Alpine skiing in the Oberpinzgau: Wildkogel or Zillertal Arena — where you should actually go

I get this question every winter: which ski area, then? And my honest answer is: both are good, for every ability. But they are good in different ways — and once you know which part suits you, a solid ski day turns into a really good one.

Because "Zillertal Arena" is not one thing. For me the area breaks down into four sections with completely different characters, and the difference between them is bigger than between some separate ski resorts. I live here and I ski all four regularly. Here is how I divide them up.

The four faces of the Zillertal Arena

All told, the Zillertal Arena comes to around 150 kilometres of piste and about 52 lifts, reaching almost 2,500 metres. It is the largest connected ski area in the Zillertal — and it spans two federal states, from Salzburg into Tyrol.

Hochkrimml is my pick for cruisers, families and beginners. Wide pistes, nothing too steep, relaxed skiing. If you don't treat the day as an athletic test, this is exactly right.

Königsleiten also suits cruisers but has steeper descents on offer — on pistes that are just as wide. When the snow is right, there are off-piste options here in relatively safe terrain close to the runs. This is where you can push yourself without committing to serious backcountry.

Gerlos and Zell am Ziller lie on the Tyrolean side and are, above all, the destination for a day trip. Gerlos has one or two genuinely great but demanding black runs and off-piste terrain — and here it applies without exception: check the avalanche warnings. Zell am Ziller offers wide, moderately steep pistes and is the reward if you set off in Krimml or Königsleiten in the morning and worked your way across the whole arena.

That circuit, incidentally, is why the region is more interesting for skiers than the village names suggest: you don't ski one area, you travel through several.

The Wildkogel: small enough to love

The Wildkogel-Arena between Neukirchen and Bramberg is the family ski area of the region. Around 75 kilometres of piste and 20 lifts, between 820 and 2,150 metres — noticeably more compact than the Zillertal Arena, but easier to read.

About 85 per cent of the runs are blue or red, which explains the family-friendly reputation. Even so, you'll find every type of piste here, there are off-piste options, and there is something for advanced skiers and beginners alike. A large share of the runs sits on a sunny high plateau at snow-sure altitude — you notice that in February just as much as in late March.

With children: the three areas that work for us

When my children come along, we go to Hochkrimml. Three areas work reliably there:

• Filzstein platter lift — the classic starting point, calm and without pressure.
• Filzstein Speedy — the next step, once the first turns are in place.
• Duxer Bubble with the race course — and this is the one my children love. A race course turns practice into a game, and suddenly they ski the same run ten times voluntarily.

If you're travelling with children, the Wildkogel belongs on your list anyway — not only for the pistes, but because the 14-kilometre toboggan run is waiting there. A ski day that ends with a toboggan descent under floodlights is one they remember.

Autobahn and Zauberwald: our home circuit

When I'm out with my son Tobias, we ski almost exclusively at the Filzstein Speedy chairlift. Always the same loop. If we skied it all day, we would probably have carved a deep groove into the piste — and he still doesn't get bored. Because for him the loop isn't a descent, it's a route with chapters, and the chapters have names.

We start at the top station and keep to the right of the piste, down to the Handlalm entry. What comes next is what Tobias calls the "Autobahn" — the motorway — and somehow that fits: the link from the Filzstein piste across to the Handlalm and straight back towards Filzstein is as wide as a road, and all of it runs flat out. No braking, no thinking, just let it go.

After that he turns immediately into the "Zauberwald" — the magic forest: a small patch of woodland leading off the blue piste, through the trees and across the crossing of the fun park over to the red run. We don't ski through the park — we only cross it. So the Zauberwald doesn't require anyone who's into kickers.

And the last few metres down to the valley station? He covers those in a tuck. Every single time.

This is the point where I like to pick parents up: you don't need 150 kilometres of piste for a good ski day with children. You need one lift, a loop they recognise, and a child who gives the sections their own names. As a bonus, the Handlalm area by the Alpengasthof Filzstein offers one of the finest views in the region — across to the Krimml Waterfalls and into the Achental valley.

Queues? Almost never — with one exception

This is one of the reasons I enjoy skiing here: in Hochkrimml and Königsleiten practically everything works with very short waits. You spend the day on the piste, not in a line.

