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Pitztal might be one of Austria’s smaller and lesser-known resorts, but we believe it is a hidden treasure with untapped potential. Known for its quiet slopes and great snow quality, this is the ideal destination for a unique touring experience.
What's Included
What’s included
- Return transfers
- Half board for 7 nights
- 6 days with guides
- Transceiver if required
What’s not included
- Flights
- Lunches
- Ski Passes
- Ski/boot hire
- Backpack, shovel & probe (mandatory)
On Snow Experience
This trip will be focussed on day touring and will include climbing to access the untouched off piste terrain. The holiday includes six full days with mountain guides. Groups will be organised based on ski level, and there will be up to 6 members in each group. At the end of the week, you will receive an updated grading from your Ski Club Rep. This holiday is aimed at Purple and Gold off piste skiers. Is it essential that guests have the correct ski profile for this holiday, as well as a good level of fitness, and some previous ski touring experience before booking.
Pitztal is another ‘undiscovered gem’ in the Ski Club’s Freshtracks brochure. It’s about an hour from Innsbruck yet tucked up the quiet valley is Austria’s highest ski area with lifts going up to 3440m. The pistes are mostly reds and blues and there is some easy off piste to the sides. However, the best of Pitztal’s off piste slopes are accessible only by skinning away from the lifts, and these magnificent pitches, rarely skied out, are well worth the effort. Rest and recuperation is to be found in the Hotel Sonnblick, one of the best hotels used by Freshtracks – big rooms, cosy bar and excellent food.
Duncan Spink SCGB Rep
Guides and Ski Club Reps (see Essential Info for specific holidays)
Raphael Eiter
STATE-CERTIFIED MOUNTAIN AND SKI GUIDE
Globetrotter. Freerider. Father.
Raphael originates from a long-established family of mountain guides. Therefore it was clear for Raphael which way of life he will choose. In 2009 he graduated as a mountain and ski guide and became also a certified canyoning guide. From now on he began to discover the world. First, he worked as a ski guide at the famous Arlberg, then as a heliski-guide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He also guided clients to the Kilimanjaro in Eastern Africa and to many summits in the Western Alps. His passion is freeride skiing. For more than ten years he organises together with his cousin Philipp the spectacular freeride contest “Pitztal Wild Face”, which is a 2** Qualifier Event of the Freeride World Tour. When he is not in the mountains or making plans for new projects, he’s paying all his attention to his wife and his two sons.
Kim Moss
I started skiing reasonably late in the day compared to many when I could afford to take myself. It took me 3 trips before I could say I was hooked and have since loved all the different trips over the years. I did the reps course back in 2011 which opened a large window into adventures to new places and with new friends. Since, I have resort repped but particularly enjoy the Freshtracks off-piste trips and have been lucky enough to have repped on most of them. I enjoy all types of skiing: cruising the blues; the escapism of skinning and the reward of the off-piste as well as end of season spring skiing in the sunshine. Mountain food and mountain party rate pretty highly too. At home I still work but also spend quite a bit of time doing physical activity often on one bike or another.
Patrick Usborne
Skiing is more than a passion but part of who I am. Exploring the mountains moving far from the confines of any resort, especially on skins creates my favourite skiing days. Skiing to me is about adventure and finding those pockets of untracked powder snow, or working with the sun to ski perfect spring snow. Whatever the snow conditions, being out in the wilderness with a team creates the perfect skiing days.
Caroline Elliott
My time spent in Austria as a child on family ski holidays ignited my passion for the mountains. When I said to my brother early on that I wanted to be a ski instructor, he scoffed at this and said that I couldn't make a living from it. Since leaving uni I slipped back into where my heart lay and have been working on and off in the Snowsport's industry ever since. I started working as a ‘Pisteur Secouriste’ in France in 2007, later aided by my beautiful furry pal, Fjord the flat coated retriever, trained and qualified in Avalanche SAR. No longer with us he remains in the hearts of many having been such an incredible soul, and now lives on in my children's book 'Fjord's Mountain Mission'.
I'm a powder hound, 'scuse the pun, but equally I love sliding off into the backcountry to ski tour in the folds of nature's arms. I really enjoy being with others who are keen to share the mountain experience and at the same time respect this unique environment.
