Tirol Snow Card

From October 2009, skiing and snowboarding in Tyrol will be significantly more affordable than before, especially for families with children and frequent skiers. Günther Platter, Governor of Tyrol and the official responsible for general tourism there, promotes his state as the largest interconnected ski area, which the Tirol Snow Card will make accessible throughout the entire season on an unprecedented scale. The Tirol Snow Card is a season pass for a total of 923 lifts across 77 ski resorts, with over 3,100 kilometres of pistes in the Alps.

The downside is the Snow Card’s upfront cost. At 590 euros for adults and 290 euros for children for the entire season, the Tirol Snow Card is aimed mainly at frequent skiers and holidaymakers from nearby areas. On closer inspection, skiing in Tyrol is a bargain, particularly for nearby holidaymakers and frequent skiers. In Austria and Tyrol, day passes costing 30 euros for children and 50 euros for adults are not uncommon, so the Snow Card is worth buying even for a two-week ski holiday in the Alps. Tirol Marketing is also considering day passes and summer offers for the future. “In any case, this ski pass has a strong customer-retention effect,” says Josef Margreiter of Tirol Werbung GmbH.

The Tirol Snow Card can be purchased at all participating lifts in Austria and is valid from 1 October 2009 to mid-May 2010.

With so much choice, picking the right destination in the Tyrolean Alps is certainly no easy task. From Alpbachtal to Zillertal, skiers and snowboarders have plenty of ski lodges, holiday apartments and holiday homes to choose from, as well as the welcoming hotels in Tyrol, of course, in every comfort and price range. But be warned: popular travel dates, such as New Year’s holidays in Austria, are often fully booked well in advance.