Skiing in Austria: The best ski areas for children

Under the designation family resort, people are looking for smaller ones, where there are fewer people and more peace. However, even a number of large resorts with almost 300 kilometers of slopes can offer families with children excellent conditions. Active people will find more different attractions and can also try sports that are not readily available elsewhere.

Proven Austrian ski resorts suitable for children were selected by the Austrian National Tourist Office. The listed prices are valid for a basic one-day ski pass for an adult, purchased at the ticket office on site and in the main season. The exchange rate of 25.40 crowns per euro was used for the conversion. In the case of online purchase in advance, the price can be much lower. The good news is the localization of the websites of a number of centers into Czech.

The ski resort on the Austrian side of the Šumava, or Böhmerwald, in Upper Austria is one of the most accessible from the Czech Republic among its southern neighbors. In recent years, Hochficht focused its services specifically on families with children. For greater safety, ski mountaineering is also prohibited here. The resort is located at a snow-stable altitude of 930–1338 meters, the longest slope is 3.4 kilometers long. The staff in the local cottages often speak Czech.

The modern and comfortable cable car for 10 people, leading to the top of the Reischlberg mountain, has an intermediate station right next to the beginner zone. It is equipped with a covered conveyor belt for children. There is a large children’s world at the cable car’s valley station. Children can enjoy the fun here, while their parents supervise them from the family cafe. Amusement tracks with giant waves are scattered around the area, you can also find a comic slalom here.

The area is located in Salzburg in a natural basin, where skiers will not lose sight of each other. They can still meet at cable car stations or in a panoramic mountain restaurant.

The little ones will learn to ski with the local animal mascots. Older and more skilled children can ride on training lifts and slopes in the valley and in the children’s areas of ski schools. They also include a ski carousel and a conveyor belt. In short, not even the most skilled ones will come.

On the measured Speedcheck track, family members can test who is the fastest on skis. You can also be filmed on the Skimovie-slope after loading your ski pass. You can then view the video in the Skiline-App application, which is free and from which you can send the video to family or friends.

This large Tyrolean resort offers skiing with panoramic views of the Wilder Kaiser mountains with more than 70 three thousand peaks in the background. Wide and moderate pistes with a large proportion of blue ones offer ideal conditions for family skiing. There are also children’s amusement parks and about 20 children’s ski schools. Families can also have fun on three toboggan runs, one of which also operates in the evening.

The largest evening skiing in Austria offers 10 kilometers of illuminated slopes. In the price list for the off-season, family ski weeks can be interesting, in which children under 15 can ski for free on the same date when purchasing at least a three-day ski pass for their parents.

In Lower Austria, just 150 kilometers from Vienna, lies the Hochkar ski area, the largest of those in the foothills of the Alps. The altitude of 1300–1800 meters and the distribution on the northern slopes promises a decent guarantee of sufficient snow. The slopes are dominated by four-seater cable cars.

The Kinderland children’s park offers the smallest skiers fun and action during their first turns. There are two conveyor belts, the longer one is covered, the shorter one can be used for free. In addition, the JoSchi ski and snowboard school is right next door. People of all ages can learn in it, and in addition to the basics, freeride and racing are also trained here.

The Ski amadé resort, which includes the slopes of eight mountains including the popular Schladming-Dachstein resort, offers the largest ski area suitable for children in Styria. Little beginners will find eight adventure slopes here, and the big playful mascots will entertain them.

An example of activities for children is the children’s park with three conveyor belts at the Hauser Kaibling valley station. Another one called Hopsi operates in Schladming, skiers are transported here by the Hopsi-Express cable car. A children’s park can also be found on the Reiteralm. The children’s area Riesneralm is particularly huge, which is the size of seven football fields. Children can also have fun in the Gallic ski village in Michaelerberg-Pruggern.

In Galsterberg, Hochwurzen or Rittisberg and Reiteralm, there is evening sledding on some days. In the center, you can also try biathlon, curling or riding a bicycle with a fat tire called a fatbike in various places. In some seasons, you can diversify your stay with a trip to the 2,700-meter-high Dachstein mountain with a glacier cave or a suspension bridge over the abyss, but in the 2023/24 season, the cable car to the glacier is closed.

The Katschberg ski area in Carinthia with the highest point 2220 meters above sea level is equipped for the needs of the whole family. More than 30 slopes are served by 17 cable cars and lifts. Children can have fun in the Katschi’s Kinderwelt area, on the closed children’s slopes and with cheerful characters.

A toboggan run or snow tubing is available in the area, and evening skiing is available every Thursday. If you don’t want to carry your skis on foot to the slopes, you can have them picked up from the hotel by a stylish horse-drawn carriage.