Innsbruck

Austria is pretty obsessed with snow skiing and it occupies much of the time and interest of outdoor-loving Austrians. It is not uncommon to find people in business suits in places like Innsbruck carrying skis during their working day. Unlike in America where a ski resort means a base for a single resort, in Europe there are ski regions near a town and are made up of several resorts or villages offering hundreds of acres of ski terrain. Innsbruck is fine example of this as it is virtually surrounded by mountains and ski resorts.

The resorts are at different distances from the city and the nearest one, Nordpark, otherwise known as Seegrube, is accessed directly from the city. A new tram and cable car link the Old Town of Innsbruck to the peak. The charm of Innsbruck is the variety of slopes offered between the resorts that surround it. All ski resorts on the Innsbruck Area Ski Pass are linked by a free bus from hotels in the city. Other offers include free skiing for under ten year olds on purchase of an adult pass, and attractive discounts for under fifteens, young adults and seniors.

There are ten resorts, including the Stubai Glacier, that can be accessed by the pass. The resorts of Igls, Mutters and Schlick offer good beginners’ terrain and Axamer Lizum has more varied and advanced skiing. Local resorts also offer floodlit toboggan facilities. The Stubai Glacier ski resort is linked by a free bus service and the terrain is accessed by four convenient gondolas from the `Mutterbergalma´ base terminal to the `Eisgrat´ top terminal.

The glacier is a skier’s paradise with wide open bowls of the Eisjoch, Daun, Fernau and Gaiskar glaciers. The terrain has been naturally divided into areas that are suitable for beginners to experts. The glacier ski area is served by three double chair lifts, two six-passenger chair lifts, one quad chair lift, six surface lifts and three practice lifts. Snowboarders can have a fantastic time at the spacious snowboard park, set in immediate vicinity to the `Eisgrat´ terminal. The park features two quarter pipes, spine, half pipe, tabletop and pro jump. Refreshments are available at various mountain restaurants and ski huts. You can’t go wrong by adding Innsbruck to your list of preferred ski resorts.