Maso Corto has opened the 2026/27 season: what is running, ski pass prices and where to stay

First, the names, because it is easy to get confused once you are there. Maso Corto (Kurzras in German) is the highest village in the valley, at around 2,010 m, built around the valley station of the glacier cable car. The resort is formally called Alpin Arena Senales, and the glacier is the Hochjochferner. I stick to the name Maso Corto in this article. You will find the piste map, webcams and technical data in our Maso Corto resort profile on skionline.pl.

Maso Corto from 19 September: what is actually open

The first cable car up to the glacier leaves at 07:15, but that run is reserved for training teams. The Grawand chairlift and the piste it serves operate from 07:30 to 12:30, and the last cable car down to the valley is at 16:30. The resort asks you to check day by day whether recreational skiing is possible, on +39 0473 662171.

This is not a formality. In autumn national teams, ski federations and clubs train on the glacier, and the pistes are divided into corridors for slalom courses. A recreational skier who turns up in September expecting a full day of carving may be disappointed. Anyone who simply wants to get the first kilometres in after the summer, try out new boots or adjust their bindings before the season will find exactly what they are looking for. It is best to get here early, though. The glacier softens in the afternoon, and at this time of year everything ends before 13:00 anyway.

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When the next lifts open in Maso Corto

The official schedule has five stages. From 17 October the Gletschersee 2 chairlift will run, taking skiers from above the glacier lake back up onto the glacier, to the blue S1 piste and the Leo Gurschler steep. From 31 October they will be joined by the Finail 1 and 2 T-bars, with an easy, sunny piste on the edge of the glacier, and by the Hintereis chairlift, which climbs to 3,115 m and gives access to two red pistes towards the Bella Vista hut.

The big change comes on 28 November. That day the pistes in the lower part of the resort are due to open: the Lazaun gondola with two intermediate pistes totalling about 3.5 km and a 3.3 km toboggan run, the Roter Kofel chairlift up to the Teufelsegg hut at 2,453 m, and the Glocken T-bars by the valley station, which is the area for beginners and ski schools. The last piece of the puzzle, the Teufelsegg chairlift with the most difficult black pistes running down to the village itself, starts on 19 December. The lower sector is due to run until 18 April, and the glacier part of the resort until 9 May 2027.

One of the new features announced for winter 2026/27 is full snowmaking coverage of the Hintereis area and the Teufelsegg pistes. That is important news for Teufelsegg, because these steep, lower slopes suffered most in poorer winters. The main Ski Opening events are scheduled for 19 to 21 November, with a party at Hotel Grawand at 3,212 m and a ride back down to the valley by cable car. A week later the first pistes in the valley open.

Maso Corto ski pass 2026/27: when it is cheapest

The price list for the 2026/27 season divides the winter into three rates, marked B, C and D in the official document. The descriptive names in the table are mine. All amounts are for adults and come from the resort's official price list (as of 19 September 2026).

The most interesting window runs from 28 November to Christmas. After the planned opening of the valley pistes, you ski at the lowest rate of the season, €50 a day and €251 for six days. The second such chance is spring, from 3 April. With good weather you can find excellent spring snow then, and the price goes back to the minimum. Just remember that after 18 April only the glacier section remains open. On a week's trip (7 nights, 6 days of skiing) the difference between December before Christmas and peak season in February is €69 per person.

Buying online saves 7%, which brings the six-day ski pass down to around €298 in peak season. For families the best deal is Snowkid: children born in 2017 or later ski for €5 a day, or €30 for six days, provided at least one parent buys the equivalent ski pass. With at least three people paying the full rate (including one parent), reduced family prices also apply.

If you are planning several trips to South Tyrol, take a look at the new Südtirol Skipass 2027. It covers the 18 resorts of Südtirol Skiarena, including Val Senales, and is valid all year, from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. An adult pays €705, or €599 in presale until 30 November, about 15% less. For those who want to pop over to other resorts in the region during a week in Maso Corto, the Südtirol Skiarena passes for 3 to 6 days may be more practical.

Autumn is a separate matter. It costs more. From 19 September to 6 November a day on the glacier costs €68, and six days €341.

