- The Resort

The Snowbombing Super Ski Pass offers amazing value, allowing access to the entire Zillertal Super Ski Area - the Hintertux Glacier, the Vans Penken Park, 650 km of piste and 172 lifts and gondolas - a white winter wonderland of epic proportions and endless pleasurable possibilities! View the Zillertal pistemap 

Check out Snow Finder Austria for detailed information on the country's best ski resorts, including a run by run breakdown of every piste in Mayrhofen!

The Zillertal 3000 ski area has every reason to call itself one of the finest skiing and snowboarding areas anywhere in Europe. With 157 km of slopes, 49 lifts and snow guaranteed to 2,500 metres (that's 8,250 feet, in old money), the region numbers amongst the top ski areas of the Alps. With sunny and treeless summit slopes, broad carving areas and challengingly steep north slopes, fantastic deep snow areas with cornices, humps, powder runs and fun slopes there is something here for everybody – from free skiers'n'boarders, to the vertically-challenged nubies (who should make use of Mayrhofen's excellent ski schools).

Snow

"With the prospect of empty pistes, epic snow conditions, good vibes, happy people and the 'Ride and Seek' competition in the Vans Park; the only thing you've got left to worry about is packing your party pants."
- Method Mag

Mayrhofen is THE late season snow centre of excellence: In 2012 the biggest dump of the season fell in early April, and even two days after Snowbombing had ended, the locals were texting us whilst waist deep in powder. The sun made frequent guest appearances during Snowbombing and we enjoyed great snow with bluebird skies: classic spring conditions.... That's partly why this year, we have moved the dates a week earlier, hopefully catching that late season dump!

Lift Passes

Snowbombing Super Ski Pass offers amazing value, allowing access to the entire Zillertal Super Ski Area - the Hintertux Glacier, the Vans Penken Park, 650 km of piste and 172 lifts and gondolas.

"Snowbombing is the highlight of my season...fewer punters on the slopes meaning no lift queues, and quick laps through the park. Beautiful warm sunny weather, an amazing park, and the best parties of the year make it one not to miss. If you love snowboarding and you love partying, what more could you ask for? Heaven."
- Jon Weaver, Forum Snowboards European Team Manager

Each April day on the glacier in  comes with a bronzed tan (or lobster-face) guarantee! 90-230km of perfectly groomed ski runs for all levels and abilities: skiing, carving, snowboarding, backcountry skiing. Don't miss the ultimate Glacier Ski Trail boasting the region's longest top-to-bottom ski trail - 12km long, 1,750m difference in altitude!

Zillertal Super Skipass

The Zillertal Super Skipass gives you access to a staggering 10 resorts, 650 km of piste and 172 lifts and cable cars which means that you could spend all week skiing different runs and still not cover the whole mountain by the end of the week! Winter presents itself in all its diversity around the Penken, Horberg, Rastkogel, Eggalm and Ahorn. With sunny and treeless summit slopes, broad carving areas and challengingly steep north slopes, fantastic deep snow areas with cornices, humps, powder runs and fun slopes there is something here for everybody - its a fantastic resort for cross country, abusing gravity or if you're just getting into the sport - with a wide selection of runs plus the world class Vans Penken Park, comprising quarter & half pipes (150m), a boarder cross course. Now with a new sponsor it's even bigger with 4 separate lines, 10 kickers, 20 rails/boxes and 1 pipe. The epithet "quality" applies not only to the ski area but also to the constantly modernised ski lift facilities, the choice of huts and - above all - the legendary Zillertal apres-ski.

Quite literally the coolest thing about the Zillertal area is the mighty Tux glacier - Austria's highest lifted point at a dizzying 3,286m which is spectacularly reached by the highest double chair-lift in the world! The glacier is a short (free!) bus ride away from Mayrhofen and offers fantastic piste and off-piste action all year round (as well as Europe's highest half-pipe, which hosts many of Europe's top teams throughout the summer months). The views over Italy, Germany and Austria are awe-inspiring.

Private Lessons   

LEARNING CURVE: It may sound like an erotic euphemism but private lessons are the quickest way to learn the art of sublime sliding. As every parent knows, smaller class sizes equal better results, and with Snowbombers wanting to max their time on the mountain, we’ve decided to offer an alternative to standard tuition - private lessons. These will be charged per instructor and work like this: the more people book, the cheaper it is (as the cost of the instructor is shared).

