From the St. Johann in Tirol piste map, to the best ski schools, ski hire shops and the best of the awesome après ski bars, here’s your essential review of one of Austria’s most family-friendly ski resorts.
St. Johann in Tirol is a family ski resort in Austria’s Leukental Valley, less than 130 kilometres from three international airports, with Salzburg the nearest. The resort is home to more than 15 slope restaurants and offers skiing on wide, well-prepared red and blue slopes.
St. Johann has a charming small-town feel and with the focus firmly on putting children first, it’s ideal for a family ski holiday. A popular and picturesque ski resort and bustling market town, there is plenty to do for non-skiers and skiers alike.
As well as excellent wide pistes and slopes, you’ll find rustic huts, and top-quality hotels with extensive spa facilities. For teens, there’s a great Snowpark which offers more than 30 fun features – rails, kickers, and even a halfpipe – for freestylers, and a luge track. There are also numerous cross country trails and toboggan runs. It also has its own brewery – the 300-year-old Huber Bräu brewery. If you fancy a break from winter sports a day trip to the city of Mozart, Salzburg is also very do-able as a day trip from St. Johann in Tirol.
Ski Resort Highlights
St. Johan in Tirol – Ski Map & Pistes:
The local skiing in St. Johann in Tirol extends to 43km of runs. The vertical of almost 1,000 metres is impressive, but the village height and top lift are not high by modern standards. However the predominantly north and north west facing slopes here have a good record for holding snow.
The acquisition by Skistar of the St. Johann in Tirol lift system has pumped new investment into the area. St. Johann in Tirol’s skiing can be accessed from five different points, all on the outskirts of the town. Beginners will find wide open and well-prepared nursery slopes at the base of the mountain with more runs to progress to all over the ski area.
Intermediates will probably enjoy St. Johann in Tirol the most, with interesting and varied terrain at their standard here and at many of the neighbouring resorts, on one of the multi-area passes available. From the top of the ski lifts at Harschbichl there’s a good choice of 4 – 5km reds and blues back down to the village. The long Lacknerabfahrt run down from Jodlalm is especially highly thought of. Most of the terrain is cut through forest but there are powder fields and plenty of off-piste opportunities which a guide can show you.
The one black Penzing run down to Oberndorf is highly regarded by local experts. Now protected by snow making it’s long, steep and full of bumps. It’s also worth noting that St. Johann’s ski area is dotted with more than a dozen cozy mountain huts serving meals and drinks throughout the day.
It is also part of the the 3-Länder Freizeit Arena Pass which covers 117km of slopes at 8 ski resorts: St. Johann in Tirol – Oberndorf, Steinplatte Waidring, Winklmoos, Lärchenhof, Pillersee Buchensteinwand, Kirchdorf in Tirol, Heutal Lifte Unken and Almenwelt Lofer.
St. Johann in Tirol is also a mecca for cross country skiers with extensive trails extending in to a wider network of over 275km (170 miles).
St. Johan in Tirol – Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:
There’s plenty of inter-piste powder to play in if there’s a dump, and when it’s snowing heavily the heavily-forested slopes here offer some amazing opportunities for tree runs. More off-piste diversions are found using the Freizeit area pass, particularly on the Steinplatte.
St. Johann in Tirol – Restaurants, Bars & The Town:
St. Johann in Tirol has a reputation as a lively place to stay with the pedestrianised central area full of activity day and night. There are more than 50 bars and restaurants to suit all tastes. Some of the more popular include The Rock Bar and Max’s Pub.
Off-slope activities include sleigh rides, swimming, tennis and the toboggan run, which is floodlight.
St. Johann in Tirol – Ski Hire:
There are ample outlets for ski hire in St. Johann in Tirol, including Skiverleih Mair, Wintersport Rent World Noichi and Intersport Patrick.
St. Johann in Tirol – Ski Schools:
There are a trio of good ski schools in St. Johann in Tirol: the Tyrolean Ski School St. Johann, the Wilder Kaiser Ski School and the Eichenhof Ski School.