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Itter Ski Resort
Itter can be found at the foot of the mighty Hohe Salve mountain – said to be Tyrol’s most scenic peak with 3000-metre-high mountains every which way. Pint-sized and famously peaceful, the village is a treat for the eyes too: painted lemon-sherbet, its Kirchbichl Parish Church dates back to 1764 (sneak inside to see the baroque ceiling frescos and Rococo altarpieces). Surrounding this, you’ll find Tyrolean houses in pastel blues, pinks and peaches – wooden shutters, wall frescoes, the jolly lot.
Stealing the show though is Itter castle, a medieval masterpiece – battlements and all - in a forested hill above the village. Dating back to 1240, it has a fascinating history having hosted knights, high profile prisoners of the Nazis (which lead to one of the strangest battles in history – ask the locals) and legendary composers including Lizst, Wagner and Tchaikovsky. The latter described Itter as ‘a devilish pretty nest’ with ‘peace and stillness, and not a trace of any other visitors’, declaring ‘I have not felt more comfortable for a long while’. He sums it up swimmingly.
When you’re not dreaming up your own fairy tale, bloody siege or ballet, there’s skiing and lots of it. The Salvista gondola takes you up into the ‘SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental’ (or the snappier ‘SkiWelt’), which links with the other resorts of Hopfgarten, Soll, Westendorf, Ellmau, Scheffau, Going, Brixen and Kelschau.
If you’re itching to see and ski Itter, the resort’s only an hour’s drive from Innsbruck Airport, or an hour and a half-ish from Munich and Salzburg’s airports.
Stats & FAQ
Location: Kitzbueheler Alps, Austria
Established:
Open: December – April
Downhill: 284km
View our detailed Itter snow forecast or snow report and see all live webcams, piste maps, road and travel maps and lift pass prices. For a picture of historic snow conditions see the snow depths month by month with our Itter snow history.
| Nearest Airport & Transfer Time: | |
| Innsbruck (INN) | 76km, 1 hour |
| Salzburg (SZG) | 129km, 1.5 hours |
| Munich (MUC) | 152km, 1 hour 35 |
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| Top Altitude: | 1957m |
| Bottom Altitude: | 620m |
| Resort Altitude: | 704m |
| Longest run: | 7.3km |
| Slope Orientation: | N S E W |
| Vertical Drop: | 1126m |
| Skiable Vertical: | |
| Night Skiing: | Yes - in Soll |
| Glacier: | No |
Snow Report
Web Cam
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| Downhill Runs: | 284km |
| Beginner slopes: | 43% |
| Intermediate: | 45% |
| Advanced slopes: | 12% |
| Lift Pass Price: | €203.50 (adult 6 day) |
| Nearby resorts: Ski Welt, Soll, Ellmau, Scheffau, Westendorf, Hopfgarten | |
Skiing/BoardingSkiing in Itter
Beginners can learn and practice on a drag lift-served slope down in the valley and on a nursery run next to the Salvista gondola. If you’re looking for lessons, the Ski Shool Alpin offer a range of classes for different levels, usually meeting at the gondola base station. There aren’t oodles of blues to progress onto, but your instructor will show you the slopes best suited to your skills.
Most of this area is intermediate-focussed, with red runs streaming down the Hohe Salve – one 3km+ beauty trailing back to Itter and others going over to Soll or Hopfgarten. The Ski-Welt’s yours to explore if you’re a confident skier or snowboarder, with piste and lift links all the way over to Going and Brixen and many a mountain hut along the way.
Experts have a bumpy then speedy black 2C from the top of Hohe Salve – stop for a photo, it’s spectacular up here – the run links onto red 2b, then red 51a takes you in the Soll direction.
There is off-piste but it can be hard to find, so you’re best off hiring a guide to lead the way safely.
When it calls for freestyle, Soll’s Crazy Kangaroo Park (served by the Rinner chairlift) has three kicker lines, a jib line and features for different levels.
