Silvretta Alps, AUstria
The Silvretta Tour and Austrian Freeride Safari
The main goal is to head into the heart of the Silvretta Alps for the classic hut-to-hut traverse. The region provides access to spectacular glaciated terrain and numerous 3,000-meter peaks. The ascents are steady, the descents are phenomenal, and the network of mountain huts here is simply the best in the Alps—think hot showers, outstanding local cuisine, and great camaraderie every evening.
When the weather is good we are going into the Silvretta, but on the front and back, we will want to take advantage of some of the best, lift-accessed terrain touring around Ischgl and St. Anton am Arlberg. While these resorts are world-famous, the lift network provides access to massive, complex off-piste runs and expansive powder fields. We can eaisly ski over 10,000 feet of untracked off piste with only a couple thousand vert on the uphill.
Typically, we run this program as a 10-day trip Munich to Munich, though we strongly recommend allowing for an extra day or two for travel and weather flexibility.
The sweet spot for snow stability and weather is generally from mid-Feb through early April. This window gives us the best chance for ideal corn snow high up and powder in the sheltered aspects.
Flexibility is the key to scoring the best snow, and our approach to skiing the Silvretta region and the Arlberg is no different. Our itinerary is a plan, not a promise, and it revolves around chasing snow and stability. We fly into Munich and rent a car. From there we want to ski the best weather when we do the hut traverse. On the front and back we can take advantage of the best conditions either around Ishgal or St Anton.
Big Picure Goals
- Hut-to-Hut Silvretta Traverse: When the long-range forecast and snowpack are ideal, we commit to the classic Silvretta Hut-to-Hut traverse. This strategy gets us deep into the high-alpine environment for multi-day touring across glaciers and 3,000-meter summits, moving from one excellent mountain hut to the next. This can be 3-5 days if the weather is good, as it is ideal to stay at two huts for two nights each.
- Lift Access Off-Piste Freeride: If weather or stability is variable, we pivot to a Freeride and Day Touring. We use the powerful lift systems at Ischgl or St. Anton to quickly access vast, high-altitude terrain. This allows for quick, massive vertical descents with the option to tag on a short skin to get away from the crowds and find untracked snow.
- Ishgal and St Anton Ideally we have time to ski both resorts.
We always plan to use hotel accommodations as a comfortable, centralized base in the valleys, giving us the flexibility to drive to the best starting points each morning. The comfort and recovery are high-value, but we’re ready to overnight in the mountain huts when conditions warrant a multi-day immersion.
March 20 – Arrive in Munich
We want to arrive in Munich before noon ideally, so we have time to drive into Austria. Many flights arrive in the morning. You could also fly in a day early to check out the city.
March 21 – Ishgal Freeride
Human powered touring in Ishgal and epic apres. Ishgal is the starting point for the Silvretta tour and is also a world famous spot for apres. It also boasts some great off-piste terrain. We will ski a few days here and get over our jet lag.
March 22 – Ishgal Freeride
On and off piste skiing and apres.
March 23 – Ishgal to Jamtalhutte
We take the lifts up close to 5000 feet and set off. We ski over one pass and down to the Jamtalhutte.
March 24 – Jamtalhutte
Ski touring from the Jamtalhutte. We have access to some significant terrain above the hut and its worth spending a day here.
March 25 – Jamtalhutte to Wiesbadener
We tour over to the Wiesbadener.
March 26 – Piz Buin Tour (3,312m)
Options to ski the famous Piz Buin, the largest peak in this part of Austira.
March 27
Ski Out to Ishgal, pick up the car and head to St. Anton.
March 28
St. Anton Freeride
March 29
Drive to Munich
Fly – Look for flights departing after 2pm.
Our gear lists are exahustive and can be provided as a PDF on request.
Cost: These programs usually run about $4000 per person with a group of 3. Price is based off number of participants. For this trip groups of 2-5 are ideal.
Season: early March to early April.
Not included in trip cost:
Flight to Munich
Food while on trip
Lift Tickets
Included:
Huts and Hotels
Car Rental
Guide Fees
See some action from past trips
Interested?
Having a good team is key to making these programs exceptional. These programs are best with 3-4 people. If you have a group of 3 or 4 let’s start building a program.
If you are alone or have a group of two get in touch and we can talk about how to best fit you into a program.
Get in touch and we can schedule a zoom call to talk about the details.