Ski amadé ski pass 2026/27: new prices and five regions worth knowing

What exactly is Ski amadé

Ski amadé is an association of five ski regions in Salzburg and Styria, covering a total of 25 resorts, 760 km of pistes and 270 lifts, which makes it one of the largest ski systems in the Alps, outdone in Austria by only a handful of rivals. One ski pass is valid in all five regions, which in practice means that while staying in one valley you can ski in a completely different mountain range at no extra cost.

The name comes from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Salzburg, hence the association with classical music that appears in the association's promotional material.

The five Ski amadé regions

12 Peaks Ski Region. Until recently it operated as Salzburger Sportwelt. That name still appears in some material, but the region was officially rebranded after the Panorama-Link lift connected Snow Space Salzburg (Flachau, Wagrain, St. Johann) with the Zauchensee-Flachauwinkl-Kleinarl area, joining them with pistes into one continuous circuit. It comprises eight resorts: Snow Space Salzburg, Zauchensee-Flachauwinkl, Flachauwinkl-Kleinarl, Radstadt-Altenmarkt, Eben and Filzmoos. The name refers to the 12 Peaks Trophy, a route linking a dozen or so of the region's summits into one ski circuit, popular with guests looking for mileage, not just views.

Schladming-Dachstein. The association's best-known region, famous for the Alpine Ski World Cup races on the Planai. It includes Planai, Hochwurzen, Hauser Kaibling, Reiteralm, Fageralm, Galsterberg and Ramsau am Dachstein. Skiing is no longer possible on the Dachstein glacier. The lifts were dismantled in 2023, when the melting snow cover no longer justified keeping them. The glacier itself now operates as a tourist attraction (Sky Walk, Ice Palace), not as part of the ski area.

Gastein. A spa valley with Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein. It includes the ski areas of Schlossalm, Angertal, Stubnerkogel, Sportgastein and Dorfgastein. Sportgastein reaches 2,650 m, which makes it the highest part of the whole association and gives it a snow advantage over the rest of Ski amadé in warmer winters.

Hochkönig. Maria Alm, Dienten and Mühlbach, linked by one ski pass into an area with a much higher share of red and black pistes than the typical family regions. Its showpiece is the Königstour, a route with views of the Hochkönig massif itself and the surrounding Berchtesgaden Alps, taking in 6 summits over more than 35 km with around 7,500 m of vertical.

Großarltal. The smallest of the regions, effectively limited to the Grossarl valley, but valued for its peace and family atmosphere. It regularly appears in value-for-money rankings as an option for those looking for less crowded slopes on the same ski pass.

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New Ski amadé ski pass prices for the 2026/27 season

Season passes are valid from 10 October 2026 to 2 May 2027, although the actual ski season at individual resorts starts later. Schladming-Planai-Hochwurzen opens its slopes on 27 November 2026 and closes the season on 12 April 2027.

Ski amadé divides the whole season into two periods with separate price lists for multi-day ski passes. "Ski amadé Live" is the peak season, from 19 December 2026 to 26 March 2027. It covers Christmas, New Year's Eve and all of the winter school holidays. "Ski amadé Start and Finale" is the cheaper period: until 18 December 2026 and from 27 March 2027 to the end of the season. Below are adult prices, valid in all five regions at once. "Online" is the lower end of the early-booking range, and "ticket office" is the fixed rate at the counter, which is also the upper end of that range.

Ski amadé Live (19 December 2026 to 26 March 2027):

Ski amadé Start and Finale (until 18 December 2026 and from 27 March 2027):

Beyond 9 days the price keeps rising with every extra day in both periods. It is not a flat rate. In the Live season an 18-day ski pass costs €836 at the ticket office, still well below nineteen times a single day, but the gap between successive days does not shrink the way it does for the shorter passes.

For a typical seven-night stay the realistic benchmark is the 6-day pass, not the 7-day one. In practice that means €342 to €432.50 per person, depending on whether you hit the Live or the Start and Finale period and whether you buy online or at the ticket office.

How much a day pass costs in each Ski amadé region

There is no single answer to this question, because each of the 25 resorts sets its own price for a one-day ski pass; the Ski amadé ski pass only standardises multi-day tickets. Below are representative prices for the flagship resort of each region in the main season.

Region Flagship resort Day pass (adult, main season)

Four of the five regions converge almost to the cent at around €78.50 a day. The odd one out is 12 Peaks Ski Region, formerly Salzburger Sportwelt. A day pass in Snow Space Salzburg and the neighbouring resorts (Zauchensee-Flachauwinkl, Radstadt-Altenmarkt, Flachauwinkl-Kleinarl) costs a uniform €81 there. The difference only matters when buying single days: anyone buying a multi-day ski pass pays the same price regardless of which region they stay in and which one they ski most. A 6-day Ski amadé ski pass costs the same whatever your base, and changes only with the dates (€342 to €402.50 outside the peak season, €367.50 to €432.50 during it).

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How the pricing system works, and why the "from" price is not the price you will pay

Ski amadé sells ski passes under an Online Early Booking Bonus system combined with dynamic pricing. The ticket office price is fixed. It is a set rate paid at the counter on the spot. The online price changes depending on how far ahead you buy and on demand, but it will never exceed the ticket office price, so you can only save.

A concrete example with a 6-day ski pass in the Live season: the ticket office charges a fixed €432.50, online it is from €367.50. The saving reaches €65, or about 15 percent. In the Start and Finale period the ratio is almost identical: €402.50 at the ticket office against €342 online, again close to 15 percent cheaper. The ticket office is the ceiling, and online can take you a double-digit percentage below it. The same rule applies to every length of stay and in both periods of the season.

