Winter Sports in the Alps: Kühtai, Tyrol, Austria
As you might know, I'm living in the heart of the Alps, so it is only natural for me to be a winter sports enthusiast. This series about ski resorts has come to life more than a year ago, but I think it is important to stay up to date, which is why this is now the updated 2020 version including much more information and research and new pictures to make sure you know what to expect from each resort before heading there.
From Innsbruck, you need about 40 minutes to reach this resort. This makes it one of the resorts that are not too close to the city of Innsbruck to be packed with locals all the time, but still close enough to get away from the buzz in the city any time you want to. Especially on Saturdays, when most of the locals head to the Axamer Lizum, I recommend spending 15 minutes longer to go to this resort instead. However, also in the Kühtai it can get quite busy on beautiful winter weekends. I love to head there during bad weather conditions, as the snow conditions are magical then, but you shouldn’t do so if you are new to skiing or snowboarding.
The resort is located at the end of the Sellrain valley and is spread over two mountain sides; depending on the time of day, there’s always at least one side in the sun and other slopes in the shadows, which prevents the sun from melting the snow completely on warmer days and during short winter days you won’t be skiing in the shadow after lunch break. Both sides offer great slopes, but I personally prefer spending the morning on the southern/eastern side and switching over to the northern/western one after or for lunch.
Talking about lunch, let's get right to the most important part of a great adventurous day on the slopes: the food. As the slopes are surrounding the village Kühtai, you have various options to choose from. But of course, it is even better if you don't have to leave the slopes and head for the village to have a break. If you want to do so, you can choose between 3 different huts: the Kaiser Max Hütte, the Drei Seen Hütte and the Graf Ferdinand Haus. The Kaiser Max hut is located on the western side, while the other two huts are on the eastern mountain range. All these huts are not particularly big, so during high season and on a day with excellent conditions, finding a free table might be a challenge, but I never had to wait longer than a few minutes. My personal favourite is the Kaiser Max hut, for no particular reason.
In the Kühtai you can also go night skiing and they even offer a shuttle service picking you up in Innsbruck and dropping you off there again afterwards. And if your hotel is located in the village, you most likely are able to go from the slopes to your front door directly with your skies. Definitely something that makes a holiday even nicer. The resort is also famous for its great opportunities for people who enjoy fun parks or ski touring, but stay safe and know your limits, as accidents can happen really quickly when people cause avalanches by ignoring warnings (always check the avalanche alert levels when going off the slopes!) or do not know their limits. During high season, there are few weeks without getting notice of people getting trapped under avalanches, simply because they overestimate themselves. If you stay on the slopes, nothing will happen to you, but if you decide to head to the unsecured mountainous area, you should be a professional.
Especially in the last years, I’ve become a big fan of this resort, as it is not too far from Innsbruck and therefore not too crowded and it offers a very pretty view where you can enjoy the slopes and see nothing but mountains surrounding you. The drive through the Sellrain valley is definitely worth it! But keep in mind that you might need snow chains for your car depending on the weather conditions. Another fact I admire, besides the great snow conditions, is that you can buy tickets for less than a day (morning or afternoon), and believe me, if you get there as soon as the resort opens and ski or snowboard non-stop until 1 o’clock, you’ll be more than exhausted and it’s really worth the money.
If you are planning on heading to the Kühtai, I recommend you check out the link below to get directed to their official website, where you can obtain all the latest information about snow, weather and road conditions.
The INNSBRUCK CARD (summer only!), SNOW CARD TIROL & FREIZEIT TICKET TIROL are valid for this resort.
If you, instead, are not sure about which ski resort to choose for your next adventure, head to the link below to read about many more resorts that have different kinds of advantages. If you cannot find the resort you are looking for, leave a comment with your suggestion or write me a message.
Little disclaimer: none of these posts are sponsored. Sponsored posts are clearly marked and if you are curious about how I handle that, I suggest you read about that here.