There is no doubt that Hochzeiger perfectly complements Pitztal Glacier ski resort. Whilst Pitztal Glacier is all about high alpine splendour, it is hellish in bad weather. And so Hochzeiger steps forward. It generally tree lined slopes are sheltered from the most heinous weather and the terrain is at least manageable during a storm. Naturally, if the sun is out, Hochzeiger is brilliant. But we weren't there to experience it as instead, we were on a mission at Pitztal Glacier!
We skied Hochzeiger during mixed weather consisting of intermittent white out, blizzard, light snow, overcast & blue sky in temperatures below minus 10 all day. The snow quality was excellent above 2000m.
Travel was by car as our accommodation was in a beautiful apartment on a farm across the valley, but the local bus system looks to be very good from the train station through the major town of Wenns to Jerzens and further up to the ski resort. Direct links from Hochzeiger to Pitztal Glacier are possible on the bus.
The Hochzeiger resort village above Jerzens is compact and has a full range of services, eateries, bars and accommodation. The lift system works well servicing all the terrain without too many navigational issues, even in poor visibility. From the top of the gondola, the terrain is served by 3 main chairlifts. Another old chair and a T-bar are superfluous to skiing the area. Major facilities at Mittel Station include a maze of seating areas & eateries from where most of the ski hill can be scoped on a clear day.
Piste trails are perfectly prepared, but the advanced trails are only upper intermediate at best. Loads of powder simply lays about between the trails unsullied by passersby. All the more for us!
Alpine off-piste terrain under and off the Rotmoos chairlift is good fun. Masses of tree skiing is possible for the adventurous below the Sechszeiger ending conveniently onto the 10a ski trail. It is only about 200m vertical of trees, but fun nonetheless.
If planning on skiing Pitztal Glacier, plan on skiing Hochzeiger as well.
You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Hochzeiger overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings page regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.