Freeriding in Sportgastein in Salzburger Land Photo: © SalzburgerLand Tourismus

Backcountry skiing routes in Salzburg

Austria

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Do you love swinging through the deep snow away from the piste? Salzburger Land is the perfect destination for this. Freeriders will find a large selection of descents of varying difficulty in Salzburg. With an avalanche transceiver and safety equipment, you can explore the open terrain safely, or you can hire a local guide who knows the best descents. Here you will find freeride tours in Salzburg's top spots Gastein, Kitzsteinhorn and Obertauern:

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The 10 most beautiful ski runs in Salzburg

Blick Richtung Norden. Abfahrt vom rechten Bildrand nach links unten

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Vom Seekareck über die Bärwurzkaralm zur Gnadenalm

recommended route Difficulty moderate

4.1 km

1:00 h

58 m

943 m

Freeridetour für Ski und Boards mit Start von der Bergstation der Seekareckbahn. Kurzer Zustieg zum Seekareck mit nordwestseitiger Freerideabfahrt bis zur Gnadenalm.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Von der Seekarspitzbahn übers Fuchsloch bis Untertauern

recommended route Difficulty moderate

6.5 km

1:30 h

34 m

1,226 m

Freeridetour für Ski (Boards eher zu flach für das Teilstück nach Untertauern) mit Start von der Bergstation der Seekarspitzbahn oder der Panaromabahn. Kurzer Zustieg zum Fuchsloch mit nordseitiger Freerideabfahrt und folgender Abfahrt bis Untertauern.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Descent from the small Kesselpitze in the centre. Right Gamsleitenspitze

Backcountry Skiing · Lungau

Kleine Kesselspitze east descent

recommended route Difficulty moderate

2.8 km

0:16 h

61 m

729 m

Freeride tour for skis and boards starting from the mountain station of the Gamsleiten II lift. Short ascent to the small Kesselspitze followed by an east-facing freeride descent.

alpenvereinaktiv.com

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Gnadenalm Route - From Seekareck via Bärwurzkaralm to Gnadenalm

Premium content Difficulty moderate

4.3 km

1:00 h

104 m

992 m

The Gnadenalm route is an easily accessible and yet little-used descent in the Obertauern area.

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Start of the Radeckscharten route at the mountain station of the Ankogel cable car

Backcountry Skiing · Hohe Tauern National Park Region

Ankogel cable car - Radeckscharte - Böckstein station

recommended route Difficulty difficult

11.8 km

3:15 h

250 m

1,700 m

250 vertical meters ascent, 1,700 vertical meters descent in a magnificent setting!How does that work? Quite simply – the ascent with the Ankogel cable car makes it possible.The return trip to the starting point by train through the Tauern tunnel gives this great route an additional appeal.

Hohe Tauern - die Nationalpark-Region in Kärnten Tourismus GmbH

On the left the described descent, on the right any variants possible.

Backcountry Skiing · Obertauern

Obertauern - Seekareck

recommended route Difficulty easy

2.1 km

0:30 h

43 m

572 m

Beautiful and easily accessible descent from the Seekareck towards the Kehrkopfbahn.

freeskiers.net

X2 - Westside Story - Rider: Benedikt Nöth - Photo: Lukas Nöth

Backcountry Skiing · Uttendorf/Weißsee

Kitzsteinhorn - X2 Westside Story (Exented Version)

recommended route Difficulty moderate

3.8 km

0:45 h

36 m

940 m

Die Westside Story ist nicht nur die am westlichsten gelegene Freeride Abfahrt, sie ist auch die längste Route am Kitzsteinhorn. Sie startet bei der Bergstation Kristallbahn. Am Anfang muss hoch gequert werden (Snowboarder benötigen viel Schwung), um dann das ganze Schneefeld vor sich zu haben.

freeskiers.net

Backcountry Skiing · Uttendorf/Weißsee

From the Kitzsteinhorn to the First Mountain Hotel Kaprun

Premium content Difficulty moderate

7.5 km

2:00 h

0 m

2,003 m

Classic, not too demanding freeride run from the Kitzsteinhorn to the First Mountain Hotel Kaprun with bus connection back to the glacier lift.

