Freestyle fans love the fact that the world of snow parks is so diverse. In the ski resorts of the Alps, for example, there is something for everyone, whether beginner or experienced pro. But where can winter sports fans find the most spectacular kickers, creative rails and other unique obstacles? SnowTrex knows and now presents some of the best and most popular snow parks in Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France.
The best snowparks at a glance
| Snowpark name | Ski area |
|---|---|
| Ischgl Snowpark powered by Jeep | Silvretta Arena |
| Snowpark Kreischberg | Lachtal und Kreischberg |
| Penken Park | Mayrhofen & Hippach |
| Snowparks Serfaus & Fiss | Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis |
| NITRO Snowpark & Co. | Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn |
| Stubai Zoo | Stubaier Gletscher |
| KitzSki Snowparks | Kitzbühel |
| Glacier Park, Central Park & Co. | Kitzsteinhorn/Maiskogel - Kaprun |
| Snowpark Arosa Lenzerheide | Arosa-Lenzerheide |
| Snowpark Zermatt | Zermatt |
| Crowland" Snowpark | Corviglia |
| LAAX Snowpark | Flims-Laax-Falera |
| Snowpark Mottolino | Livgino |
| Snowpark Seiser Alm | Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi |
| 2 Alpes Snowpark | Les 2 Alpes |
Ischgl (Austria) – Ischgl Snowpark powered by Jeep
When it comes to snow parks, ski and snowboard freestylers can’t get past Ischgl. The “Ischgl Snowpark powered by Jeep” in the Silvretta Arena ski area is over 1.5 kilometres long. One of the largest freestyle areas in the Alps, which has no halfpipes at all, is divided into two areas, one on the Vellilalp and one in the lower Idalp area. Park area 1 consists of a total of 16 elements such as boxes, jumps and fun tubes and is therefore ideal for beginners and advanced riders. Park area 2, on the other hand, is the professional area where spectacular tricks are the order of the day. In Ischgl, ski freestylers will find several kickers that allow jumps of over 10 metres, as well as metre-long rails and a large kicker whose landing zone is secured with a huge airbag.
Kreischberg (Austria) – Snowpark Kreischberg
In the Lachtal and Kreischberg ski area, freestyle skiing takes place right in the centre at an altitude of 1,900 m, where the large Snowpark Kreischberg with around 45 different features is located in the area of the “Sunshine Lifts”. It consists of a beginner line, a medium line and a small halfpipe. The integrated Snakerun attracts both beginners and pros and the Funbox Multijib element also makes the hearts of ski freestylers beat faster. The fact that two-time Olympic snowboard freestyle champion Anna Gasser does her home training on the kickers here and always lands safely in the large airbag after spectacular jumps shows that the snow park is also suitable for professionals.
Mayrhofen (Austria) – Penken Park
When it comes to technique and freestyle infrastructure, the Penken Park in Mayrhofen in the Mayrhofen & Hippach ski resort in Austria is second to none. With areas for medium, fun, advanced and pro levels of difficulty as well as a large airbag jump and a kids’ park, the area in the Zillertal has established itself as a meeting point for the international freestyle scene. Experts on skis and snowboards can ride flowing routes with new rails and obstacles on the Proline of the Penken Park before tackling a real highlight with the huge multijib “Beastbox”. Smaller kickers are also available for beginners and kids, where they can refine their freestyle moves bit by bit.
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis (Austria) – Snowparks Serfaus & Fiss
There are two large snow parks in the huge Tyrolean ski resort of Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis with its 214 kilometres of pistes. The park in Serfaus is easy to reach with the Plansegg cable car and runs parallel to the Zanboden run. There are three lines here for beginners, advanced and pros, all peppered with classic obstacles such as kickers, boxes and rails. The Snowpark Fiss, which freestylers can easily reach with the Schönjochbahn cable car, is only suitable for experienced winter sports enthusiasts. Some tubes and rails are among the obstacles that need to be jumped over or ridden, as are some wave sections and even wall rides. You can take off on kickers of various sizes, with a huge airbag waiting after the last one instead of snow for a soft landing. This allows real freeytle cracks to perform their most spectacular tricks without injuring themselves.
Saalbach Hinterglemm (Austria) – NITRO Snowpark and Co.
As the name suggests, freestylers get their money’s worth in the “Home of Lässig”, as the snowpark offer in Austria’s second largest ski area, the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn ski area, is truly lavish. The “NITRO Snowpark” with kickers and other obstacles awaits beginners and advanced skiers in Leogang. The learn-to-ride park on the Bernkogel with a ski and boardercross course and the Family Park U-Bahn at the Unterschwarzachbahn in Hinterglemm are ideal for beginners. Of course, Europe’s first “Freeride Park” in the deep snow paradise of Fieberbrunn is particularly popular with deep snow fans and freeriders. Four fantastic freeski features await you there over a length of 300 metres with an intro drop, a drop to box, a powder kicker and a drop out.
