel-painted main square is just over a five-minute walk from the Hornbahn lift, which takes you up into the very centre of the ski area.

The third village is sunny little Annaberg (often known as Annaberg-Lungötz), where the local’s claim to fame is that ski champion Marcel Hirscher was born there.

All three villages are linked by lifts, 119km of pistes and a ski bus as part of the Dachstein West region.

Winter Sports Ratings

Beginners

Intermediate

Advanced

Snowboarding

Dachstein West Transfer Times

Salzburg 1 hour

What's the ski area like in Dachstein West?

A new addition to the area (and a brilliant one) is the Panoronda ski circuit, a 44km long route cramming in the best views in the valley - wolf down a hearty breakfast, pack your camera and have an absolute ball touring the area. Adding a bit of extra excitement to the slopes, Skigeocaching is popular here, with 30 geocaches hidden around the area to hunt down.

Which other ski resorts are near to Dachstein West?

The nearest ski resorts to Dachstein West include Gosau, Filzmoos, Werfenweng.

Ski Area Facts

LocationSalzburg region, Austria
Established
Downhill142km
Lift Pass€150 (adult 6 day)

Beginner Slopes

43km36%

Intermediate Skiing

69km58%

Advance & Expert Terrain

7km6%

Snowboarding Trails

142km100%

What is Dachstein West like for Beginner skiers?

The beginner areas near the Gosau and Russbach villages are the perfect place to pick up the basics, before you head higher up to ski the local blues.

What is Dachstein West like for Intermediate skiers?

The bulk of the area is suited to intermediates, with red runs from every lift, merged with blues here and there to keep the pace cruisey. We love red #17 into Astauwinkel and could easily spend hours doing the rounds from the Torleck chair in the middle of the ski area.

What is Dachstein West like for Advanced skiers?

There are only a couple of black graded pistes here - #9b, a steeper detour on the blue #9 and #5c from the Höhbühelbahn. The Höhbühelbahn area also has some good ski routes, including the Rock n Roll and Wilde Hilde. You’ll find more challenging descents from the Angerlift, where 16a and b are black rated powder runs.

What is Dachstein West like for snowboarding?

In the freestyle department, the main snow park can be found in Russbach with small and medium kickers and jib lines. There’s also the playground snowpark in Gosau and a kid's park in Annaberg for mini shredders.

What is Dachstein West like for off-piste skiing?

For the ultimate powder trip, get a guide to lead a descent in Zwieselalm, Krippenstein or Obertauern.

Dachstein West Restaurants

If skiing has left you hungry, Gosau’s Gasthaus Echo is an excellent restaurant for families with a little play area and relaxed environment. On the home run to Russbach, the Franzl Alm has a terrific choice of meals with lots of outdoor seating to enjoy the views from.

Dachstein West Après Ski

Annaberg’s freeride-BAR is a good spot for drinks and snacks, while Schirmbar Gipfeltreff has deckchairs and cracking views – but overall, the vibe is more family-focussed than party mad.

Dachstein West Activites for Non-skiers

If you’re itching for something to do once the lifts close, there are oodles of other activities to get stuck into. Set off to explore the landscape on a horse-drawn sleigh ride from Gosau, Russbach, Annaberg or Bad Goisern or zoom down the toboggan runs in Lungötz, Lammertal, Abtenau, Gosau and Russbach. There are some incredible winter walks through Gosau, Obertraun and Hallstatt and Annaberg has a good ice rink. For something adventurous, head to Hallstatt for ice diving. And when it calls for a break from the great outdoors, there’s an indoor swimming pool in Gosau or the amazing Aqua Salza centre in Golling.

Clothing Food & Souvenir Shops

Best Time to Visit Dachstein West

With the area’s relatively low pistes in mind, the best time to visit for snow conditions is the middle of the season as the open pistes can be limited in December and from late March onwards. Investments in artificial snowmaking have helped reduce the risk of this, now covering 122km of the area. If you do find the snow lacking, the nearest snow sure areas are Obertauern, about an hour and a quarter away and the Dachstein glacier – just under an hour and a half’s drive away.

What's Dachstein West like at Christmas?

Spend Christmas in Dachstein West for a traditional Austrian setting, an hour away from the Salzburg markets. Look out for the small Advent market in Russbach village square and Christmas mass in the local churches.