Maybe see you one day à bientôt!
Find out more about this trip ...
We are ATOL and ABTOT protected so you can book with confidence knowing your money is secure.
Our holidays are a great way to meet and ski with other members of a similar ability to you.
Have questions? Call now and talk to our friendly team of holiday experts on 020 8410 2022.
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Prices include
7 nights half board, 4* hotel, twin share, coach transfers, 6 days with mountain guides
Prior to booking it is essential that you have the correct ski profile for your holiday. See our profiles here.
We are busy putting together our incredible range of Freshtracks holidays for the 2025/26 season, ready to go on sale in mid-July 2025. Please check back them, and don't forget to request your 2025/26 Freshtracks brochure!
Book with confidence - the Ski Club is ABTOT and ATOL protected
Hotel Sonnblick
You’ll be staying at the Hotel Sonnblick 4*, a great hotel located in the Pitztal Valley and the ideal base from which to explore the ski touring terrain each day. You will be staying on a half board basis, meaning breakfast and dinner will be provided by the hotel. This holiday is on a twin share basis. If you are a solo traveller, then you will be placed in a room with someone of the same gender. Single rooms may be available upon request. These are subject to our hotel room allowance. If you require a single room, please book early to avoid disappointment.
The hotel is excellent with great rooms and food, I would say one of the best I have been to on a freshtracks holiday (and I have done most of them!). There are nice bars at the bottom of the slopes for a drink when finished for the day, some are lively and some are quiet. The town, however is very quiet and there is really nothing other than the hotel itself.
Ewen Ferguson SCGB Rep
Hotel Sonnblick, Pitztal
Plangeross 45, 6481 Plangeroß, Austria
Phone: +43 5413 86204
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Travel Information
Flights are not included on this holiday, however group transfers will be arranged to/from Innsbruck Airport. The transfer times are the same for Week 1 & Week 3, but are slightly different for Week 2. Please see options below:
TBC for Winter 26/27
The group transfer will take approximately 1.5 hours. For all holidays, your Rep will meet you in the arrivals hall at Innsbruck Airport (they will be wearing their Ski Club jacket).
Please do not book your flights until the hotel has been confirmed to run. Please contact the Freshtracks office on 020 8410 2022 in order to discuss this further.
Confirmation
Once the holiday has been confirmed, please send your flight details (flight numbers, arrival and departure time) to the Freshtracks Team via email to hols@skiclub.co.uk.
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What You Need to Know
The choice of ski touring skis is limited here so we recommend to bring your own.
If you do require ski hire, and would like a broader variety of options with guaranteed touring skis, we recommend renting in Innsbruck before your transfer.
If you would like to hire in resort, the options are either Sport Haus Pechtl Mandarfen or Intersport shop opposite the Rifflesee lift, both a short bus ride from the hotel, but tend to have very limited availability and variety.
As touring equipment availability is often limited, guests are required to contact the rental provider in advance to confirm availability should they need to hire equipment.
RECOMMENDED TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT
- Touring Skis and skins – (ensure good adhesive properties)
- 1 pair of ski crampons compatible with the binding system
- 1 pair of ski touring boots
- 1 pair of ski poles
- 1 avalanche transceiver *
- 1 shovel
- 1 probe
- 1 Day Touring Backpack
- 1 pair of lightweight crampons compatible with ski touring boots (for the March week)
- 1 alpine harness
- 1 thermos or water bottle (max. 1 litre)
- 1 pair of sunglasses
- 1 pair of ski goggles
- 1 small sunscreen
- 1 lip balm
- 1 mobile phone with charge
*Equipment that can be provided by the club. Please notify us via email with what you require
before departure so we can update the guide.
Additional
- Sun cream & Lip protection, Personal medical supplies inc anti-blister
plasters! - Passport; Tickets; Insurance; Phone; Chargers for all electronics
General Advice
It is as important not to overheat and to avoid sunburn as it is to keep warm. Therefore, try to choose light-weight, good quality equipment over heavier items. A clothing system based on layers is best – you can control your temperature much more easily than wearing one thick jacket. Avoid one piece ski suits, they are not suitable for ski mountaineering.
