Skiing in Zell am See
1240 m
Zell am See Ski Area Overview
The skiing is almost as big as the resort’s reputation – it’s become a favourite because of the spectacular views from the mountain onto the lake and the raucous nightlife in the busy town below. The Schmittenhöhe is certainly an interesting ski area with a good range of runs, but the neighbouring resort of Kaprun adds another medium-sized ski area and the attraction of snow-sure skiing on the glacier.
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Piste Distribution
Gondolas 33%
Chairlifts 37%
Drag Lifts 11%
Other Lifts 19%Ski Rentals in Zell am See
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Skiing in Zell am See - Details
Zell am See’s skiing can be accessed from a number of lifts, but the most convenient point for many people is likely to be the CityXpress gondola, which, as its name suggests, leaves from the centre of the town.
The lift takes skiers to an open area with an easy draglift for beginners and a mountain restaurant. The Hirschkogel chair can be taken further up the hill to link in with the Schüttdorf side or to head on up to the top of the hill. The City Express also offers access to the Schmittenhöhe cable car via a slow and flat blue run or a speedier but harder black run.
The Schüttdorf side has lengthy intermediate runs down to the village and the higher slopes can be accessed again by the different stages of the Areit gondola.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the summit of the Schmittenhöhe can seem like an unattainable goal from this side. The answer to finding the way to the top is to take the traverse to the lifts at the back of the peak, or alternatively to head down to the bottom of the cable car, since none of the lifts on the left-hand side rise high enough to reach the summit.
If heading down to the base of the Schmittenhöhebahn, care should be taken as the easiest access is via various black runs. They are often well-groomed but can be extremely icy in bad conditions.
The top of the cable car boasts an outside bar and restaurant. along with a nearby chapel, which is regularly used as a romantic setting for wedding vows.
The Sonnkogel side offers a variety of intermediate runs and can be a little less crowded than the main slopes across the valley. The run to the base of the Schmittenhöhe is another black and the centre of the town can be reached again along a lengthy blue path.
Zell am See - Ski Map
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Zell am See live Webcam
Weather Forecast
Plan your ski days with up-to-date weather conditions. Temperatures are in Celsius.
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Updated 07.10.2026 18:00 · Data: GeoSphere Austria · CC BY 4.0
Zell am See Snow History
The historical data was accummulated at mid mountain ski resort level and uses official Geosphere Austria data. At base level you can expect less snow and higher temperatures, at the summit level you can expect more snow and lower temperatures.
| Season | Total snowfall | Snow days | Avg temp (min–max) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 139 cm | 21 | -3° to 5° |
| 2024/25 | 100 cm | 28 | -3° to 6° |
| 2023/24 | 236 cm | 42 | -2° to 5° |
| 2022/23 | 113 cm | 30 | -3° to 4° |
| 2021/22 | 197 cm | 34 | -4° to 4° |
Mid-mountain point · snowfall is a modelled estimate
Snow Depth Over Season
Temperature
New snow
estimated from snow-depth gains
Sunshine
Show the figures
| Period | Snow depth (typ & range) | Temp mean (min–max) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1 | 0.6 (0 – 1.5) cm | 4.7° (0.5 to 8.9) |
| Nov 12 | 8.2 (0 – 47.2) cm | 2.2° (-1.6 to 5.9) |
| Nov 22 | 16.1 (0 – 43.8) cm | -1° (-4.5 to 2.5) |
| Dec 1 | 27.2 (10 – 56.5) cm | -2.1° (-5.3 to 1.1) |
| Dec 12 | 30.6 (4.2 – 81.1) cm | 0° (-3.3 to 3.4) |
| Dec 22 | 36.6 (0.5 – 105.9) cm | -0.9° (-4.1 to 2.4) |
| Jan 1 | 37.8 (3.6 – 110.4) cm | -3.2° (-6.7 to 0.3) |
| Jan 12 | 42.8 (14.7 – 113.3) cm | -3.2° (-7.1 to 0.6) |
| Jan 22 | 43.3 (12.2 – 100.3) cm | -1.4° (-5.1 to 2.2) |
| Feb 1 | 51.7 (9.5 – 100.9) cm | -0.7° (-4.5 to 3) |
| Feb 12 | 48.1 (8.4 – 100.6) cm | -0.5° (-4.6 to 3.6) |
| Feb 22 | 44.1 (0.3 – 102.4) cm | 1.1° (-2.9 to 5) |
| Mar 1 | 38.3 (0.2 – 97.9) cm | 0.9° (-3.4 to 5.3) |
| Mar 12 | 32.4 (0.4 – 87) cm | 1.7° (-2.4 to 5.7) |
| Mar 22 | 23.1 (2 – 62.4) cm | 2.2° (-2.1 to 6.4) |
| Apr 1 | 13.9 (0.3 – 48.5) cm | 3.3° (-1.5 to 8.1) |
| Apr 12 | 5.5 (0 – 20.6) cm | 5° (0.8 to 9.3) |
| Apr 22 | 2.3 (0 – 14) cm | 6.3° (1.5 to 11.1) |
| Period | New snow (typ & range) | Sunshine (typ & range) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 1 | 2.6 (0 – 8) cm | 4.6 (3.1 – 7.3) h |
| Nov 12 | 16.3 (0 – 74) cm | 3.1 (1.3 – 4.8) h |
| Nov 22 | 14.4 (0 – 41) cm | 2.6 (1.6 – 5.5) h |
| Dec 1 | 19.1 (6 – 38) cm | 2 (0.9 – 3.3) h |
| Dec 12 | 9.7 (0 – 49) cm | 2.6 (1.6 – 4.3) h |
| Dec 22 | 17.1 (2 – 39) cm | 2.9 (1.9 – 4.2) h |
| Jan 1 | 11.6 (4 – 23) cm | 2.7 (1.6 – 3.4) h |
| Jan 12 | 7.6 (1 – 24) cm | 3.6 (1.2 – 4.7) h |
| Jan 22 | 12.7 (0 – 29) cm | 3.2 (1.4 – 4) h |
| Feb 1 | 16.3 (0 – 48) cm | 3.6 (2.6 – 5.8) h |
| Feb 12 | 10.4 (0 – 45) cm | 4.1 (1.7 – 6) h |
| Feb 22 | 7 (0 – 15) cm | 4.3 (2.4 – 7.7) h |
| Mar 1 | 4 (0 – 19) cm | 4.8 (1.9 – 7.8) h |
| Mar 12 | 5.4 (0 – 26) cm | 4.2 (1.4 – 6.3) h |
| Mar 22 | 6.3 (0 – 20) cm | 4.8 (2 – 7.8) h |
| Apr 1 | 2 (0 – 7) cm | 5.9 (3.3 – 9.5) h |
| Apr 12 | 4.6 (0 – 16) cm | 4.3 (1.4 – 7.4) h |
| Apr 22 | 0.9 (0 – 6) cm | 6.1 (3.4 – 9.6) h |
Seasons 2019/20–2025/26 (7 winters) · Mid-mountain point · Data: GeoSphere Austria · CC BY 4.0 · Updated 02.08.2026
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