Ski Holidays in Zell Am Ziller, Austria

• Snow Conditions in Zell Am Ziller Austria +

  Snow report issued:	27th Mar 12
  Last snowed:	19th Mar 12
  Fresh snow depth:	5cm
  Depth at resort:	60cm
  Mountain depth:	130cm
  Piste state:
  Good (Spring conditions across the resort)
  Weather report:
  Clear skies providing great views
  Temperature:	2°C
  Open lifts:	49 of 49

  View Zell Am Ziller snow history

• Zell Am Ziller Resort Statistics+

  Slope Direction	S
  Very Easy Runs	0
  Easy Runs	17
  Medium Runs	42
  Difficult Runs	7
  Toughest Run Name
  Skiable Vertical	1164m
  Number Of Lifts	50
  Top Lift Height	1744m
  Night Skiing	N
  Snowboarding Parks	2
  Half Pipes	2
  Swimming Pools	1
  Night Clubs	2
  Mountain Restaurants	35

• Zell Am Ziller Piste Map+

  

• Zell Am Ziller Transfer Times+

  Innsbruck:	60 minutes
  Munich / München:	3 hours

Zell am Ziller is a small town in the heart of the Austrian Tyrol's beautiful Ziller Valley, which it shares with famous resorts like Mayrhofen (just 10km away) and the year-round ski area of the Tux glacier.

The village has a very long history (fifteenth century documentation shows travel advice recommending an inn in Zell), and was once a gold mining centre, but is now the main market town of the valley with a well developed year-round tourism industry.

Although the population of the resort is not much bigger than a medium sized village, its commercial
importance means that it has spread out to cover quite a large area with various business activities not directly associated with tourism.

Après ski lovers will be delighted to know the village is home to Austria's oldest private brewery.

The resort is one of the lowest in the Alps, but the lifts do rise high above to snowsure altitudes, and more than 40km (25 miles) of piste are covered with snow making, which provides snowcover so long as it's cold enough.

The local ski slopes are part of the larger and higher Zillertal Arena lift-linked pass, as well as the full Ziller Valley pass (available to those staying four days or more) which includes that snowsure ski area on the glacier.

The Zillertal arena pass was created in the late 1990s and links the ski areas of Gerlos, Konigsleiten and weald to those of Zell by ski lifts and pistes, creating one of Austria's largest ski areas.

• Skiing for Beginners+

  Zell am Ziller has two ski schools but no nursery slopes down in the valley, so it is a case of taking a bus in the morning to the gondola up on the Rosenalm where the nursery slopes are located.
  
  On the one hand this isn't terribly convenient compared to higher resorts where you can find nursery slopes a few steps from your accommodation door and you may not need to purchase a lift pass from day one, on the other hand the ski schools are friendly and professional so once the hassle factor is out of the way, this is as good a place to learn as anywhere.

• Intermediate Skiing+

  An excellent resort thanks to the lift connection to Gerlos which has opened up a huge ski area with the added excitement of being able to ski on and on from village to village, rather than just ski the same valleys on numerous different runs, as is the case with some big areas.
  
  Indeed, in the Zillertal arena you'll need to set off early in the day if you intend to ski all the way to the far end at Wald and Krimml and have time to get back during the day. More than two thirds of the terrain is graded intermediate with more than 60 runs to choose from.
  
  If that's not enough, the slopes around Mayrhofen, Finkenberg and Hintertux are a 15 minute bus ride away and included on your lift pass. The only downside is the lack of a ski run back down to Zell am Ziller, you need to take the gondola down at the end of the day.

• Advanced+

  Most of Zell's terrain is intermediate grade, but there is a steep sharp black option (run 8A) below the Sportbahn lift, one of seven in the wider Zillertal Arena. One of these is the connecting piste over to Gerlos beneath the Teufeltal quad chair, which cuts down through open powder fields.
  
  These extensive areas at the top of the mountains open up generous off-piste touring opportunities nearly 2000m above Zell, which you can tackle with a ski school guide.

• Snowboarding at Zell Am Ziller+

  With the Zillertal Arena linked up by a network of high speed chairs and gondolas, it is a very boarder friendly environment, as indeed is the whole Ziller Valley, with the nearby Tux glacier a year-round Mecca for boarders with its excellent terrain park, and additional high quality freestyle parks on the slopes above neighbouring Mayrhofen.
  
  Closer to home the freeriding above Zell can be excellent but Gerlos is the main centre on the Zillertal Arena pass for freestyle boarders. Its terrain park features a huge range of jumps, moguls, a wave ride, spine ramp and a World Cup standard halfpipe (120m long, 14m broad with 3m side walls).

• Other Activities And Facilities at Zell Am Ziller+

  Outdoor activities include winter walking, paragliding, winter mountaineering, sleigh rides, curling, 25km of cross country tracks (part of 280km in the Ziller Valley) and the longest illuminated sled run in the
  Ziller Valley at 7km (4.5 miles).
  
  The resort's 45.000 m² Leisure Park contains three indoor tennis courts, an ice rink where hockey matches are played and a modern sports bowling alley. Nearby Mayrhofen has a large indoor swimming pool complex and a cinema.
  
  In 2008 the resort added a downhill roller-coaster to its list of winter attractions. The Arena coaster is a metal roller coaster which you take the ski lift up to board at the top of the hill. You then descend 1450m of steep curves and travel through a 360° loop followed by a 540° loop to get the adrenaline pumping even more.
  
  The coaster descends 140m in total, reaching a maximum of nine metres above the ground and with the ride time of about six minutes. Children must be at least 10 years old to ride alone although younger children are allowed to ride with a parent.

• Apres Ski And Dining Out+

  Zell am Ziller's nightlife is largely based around the resort's large hotels in which most of the two dozen bars and restaurants are located. There are several lively bars at the base of the gondola which you need to take down the mountain at the end of the day, so these rapidly fill up with weary returning skiers and boarders.
  
  The hotel restaurants serve a good range of cuisine from pizza to gourmet, with Tyrolean favourites such as fondue and raclette widely available.

• Ski Holidays in Zell Am Ziller suitable for Families+

  Zell am Ziller's two ski schools operate ski kindergartens up on the Rosenalm. They accept children aged from two years who are potty trained, and have indoor facilities for play fun between ski lessons, or instead of ski lessons for those too young or not wishing to take to the slopes yet. For those that are, however, there's an easy to use conveyor belt lift for lessons on the nursery slope.