Westendorf
Ski Resort

Westendorf is part of the vast SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental lift-linked ski area, but it’s one valley away from the main area, and it has its own quieter sector which it shares with Brixen-im-Thale. And it’s a good little local area with something for everyone: convenient nursery slopes and high-quality ski schools for beginners, a few blues for novices to progress onto, plenty of reds for intermediates, and one of the steepest black runs in the SkiWelt for experts.

But this is just the starter, because if you ski down to Brixen, or take take the ski-bus there, on the other side is the main SkiWelt ski area stretching across to Ellmau and Soll. In total there are over 270kms of runs and 80 lifts in the SkiWelt, and if that sounds exhausting there are also 80 mountain bars and restaurants for a bit of rest and relaxation along the way. The majority of the pistes are short, treelined, gentle blues or red runs that are only slightly steeper, which is a great mix for improving novices and intermediates who like easy cruising. For experts who want to be tested there is some steep terrain around Soll, and some off-piste and ski-touring options, but not a lot.

Fortunately for keen skiers, the SkiWelt is not the only major ski area that holidaymakers in Westendorf have easy access to. At the far end of Westendorf’s SkiWelt sector, a ski bus shuttles between its Ki-West lift and the Pengelstein lift at Skirast, which is part of the KitzSki area shared by Kitzbuhel and Kirchberg, and there are also frequent trains between both resorts and Westendorf. Lift passes are available that cover both KitzSki and SkiWelt, or you can buy one-day supplements, and the two areas combined offer almost unlimited skiing for intermediates and above, with KitzSki having significantly more tough runs for experienced skiers.

And yet despite all this skiing, Westendorf is an unassuming, inexpensive, traditional village. Most of the accommodation is in affordable guest houses and pensions, although there are a few 3-star and 4-star hotels, and a good choice of self-catering apartments. There is some apres-ski entertainment in the mountain huts above the resort and a few late closing bars and clubs, but it’s more of a family-oriented resort than a party-oriented one.

Westendorf’s weakness is its height. All the SkiWelt and KitzSki skiing is below 2000m. Both areas have invested heavily in artificial snow making, but the snow-cannons still require cold night time temperatures, and in a warm Spring snow conditions deteriorate and both ski areas noticeably shrink.

Ski Equipment Rental in Westendorf

There are plenty of ski rental shops fot a small village, but prices will be high if you just walk into them the nearest one. ALPINRESORTS.com works with several shops in Westendorf and across the SkiWelt and offers discounts of up to 35% if you book online in advance >

SKISET also has outlets and it too gives discounts if you book online >

Westendorf Pros & Cons

+ Part of the huge SkiWelt ski area
+ Access to Kitzbuhel’s tougher skiing
+ Good easy cruising red and blue runs
+ Efficient and effective snow cannons
+ Good value

– Not snowsure in warm weather
– We prefer natural snow

Search accommodation in Westendorf and book online >