What's Dachstein West like in the New Year?

Look out for events like the Children’s Snow Festival in Brumsiland Gosau over the New Year in Dachstein West.

What's Dachstein West like in Half-Term?

The ski area tends to see some of its best conditions over Half Term in Dachstein West.

What's Dachstein West like at Easter?

The snow isn’t usually Austria’s finest over Easter in Dachstein West, but you always have Obertauern and the Dachstein glacier within 1.5 hours drive if you want more snow sure conditions.

Dachstein West Snow Conditions

Snow Report, History & Forecast

View our detailed Dachstein West snow report to see skiing confitions now. Our Dachstein West snow history shows you what snow depths have been in recent years month-by-month. If you're visiting soon, use the Dachstein West snow forecast to see predicted snowfall over the coming days.

  • Sunny skies Today
  • Partly cloudy skies Sunday
  • Moderate snow Monday
  • Partly cloudy skies Tuesday
  • Patchy light snow Wednesday
  • Light snow Thursday
  • Current snow depth at top
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  • Current snow depth at base
    N/A cm

The Spatzennest kids club (by the Hornbahn Russbach base station) looks after tiddlers from one year and up, and the same goes for the Fuxi’s club in Annaberg. They’ll enjoy indoor and outdoor fun in the hands of qualified staff, while you head off and explore the ski area. Gosau is home to Brumsiland and Russbach, the Bear Camp – two kid’s areas by the Hornspitzbahn and Hornbahn valley stations where youngsters can learn the skiing basics in safety. If your children are more confident skiers, spend days geocaching on the mountain and enjoying the best of Dachstein West. When it calls for a different activity, we love the Aqua Salza centre in Golling which has a kids pool, four seasons pool and spa facilities.

Groups looking for good intermediate level skiing and a quiet, friendly base will have a whale of a time in Dachstein West. That’s not to say advanced skiers and boarders are left wanting, with the Russbach Snow Park and freeride terrain at the likes of Zwieselalm and Krippenstein. Mountain huts are dotted around the pistes for handy meeting points, while activities like winter walks and tobogganing are great fun to enjoy together. For a day trip, head an hour out into Salzburg to explore one of Europe’s most wonderful cities.

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Ski Extras

How much is a ski pass in Dachstein West

Maximum and minimum adult Dachstein West lift pass prices ranged from to for 6 days access to the Dachstein West ski lift system at the start of the 2025 winter season. Our lift passes are part of a packaged Dachstein West holiday with accommodation, so prices vary depending on chalet or hotel suppliers. Confirm price for the lift ticket before booking your holiday.

Lift Tickets Child Adult Senior
1 Day Price - - -
6 Day Price - - -
Age Range - - N / A

Getting to Dachstein West

Most of our ski holidays to Dachstein West packaged with flights include airport transfers. We can also arrange private transfers to Dachstein West from nearby airports

How long does it take to fly to Dachstein West from the UK?

Flights from London take about 2 hours to Innsbruck, Salzburg. This table shows approximate transfer times to Dachstein West from the nearest airports, smaller airports can be more prone to delays.

Airport Distance Transfer Time

How long does it take to drive to Dachstein West from the UK?

Browse our self-drive ski holidays which include your car channel crossing, or go choose accom-only and book your car ferry or tunnel later.

How long is the transfer from nearest Austria train station to Dachstein West?

The transfer time from alpine train stations are generally shorter than from airports, Call us for details of Dachstein West transfers.

Station Distance Transfer Time

Dachstein West Maps

Dachstein West piste map
Click to Enlarge

Going to Dachstein West under your own steam

For independant travel to Austria, compare accommodation only with Dachstein West self-drive packages which include Eurotunnel or ferry.

Accomm-Only & Self-Drive

See driving directions to and from Dachstein West in Austria.

Enter your start location and click "Get Directions" to view the route:

Dachstein West Ski Holiday Resources

Need help choose your Dachstein West ski holiday? Call us on 020 7770 6888 or click Enquire - we love to help!

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Similar Ski Resorts to Dachstein West in Austria


Every Sno holiday packaged with flights is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. All our suppliers are ATOL bonded, so your money is safe. In addition to this, payments for your holiday are held in trust, by NatWest bank and the Travel Trust, who insure every booking against supplier failure.

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