Guided ski tours in the backcountry of Austria's Silvretta region led by IFMGA guides John & Olivia Race and the Northwest Mountain School.
In the 1920's Hemingway spent a winter here writing and skiing with his young family. In his day the huts were simple affairs that have since been remodeled into backcountry hotels tucked in the middle of the best touring terrain. Hot showers, comfortable rooms, and home-cooked meals are standard. The skiing is phenomenal as the area holds powder long after the last storm.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
On-snow support
- Independent: Below this trip's level of support
Ski or ride independently, without trip staff accompanying you on the mountain.
- Hosted: With your guide
Trip hosts ski or ride with the group, help everyone get oriented, and share local knowledge.
- Guided: Included
Professional guides lead the group and select suitable terrain and routes based on conditions and ability. Instruction is not included.
- Coached: Not confirmed
Professional coaches lead the group, select suitable terrain, and provide instruction and personalized feedback to help you improve.
- 6 days on snow with staff
- Backcountry guiding6 days guided skiing with IFMGA certified guides
Terrain, ability and who it is for
- This is not an extreme ski route in any way.
- It does, however, require participants to be decent skiers.
- Things you should feel comfortable doing include: skiing with a backpack, skiing a wide variety of snow ranging from powder to breakable crust to corn, and climbing and descending 3500-4500' on skis for a week.
- Sport
- Ski
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
What the price includes
Included
- Lodging
- Lift pass
- Meals · partly
- All guide's expenses
- Guide fee
- 6 nights lodging with dinner and breakfast in huts
- Tram/lift @ start of tour
- All guide's expenses
- 6 days guided skiing with IFMGA certified guides
Not included
- Transfers
- Transport to/from trip meeting point
- Lunches/drinks & extras in huts
- Meals in town
- Additional charge of approximately $15 USD per night if you are not a member of a reciprocal Alpine club
Not confirmed by the operator: Lesson.
Day by day
- Day 0: Arrive in Galtur, AustriaThe evening before the tour we all meet in the small village of Galtur, just up valley from Ischgl. Here the group will be briefed on the week ahead, we will do equipment checks, and get a good’s night rest before starting our tour the next morning. The hotel we utilize serves a family style dinner and breakfast allowing for a central base for the group to get to know one another.
- Day 1: Ischgl to Heidelberger Hut (2264M)After breakfast in Galtur we take a short bus ride to the ski area at Ischgl where we utilize the lifts to either the Paliner Kopf (2864M) or the new lift to Piz Val Gronda (2812M) and then ski to the Heildelberger Hutte (2264M). Getting to the hut only takes a few hours, leaving time in the afternoon to ski some of the terrain near the Heidelberger Hut.
- Day 2: Heidelberger Hut to Jamtal Hut (2165M)In the morning we collect our gear and then tour up the Val Fenga to the Kronenjoch (2972M) the high pass that leads to the Jamtal Valley where we will spend two nights. The skiing on the backside of the Kronenjoch is consistently very good and along the way we have the option to make the short ascent of the Breite Krone (3079M), which can be ascended on skins with a very short boot section at the end. As usual, there are many opportunities for an afternoon tour for those looking for more vert.
- Day 3: Gemspitze (3107M) and Hinter Jamspitze (3156M) from Jamtal HutWe could easily spend the entire trip touring out of the Jamtal Hut. Excellent summit objectives include: Piz Blaisch Lunga (3230M), Chalauskopf (3118M), Vorder Jamspitze (3176M), Hinter Jamspitze (3156M), Dreilanderspitze (3197M), Ochsenkopf (3057M), and a variety of other peaks and ridge crests. We like to climb the Gemspitze, which can be a day in itself, with the option to also ski the Hinter Jamspitze on the same tour.
- Day 4: Jamtal Hut to Wiesbadner Hut (2443M)There are a variety of ways we can get to the Wiesbadner Hut, but the most often used is the trip up and over the pass just North of the Dreilanderspitze. This climbs takes a few hours and then drops us onto the NE facing slopes of the upper Vermunt Glacier, which also provides good power skiing down to the Wiesbadner Hut. Along the way we can grab the summit of the Dreilanderspitze (3197M) before skiing down to the hut. In good stability there are more aggressive lines for those looking to challenge themselves a bit.
- Day 5: Silvrettahorn (3244M) &/or Piz Buin (3312M) from Wiesbadner HutFrom the Wiesbadner Hut we can see the improbable line leading to the Ochsental Glacier and the plateau beneath the Silvrettahorn and Piz Buin. We wrap hard from the hut and then traverse onto the glacier, skinning alongside a spectacular icefall. Once on route the travel is much easier and less exposed than it appears from the hut. Eventually we gain the plateau and have our choice of scrambling to the summits of the Silvrettahorn or the Piz Buin. It is unlikely that we would do both, but we can easily fit in one summit and also get a good ski from the Fuorcla dal Cunfin, which provides fantastic views down into Silvretta Glacier. The run back to the hut is north facing and provides more north-facing skiing followed by a short skin back up to the hut and well earned cold beverage.
- Day 6: Wiesbadner Hut to Wirl (1622M)Up early as usual, we climb directly from the hut to the Bietaljoch. Most will want to climb the Rauhen Kopf (3101M) and then have a long, sheltered ski out an impressive valley to just below the Bielerhohe (1897M). From here we glide down a groomed nordic track all the way to the ski area at Wirl. From Wilr it is a short, five-minute, bus ride back to Galtur, where we began our trip. Some tour participants will choose to spend one last night in the region, while others will move towards their flights home the next day.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
Where you stay
These huts have both small rooms that sleep 4-6 people and dormitory style lodging. We generally try to get the smaller rooms, but this is not always possible. Different people have different opinions of hut living. Most nights we are in bed by 9 p.m. and most mornings we are up by 6 am. Dinners are things like pasta, meat, potatoes, a desert, bread, and soup. Breakfast is generally a very simple affair consisting of bread and jam, lunch meats, coffee or tea, and cheese and is designed to get large numbers of people fed and out the door. All of the items sold in the hut are either prepared there or brought up in snowcats from the valley below.
Getting There
Closest Airports: The two closest airports are Munich, Germany (MUC) and Innsbruck, Austria (INN). Munich is 3 hrs. by car (5 hrs 15 min by public transit) and Innsbruck is 1 hr. and 15 mms. by car (3 hrs 15 mins). As people register for the trip we will help with either putting together shared transport via rental car, or assist with booking public transit. If your flights arrive early on the day it is possible to reach Galtur on the same day that you fly into Munich or Innsbruck at the start of the trip and on the exit you will want to book your flight no earlier than the day following the last day of the trip.
From the trip description by Northwest Mountain School
Pins show the approximate main trip area—not a route, meeting point, or full itinerary. Confirm exact locations in the company's trip details.
Dates and prices
- Mar 8 – Mar 13, 20272026/27 · 6 days3,250 USD$3250 per skier — the page shows "$"; USD is stated on this operator's Svalbard and Burnie pagesAvailableChoose these datesBook on company website
Published as "March 8-13, 2027".
- Mar 15 – Mar 20, 20272026/27 · 6 days3,250 USD$3250 per skier — the page shows "$"; USD is stated on this operator's Svalbard and Burnie pagesAvailableChoose these datesBook on company website
Published as "March 15-20, 2027".
Prices, taxes and fees, required extras, inclusions, availability, and booking terms can change. Confirm the current price and trip details on the company website; source last reviewed September 24, 2026.
Reviews
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