With eight villages in SkiWelt, there is something for everyone
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental is one big ski area encompassing eight villages in two valleys, ninety cable cars and seventy seven bars, restaurants, cafes and Alpine huts. Brixen im Thale is regarded as the centre and dozens of runs of all difficulty, although best suited to intermediates, link up the villages of Söll, Scheffau, Ellmau, Going, Brixen itself, Westendorf, Hopfgarten and Itter. It has the largest night skiing area in Austria, off piste is not a strong point, 80% of the slopes have snow-making. Skiwelt is unlike Ischgl or St. Anton for après-ski, but you can very easily find your favourite spots for a well-earned refreshment. Unsurprisingly, accommodation comes in a huge variety – from small guest houses to smart hotels, even an igloo.
Property in SkiWelt
The property market in Skiwelt is as varied as the ski area, and given its size, there is usually enough of a choice on the market around Going, Ellmau and Scheffau, also in Söll and round the other side in Westendorf and down to Kirchberg. For a good mid-range property you can expect prices at €14-20,000. At the luxury end, prices are between €22,000 to around €28,000/m2 for a lovely chalet in the best locations around Going and Ellmau. Some opulent chalets of 300m2 floorspace, and even as large as 500m2, come up for sale with prices well into the €3 and up to 6m range, they are packed with the luxury features you could expect anywhere in the world with the latest technology and multi-car garages. As is always the case, ski-in/ski-out or proximity to the pistes are favoured, views of the Wilder Kaiser are considered essential.
A guide to SkiWelt
Brixen im Thale (794m) is located in the heart of the SkiWelt area with 286km of downhill skiing on 186 ski runs and 91 ski lifts. The region includes the villages of Ellmau, Westendorf, Going, Hopfgarten, Kelchsau, Scheffau and Söll, all included on the same ski pass. The area is effectively a horseshoe shape with Going at one end under the Wilder Kaiser range, heading around the Hohe Salve mountain and towards Brixen at the other end. The Brixen valley is open ended and links to the Inn valley in the west and the Kitzbühel valley in the East. Kitzbühel is just 10 minutes’ drive. The village is quite spread out, there is a charming Renaissance church in the centre and an efficient ski bus system. Accommodation is in hotels, B&Bs, traditional inns and holiday chalets and apartments. It is 1.5 hours from Innsbruck airport.
SkiWelt guide for skiers
Brixen is a good base to get straight into the SkiWelt. Not only that, it also connects in the opposite direction to the Kirchberg-Kitzbühel ski area with the construction of the SkiWelt Bahn lift, opening up another range of choices for skiers and boarders. The slopes on this side of the valley tend to be less busy. Beginners are well looked after with a practice lift and nursery slopes and the valley descent from Hochbrixen allows an easy return to the village. There are numerous broad and well prepared pistes for novices and intermediates alike. There is a huge range of pistes for more ambitious skiers with three valley descents to choose from and some excellent off-piste skiing. A total of four funparks can be found in the area and a ski parcours obstacle course in Söll.
As with other Austrian ski areas, there has been impressive investment in the SkiWelt resorts over recent years, reducing the queuing time at the lifts and improving the overall skiing experience. Greater snow making has also improved the snow reliability.
Tobogganing is a highlight here with 3 floodlit descents in Söll & Ellmau/Going, groomed daily and even with snow making. SkiWelt offers 148km of cross-country ski trails and 11 winter walking trails.
SkiWelt Après Ski
While not on the same level as Ischgl or St Anton, you will find plenty of places to relax after a day on the mountain around the wider area. In Brixen start at the ALPENIGLU bar at Hochbrixen then drop into the Glühbirnstadl and the Brixner Stadl.
Eating out in SkiWelt
With no fewer than 80 mountain restaurants across the SkiWelt area, you will never be far from a refreshment stop.
Off the mountain there are a further 8 restaurants in the Brixen vicinity offering mostly seasonal and Tyrolian dishes. For burgers and ribs try the Campers restaurant, and for Italian try Massimo.
Summer in SkiWelt
The activity choices are enormous in SkiWelt. There are over 500km of hiking trails, a 100km cycle path and 812km of mountain bike routes with numerous battery charging stations for E-bikes. There are 9 golf courses within a 50km radius, an outdoor pool in Westendorf, swimming lakes in Brixen and Kirchberg, tennis courts, minigolf, paragliding and, of course, rafting and mountain climbing in the Kitzbüheler Alpen.
For more details on Mountain Biking in Brixen Im Thale, check out our blog: Where to go Mountain Biking in the Alps
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