When the news of the pandemic hit in March 2020, we were up in the mountains of Mayrhofen, enjoying a week of skiing, Apres Ski, and Austrian cuisine. Luckily, we were able to finish our holiday before they closed the slopes and everyone was told to go back to the UK.
2021 ski season was a bust, but now that we are in a much better position with Covid and ski holidays are back on the cards, we would like to share our thoughts on Mayrhofen and talk about the resort as a whole.
Where is Mayrhofen?
Mayrhofen is an Austrian ski resort, found at the end of the long flat Ziller valley. In the ski area, you can find 535km of pistes, so there is plenty of slopes to explore. The town of Mayrhofen has something for everyone, whether you are a family or a group of friends wanting to party.
To get to the slopes you need to get a gondola from the town centre. We weren’t sure whether we would enjoy this aspect, as normally our preference is to be in a resort that you can ski into, however, we didn’t find it to be too much of an issue. There are ski lockers at the bottom and top of the gondola, which can be used at a small cost, which meant we didn’t have to trudge our skis and boots through the town. It also meant that we could enjoy après ski up in the mountain in comfortable shoes and without the worry of having to find your skis afterward!
How is the skiing in Mayrhofen?
As mentioned above, there is an impressive 535km of pistes in the Zillar area and Mayrhofen has access to nearby ski resorts Fugen, Kaltenbach, Zell am Ziller, and the Hintertux Glacier. All of these resorts are available to ski at if you get a Zillertaler Superskipass.
Mayrhofen is also home to one of the steepest pistes in Austria, the black run, Harakiri. This slope is for advanced skiers, with an incline of up to 78% and a vertical drop of 375 metres. We tried this out whilst we were there and it was super fun, but very hard, and afterwards our calves were burning!
There are also plenty of beginner slopes, with dedicated areas for them found at the top of the mountain. The Pepis Kinderland and the Ubungsland Penken are both beginner’s areas and are great for children and adults who are just getting into skiing.
There are also a lot of off-piste skiing opportunities in the Zillertal area too, with some runs going through trees, offering some stunning scenery.
What is the après ski and nightlife like?
Mayrhofen has plenty of Après Ski opportunities and has a lively nightlife, with many pubs, nightclubs, and bars.
We thoroughly enjoyed ending our ski day visiting either Pilzbar & Elchbar, both found at the top of the Penken cable car. This meant they were perfect to have a few drinks before jumping straight on the cable car afterwards to get back to the town. The cable car runs until 5pm, however, they ring a bell to let you know that they are close to closing and to start thinking about getting over to them, which was very handy after you have had a few drinks. From there we usually headed to the Ice Bar which is found at the bottom of the cable car, in the town centre. The atmosphere here is very lively, with sing a long tunes played and plenty of room to dance around.
Another place that is worth a visit is Bruck n Stadl. It certainly has a party vibe, with international DJ’s playing there quite often. They also host special events there all the time, so take a look at their calendar to see what’s happening.
If you are looking for more of a pub vibe, then head to the Scotland Yard Pub. Here you will find great atmosphere, yummy drinks, and some amazing tunes. They also have a dartboard area in the pub, where you can challenge your friends to a game. We thought the people in this pub were super friendly and we ended up coming back here quite a few times in the week we were there.
What else is there to do in Mayrhofen?
If you want to take a break from the skiing, then you definitely won’t be bored in Mayrhofen as there is plenty to do. They have their very own ice rink, plenty of pools and spas dotted around the town and there are also many winter walks that can be taken and snowshowing opportunities. You can also try out a heli tour, rent a snowmobile or go dog sledding. In the town, there is also a hotel that has a small cinema and bowling alleys, which we visited and had a great time.
An honest review
We loved Mayrhofen, it was perfect for what we were looking for. Although the nightlife and Après Ski is not the best on offer compared to other more popular resorts like Val Thorens, it was still thriving and the après ski was very fun. One more negative thing we did find about Mayrhofen, which I think is usually expected in Austrian resorts, is that it is quite expensive there. Another slight negative is the fact that you are not able to ski down into the town, so you do need to ensure that you are catching the cable car down before 5pm. This meant we couldn’t always spend too much time in the Après Ski bars that were on the slopes. However, we weren’t that bothered by this and just enjoyed the bars that were down in the town instead if we wanted to continue the après ski. Overall, we would highly recommend this town and we would love to go back at some point in the future!
Without A Paddle Travel 