Region

130 km (81 miles) of pistes, glittering in the sun, linked by 57 lifts and cable cars: winter fun is guaranteed on Kitzsteinhorn and Schmittenhöhe. Down in the valley cross-country ski-runs, winter hiking trails and the frozen lake are waiting for winter sports enthusiasts.

In Zell am See and Kaprun there is simply ‘more to do and see’. A varied programme of leisure activities and first-class accommodation of all categories will turn your holiday in the ‘Europa-Sportregion’ into an unforgettable experience. Families with children, couples and singles of all ages will find their very personal holiday paradise here. A paradise created in times long past by geological happenings, which formed this diverse and unique landscape into its present shape.

The idyllic mountain town of Zell is situated in the centre of the ‘Mittelpinzgauer Senke’ (Pinzgau Valley) at 758 m (2,487 ft) above sea-level. The valley is being drained by the Saalach and Salzach rivers. The southern part of the valley is called ‘Zeller Furche’ (Furrow of Zell), the only beautiful U-shaped trough-valley in the ‘Pinzgauer Grasberge’ mountains. Here famous Lake Zell, 4 km (2.5 miles) long and 1.3 km (0.8 miles) wide, is situated.

During the last century, the ground-water level decreased by 1 m (3.3 ft), thus draining the meadows and fields of the ‘Moos’, the moorland around Zell. This unique basin is enclosed by various geological formations. In the north, the ‘Steinernes Meer’ (Stony Sea) rises up out of the limestone Alps, bordered on its eastern side by Mount Hochkönig. The snow-capped peaks of the ‘Hohe Tauern’ mountains, including Austria's highest mountain, Grossglockner, rise up in the south. The limestone and the central Alps are smoothly connected by the green grassy slopes on the schist of Schmittenhöhe and the Hundstein massif. And there is an additional mountain specialty that Zell has to offer: ‘Hahnenkogel’, also called ‘Honigkogel’, is 1,854 m (6,083 ft) high and here, forests grow in greater heights than on any other mountain in Europe.

In 1891, the inhabitants of Zell blocked the bed of the ‘Schmittenbach’ stream, on the debris cone of which the town had once been founded. Now, the basis for the extension of the town of Zell and its boroughs was created. Prior to that, this stream with its nine side arms had always caused problems, most recently in the year 1737. The loose side slopes and the erosion of the calcareous schist had caused a natural disaster at the time. As a result, the town bought the entire area of Alpine meadows and increased the planting of trees. Thus, the danger was banned once and for all.

The 175 million cubic metres of biologically and hygienically perfectly uncontaminated water of Lake Zell are crystal clear drinking water. The reed and moor areas have always been responsible for the exceptionally high water quality. In 1973, the government of the State of Salzburg declared it a nature reserve. The reed and moor do not just successfully clean the water but, in addition, grant innumerable possibilities for fish to lay their eggs. Thus, the area hosts an abundance of species in the lake which, on average, is about 48 m (157 ft) deep.

In winter Lake Zell turns into an ice-eldorado. The ice gets up to 50 cm thick and can be crossed without any danger at all. 
You only have to be careful if you go near one of the 100 ‘Brunnlöcher’, the holes where bubbles of marsh gas prevent the lake from freezing.