The Cross-Country Area
The Pillersee Valley, known as the “snow hole” of the Kitzbühel Alps, offers an immaculately groomed network of cross-country skiing trails. No less than 110 km of routes are waiting to be explored by skiers of all abilities.
Two of the valley’s five resorts are St. Ulrich am Pillersee and St. Jakob in Haus, which together offer up some 32 km of trails. While St. Jakob’s Sonnenloipe is the town’s only circular trail, there are multiple options available in St. Ulrich. The latter is even home to a 5-kilometre FIS race course.
A connecting trail links St. Ulrich and St. Jakob with Hochfilzen, a Biathlon World Cup destination. The other resorts in Pillersee Valley, Fieberbrunn and Waidring, also offer a range of cross-country ski trails catering to different levels of ability. It is worth noting that all towns in the valley charge visitors a trail fee of 5 euros per day.
The Most Beautiful Tracks
The trails in St. Ulrich am Pillersee:
- Dorf-Loipe (no. 12): 6 kilometres in length, easy difficulty, classic and skater lanes. From the starting and end point (swimming pool), the trail cuts across the meadows to the first junction (Neuwieben). From there you should head left through a wood to the Stelzerbrücke (slightly uphill) and then on through the meadows to the Au district of town (Fohlenhof). From there, you can head right and follow the trail slightly downhill back to the starting point.
- Aurunde (no. 13): 10 kilometres in length, easy difficulty, classic and skater lanes. From the starting and end point (swimming pool), take trail 12 into the Au district (Fohlenhof) before continuing straight on via Schwendt into Rossau. From there, head right via the Flecken-Strasserwirt back to the starting point (swimming pool).
- Weißleitenrunde (no. 14): 12 km in total, easy and medium difficulty sections, groomed for skaters and classic skiers. From the starting and end point (swimming pool), take trail 12 into the Au district (Fohlenhof). Then head left into the Weißleiten loop before going left via Schwendt until you reach Rossau. From there, head right via the Flecken-Strasserwirt back to the starting point.
- FIS race course: From the starting point in Schwendt, the trail heads into the Flecken district before returning. This 5 km race course is rated as difficult and is only suitable for experienced cross-country skiers in sections. The trail encompasses some 130 vertical meters of ascent.
Sonnenloipe (no. 7) in St. Jakob in Haus:
The Bergbahn Pillersee lift station is the starting point for the 4.2 km St. Jakober-Loipe, a trail which offers up sumptuous views of the surrounding mountains. The Sonnenloipe leads past the sports centre, continuing on into Mosbach and making several loops before returning to the starting point in St. Jakob. Alongside the medium/difficult trail is a 4-metre lane designed for skaters and walkers to use.
Connecting trail (no. 11) Hochfilzen-St. Ulrich-St. Jakob:
This trail is 8 km in length (one-way), comprising 85 vertical metres and groomed on a daily basis for both classic and skating skiing. The difficulty ranges from easy sections to medium/difficult parts. From the Warmingloipe by Hochfilzen, head for the Buchensteinwand circular route by Weisensee Lake until you reach Schwendt. From there, you can continue via Flecken on the Sonnenloipe to St. Jakob or explore the beautiful Las Valley in St. Ulrich.
Interesting facts
- The highest point of the track is 930 m above sea level.
- Average snow depth during the season is 73 cm at summit elevation and 49 cm at base elevation. Snow coverage is usually best during January, offering an average snow depth of 85 cm at summit elevation and 59 cm at the base.
- Pillersee features 45 sunny days on average per season. The average for all cross-Country Skiing Areas in Austria is 38 sunny days. January is the sunniest month with an average of 13 sunny days.
Video
Getting Here
By car from Munich:
- A8 towards Salzburg
- At the Inntal junction, exit the A8 onto the A93 (in Austria the A12) towards Innsbruck/Kufstein.
- Exit the A12 at (17) Wörgl Ost towards St. Johann in Tirol and continue on the Lofererstraße (B178) to St. Johann in Tirol.
- From here stay on the B164 to St. Ulrich am Pillersee.
By car from Innsbruck:
- From Innsbruck on the A12 towards Salzburg / Germany.
- Exit the A12 at (17) Wörgl Ost towards St. Johann in Tirol and continue on the Lofererstraße (B178) to St. Johann in Tirol.
- Stay on the B164 to St. Ulrich am Pillersee.
By car from Salzburg:
- Take the A1 or A10 to the "Salzburg West" exit or the A8 over the Austrian border to the "Bad Reichenhall” exit.
- Follow the B178 towards Lofer and Innsbruck.
- In Waidring, turn left towards Pillersee and St. Ulrich.
