These North American skiers got a major reality check after heading across the pond to check out the Austrian ski scene. For the winter 2026 season, PeakRankings packed their bags, ditched their usual domestic road trips, and touched down in Innsbruck to embark on their first-ever European ski safari.
Over several high-octane days, the crew explored seven massive Austrian resorts across three separate regions. What they discovered was an varitable winter wonderland defined by next level lift technology, amazing ski culture, and alpine terrain scaled so massively it made some notable Rocky Mountain resorts look like bumps on a log.
The adventure kicked off in the Zillertal valley where they took on Mayrhofen’s infamous “Harakiri” run. Touting a claimed slope angle of up to 38 degrees, Harakiri holds the crown as the steepest groomed run in all of Austria. Local say you should ski it once and ski it early, advice the crew took to heart. Beyond the vertigo inducing slopes, the American ski crew were impressed with the luxury heated bubble chairlifts that come standard in Europe and child-friendly on-mountain slides.
Moving west to the massive peaks of Sölden, the group truly understood the sheer absurdity of Austrian ski engineering. The crew stood atop a glacier overlooking a groomed ski trail that stretched a staggering half-kilometer wide. They capped off their Sölden visit by bombing a continuous 6,500-vertical-foot top-to-bottom run.
For a bit of context, this single unbroken groomer is nearly 1,000 vertical feet longer than the longest lift-served drop anywhere in North America. From navigating mountain-top ski tunnels to accidentally ending up at a picturesque high-altitude playground, the crew had some memorable times in the Alps and were left immediate with an immediate craving to book a return ticket.
