The ski area The Hintertux Glacier offers skiing all year round since 1968 when the chairlift
Gefrorene Wand was constructed, the world's first chairlift with towers built on glacier ice. Skiing in summer at the Hintertux Glacier is possible because the ski area is located on a high‑elevation
glacier, where snow and ice persist year‑round. Glaciers are large, moving bodies of compacted snow and ice that remain at or near freezing temperatures even in summer. At elevations above about 3,000 m such as at
Hintertux, the temperature stays low enough for snow and
firn (compressed snow) to endure throughout the year. This means that even during warm months, sufficient snow remains on the surface for downhill skiing. The Hintertux Glacier is one of only two
ski resorts in the world offering skiing all year round, the other being
Zermatt in
Switzerland. Of the 62 kilometres in winter, 17.2 km (27%) are classified as easy/blue, 35.1 km (55%) as intermediate/red, and 11.7 km (18%) as difficult/black. The longest run to the valley, the
Schwarze Pfanne ("black pan"), measures with a vertical drop of . At the free-of-charge
Flohpark Hintertux near the parking lot at the valley station, children can learn how to ski on with the help of conveyor belts and beginner lifts. For children at intermediate level, the ski resort offers the following areas: The
Kidsslope Hintertux features snow tunnels and is accessible via the
Ramsmoos T-bar lift. The
Funslope Hintertux in the
Sommerbergalm ski area features wide banked turns, dynamic wave tracks and large snow elements, and is accessible via the
Tuxerjoch 4‑seater chairlift.
Lifts and cable cars The ski area features 21
lifts and
cable cars reaching elevations of up to . The
Gefrorene Wand single-cable 10-person gondola lift replaced the 30-year-old
Gefrorene Wand 3a double chair lift in 2011. It has been built by Doppelmayr and features heated seating.
Other activities In addition to its winter sports facilities, the Hintertux Glacier features a panoramic viewing terrace at an elevation of , offering extensive views of the surrounding Alpine landscape. The terrace is accessible year-round and can be reached by cable car via the
gondola lift Gletscherbus 3. The
Spannagel Cave is long and hence the largest cave system in the
Austrian Central Alps. The cave entrance is located next to the
Spannagelhaus mountain hut. The
Natur Eis Palast is a
crevasse that was discovered in 2007 and is open to the public. Its entrance is just above the top station on the
Gletscherbus 3 lift. Visitors can climb about down into the ice using a combination of steps and ladders. The crevasse maintains a constant temperature of throughout the year. == Access ==