The one exception worth knowing: the Plattenkogel lift in Hochkrimml. At certain times of day it gets noticeably busier, because many skiers want to get back from Gerlos to Hochkrimml and it all funnels through this point. Gerlos and Zell am Ziller are generally busier than the Salzburg side.

My strategy against it is simple and has worked for years: ski against the flow. Head towards Gerlos in the morning, while everyone else is still in their home area — and then don't leave the return too late. Anyone starting back at the last minute ends up in exactly the wave they wanted to avoid.

The detour almost nobody makes

Since we're on the subject of the Plattenkogel: here is the tip I otherwise only pass on when somebody asks.

From the Plattenkogel top station in Hochkrimml — the area also known as the Gerlosplatte — it is only 200 to 300 metres on foot up to the summit cross. A few minutes' walk, no more. You simply carry your skis, leave them at the top and carry on skiing straight from there.

What waits up there is the finest panorama in the whole region: down into the Salzach valley, across to the Hohe Tauern with the Krimml Waterfalls, and on the other side the Zillertal Alps. You rarely see that many three-thousanders in one sweep — and practically never after a five-minute walk in ski boots.

The effort bears no relation to the view. Anyone who has been up once does it every time.

Stopping for lunch: the baked potato worth having

My recommendation is unambiguous: the BergGeistAlm in Hochkrimml — many still know it by its former name, "Georgs Treff". What to order: baked potato, in its various forms. It sounds unspectacular and that is exactly why it's good.

And when the weather turns — storm, fog, wet snow — the honest answer is to go inside anyway. You don't have to push through every day. In poor visibility, the hut is the better piste.

Getting there and parking

In Hochkrimml parking costs nothing, and there are plenty of spaces. That is a tangible advantage you only appreciate once you've missed it elsewhere.

In Königsleiten and Neukirchen it can get tight — there it pays to arrive early or use the connections.

One ski pass for both areas

This is the point that takes the pressure out of the whole Wildkogel-or-Arena question, and surprisingly few guests know it: from two days onwards, the Zillertal Arena ski pass — and equally the Zillertal Superskipass — is also valid in the Wildkogel-Arena. So you don't have to choose at all. Hochkrimml, Königsleiten, Gerlos, Zell am Ziller and the Wildkogel are all open on one pass.

The catch: this does not apply to the day pass. If you only ski for a day, you stay in the area where you bought it.

And a bonus that often goes unnoticed: between Neukirchen, Wald, Krimml and Königsleiten you ride the ski bus free of charge with a valid ski pass. The car can stay where it is.

Skiing in the morning, tobogganing in the afternoon — on the same pass

Out of this you can build a day I happily recommend: ski the Zillertal Arena in the morning, then head over to the Wildkogel and take the 14-kilometre toboggan run down.

It genuinely works on one pass — as long as you keep one time in mind: the ski pass covers the ascent to the toboggan run until 4:15 pm. If you want to go up later, you need a separate toboggan ticket. The descent, by contrast, may happily fall into darkness — the run is lit until 10 pm. So you need to be up there in time, not down here in time.

In practice that means: stop skiing around 3 pm, switch across, take the last ride up — and toboggan down under the floodlights. If you prefer a more relaxed plan, or want to set off in the evening, buy the toboggan ticket and you're not tied to any hour.

Ski hire and ski school

Here I deliberately hold back: there are numerous good options in every village, and I have no reason to put one provider above another. If you're staying in the village, the hire shop is usually within walking distance.

Who is this region not for?

Honestly: hardly anyone. The area covers every ability — from the first platter lift to a demanding black run with off-piste terrain beside it.

And even someone who doesn't ski at all has plenty to do here: the toboggan run, winter walking trails, the national park on the doorstep. I know few regions where the non-skier in the group has to compromise so little.

Where to stay

If you want to ski the whole Zillertal Arena, base yourself in Krimml or in Wald with its Königsleiten district — from there you're in the ski area without driving and start the big circuit right outside the door. If you prefer something more compact and family-oriented, Neukirchen or Bramberg at the Wildkogel is the right choice.

Holiday apartments are the more relaxed option in both cases: drying ski gear, cooking for yourselves when the children tire early — and setting off in the morning whenever you like.