The operator openly admits that there is no universal rule for how many days ahead you need to buy to get the lowest price. The pool of cheap tickets runs out depending on the dates and demand, so the only effective strategy is to buy as early as possible and keep an eye on the ticket shop, rather than wait for a particular date.

When to ski for less: the 2026/27 season calendar

The season is divided into the two price windows for multi-day ski passes described above. Before the Live season, that is until 18 December 2026, and after it, from 27 March 2027, the lower Start and Finale rates apply. The Live season, from 19 December 2026 to 26 March 2027, is the most expensive period. It covers Christmas, New Year's Eve and all of the winter school holidays. In addition, the association's calendar includes promotional weeks, partly overlapping both price windows, which are described below.

The season will open in style: on 11 December 2026 Helene Fischer will kick it off with a concert at the Planai stadium, which in itself will draw visitors to Schladming who are not there primarily for the skiing, and so push up accommodation prices on those particular dates.

In the association's calendar it is worth noting the promotional weeks aimed at specific groups:

• Best Ager Week (until 23 December 2026 and 13 to 20 March 2027). For guests born in 1967 or earlier: book 7 nights and a 6-day ski pass is included in the price of the stay.
• 4=3 Online Package. Pay for 3 days, ski for 4, typically on dates at the edges of the season.
• Mini's Week (9 to 23 January 2027). Ski lessons for children born in 2021 or later, €199 for equipment, ski pass and lessons.
• Ski & Wine Enjoyment Week (6 to 13 March 2027). Packages combining skiing with wine tastings.
• Ladies Week (13 to 20 March 2027). Book 7 nights for two people and two 6-day ski passes, and one ski pass is free; despite the name, it also applies to two men booking together.

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Who Ski amadé suits, and who it does not

The association works for skiers who want varied terrain within one region on a single trip, not for those hoping to ski between all five at once. The distances between the regions are too great to travel between them without a car or public transport. This is not a single linked area in the style of Dolomiti Superski.

You can, however, combine specific pairs of regions, using a car or public transport as the link between your accommodation bases. I have checked the Gastein and Großarltal pairing myself. These two regions lie close to each other and make sense as a single trip. In the same way you can combine Hochkönig with 12 Peaks Ski Region, and Schladming-Dachstein with 12 Peaks Ski Region. In both cases this means travelling between bases, not a shared area linked by lifts.

12 Peaks Ski Region needs an extra caveat. It is the most spread out of the five regions, and despite a rebrand that highlights the Panorama-Link connection, several of its resorts are still not linked to each other by lifts. In practice the "12 Peaks" name alone does not guarantee that you can ski from every point in the region to every other.

Each region has a different character and a different target group. Schladming is terrain joined into one whole by lifts and pistes, suitable for every ability level. This is the region I recommend for a first trip to Ski amadé. Hochkönig works above all for advanced skiers, with a clearly larger share of demanding terrain than the rest of the association. Gastein is more fragmented: it consists of separate resorts belonging to one region, so it takes more planning of the day than skiing a fully linked area. 12 Peaks Ski Region offers a huge number of options, although, as I wrote above, it is not fully linked by lifts. Großarltal, which I got to know from the Gastein side, is the most family-friendly of the five.

A family with small children will do best in Großarltal, if their base happens to be on the Gastein side, or in Schladming. An advanced skier looking for demanding terrain should aim for Hochkönig. A group of mixed ability will gain most in Schladming or in 12 Peaks Ski Region, where the range of pistes lets everyone ski together without waiting for the others at the same lift.

Practical conclusions: how not to overpay

Buy your ski pass online, not at the ticket office. In a dynamic system the ticket office is always the price ceiling. Do not wait for a specific purchase date. There is no "X days before departure" rule, only watching the ticket shop. If you are going for a week, count in 6-day passes, not 7-day ones. Check whether you qualify for one of the promotional weeks. For a 60+ group or a couple, the benefit of a package can be bigger than the online discount alone. A day pass in 12 Peaks Ski Region costs €2.50 more than in the other four regions, but that only matters when buying single days; with a multi-day ski pass the price is the same across the whole association, regardless of your accommodation base.

Frequently asked questions about the Ski amadé 2026/27 ski pass

How much does a 6-day Ski amadé ski pass cost in the 2026/27 season? It depends on the dates. In the Start and Finale period (until 18 December and from 27 March) from €342 online, €402.50 at the ticket office. In the peak season, Ski amadé Live (19 December to 26 March), from €367.50 online, €432.50 at the ticket office.

Is the day pass the same in all Ski amadé regions? No. Each of the 25 resorts sets its own price. In four of the five regions a day pass in the main season costs about €78.50, in 12 Peaks Ski Region €81.

When is the best time to buy a ski pass to pay the least? As early as possible, because the pool of cheap online tickets runs out gradually. There is no single cut-off date after which the price always goes up.

Summary

The Ski amadé 2026/27 ski pass confirms a trend seen across the Alps: a 6-day ski pass in the peak season costs more than €400 at the ticket office, and the gap between the ticket office and online price runs into double-digit percentages on any dates. For someone planning a week's trip over Christmas, New Year's Eve or the winter school holidays, it makes sense to budget from €367.50 upwards per person, bought online in advance, and not from the advertised "€342", which applies only to the pre-season and post-season.

Jacek Ciszak / skionline.pl