We recommend purchasing lift passes ahead of time online for up to a 30% discount. This resort uses dynamic purchasing, so purchasing more days than required can sometimes work out cheaper.
It is essential that guests purchase the lift pass for Pitztal Glescher and Rifflesee. Alternatively, they can be purchased in resort with the help of your Ski Club Rep.
To view prices and purchase a lift pass follow the link below:
This holiday is designed for skiers with at least a few weeks of ski touring experience.
The best preparation is long mountain walks over consecutive days. If that isn’t possible, regular running or jogging provides a good alternative. Gym training should focus on cardiovascular fitness and breathing efficiency, rather than strength work.
17 – 24 Jan 2027 : TBC
30 Jan – 6 Feb 2027 : TBC
14 Mar– 21 Mar 2027 : TBC
17 – 24 Jan 2027 : Rapheal Eiter & His Team
30 Jan – 6 Feb 2027 : Rapheal Eiter & His Team
14 Mar– 21 Mar 2027 : Rapheal Eiter & His Team
The hotel is a two‑minute walk from the bus stop, followed by a three‑minute bus ride to the lifts each day.
It is a condition of booking that you have valid and adequate snowsports insurance. It is your responsibility to ensure your policy provides cover for all the activities that you participate in during your holiday. We offer a Ski Club Insurance policy which provides the cover we require for all bookings. This policy can be found here: Ski Club Travel Insurance – Ski Club Of Great Britain.
If you decide to purchase insurance elsewhere, it is your responsibility to ensure that your policy provides cover as that of the Ski Club Insurance policy. The policy of insurance should provide cover for personal injury, death, medical and repatriation costs in the countries which you intend to visit, together with cover for loss of baggage and valuables, personal liability, delay, cancellation, curtailment, missed departure and legal expenses. The policy should also include cover against losses caused by the effects or consequences of Covid-19.
Due to the type of holidays that you will be booking with us, we also advise that your policy should include skiing off-piste without a guide. Please note, insurance premiums must be paid at the same time as booking in order for the package holiday or single service cancellation cover to be effective. It is also advised to keep your insurance details with you while you are on your holiday. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.
Passport – Check your passport is in date and valid for travel by checking the entry requirements for your destination country – you can see these here: Foreign travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For most European destinations your passport should:
- have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago
- have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area
Check your passport meets these requirements before you travel.
NB: Beginning in October 2025, how you pass through EU border controls will change. Find out more information about EES and ETIAS here.
When venturing off piste, it is compulsory to wear an avalanche transceiver. These can be provided by the Ski Club and should be worn by every person on every all mountain, off piste and touring holiday. Anyone joining these holidays will also be required to bring their own backpack, shovel and probe.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Any Member wishing to ski/snowboard with a Ski Club Group, in any of the resorts where the Ski Club is represented, agrees to do so under the following conditions:
- You appreciate that the Ski Club Rep is a volunteer with no formal qualifications as an instructor or mountain guide.
- You also appreciate that no other member of the group undertakes any obligations to you concerning your safety for which you remain solely responsible.
- You must ensure that your equipment is in good working order before setting off for the day and that you are suitably clothed for the proposed itinerary and all possible weather conditions.
- You must decide whether or not a particular run or route is within your competence.
- You must ensure that you are properly equipped for that day. If you are skiing off piste you must have a shovel, probe and transceiver, and know how to use them. If you are using a Ski Club transceiver, it is your sole responsibility to know how to use it.
- It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you are suitably insured for the activities intended to be undertaken.
Ready to book?
The network of pistes may be small, covering only 21km, but unlike many glacier ski areas, most of the runs are rated red and are steeper than in other places.
Reviews for this holiday(9)
Overall rating
Friendly and Helpful Staff
Richard, April 22, 2024
Excellent facilities. Friendly and helpful staff. Good food.
Excellent Food
Stephen, April 22, 2024
High quality family run hotel, excellent food and very friendly staff.
Very Helpful Guides
Richard, April 22, 2024
Felt very safe and confident in their abilities to guide. Very helpful. They also gave helpful skiing tips.
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