In my view this may come down to the nature of the period. The cable car, which climbs 1,200 vertical metres, and the piste preparation on the glacier both start at dawn, even though only a small part of the resort is open, and the costs are spread over a relatively small number of skiers. Demand comes mainly from determined skiers and training teams, whose only alternative is other glaciers. The price list also notes that training groups settle with the resort on separate terms. An autumn ski pass is simply a different product from a winter one. You can see how prices have changed in recent years by comparing them with the Maso Corto price list for the 24/25 season.

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Why Maso Corto: altitude, peace and quiet, and skiing from the door

Altitude makes all the difference here. The village lies at around 2,010 m, the top station of the cable car at 3,212 m, and the ski area has 42 km of pistes and 11 lifts. The glacier cable car climbs 1,201 vertical metres in six minutes. While in many Alpine valleys December skiing means white ribbons among green meadows, here winter usually starts right outside the hotel door. From the glacier down to Maso Corto runs the 8 km Schmuggler, the longest run in the resort.

The second thing is the lack of crowds. I come back here regularly and even in peak season I have never found the pistes crowded. I have been here many times over Christmas and during the winter school holidays, and I have never had to queue for a lift. There is so much room on the slopes that at times I felt I had them to myself. The reason is simple. Maso Corto lies at the end of a dead-end valley and has no link to any other resort, so nobody passes through on a ski safari. The people on the slopes are mostly those staying in the valley.

The third strength is the layout of the village. Today's Maso Corto was shaped above all by ski tourism. A small former farming settlement was developed in the 1970s into a modern sports base, and the turning point was the opening of the glacier cable car in 1975. Of the old buildings, the chapel at the entrance and the Kurzhof farm have survived. As a result, the hotels stand a few hundred metres from the valley station of the cable car, and the pistes end in the village. In the morning you walk out in your ski boots, and in the afternoon you ski almost to the door. We wrote more about life in the valley after skiing in our article Maso Corto-Val Senales: sport, fun and relaxation.

What to watch out for

42 km of pistes is not much for six days if you are a demanding skier. If you need new slopes every day, you will know the resort by heart after three days. That is the natural limit of a small resort, and the answer may be trips to other Südtirol Skiarena resorts, though that means driving.

The second issue is wind. A single cable car goes up to the glacier, and in strong winds it sometimes stops. When the whole resort is open, however, the lower sector with Lazaun, Roter Kofel, Teufelsegg and the Glocken lifts is still there, as long as conditions allow them to run. In autumn there is no such plan B. At 3,200 m it can also get really cold, especially in January. Après-ski is low-key, based on a few bars and hotels, so anyone looking to party until dawn has come to the wrong place.

Where to stay in Maso Corto and the Val Senales

In Maso Corto itself you sleep next to the slopes. Options include the Aparthotel Maso Corto about 100 m from the lifts, Sporthotel Kurzras, Blu Hotel Senales Zirm-Cristal about 200 m from the gondola, and Caravan Park Schnals for motorhomes. The most unusual address is the Glacier Hotel Grawand at the top station of the cable car, at 3,212 m. In the morning there is no need to ride up from the valley, because the hotel stands right next to the glacier pistes.

I have been coming to the Aparthotel Maso Corto for 30 years. The hotel stands right by the slope and has its own ski hire and ski service, so there is no carrying equipment anywhere in the morning. There is an activity programme for guests, and the atmosphere is so friendly that after all these years I have many friends here.

Maso Corto, however, is only one of five villages in the valley. The others are Monte Santa Caterina (Katharinaberg), Certosa (Karthaus), Madonna di Senales (Unser Frau) and Vernago (Vernagt). From the valley entrance it is about 23 km to Maso Corto, 16 km to Vernago, 13 km to Madonna and 9 km to Certosa. The lower you go, the cheaper and quieter it usually is, but the longer the trip to the slopes.

Vernago lies at 1,700 m, above a reservoir, about 7 km from the lifts. Madonna di Senales, at around 1,500 m, has guesthouses, hotels, an ice rink and a cross-country trail. Among others, the Smart Hotel Firn is here, about 9 km from the glacier. Certosa, above 1,300 m, grew up on the site of a former Carthusian monastery and is the seat of the Senales municipality. All the villages also have farm stays with rooms and apartments.

The valley has a regular bus service linking the villages of the Val Senales with Maso Corto. Guests at participating accommodation receive the digital Südtirol Guest Pass Vinschgau, which gives free use of public transport throughout South Tyrol, including the ski buses in Vinschgau. Ask when booking whether your accommodation issues it. If you want to combine skiing with a town, you can stay in Naturno at the mouth of the valley or in Merano, about 40 minutes by car from Maso Corto.