How To Book Private Lessons For Yourself And Your Friends: These can be added when you arrive in resort. A member of SMT (The Instructor School) will be waiting next to the Snowbombing check-in desk, so you can sort out these lessons before you have even had a chance to put down your bags!                                  

The Piste

Mayrhofen provides an extensive range of piste for all abilities.

• Beginners: Mayrhofen enjoys an excellent reputation for its English speaking ski & board tuition. SMT instructors are the cream of the crop.

• Intermediates: an abundance of long, wide, open blues & reds waiting.

• Advanced: explore challenging valley descents and steep mogul areas. Catch the free bus to the Tux glacier, Austria's highest lifted point and sheer heaven for confident skiers & boarders. From here you are at the geographical centre of Europe and can gaze over three countries: Austria, Germany and in the next valley, Italy!

Harakiri

The steepest piste in Austria!

For those who are looking for an Alpine 'amyl rush', there's the Harikri: Austria's steepest ski piste with gradients of up to 78%! Named after the Japanese suicide ritual performed by warriors who fell on their swords rather than allow themselves to be captured, this underwear-staining mutha boasts a 78% incline. If that means nothing to you, picture a ski jump ramp, which has the same grabbed-by-gravity gradient.

Unlike other extremely steep runs in the world, such as the famous "Wall" in Avoriaz or the Corbetts Couloir in Jackson Hole, the Harikiri is the only prepared run, meaning you can expect a mogul-free ride all season, thanks to piste bashers and artificial snow machines.

According to our pals at the Mayrhofen Tourism Board, even the preparation of the piste is tricky: "We have to rope the piste basher to the ground with steel cables to prevent it from falling off the mountain." Nice.

And as for skiers, some simply turn around when they hit the top. Others proudly pose by the skull & crossbones sign to prove they've been there, before nervously traversing across the slope to take a different route down!

If you're going to try the Harikiri, be aware that once you're on it, there's no way out. If you fall, you're going down. All the way down.

In fact, so common is the sight of giant bum slides, and freefalling bodies, that a favourite mountain pastime of Snowbombers is to sit at Hilde's pizzeria with a beer, and watch the constant carnage on the opposite 'slope of death'!

The Best Run

Best run in the resort? It's the 5.5 km run from the Ahorn ski area, the longest artificially snow-covered valley downhill run in the Zillertal).

The recent developments on the Ahorn are another string to the resorts bow. If mountains were 80's pop duo's, the Ahorn mountain would be Andrew Ridgely to the popular Penken areas George Michael, or put another way, the Syd Little to the Penkens Eddie Large. But my, how things have changed! This imposing peak now boasts the biggest erection anywhere in the Austrian alps - the 160 person cablecar whisks you to the sunny 2000 metre plateau, before you can say 'acute vertigo'!

Once there you'll find beginner-seducing blue slopes, (now served by a brand new 6 man chair, (incidentally), and the coolest damn bar anywhere in them thar hills; The Barclaycard Arctic Disco (or White Lounge). Kick back in the sun and order a drink in a glass made from ice. Admire the view. Breathe in crystal air. Put your underpants on your head. You're on holiday!!

Some resort facts:

• Resort height: 630m
• Vertical drop: 2500ft
• Km of piste: 157km (local), 650km (super ski pass)
• Types of run: blue 29%, red 59%, black 12%
• Snowmaking: 140 cannons covering 25km (100% of Mayrhofen)
• Cross country: 20km
• Glacier height:3286km
• Mountain bars & restaurants: 28 huts in resort (local ski area)
• Lift capacity:72.820/hour (local ski area)
• Number of lifts: 48 (167 Zillertal super ski pass incl. glacier)
• Zillertai Pistemap

PAMPER PARADISE

As well as being the home of Snowbombing, the picturesque village of Mayrhofen also plays host to one of the most luxurious spas in the Austrian mountains.

Most of Snowbombing’s hotels boast fantastic spa’s – from roof top hot tubs; offering panoramic views of the gasp-inducing peaks, to balmy Moroccan-themed pools and relaxation rooms.

Snowbombing must be the only festival where you can enjoy 7 different types of sauna before watching the headline band! This serene 'ying' to the 'yang' side of Snowbombing (non-stop partying, late nights.... not to mention false-moustache-wearing) creates a balance for Snowbombers, many of whom make full use of a rejuvenating selection of detox/pre-tox treatments or simply chill out and meditate (all right, sleep off last night’s hangover) in the Zen garden, soaking up the sunshine and catching up on the gossip...

