The Skiers' Guide to Hintertux Glacier

Hintertux Glacier is one of the few ski areas in the world offering year-round skiing, perched high in the Austrian Alps at the end of the Zillertal Valley. As Austria's only year-round ski resort, it provides reliable snow conditions even when other resorts are closed, making it a popular destination for those seeking to extend their ski season.

The resort rises from a base elevation of 1500m to an impressive 3250m at its peak, offering a significant vertical drop and breathtaking panoramic views. It takes three gondolas to reach the summit, with Ben, an advanced skier from the UK, noting that you might want to "acclimatise yourself before going right to the top!"

Our Snomad community rates Hintertux highly with an overall rating of 4.44/5. The resort particularly shines for groomed runs (4.78/5), lift efficiency (4.67/5) and gets top marks for snowboarders (5.00/5).

Hintertux offers 20 runs in total, with a good distribution across ability levels: 8 beginner slopes, 10 intermediate runs, and 2 advanced pistes. The lift system is impressive, featuring 6 gondolas, 6 chairlifts, and 8 drag lifts. One Snomad community member liked that "the heated bubble chairs are great and the gondolas are speedy," though they also note that "being a glacier the majority of lifts are t bars."

The resort is particularly well-suited to intermediate and advanced skiers, with ratings for intermediates (4.00/5), advanced skiers (4.43/5) and experts (4.67/5) all impressive.

The glacier terrain creates unique skiing conditions. Nick from Croatia points out: "the slopes are well maintained although the fact that it is a glacier means there is often a covering of snow on sheet ice!" For those looking to venture beyond the marked runs, Hintertux offers decent off-piste opportunities (4.00/5).

A user who is an advanced snowboarder said Hintertux offers "such great views and a wonderful place to snowboard," while Matthew, an expert snowboarder from Canada, was "very impressed with the lift and gondola infrastructure" and found "the amount of area to explore was amazing."

Hintertux receives a solid score for eating out (3.88/5). Our users frequently mention the quality of mountain dining, with Graham, an advanced skier, highlighting the "excellent value for money in the restaurants."

The resort offers typical Austrian mountain fare, with Ian noting that "food in the restaurant is the usual fare for Austria." Louise appreciates the "good restaurants on the mountain," and John mentions that "lunch is available at a reasonable price."

The dining options seem to satisfy most visitors, with Frank praising the "awesome food and culture" while Anca from Romania simply states that the "food is great." For those staying longer, there are "plenty of restaurants" available according to Mark, an expert skier.

Hintertux scores respectably for après-ski (4.06/5), though it's not the wildest party destination in the Alps. Frank describes the après scene as "decent," while John mentions a "good atmosphere in the apres ski bars." Anca from Romania finds the "apres skis are very cozy."

Niko, an advanced skier from Slovenia, offers a more tempered view: "Not many bars available to go to, there is only one bar that has apres ski parties." For those seeking a livelier nightlife, Ben suggests: "Hintertux is not a massive apres scene and is a relatively small village, however 20 minutes down the valley is Mayrhofen. There are shuttle buses included with ski passes so anyone looking for a party should stay in Hof and use bus up to the ski zones in the morning."

Mark adds that "it's hard to miss the bars at the bottom for some fun Après," suggesting that while concentrated, the après options are accessible and enjoyable.

Hintertux shines when it comes to family friendliness (4.31/5). The resort offers excellent ski school quality (4.25/5), making it an ideal spot for families with children learning to ski.

Frank simply states that Hintertux is "family friendly," while Marta notes there are "a few nice school options for beginners." Kirsty shares a more personal experience: "Been going since our daughter was 4 for amazing ski lessons, now 15, no need for lessons. Same hotel for 11 years, incredible staff, wonderful hotel Tirolerhof... genuine hospitality and ski area amazing."

The resort's wide, well-groomed pistes provide safe learning environments, and the variety of blue and red runs allows families with different ability levels to enjoy skiing together. The efficient lift system minimises waiting times, which is particularly beneficial when skiing with children.

Hintertux offers strong accommodation options (4.31/5) according to our community. Mark mentions that "there's a lot of variety of accom available," suggesting options to suit different budgets and preferences.

The accommodation tends to receive positive reviews, with Graham describing it as "great" and others mentioning specific long-term stays. John notes there are a "small number of fantastic hotels nearby," indicating quality over quantity in the immediate vicinity.

Most accommodation is located within reasonable distance to the lifts, and the free shuttle buses mentioned by several users make accessing the slopes convenient even if not staying slope-side. David specifically recommends to "use the free shuttle bus to get to and from the glacier gondola station."

The small village setting means most amenities are within walking distance, creating a convenient base for your ski holiday.

As a glacier resort, Hintertux faces unique environmental challenges. The resort has implemented several measures to protect its fragile alpine environment, including careful glacier management techniques and monitoring systems to track ice melt patterns.

Energy efficiency initiatives include modernising the lift system to reduce power consumption while maintaining the high lift efficiency (4.67/5) that users praise. The free shuttle bus service mentioned by several users helps reduce individual car journeys and associated emissions.

While specific environmental certifications aren't widely promoted, the resort's focus on year-round tourism rather than extensive expansion helps minimize additional infrastructure development on the sensitive glacier environment.