Where to Ski And Snowboard - Kitzbühel’s latest attractions

Kitzbühel’s latest attractions

15th September 2010, by Chris Gill

Kirchberg-in-Tirol [Kitzbuehler Alpen / K Tropper]

The Kitzbühel-Kirchberg ski area in Austria will have another smart new lift opening this season; and this one is a jumbo two-stage gondola to replace two ancient and queue-prone chairlifts.

Kitzbühel Bergbahnen has recently invested over 30 million euro in upgrades to its ski lifts, with the 10-person Maierlbahn at Kirchberg taking centre stage for 2010/11. The modern new gondola has heated seats, a capacity to shift 2,400 people per hour, and will replace the Maierl I and II chairs out of Kirchberg – one of two access points on the edge of the village. This spot has been a cause of grumbles about the bottlenecks and was long overdue an upgrade, notably also to relieve pressure on the Klausen lift from further along the valley.

The revamp suddenly makes Kirchberg a more attractive place to stay - a sizeable resort that is often overlooked in favour of famous Kitz. And Kirchberg sits at the heart of Brixental: the central valleys between Kitzbühel’s area and the SkiWelt. What’s more, the lift company is also replacing the Maierl III chair above the new gondola, so visitors will get up the mountain in a fraction of the time of old. The eight-seat chair, with all the modern trimmings, will take you to the top of Ehrenbachhöhe on onto the Hahnenkamm slopes beyond.

From Kirchberg, there are regular buses along the valley to the Ki-West gondola that belongs to Westendorf’s slopes.

If you have a copy of the new edition of Where to Ski and Snowboard - check out our new Brixental chapter for more about this region.