The ski area
Mayrhofen has two mountains. The Penken is the main one, lift-linked with the Horberg, Rastkogel and Eggalm sectors into a network of 142 km of slopes: 44 km blue, 66 km red and 32 km black, served by 61 lifts. It is famous for two things: the Harakiri, the steepest groomed piste in Austria, and the Penken Park, one of the best snow parks in the Alps. Across the valley, the Ahorn is a sunny, gentle plateau for beginners and families, reached by a giant cable car.
The terrain runs from 630 m in the valley to 2,500 m. That low base is Mayrhofen’s weak spot: you ski mostly above 1,500 m and usually take the gondola back down. The 2026/2027 season on the Penken runs from 4 December 2026 to 11 April 2027, with the Ahorn open from 12 December to 4 April. The Zillertaler Superskipass extends your playground to the whole valley, 548 km of slopes and 180 lifts, including the Hintertux glacier.
Who is Mayrhofen for?
Mayrhofen suits groups of friends and confident intermediates who want variety by day and a party by night. Après-ski is loud and starts early, and the village has more going on than almost any other in Tyrol. Snowboarders and freestylers come for the Penken Park. Families with small children are better served by quieter Zillertal villages or the Ahorn side, although ski schools here are excellent.
Practical
Brussels to Mayrhofen is about 900 km and 9 hours, mostly on German motorways with an Austrian vignette. Innsbruck airport is 75 km away. A local day pass costs 82 euros in 2026/2027; a 6-day Zillertaler Superskipass is 399 euros and the better deal if you plan to explore.