My favorite Austrian ski resort, Hintertux

    Hintertux is the name of a glacier situated 3476 m above sea level in the Zillertal valley of Tyrol and the little village at its foot. The great attraction is that here you can find snow all year round and the area offers panoramic views and great outdoor activities.

The lifts can take you up to 3250 m and that’s plenty enough to see all the mountain peaks in the area. Being an all year round resort Hintertux has lots of pistes and some of them turn into hiking trails in summer but as you have snow in summer too some slopes are still opened for skiing and snowboarding. There are around 225 km of slopes and over 60 lifts out of which 18 km of slopes and 9 lifts are functional in the warmer seasons too.

The glacier, as this is the first thing you would see, is the top attraction here. The snow that has fallen here for centuries turned into ice which is so thick that can reach up to 120m and it is 4.1 km long. It is similar to the glaciers at the Poles and the good thing about it is that you don’t have to go far to see it. Even if the glacier is positioned on the mountain it moves just like the glaciers on water. You can go on a “Glacier Circuit" that lasts about an hour and explore the area with an expert guide you will get from the bottom to the top a difference of altitude of 1500m in a 72 km distance. You will learn about the glacier’s history and how it was formed. When you get to the top you will experience a great panoramic view. The return trip will be made with the chair lift. The tour is just as fascinating in summer and even more you can hike the trails and enjoy the 360 degree panorama as much as you want.

You can go on another all year round tour and see the Spannagel cave rich in stalagmites and stalactites, crystals and other interesting formations. The cave is 10 km long and it is the largest rock cave in Tyrol.

The lifts, cable cars and gondolas are of top quality and comfort ant they are designed to take you safely in a lots of spots throughout the area. They are all new and among the best in the world. The stars are 2 and Sommerberg. The first, Glacier Bus 3 is the pride and joy of the resort as it is the highest bi-cable cable car in the world taking people to the altitude of 3250 m starting from 2660 m and it is fast too as it covers the distance from the Tuxer Fernerhaus to the Frozen Wall in five minutes. Its sister gondola Glacier Bus 2 covers the route from Sommerbergalm to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. It can take up to 18 people to the destination in 6 minutes. A somewhat smaller is Sommerberg cable car with 8 seats covering the route lower Hintertux and Sommerbergalm. With these three at work people are at constant move around the area and visiting the place is a sheer pleasure because it offers comfort at such a high altitude while the panorama is breathtaking. It is just as you would see it from a plane but much better!

Once on top there is a terrace at 3250m offering a 360 degree view on the area. It is a delight to be here and you will really feel at the top of the world without much effort actually it can be without any effort as the cable cars are designed in such a way as to take you from the parking lot directly to the summit without having to climb any stairs which makes it perfect for handicapped persons. This is a really important feature of the place and physically impaired people see it as a gift from heaven!

At the Terrace you can look at Leonhard Tipotsch’s masterpiece called "Elements" referring to the elements that make up or world air, earth, water and fire.

Located at different altitudes there are plenty of restaurants where you can have a bite while looking at the panorama and meeting with your friends. There is the Panorama Restaurant Sommerberg built in a round shape with windows all around, a quite cozy little restaurant offering a rich menu. Another one is the Tuxer Fernerhaus, a bit more modern and much larger with prices that are not very high.

Hintertux is not a place exclusive for the adults, kids will have a lot of fun too as there is the Glacier Flea "Luis" located on the glacier, a playground functioning in summer from July to September. Kids will love it.

Austria - overview

1. Jan 6, 2008 Great ski resorts in the Austrian Zurs and Lech (Zurs)
2. Jan 9, 2008 Zurs, the home of winter sports (Zurs)
3. Feb 2, 2008 My favorite Austrian ski resort (Hintertux)
4. Feb 2, 2008 Hiking and white snow in Zell am See und Kaprun (Zell Am See)  ( 2)
5. Feb 5, 2008 Zauchensee, a great ski resort in Austria (Altenmarkt/Zauchensee)  ( 3)
6. Feb 7, 2008 St. Anton am Arlberg, a wonderful mountain village (Sankt Anton Am Arlberg)
7. Feb 7, 2008 Come to ski in the charming Villach (Villach)
8. Feb 8, 2008 Ski vacation in Austria (Obertauern)
9. Feb 13, 2008 The best ski resort in Austria (Radstadt)

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Read about Hintertux in our travel-guide