scheffau ski area
Scheffau may be less well-known as a place for people to stay in the SkiWelt area, but it is one of the first places that many visitors head for once they strap on the skis.
The north-facing exposure of the long runs means that the best snow in the area is often found on the runs on the Brandstadl area above the village.
Scheffau Ski Area (not including other resorts)
Gondola : 3
Chairlifts: 7
Draglifts: 5
skiing in scheffau
Scheffau's skiing is reached via one of two gondolas which both head up to the main Brandstadl area - the four-seater one on the right heads straight to the top of the mountain, while the eight-seater has an intermediate stop at the Neualm.
Beginners' lifts and easy slopes are located at the top of this area with some gentle runs down to the complex of lifts directly on the other side from the gondola stations. The Osthang chairlift returns people to the Brandstadl, while the twin Eiberg chairlifts give access to short runs with normally excellent snow, as well as being the start of the route across to the Hochbrixen area and further to Söll, Hopfgarten and Itter.
Those heading in that direction would want to take the long and enjoyable red run to the base of the Aualm chair. From the top here it is possible to ski all the way over to the base of the Kalbersalve chairlift in Hochbrixen which is the vital lift to take to get into the area above Söll.
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Off to the left-hand side of the Brandstadl area are the complex of lifts which lead over to Ellmau, as well as a group of easy intermediate runs. Again it is an easy run down from the Brandstadl to the Kaiserexpress chairlift which heads up to the Hartkaiser and the main Ellmau area.
At the right-hand end of the Brandstadl the top of the Sudhang chairlift can be seen and this somewhat isolated lift has a couple of sunny red runs underneath.
Schaffau's pride and joy, however, are the runs back down to the village. There are red or blue options which head through forest, across meadows and past tiny farming settlements high in the hills - all the time with fabulous views across to the Wilder Kaiser mountains on the other side of the valley.
Those who don't wish to head all the way down to the bottom can use the intermediate station of the gondola to get back up to the Brandstadl lift.
Another option for the experienced skier is the off-piste ski route which heads down to Scheffau from near the top of the Sudhang lift - care should obviously be taken with snow conditions and warning signs if attempting this popular route.
ski rental in scheffau
Our ski equipment rental partners Skiset offer big discounts on resort prices for online bookings in advance.
Visitors booking through Ski-Austria get an additional 5% reduction on the prices by using the code 'alpineconcepts':
scheffau ski photos
scheffau webcam
The live webcam stream below is taken from the Brandstadl restaurant.