The ultimate ‘pamper before you party’ palace is the Hotel Strass Wellness area – two floors of serenity in the snow; take a Thalasso, hog a Hammam or merely melt into a massage before the big night ahead… come midnight and you’ll be positively glowing beneath that glitterball!

HOTEL STRASS SPA

Amongst the breathtaking, awe inspiring Alpine heights, and nestled deep underground, lies the Strass Wellness Centre - a haven of peace and recuperation outside the fast paced, full-on, fuelled action of the street parties, music stages and winter sports.

Moroccan themed marble design completes the spacious retreat along with relaxed outdoor gardens with panoramic views of the amazing landscape. Named by Cosmopolitan as 'One of the top Ten Spa's in the World' and a favourite of health guru Carole Caplin, The Strass Spa offers a wide range of facilities and treatments including:

Finish and Bio Sauna, A choice of a 90 degree sauna or the more gentle 70 degree room that works with light therapy to encourage good circulation.

Steam Bath and Inhalation Cave, The Roman steam bath softens the skin & soothes the respiratory system along with the cleansing steam and salt air of the Inhalation cave.

Hamam Aromatic inhalation in the Sauna opens and detoxes the pores followed by an intensive Turkish Massage using specialist foam lotions.

Thalasso and Salt Water Pool Under-water massage and a healing bath to relax and rejuvinate the body, calm the mind and strengthen the immune system.

Visit the official Hotel Strass website

ALPINE AIR HEAD

The Austrians excel in wellness as much as in winter sports. Each breath of Alpine O2 fills your lungs with life-affirming spirit and delivers oxygen to your aching limbs and muscles.

Take a stroll through the silent cathedral-like pine forests which enclose this chocolate box resort, or follow the flow of the Ziller river.

The Mystical Mayrhofen resort is reputed to be energized by its location at the point where four valleys meet; each one shepherding a river, which converge to create a natural energy.

And that's not all... the skyline is dominated by the Grundberg mountain; In particular a glacial feature which resembles a perfectly shaped heart. The locals believe that if you kiss someone during a full moon below the 'heart of the mountain', they will never forget you.

Ah... how romantic!

TAN-FASTIC!

Everyone who goes to Snowbombing returns with a tan; not an orange, “straight outta Loughton High St” ghastly complexion; more a healthy glow caused by feeling the warm spring sunshine, through an unpolluted atmosphere at altitude.

...And you don’t even have to spend all day gliding around the gentle pistes to get that bronzed and beautiful look, half an hour on your balcony will do the trick!

The majority of our rooms come with a balcony – 90% of them are private and secluded, allowing you to get that all-over glow or to enjoy some ‘al fresco’ action and put on a show for the passing paragliders. (judging from the tales our pilot mate Juergen Stock tells us, this isn’t as common as you might think!)

A Festival where the only mud comes in a pack

Whisper it very softly, but the fact is that Snowbombing is about the only festival in the world which comes with a ‘mud free guarantee’ (in fact we promise the only mud we’ll see is the one the beautician puts on your face!).

Which other festie offers you the chance to enjoy a rooftop Jacuzzi rather than a draughty tent or cold shower block?

What is it?

It's a Snowboard pro-comp... But not as you know it, Jim! Three days of true grit and false moustache's all washed down with copious amounts of schnapps and dancing on the sun terrace of a nearby mountain restaurant to Snowbombing DJ's and a sound system beefier than an Argentine Steak House staff do!

Jamie Nicholls wins Ride and Seek at Snowbombing 2013!

The World’s funniest snowboard competition held at the Vans Penken Park in Mayrhofen and now in it´s fifth year. Pro riders mixed up with Snowbombers battled for honour, goodies and a total prize money of 2000 Euros. Four days of shredding, beats and insane parties, here is what happend day by day:

Tuesday:

Pro Snowboard Shop Hotzone.tv assembled some of Europe's finest pro snowboarders and visiting snowbombers to their now legendary banked slalom run. With Germany's Discodogs and Innsbruck's Wax Wreckaz sending the sunbathing crowd into a schnapps induced frenzy. Local hero Rudi Kröll blew the competition away and after 5 immense laps, demolished the course more than anyone else to take home the gold.

