Ellmau

Ellmau Ski Resort

The family friendly resort of Ellmau has great access to the vast 284km network of slopes that make up the Ski Welt – a fantastic area of linked, intermediate-friendly pistes.

Ellmau sits on the northern edge of the vast Ski Welt, one of the world’s largest linked ski areas. A seriously impressive lift system will take you across the Hartkaiser mountain towards the resorts of Scheffau, Söll, Hopfgarten, Westendorf and Brixen im Thale. Most of the terrain is suited to beginners and intermediates, but following fresh snowfall there is some decent off piste to be found through the trees. Although the ski area is all under 2000m, one of the most powerful snowmaking systems in the Alps ensures decent on piste coverage throughout the winter.

The traditional village makes for a great base for families, especially as there is a nice pod of gentle runs and beginner slopes located right above it. It is also a very affordable resort, both in terms of the accommodation on offer and up on the hill for food and drink.

Our Ellmau Resort Ratings

• Beginner ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
• Intermediate ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
• Advanced ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Snow Reliability ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
• Fast Lifts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
• Resort Activities ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
• Après ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
• Value ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Ellmau Skiing and Snowboarding

Just above the village lies one of Austria’s best beginner zones. Several draglifts and magic carpets are all located on gentle slopes that are now reliably covered in snowmaking thanks to heavy recent investment in snow machines. From here there is great progression on to longer blues and by the end of the ski week, much of the Ski Welt will be skiable.

The rest of the area is a vast network of wide, well-groomed and tree-lined blues and reds. This makes it a great resort for bad weather skiing, especially as a lot of the lifts have protective bubbles and seat heating. The sense of travel is excellent, but it must be noted that the challenges for advanced and expert skiers are somewhat limited, unless there has been fresh snowfall.

• Total Pistes: 284km
• Blue: 43%
• Red: 45%
• Black: 12%
• Lifts: 90
• Altitude: 620m – 1927m

Ellmau Piste Map

The local area map can be downloaded here.

Ellmau Resort

Like many Austrian resorts, the village itself is traditional, relaxed and extremely well suited to families. It's an affordable base with plenty of off slope activities, including the KaiserBad leisure centre, a good network of winter walking trails, some great tobogganing routes and some excellent restaurants.

There is a lot of family-friendly accommodation to choose from in Ellmau, or in the small hamlets in the valley nearby. These are connected by a good ski bus service, so do consider outside options if the main resort is full – you are also likely to save some money if you do so.

How to get to Ellmau

Both Salzburg and Innsbruck airports are around an hour and a half away by car from Ellmau, perhaps less on a good run. Munich is a good alternative, sitting around two hours to north. Public transport options are available from all three, but transfer times are a good deal longer.

• Innsbruck airport: 1.5 hours (driving) or 2.5 hours (public transport)
• Salzburg airport: 1.5 hours (driving) or 2.5 hours (public transport)
• Munich airport: 2 hours (driving) or 3 hours (public transport)
• Calais: approximately 13 hours driving (673 miles)

Ellmau Contact Details

• Website: www.skiwelt.at
• Email: office@skiwelt.at
• Telephone: +43 0533 3400
• Facebook: @SkiWelt
• Instagram: @skiweltwilderkaiserbrixental
• Twitter: @SkiWelt1