Mountain Layout — Skiing

Here is a larger, more detailed map.

The best skiing is concentrated in the valley headed by Söll which includes Itter, Scheffau, Ellmau and finally Going. Around the mountains, in the Brixental valley, you will find Hopfgarten, Kelchsau, Westendorf and Brixen im Thale. All but Westendorf and Kelchsau are on an intercon-nected circuit. Free bus service is provided from Westen-dorf, providing skiers with a two-valley network of lifts and hundreds of trails.

Ellmau/Going access to the slopes is via a high-speed quad, a train or a double chair. Taking the high-speed lift is the best bet. At the top there are two six-seat high-speed chairlifts that fill the backside of the Hartkaiser with intermediate skiers.

One thing you will realize quickly is that this region has made a concerted effort to build fast efficient access to the mountains. What they may lack in expert terrain, them make up in speed to the slopes. There are still drag lifts, but you can ski all day, stick to the chairlifts and never need to take a T-bar.

About a 15-minute walk from Söll (connected by a frequent and free shuttle), an eight-passenger gondola carries skiers up the mountain. Further access to the skiing area is provided by the four-passenger gondola of Itter and the eight-passenger gondola of Hopfgarten.

Good parallel skiers should do the SkiWelt tour, which begins and ends in Söll (of course you can begin and end wherever you want to). Skiers work their way up and down the ridges, visiting Itter, Hopfgarten, the out-skirts of Brixen, then back up to Zinsberg, and fi-nally back to Brandstadl and over to Hartkaiser, stopping along the way in Scheffau, Ellmau and perhaps Going.

There is also good night skiing and riding in Söll. It’s available from Wednesday to Saturday from 7:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m.

Westendorf skiers need to take a bus to the gondola in Brixen im Thale to reach the flanks of Hohe Salve. From the top of the gondola, a six-person high-speed lift makes the final ascent. The slopes above the town are also quite good. They have a vertical drop of around 1,500 feet and the gondola links with a quad chairlift, a triple and a couple of old single chairs to open up some nice high terrain that holds snow quite well. In fact, when conditions stink in the rest of the region, Westendorf gets packed with riders and skiers.

Mountain rating
The Wilder Kaiser is intermediate country with a capi-tal “I.” You can head down any slope without hesitation and enjoy moderately challenging, well-groomed runs. A fine place to hone your skiing skills. Not recommended for the demanding skier craving black-trail thrills.