Stubai Glacier (Austria) – Stubai Zoo
Tyrol’s largest glacier in the Stubai Glacier ski area has a special park treat: the legendary “Stubai Zoo”. The start is just below the highest point in the ski area, on the Gaisskarferner. The park offers an arsenal of kickers, boxes and rails on various lines in autumn and spring. Thanks to the versatile setup of three lines, the Stubai Zoo is one of the largest snow parks in the world. The highlight is definitely the 300 metre long jibline with its own lift. The Winter Snowpark at Gamsgarten is also open between the end of January and the end of March, promising beginners an ideal introduction to their first freestyle experiences.
Kitzbühel (Austria) – KitzSki Snowparks
The Kitzbühel ski resort offers a wide range of freestyle options with two snow parks, a SnowX course and a skill park. The highlight for pros among the KitzSki snow parks is the challenging and versatile Hanglalm snow park, which offers kickers, rails and jibs of various levels of difficulty at the mountain inn of the same name on the Resterhöhe (1,894 m). The Kitzbüheler Horn Snowpark, on the other hand, is ideal for beginners and children and offers easy kickers and rails as well as a fun SnowX course. The Jufenbeach skill park is much faster, with a practice area featuring a parallel slalom, mogul slope and airbag jump that attracts both alpine skiers and freestylers of all skill levels.
Kitzsteinhorn (Austria) – Glacier Park, Central Park & Co.
There are no fewer than five individual snow parks in the Kitzsteinhorn/Maiskogel – Kaprun glacier ski area. Whether Glacier Park, Superpipe, Easy Park, Central Park or South Central Park – whether beginner or pro, everyone will find the right obstacles here. The Easy Park at the Sonnenkarbahn cable car is well worth a visit for beginners, while professional freestylers can let off steam in the 150 metre long and over 6.5 metre high Superpipe. Another highlight is the Central Park with medium-difficulty rails and a 12-metre pro kicker. And as befits a glacier, there is also freestyle flair on the Kitzsteinhorn in autumn and spring. This is when the 25,000 square metre Glacier Park with around 20 obstacles opens at 2,900 m above sea level.
Arosa-Lenzerheide (Switzerland) – Snowpark Arosa Lenzerheide
When it comes to tricks in a freestyle paradise, the Arosa-Lenzerheide ski resort is the place to be for pure variety. The Arosa Lenzerheide Snowpark consists of four unique areas. Professionals and experts will feel right at home in the Tschuggen snow park, for example, where there is a halfpipe and two lines packed with creative obstacles as well as small and large kickers. The JibArea Stätz is also full of variety, where up to 20 boxes, kickers and rails await beginners and advanced riders over a length of 1.4 kilometres. The Wood Ranch, on the other hand, has an original feel to it, where – as the name suggests – all the obstacles have been carved from Arosa fir wood, creating a CO2-neutral nature park thanks to crowdfunding. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 can let off steam on four adventure slopes in the Bärensnowpark.
Zermatt (Switzerland) – Snowpark Zermatt
The Snowpark Zermatt at the foot of the Theodul Glacier at 3,250 metres above sea level is considered one of the best glacier parks in Switzerland. Six creative lines with numerous obstacles such as kickers, rails and boxes await freestylers over a length of 1,200 metres in the Zermatt ski area. Other highlights include a slopestyle course, a rail garden and a boardercross course where skiers and snowboarders of all abilities can try out their skills. Beginners and children can also enjoy a funslope with a view of the Matterhorn in the glacier ski area. The large freestyle area high above Zermatt is open almost all year round, as in spring the shapers set up the snow park further up the mountain on the Plateau Rosa at an altitude of 3,480 metres.
St. Moritz (Switzerland) – “Crowland” Snowpark
The “Crowland” snow park is located in the Corviglia ski area, directly at the mountain station towards Marguns. Like many other fun parks, this one is divided into three areas and also boasts a fun slope. The beginners’ park “Easy Park” is particularly suitable for beginners who want to try out their first tricks on obstacles suitable for beginners. The “Blue Line” or “Medium Line” attracts advanced and professional freestylers and allows them to improve their skills on more challenging boxes, rails or kickers. The “Crowland” snow park above the upmarket ski resort of St. Moritz is open from mid-December to the beginning of April, depending on snow conditions.