Ötzi, the Carthusians and Messner: the valley beyond the slopes

Ötzi was found on the Tisenjoch, just 92.56 m from the Austrian border, on the Italian side. The mummy itself is on display at the archaeological museum in Bolzano, but the story of the Iceman is best told by the archeoParc in Madonna di Senales. From the top station of the cable car there is a short climb to the Iceman Ötzi Peak viewpoint (3,251 m), and in good weather you can see more than 120 peaks over three thousand metres from there.

Certosa has its own, lesser-known history. The Carthusian monastery was dissolved in 1782 and its buildings were sold to the local people. In 1924 the village was ravaged by fire, after which only three of its 38 houses remained untouched. At the mouth of the valley stands Juval Castle, the home of Reinhold Messner. A curiosity of the resort itself is the Bella Vista hut below the Hintereis chairlift, with an igloo, a sauna and, according to the resort, the highest outdoor swimming pool in Europe.

Getting to Maso Corto: Brenner or Reschen

The last stretch is always the same: from the Vinschgau valley (Val Venosta) you turn into the Val Senales between Naturno and Staben, below Juval Castle, and drive another 23 km or so of winding mountain road. Two routes across the Alps lead to Vinschgau. I usually drive via the Brenner, but when the weather is good and I am not driving after dark, I take the slightly longer route over the Reschen Pass.

Via the Brenner Pass

This is the fastest and simplest option. From Innsbruck you take the A13 motorway to the Brenner and on along the Italian A22 to Bolzano. In Bolzano you take the MeBo expressway to Merano, and from Merano you follow the Vinschgau valley towards Naturno. From Innsbruck to Maso Corto it is about 170 km, almost all of it on motorway and expressway. Allow for tolls: on top of the Austrian motorway vignette, you pay separately for the Brennerautobahn, and on the Italian side for the A22 section.

Via the Reschen Pass

The second option avoids the Brenner and the Italian motorways. From Innsbruck you take the A12 motorway west to Landeck, then the B180 road through Pfunds and Nauders to the Reschen Pass (Passo di Resia, 1,504 m). On the Italian side the road descends the whole Vinschgau valley, through Malles and Silandro, to the turn-off for the Val Senales. If you come through Germany, you can reach Landeck without going via Innsbruck, through Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Fern Pass and Imst. This route is a little longer and slower, but it involves no tolls for the Brennerautobahn or the Italian motorway. The downside is the pass section, which can be snowy in winter, and the drive through one Vinschgau village after another. In return you get the view of Lake Reschen, with the tower of the submerged church of Curon (Graun) rising from the water.

When it comes to tyres, remember that the rules differ along the route. In Austria, from 1 November to 15 April winter tyres are required in winter conditions, or as a last resort snow chains fitted to the drive wheels.

Italy is more lenient: on the A22 motorway and in Bolzano, from 15 November to 15 April, winter tyres or snow chains carried in the car are enough, while on the other roads of South Tyrol you must drive on winter tyres or with chains fitted when there is snow or ice. So simply having chains is not enough for the whole drive, because Austria is on the way.

Buying a ski pass

The best place to buy a ski pass is the resort's online shop: it is 7% cheaper online, and in the morning you skip the ticket office queue. On site, passes are sold at the ticket office by the valley station of the glacier cable car in Maso Corto. For the Snowkid discount and family rates you need a document showing that the child is travelling with a parent. In autumn, call the resort before you travel and ask whether pistes are available to recreational skiers, before you buy a ski pass.

How many days and when to go

In autumn a weekend is enough, since you only ski until midday anyway. In winter a week makes sense for families and for skiers who value peace and quiet more than kilometres. In my opinion the best dates are the last days of November and the first half of December, when the lowest price applies and the high-altitude pistes give a good chance of decent conditions. The other option is April, with spring snow on the glacier when the weather plays along.

Is Maso Corto worth a trip?

Maso Corto does not compete on size. It wins on altitude, a long season on high pistes, accommodation right by the cable car and quiet slopes that the big Alpine ski circuits do not offer even in January. The autumn start is for the determined, who want their first days on skis before the season. For everyone else the calendar starts on 28 November, and the money is best spent in December before Christmas and in April, when a six-day ski pass costs €251.