Learning to ski at 40+ years is great way to check and level any ego one may have had. Seeing kids barely out of nappies ski past you and having Cara ask why you’re going so slow probably doesn’t help! But whether it’s been your lifelong dream, or your kids have bullied you into it, or maybe you just like the idea of après-ski, whatever your reason, then learning to ski in Mayrhofen, Austria, is a fantastic location.
Date Visited: 17th to 21st February 2025
Location: Mayrhofen, Austria
Getting There: We flew from London Gatwick to Munich, Germany with EasyJet before hiring a car and driving 2-hours to Mayrhofen. An alternative and closer option would be to fly into Innsbruck, Austria.
Cost: As will most skiing holidays, the total package isn’t cheap – c.£4,500 for flights, accommodation, ski lessons, equipment hire and lift passes for 3-days.
First things first – why learn to ski in Mayrhofen?
Mayrhofen is a great choice for beginners. The ski schools are excellent. We went with Mayrhofen Ski School 3000 for 2-hour lessons on each of the 3 days. The lessons were more for me than Cara! The slopes are well-maintained and there are plenty of blue-run options. The facilities, including lifts and restaurants are excellent and the equipment hire at Bründl Sports is top notch. When the activities to get everything ready is easy, then it makes for a more relaxed ski and allows you to concentrate on getting down the mountain safely!
If you’re a total newbie like me who only had 3 days of skiing before this trip, and you don’t fancy cartwheeling down the mountain like a human snowball, then lessons are a must. Book a few lessons, whether they be private or group. You’ll learn much quicker without the frustrations of falling over all the time. Mayrhofen has some fantastic English-speaking instructors who will stop you from embarrassing yourself too much – although I still managed to fall over on a flat while heading to the lift!
Plenty of runs
Mayrhofen has different sections, with plenty of lifts and runs to choose from. Majority of lessons start out at the top of the Penken lifts, which takes about 10 minutes to head up above the clouds from street level. We mainly tackled blue run 28 on the first day and as our confidence grew throughout the trip, we ventured further and tested out different runs. On our last day after the lessons, we walked over to the Ahorn area to enjoy the wider blue runs and fun parks. For the more advanced skier, there’s the Harakiri, which is one of the steepest slopes in Austria.
The Gear: Renting vs. Buying
Unless you’re planning on making skiing a regular thing, it probably makes more sense to rent your gear. The ski rental shops in Mayrhofen will sort you out with decent boots, skis, and poles. They had helpful staff and great tech that scans your feet, providing you with heated boots that fit. We also recommend pre-booking and hiring a locker, either at the bottom or top of the lifts, to save you from lugging your equipment before and after each session.
Re-fuelling
When skiing with kids, they’ll be hungry after a few hours. Luckily there’s plenty of options around the Penken area, both on the slopes and at street level. Given it’s Austria, it was focused on meats so plan ahead if you have dietary needs or allergies. Most places serve a tasty clear beef broth soup with either noodles or pancakes (rindsuppe) which is a great choice after skiing. There’s also the ever-reliable schnitzel and frites. For meat-lovers, there is Hans Butcher opposite the Penken lift which offers a selection of cooked meats.
As we left the slopes around 3pm each day to enjoy the hotel pool, we didn’t hit the après-ski. However, there are some well-known options – either on the mountain or at the Ice Bar once you’re back at street level.
Getting around
As we had a hire car, we drove from our hotel about 7 minutes away and parked near the Penken lifts. However, there are plenty of buses and a train that services the area. A free shuttle bus takes skiers to the various lifts. Just note, that as the main road is one-way, it can take some time to do the loop and it can get very busy at peak times.
Top Tips to learn to ski in Mayrhofen
If you’re a beginner like me and want to learn to ski in Mayrhofen, then here are some ideas we found useful:
- Book Lessons – know your abilities, so if you need lessons, don’t be afraid to take them. Everyone has to start somewhere!
- Beat the peak – the main Penken lift opens at 8am, which means by 8:30am there’s a large queue to go up. Reverse that and by 4:30pm, the queue starts building to head back down. Try to work around this time to avoid having to wait 30-minutes for the lift.
- Layer up – skiing is basically cold-weather cardio. You’ll get hot. Then cold. Then hot again.
- Protection – the most important one, sunscreen. When you’re above the clouds, the sun can hit you harder and you might find yourself with a goggle tan.
- Plan ahead – as mentioned above, book a locker if you don’t want to carry your gear between your accommodation and the slopes. There’s also plenty of maps, so plan which runs you want to do to maximise your time up there.
- Have fun – yes, it can be terrifying especially as you get older, to see how steep some sections can be. But once you’ve found your groove, remember to enjoy the view and have fun!