Wednesday:

The weather was not as bleak as predicted or could it be the classic funk being blasted through the park by Mistajam, Skream, Artwork and Scarlett Etienne that blew the clouds away? The gap in the clouds allowed the assembled Hotzone.tv international pros and visiting snowbombers to throw down hammers on the specially designed kicker. With multiple backflips, frontflips and the occasional slam all being witnessed by the amassed rabble of spectators. With the Grillhofalm providing the fluids and their now infamous homemade pizzas fuelling the fire to ensure everyone sent it into the late afternoon.

Thursday:

What a scorcher! With record temperatures, Norman Jay and the Notting Hill Carnival bus parked in the Grillhofalm you would be hard pressed to find a better combo for an afternoon. But wait theres more as the Hotzone.tv brought over some of the World's best riders who were out to prove why they get paid to chill in the snow instead of a getting a proper job. The cream of England, Jamie Nicholls was on fire with a switch frontside 1080 which earnt him best trick of the day and the overall Snowbombing Ride and Seek crown right in front of Peter König and Florian Heim. The Queen sends her respects. The beats continued long into the afternoon sending you all down with happy but redder faces than they arrived with.

Friday:

That's it and that's all with another unforgettable Ride and Seek contest coming to a close. The perils of the Hotzone slip and slide water gap were in fall force as superheroes, Gameboy megastars and some schnaps filled Snowbombers, crossed the sub zero temperatures, with some going home having had tasted the drink. With the snow dumping and the mist rolling in, it was up to the Dj's Ra and Smash Hifi to turn up the heat on the assembled rabble of spectators climaxing an epic week of snowboarding craziness, see you all next year!

Results:

Pro Comp:

1. Jamie Nicholls (UK)

2. Peter König (AT)

3. Florian Heim (AT)

Boardercross winner: Rudi Kröll (AT)

Best girl: Nina Schleifer (AT)

Best bomber: Ed Castlerock

Craziest dude on the mountain: Chris Parker

Words by Geri Margreiter at Hotzone TV

Photos by Christian Eberl

Food and Drink 

"Could well be winter's longest bar crawl." - Daily Express

With a total of 43 restaurants and 18 bars, you will never be short of options for refuelling (and that's not even including the facilities on the mountain)! The great thing about Mayrhofen is that you will not find any of the extortionate food and drinks prices so common to many European resorts. Beer will set you back only a couple of Euros, and considering Austria drinks more Grolsch than anywhere else in Europe, be sure there will be no shortage!

Food is also reasonably priced so you shouldn't find yourself burning through as much cash during the day as most ski holidays: In short something for all bellies; be it the home reared organic steaks at the Sneekarhutte to the fine Tyrolean fayre of the Zum Griener, to pizzas the size of Wales at the UFO pizzeria... Or every Snowbombers best friend: Hans the Butcher's take-a-way meat sandwiches!

1. Schneekarhutte (Pyramid restaurant)        

A gourmet restaurant at 2225 m...It is shaped like a pyramid and has locally sourced organic ingredients (from the owners own farm down in the valley). With the best wine list above the clouds and views you can only dream about; this all adds upto the ultimate alpine lunch hour - ask for the jagartee... You'll see why!

Location: Top of Red 7 (Take Schneekar 6 man chairlift)                                             

2. Zum Greiner:

The oldest restaurant in the Ziller valley. It’s actually an old farmhouse and the food – like the décor, hasn’t changed in 15 years. This is yer authentic Tyrolean eating experience.

Address: Tuxterstrasse 344

3. Café & Steakhouse Tirol:

Truffle oil soup that tastes so good you’ll want to eat it all over again. But that would spoil your main course: succulent Steaks from a herd of cows which graze all summer long just up the valley at Tux glacier.

Address: Hauptstrasse 448

4. Sieghard:

On the outskirts of Mayrhoden, this unassuming house is the home to 5 star international cuisine. House specials change by the month, but the quality is always top notch. One for real glacial gourmets!

Address: Johann Sponring Strasse 83 Hippach

5. Josef’s Biohutte:

Sitting slap bang in the middle of the piste (blue 14), this place’s green credentials are even higher than it’s location (1765m). All food is organically produced and locally-sourced. No additives or colorings are used. Drinks wise, you’ll find no carbonated, mass-produced brands on the menu. Everything is homemade by Josef’s family. Great for simple rustic snacks and if you’re lucky, there may be some Tiroler Grostle on the go. A unique eating (and toilet!) experience! 

Location: Situated in the middle of Tappenalm slope (Blue 14), on the right, just after Hilde's Schihutte.