Laax (Switzerland) – LAAX Snowpark
There are over 40 snowparks in the Swiss ski resorts, one of the best addresses for freestylers is the legendary Laax. In the canton of Graubünden, the shaper team sets up a total of 90 obstacles in some of the five snowparks in the Flims-Laax-Falera ski area in winter. However, the absolute freestyle Mecca is the “NoName” snow park on Crap Sogn Gion. There are not only metre-high kickers there, which have already reached Olympic level in their composition, but also a superpipe, which is considered the largest halfpipe in the world. The 200 metre long, 22 metre wide and almost 7 metre high monster of snow and ice is where the best snowboard and freeski world cup athletes compete every year at the “Laax Open”. In addition to the pros, beginners can also slowly approach the art of freestyle on smaller jumps and mini-pipes.
Livigno (Italy) – Snowpark Mottolino
In the Livigno ski resort, ski and snowboard freestylers can look forward to the Mottolino Snowpark, which is not only considered one of the best in Italy, but also in Europe. So it’s no wonder that the European Ski and Snowboard Freestyle Cup and other international snowpark events such as the Burton European Open, the River Jump and the World Rookie Fest have already been held here. The snowpark is located within sight of the Trepalle chairlift, where it stretches over a length of 800 metres and offers more than 60 obstacles. Winter sports enthusiasts can ride these on three different lines, one for beginners, one for advanced riders and one for professional freestylers. The same applies to a rail course, which also provides variety with 20 elements such as quarter pipes.
Alpe di Siusi (Italy) – Alpe di Siusi Snowpark
The Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm snow park on the largest high alpine pasture in Europe extends over 1.5 kilometres in the Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi ski area with around 40 obstacles for winter sports enthusiasts, including rails, kickers, boxes and whoops. The area is divided into an Easy Family Line, a Medium Line and a Pro Line. The Easy Family – for beginners and children – and the Medium Line – for advanced riders – in the upper part of the park offer action for boarders and freeskiers, while the Pro Line in the lower part offers challenging kickers for pros. Another highlight of the largest snow park in South Tyrol is the Wood Line, which is completely equipped with wooden obstacles. The location of the Seiser Alm snow park is also unique, with the Schlernberg mountain in the background in the middle of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing magnificent views and the perfect freestyle feeling.
Les 2 Alpes (France) – 2 Alpes Snowpark
There are no limits to the creativity of freestylers on the glacier of the Les 2 Alpes ski area. The “2 Alpes Snowpark” attracts skiers and snowboarders at an altitude of over 3,000 metres with a large selection of different obstacles for all skill levels. The course for the pros features a big air zone with metre-high kickers, a quarter pipe and a slopestyle area. In between, the shapers have installed numerous rails, boxes and other obstacles. And while there are a few easier obstacles for beginners in the Easy Park, a challenging boardercross course awaits on the other side of the Toura lift.
FAQs about snowparks
What is meant by “obstacles” in ski resort snow parks?
In the snow parks of the best freestyle ski resorts, “obstacles” refer to a variety of obstacles for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. These include kickers for jumps, rails and boxes for sliding and grinding, halfpipes and quarterpipes for high jumps, jibs as a collective term for slippery objects, whoops for rhythm skills and table jumps with flat jump zones.
Where is the biggest halfpipe in the world?
The largest halfpipe in the world is located in the Flims-Laax-Falera ski resort. The superpipe is located on the Crap Sogn Gion in Laax and is almost 7 metres high, 200 metres long and 22 metres wide and is the venue for the world-famous “Laax Open” freestyle competition every year.
Which snow parks in Austria are particularly suitable for beginners?
The “Ischgl Snowpark powered by Jeep” in the Silvretta Arena and the Kitzbüheler Horn Snowpark offer special areas for beginners. In the Ischgl Snowpark, beginners and advanced riders will find a range of boxes, jumps and fun tubes in Park Area 1. The Kitzbüheler Horn Snowpark is ideal for children and beginners, with easy kickers and rails as well as a SnowX course.
Where can winter sports enthusiasts find snow parks in the Alps that are suitable for professionals?
Professional freestylers can put their skills to the test in the “Penken Park” in Mayrhofen, the “Snowpark Fiss” in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis and the “Snowpark Mottolino” in Livigno. The Penken Park offers a proline with challenging rails and obstacles, while the Snowpark Fiss has tubes, rails and kickers for experienced winter sports enthusiasts. The Mottolino snow park stretches over 800 metres and offers over 60 obstacles, including a line especially for pros.
Which snow parks in the Alps offer particularly creative and unique obstacles?
The “Stubai Zoo” on the Stubai Glacier in Austria and the “Crowland” snowpark in St. Moritz, Switzerland, offer creative and unique obstacles. The Stubai Zoo impresses with a 300 metre long jibline and its own lift as well as a versatile setup on three lines. The “Crowland” Snowpark in St. Moritz, on the other hand, offers three different areas including a funslope, with the Easy Park specially designed for beginners and the Medium Line offering more challenging boxes, rails and kickers for advanced riders and pros.