For cross country skiers, there are 700km of trails in the region, including a sunny 9.6km classic/skating trail from the village square to Denggenhof and back.
Itter Apres Ski
Après ski wise, the atmosphere here is quiet and relaxed – head to neighbour Soll for a livelier scene in the likes of Salvenstadl and Whiskey Muhle (the taxi ride back only takes about 10 minutes).
Before the lifts close, grab a meal or drink at the Gipfelalm restaurant up on the Hohe Salve – part of its terrace rotates for a 360 of seventy-plus 3000m peaks (and that’s not the only perk, the restaurant also has a panoramic loo…). They serve ice cold Weissbier here and classic Tyrolean nosh (try the Grostl).
For later on, Stephan at Dorfdadl does good beer in a cozy spot on Dorfplatz (and awesome coffees and pastries for the morning) and the restaurant in Sporthotel Tirolerhof makes a cracking cheese fondue.
There are some lovely winter walks around here, including a 9km one through the hamlet of Hacha to Hopfgarten. Kids young and old love the floodlit toboggan from the village square, which takes you down into Schlossberg.
Best time to go
Best time to ski Itter
Best time to visit & ski Itter
While this isn’t the highest ski area in the Alps, it tends to get a good amount of natural snow and holds onto it well. The local mountain - Hohe Salve - goes up to 1829m, while the wider SkiWelt area peaks at 1957m. Providing temperatures are low enough to get the snow cannons working, a socking great 245km of the slopes can be covered with artificial snow here in three days. A lot of the local slopes face north/northwest, which is good news towards the end of the season as they’re shaded from the full heat of the springtime sun.
Peak Dates
SkiWelt villages tend to come up with unique ways to celebrate the festive season, and in recent years, Christmas in Itter has featured a Christmas Path - Weihnachtspfad Itter - lit up with thousands of torches, local bands playing music, pony rides for children and delicious local food.
A firework display is usually the main event to welcome in the New Year in Itter, and often there’s a torchlight procession in the village square and torchlight performance by local ski instructors.
If you want a proper break from the daily grind, spending Half Term in Itter whisks you to another world of snowy peaks and Tyrolean village charm.
Blue skies and cracking views of dozens of 3000m high peaks are the usual order of the day over Easter in Itter - pack sun cream and a camera!
Families in Itter
Families will have a hoot in Itter, where you can dream up your own fairy-tales for the medieval castle, explore the beautiful, quiet village and venture up into the snowy world of the SkiWelt.
Only the bigger resorts in the SkiWelt (like Soll and Ellmau) had childcare facilities last time we checked but if your youngsters are old enough to ski, they can be cared for under the wing of the ski school. Skischule Alpin have their own kinderlift and carousel to aid their children’s group lessons, which usually run for half days for 3-year olds and full days for children aged 4 plus. There are local nursery slopes in the valley and gondola top station.
Making holidays with skiing sprogs a lot more affordable, the lift company often give free passes to kids aged 6 and under, sometimes extending the deal to under 15’s on the first and last few weeks of the season.
GroupsGroup Holidays Itter
Itter’s quiet and quaint as can be, and while that might not work for stag do’s, it suits other groups spiffingly. You’re in a gorgeous setting – all Tyrolean twee and endless peaks – and the great SkiWelt is just a lift ride away.
This is one of Austria’s biggest ski areas, and even if some group members have been here before they’ll find new slopes to enjoy. It has a few nursery slopes for beginners, but groups best catered for are those with a few ski weeks under their belts happy to roam the miles of red runs.
Non-skiers won’t be stuck twiddling their thumbs, with scenic winter walks and ample opportunity to explore nearby villages and towns – for example a bus runs to Hopfgarten, which has train links over to Kitzbühel.
If everyone’s keen for some nightlife, pop over to neighbour Soll for a bigger après ski scene and Austria’s biggest night ski area. Images: Hannes Dabernig, Mirja Geh, Stefan Astner, Stefan Eisend, Norbert Heinn.
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