Located at an altitude of between 802 and 2,000 m, Kitzbühel in Tyrol is not one of the highest ski areas in the region. Yet the season here averages 155 days in length until the end of April. While some of the runs down into the valley understandably cannot offer the best conditions right up to the end of spring (a fact we can attest to first hand from our test in March), the runs at high altitude are usually still in good shape late into the year.
Plenty of freshies
The plentiful supply of snow in the area is attributable to the so-called “Nordweststaulage”, which sees moist air from the North Sea condense against the Kitzbüheler Alps and cause snowfall. As the snow largely falls on grass instead of rocks, small amounts are enough to cover the runs here. The natural snowfall is supported by almost 1,000 snow cannons. In total, an area of 331 ha (from a total of 463 ha) or 112 km of runs can be artificially prepared. Kitzbühel is certainly impressive in this respect and received eight points from us.