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Backcountry Skiing · Hohe Tauern National Park Region

Mölltaler Gletscherbahn - Schlappenbergkees

recommended route Difficulty moderate

5.6 km

0:45 h

0 m

1,494 m

Begehrte Abfahrt über die steile Ostflanke des Schareck (3122m) nach Sportgastein (1580m). Mit ihren 1500 Höhenmetern (ohne wirkliches Flachstück) kann man sie durchaus zu den großen Freeriderouten Österreichs zählen.

freeskiers.net

Backcountry Skiing · Zell am See-Kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn, 3203m und Grünsteinfindling, 2564m, 1. Juni 2019

recommended route Difficulty easy

9.1 km

3:10 h

1,336 m

1,298 m

Sulz-Surfen am Kitzsteinhorn. Die meisten Lifte außer Betrieb, darum viele unverspurte Hänge!

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Freeriding in Salzburger Land - definitely awesome

A drop here, a spray there - freeriding has become one of the most popular winter sports. With the necessary knowledge and equipment, you can experience unforgettable days off-piste. In the ski resorts of Salzburger Land, you will usually find a large crowd of athletes with fat powder skis and snowboards on days with fresh snow.

But before you head out into the open terrain, you should definitely familiarise yourself with the dangers and the necessary equipment. A course where you learn the tools for a safe day off-piste is therefore more a necessity than a recommendation. Here you will learn how to interpret the avalanche report, how to best navigate slopes and how to use safety equipment such as an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel in an emergency. With the necessary knowledge, you can then explore the best runs in Salzburger Land.

The best areas for freeriding in Salzburger Land

Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn

Salzburg's only glacier ski area in Kaprun is also one of the best addresses for cool runs away from the piste. Although climate change is not sparing the Kitzsteinhorn, the season here is still long and the amount of snow is often considerable. The Kitzsteinhorn also offers freeride fans specially designated routes and an info base where you can find out about the status of the runs and the current avalanche situation. One highlight is the X1 Ice Age route, which starts directly at the summit station of the summit lift at over 3000 metres above sea level.

Backcountry skiing routes in Kaprun

Obertauern

Obertauern is probably the most versatile ski area for freeriding in Salzburger Land. The snow bowl on the Tauern Pass right on the border of Pongau and Lungau is particularly snow-sure thanks to its altitude. Another major advantage of Obertauern's location is that it enjoys fresh snow in both north and south-facing weather conditions. Although most of the runs in Obertauern are not that long, there are numerous variants and those who are not afraid to carry their skis or board will find many more variants, such as the famous Kesselspitze.

Obertauern

Travel tip Backcountry skiing routes in Obertauern

Obertauern

Gastein Valley

Our third tip is the Gastein Valley. Sportgastein in particular is one of the places where you usually see more powder skiing than alpine skiing. Although there is only one gondola here, it opens up a huge area with numerous variants on the Kreuzeck (2688 m). The Sportgastein north and south runs are among the great classics. However, there are many more options in the Gastein Valley, especially on the Stubnerkogel in Bad Gastein.

Gasteinertal

What do I need to consider when freeriding?

Off-piste, you are travelling outside the secured ski area. This means that the terrain is not protected from alpine dangers as it is on the piste. Alpine dangers include the risk of avalanches, but also terrain traps such as streams or ditches. To be safe off-piste, you must therefore be able to assess the avalanche situation and read the avalanche report. You also need to keep an eye on the weather, as it can be difficult to orientate yourself when snowfall or fog sets in.

We have put together some knowledge pages where you can find out about the basics. At the start of your freeriding career, we recommend that you attend a course.

Avalanche safety equipment for skiing and snowshoeing

The Avalanche Report

Explore our Travel Guide for Salzburg