Ellmau in SkiWelt is well served by Munich, Innsbruck and Salzburg airports, all under two hours drive on a good day. It’s worth noting that the periphery of Munich can get very congested so the early morning flight plan to...
Ellmau
Ellmau is a quiet, beginner-friendly, family-oriented ski resort that is also part of the huge lift-linked SkiWelt ski area so intermediate skiers can ski new pistes every day. Kitzbuhel, which has more challenging runs for stronger skiers, is also within reach. None of the slopes are very high but the artificial snowmaking is effective.
Ellmau is part of the large SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental ski area. It’s a quiet, family-oriented ski resort, mostly composed of small hotels and cosy restaurants, so whilst there are apres-ski bars up the mountain and some late-night bars in the village, those seeking a more vibrant party scene would be better off in lift-linked Soll or nearby Kitzbuhel. The village is still attractive but rather stretched out, and most of the accommodation is a long walk or a short bus-ride away from the main lifts.
There is a lot of skiing in the SkiWelt – over 270kms of runs and more than 80 lifts – which is more than enough for a week’s ski holiday. Perhaps the most impressive statistic though, is the number of the mountain bars and restaurants, known as ‘mountain huts’: at the last count there were about 80 of them! Most of the pistes are short, treelined, gentle blues, or red runs that are only slightly steeper. These are great for novices and intermediates who like easy cruising. And Ellmau is a good resort for beginners too, with nursery slopes on the edge of the village and also up the mountain. The Ellmau ski schools have a good reputation for those who want to learn or improve.
Experienced skiers who want to be tested will soon grow tired of the few local black runs and ski routes like ‘East’. There are some steeper slopes in the SkiWelt above Soll but not enough for a whole week. Fortunately Kitzbuhel’s more challenging ski area (called ‘KitzSki’) is less than 30 minutes away by bus or car, and there are various lift passes that cover both ski areas, or you can buy one-day supplements. You can also reach KitzSki by skiing across the SkiWelt to Westendorf, where a short ride in a ski bus connects the KitzSki lift at Skirast with the SkiWelt lift at Ki-West, but if you’re coming Ellmau this is a long journey and getting there and back will take up most of the day.
The SkiWelt is very low for a ski area – all the slopes are below 2000m and Ellmau itself is sited at just 820m above sea level. Over 90% of the SkiWelt pistes, however, have artificial snow-making so its runs remain skiable if night time temperatures are cold enough for the snow cannons to work. That is unlikely to be a problem in January, particularly around Ellmau where most of the runs face north, but if the weather is warm in the run up to Easter, the SkiWelt ski area will noticeably contract or become very slushy.
Ski Holidays in Ellmau, Ski Welt with Iglu Ski
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Ski Equipment Rental in Ellmau
There are plenty of ski rental shops, but you are unlikely to get a good deal if you just walk into them when you arrive. ALPINRESORTS.com works with several shops in Ellmau and the SkiWelt and offers discounts of up to 35% if you book online in advance here
SKISET also has outlets in Ellmau and it too gives discounts if you book online
Ellmau Pros & Cons
+ Family-friendly quiet village
+ Large lift-linked ski area
+ Good resort for beginners
+ Impressive artificial snowmaking
+ Stronger skiers have access to more challenging slopes at Soll and Kitzbuhel
– Resort is rather stretched out
– Lifts can be far away from accommodation
– Too low to be snowsure in warm weather
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Ellmau Accommodation Ellmau has accommodation of almost every kind and for almost every budget. There is one five star hotel, six four star hotels and more 3 and 2 star hotels, gasthofes, pensions, apartments and bed & breakfasts, private bed...
Book Ski Schools & Ski Lessons in Ellmau Looking for ski lessons in Ellmau? CheckYeti work with leading ski schools and ski instructors in over 500 ski destinations throughout Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Let them help you choose...
Ski Welt Ellmau Ski Area The SkiWelt boasts 284km of pistes and is a haven for beginner and intermediate skiers. While there are relatively few black runs – 33km in total – there is enough easy ungroomed terrain between the...
Ellmau Ski Lifts & Lift Passes From the village of Ellmau, it is possible to start the day on the shorter drag lifts and work over to the main lift to Astberg out of Going. From there it’s a run...
Ellmau Beginner Skiing The Ellmau beginner slopes are in the heart of the village barely 5 minutes walk in boots from the village centre. There is a wide range of activities for kids and the more mature beginner will not...
Ellmau Intermediate Skiing The SkiWelt, as said before, is a haven for intermediate skiers. The vast majority of the area is blue and red runs and there are 3 defined ski circuits. They can all be skied either clockwise or...
Ellmau Advanced Skiing SkiWelt offers only 10% of its skiing as advanced. But to be fair, this is just the pisted element. The locals head up the 11 lift to the Choralp above Brixten and find themselves fantastic powder when...
Ellmau Ski Boarding & Freestyle There are three terrain parks in the SkiWelt – The Intersport Kaiserpark above Ellmau (lift 99), the Snowparka nd Funslope Area above Soll (lifts 46 & 47) and the boarders playground above Westendorf (lift 119)....
Ellmau Mountain Restaurants There are nearly 100 mountain restaurants in the SkiWelt and, much as we would like, we haven’t yet visited them all. Yet. This is pretty much a restaurant every other piste and very few of them will...
Ellmau Village The earliest mention of Ellmau dates from records of 1155. The feel of Ellmau today is actually quite modern. There is no high rise development but the sprawl of a modern ski resort has been inevitable. The end...
Ellmau Restaurants & Bars Typical of many Austrian resorts, dining and later evening entertainment in Ellmau tends to happen in the hotels . A throbbing metropolis of e-crazed nightlife this isn’t. And that’s good; especially if you’re over 22 and...
Ellmau Other Activities Snow shoeing, sledging, snow tubing, cross country skiing, night skiing and horse drawn sleighs are all available in Ellmau although in this ski resort the emphasis is very much on skiing. Horse Drawn Carriages Go for a...