Mayrhofen

There is over 300km of freeride terrain in the Mayrhofen Hippach area and a massive 80% of the terrain is available from the state of the art lift system. The rest of the terrain can be accessed by hiking, if the area is unfamiliar to you we recommend getting a freeride guide.

Once you exit the Penken, there is a short stroll and a drop off down to a learner t-bar or the Penken Express. The red runs on this side are good fun and have a few short tree runs, but can get quite crowded.

From the top of the Penken you’ll find the North slopes into the valley offer the steepest terrain and there’s some good off-piste featuring small rock drops under the Nordhangbahn chairlift

Nearby the 150 person cable car, the 150er-Tux/Pendelbahn, whips you up to the Horberg peak. From here you can turn right off the lift and take the Blue 6 piste then drop off the edge into the Horbergtal and go off-piste back to the terrain park. Make sure you work out where you are going to cross the river before dropping into the valley!

If you don’t want to join the hordes queuing for the Gondola back down, under good conditions there are ski routes back down to Finkenberg and Mühlbach.
 

Snowboarders and freeskiers alike rave about the PenkenPark on Mount Penken in Mayrhofen. The five permanent, perfectly prepared jumps and obstacles along with the amazing crowds have given the park a reputation that it easily lives up to. The Pro Area, Advanced Area, Medium Area, Medium Jib Area and Kids Area promise riders of every age and skill level a fantastic time on the mountain.

The 4-person Sun-Jet chairlift provides shredheads with quick access to the park and a great view of the pros shredding below – you can even shoot photos or videos from your aerial perspective while going up for your next run! The Kids Park even has its own lift, the Mittertrett T-Bar Lift.

The Harakiri on Mount Penken in the Mayrhofen ski area is the most demanding slope in Zillertal. For the first few turns, most skiers are still feeling brave, so they try to go fast. But they quickly realize that in order to tackle the legendary Piste 34, they will need to slow down and be a lot more cautious. This is definitely not your average descent. It’s the Harakiri – and it demands respect. With a gradient of up to 78 percent, it’s for experts only, and for most of them, it’s the highlight of their day, if not of their entire winter holiday. Are you ready for the Harakiri? Still not sure if you can handle it? Then try out Piste 12, the not-so-extreme Devil’sRun, first. The steep part at the end is known among locals as the “Harakiri Test.” If you can make it down that slope, you are ready to tackle Austria's steepest slope adventure!

Please note: Because of the artificial snow and the steep gradient, you will often have to deal with icy riding conditions. Before you try to tackle the Harakiri, check the requirements recommended here.

 

Mayrhofen’s  ‘Penken Park’  is a world class freestyle park located in the Hobergtal area of the mountain. With six areas including a pro area, advanced area, advanced jib area, medium area, medium jib area and kids area the park caters for every level of freestyle rider. The main park is ideal for lapping round thanks to the Sun-Jet chairlift which offers an impressive birds eye view of the those shredding below. 

The park itself features a range of progressive so you will never get bored whatever your skill level. The lines include a mixture or rails, kickers, wall rides and slide boxes designed so beginners, intermediate and advanced riders can choose their own path. 

The action is also accompanied by tunes pumping out of the multi jib beastbox which helps to draw in the crowds and amp up the riders. All of this is maintained by a group of  international park shapers who ensure the park is in tip top shape all season long.
 

Those heading to Mayrhofen will find no shortage of terrain to ride, thanks to the ski super pass you can access a whopping 506km of pistes terrain in Mayrhofen and the surrounding areas.

From Mayrhofen centre itself you can either head up the Ahorn or Penkenbahn gondola as both are within walking distance of one another. The Penkebahn offers the wider variety of terrain whilst the Ahorn is perfect for beginners or those wanting to cruise down the quieter slopes.

From the top of the Penkenbahn Gondola the Kombibahn and Penken express chairlifts offers a series of blue and red pistes to warm up on ,there are also some baby lifts here if you are heading out as a mixed ability group although the Ahorn may be better for this. 

If you want to get to the higher runs in the resort head to the Tux gondola and ride down either a blue piste 67 or red piste 68 next to the Wanglspitz chairlift. After you have lapped these for a while you can get onto red piste 60 this takes you to the bottom of the Horbergjoch chairlift that whisks you up to 2473m where you can ride down red  piste 61 which is one of if not the highest runs in the resort. From this height you can cut across to the Rastkogel area via piste 63 this area is a mixture of blue, red and black pistes that are accessed from the Lämmerbichl chairlift.

If you have licked all this area and still want to challenge yourself or something to brag about in the apres bar then the resort boasts the steepest slope in Austria, the Harakiri (run 18) which has a gradient up to 78%. In reality the middle bit is the steepest, and will only pose major problems when it’s very icy, so make sure you’ve got decent edges, and yes you can buy the t-shirt should you want too.

If short and steep does not fill your black piste fix then the longest black  descent is the 5km run 5 from the bottom of the Ebenwald chair to near the Ahorn cable-car

All in all Mayrhofen has something to please everyone and the grooming team do a fine job making sure all the pistes are perfect for ripping the next day. Most of the slopes are nice and wide although you will find some narrow tracks linking some of the areas, and a few flat bits. The Penken park is world class if freestyle eis more of your thing and freeriders also have plenty to do in the area thanks to the easily accessible off piste terrain. 
 

Beginners heading to Mayrhofen should head straight to the Ahorn area where a selection of modern lifts and quiet pistes make this the ideal area for finding your feet. If you are in your first week take the 8SB Ahorn lift and spend some time on pistes 1 and 2 these slopes are perfectly pitched for getting those first turns locked down and are easy to locate straight from the gondola.

As you confidence grows so do the opportunities to progress,  piste 4A offers a nice blue option that curves through the trees and ends at the bottom of the 6SB Ebenwald piste. Just make sure you get this back up as the only other option from here is a black piste back to town, not one you want to find yourself on in your first few weeks. The Ahorn also has the ice bar for when you are ready to sit down and cool those tired limbs.

Pistes 67/67a served by the Horbergjoch & Wanglspitz chairs in the Rastkogel area offer further opportunities with great wide beginner slopes. Piste 63 in the Lämmerbichl is also another good option for beginners and there are also some baby lifts around this area for those learning the basics. and there’s another good slope piste 11 next to the Tappenalm lift. 

There are a number of ski schools in the resort including Mayrhofen 3000, Ski Pro Austria and Ski school Habeler these all offer beginner lessons as well as refresher lessons to help you get the most out of your trip.