The Ski Resort
St. Jakob in Defereggental is situated right in the center of the national park ´Hohe Tauern´ and is ideal for those looking for a resort that is more relaxing and away from mass tourism, it is especially known as family-friendly. Thanks to the fact that it is manageable in size, no one will be lost in the resort. It boasts 7 lifts. Right at the base-station you can find a training lift in a small kids park plus two more ski lifts that accommodate beginners in particular. For altitude-fans: take the rail ´Brunnalmbahn´. Up here you find many red trails for enjoyable carving around the chairlifts Weißspitzbahn, Leppleskofel and Moosbergbahn. Here there are, however, some blue trails, as an example of many other serves the slope No. 2, that leads from the top station of the rail ´Weißspitzbahn´ to the middle station of the rail ´Brunnalmbahn´.
Close to the rail ´Moosbergbahn´ is a terrain park with a wide variety of obstacles, designed to make a Freestyler´s pulse race. Right next to it look for the ´WISBI´ (= How fast am I?) slope, where you can actually test how fast you are on your skiers for only 1€ .
St. Jakob in Defereggental is not really well-known as a Freeride area, even though some Freeride movies were filmed here, such as the O`Neill Pro Tour. Anyone who is willing to carry the equipment up the mountain will find great lines.
Interesting facts
- The vertical drop from summit to base is 1,283 m. The average difference in altitude between base and summit of Ski Resorts in Austria is 720 m. Most runs are therefore relatively long. The high point of the ski resort is located at an elevation of 2,683 m.
- Average snow depth during the season is 117 cm at summit elevation and 72 cm at base elevation. Snow coverage is usually best during February, offering an average snow depth of 133 cm at summit elevation and 84 cm at the base. Therefore St Jakob im Defereggental is among the 10 ski Resorts with best snow conditions in Austria.
- St Jakob im Defereggental features 62 sunny days on average per season. The average for all ski Resorts in Austria is 56 sunny days. January is the sunniest month with an average of 19 sunny days. This makes the ski resort one of the 10 sunniest in Austria.
Snow Safety & Snowmaking
On Mountain Dining
The resort offers casual as well as gourmet on mountain dining options to please every palate. The restaurants ´Brunnalm´ and ´Mooseralm´ provide the necessary refreshments with their delicious dishes and also the ´Weißspitzstubn´ and the ´Eggerhütte´ directly at the valley slope leave nothing to be desired. Warm yourself while eating a hot meal at ´Feistritzstüberl´ or ´Weißenhütterl´, situated in the area of the training lifts.
Must-Ski Runs
Above all the pleasant long valley slope is a pure enjoyment if the snow conditions are appropriate.
Most Difficult Runs
Longest Runs
Video
Activities
St. Jakob features a toboggan run, starting point is at the ´Alpe Stalle´ where the drop is 1714 meters. A stop here is always well worthwhile because the alp maintains their original charm.
In addition you will find many cross-country trails, particularly recommendable is the high trail Staller Sattel: 8 kilometers of beautiful white nature at an high altitude of 2000 m.
Après-Ski and Nightlife
Dining and Restaurants
If you like gourmet dining and amazing food you found the right place in Defereggental! Many restaurants offer the typical Eastern Tyrolean cuisine. The ´Jesacherhof´ for example has been awarded with a Gault Milaut bonnet several years ago. ´Kulinarium´ at the hotel ´Zedern Klang´ in the neighboring Hopfgarten even got awarded with two bonnets. More traditional cuisine offers the restaurant ´Alpenrose´, located at the end of the valley and the ´Sandwirt´ also impresses with original Tyrolean treats.
Infrastructure & Rental
Skischools
Number of Ski Rental
Getting here
By car
Take E54 to Kiefersfelden with direction Kufstein and leave it at the last exit before the border (Kiefersfelden). Now follow the signs for the street Felbertauernstraße, follow the street until Eastern Tyrol and St. Jakob.
Public Transportation
Take the train to Lienz, either pass Bozen and Brixen or Spittal. There is a regular bus(Postbus) to St. Jakob.