Innsbruck Lifts & Terrain
Innsbruck’s 13 nearby ski resorts are covered by the Ski+City Pass, providing skiers and snowboarders with a total of 300km+ of piste and marked routes from about 100 ski lifts. The lift infrastructure is varied across and within the ski areas. Most resorts near Innsbruck have at least one gondola or cable car which provides comfortable access for skiers, walkers, or sledders alike. Some have funicular railways like Axamer Lizum with the impressive Olympiabahn that services the women’s downhill run & amazing Hoadl summit restaurant. The funicular and cable car journey to the top of Nordkette is sensational. Older lifts (of which there are many!) are progressively being replaced with modern facilities – see below.
Even with its Olympic heritage, Innsbruck ski and snowboard terrain is mainly for beginners and intermediates. The terrain is characterised by long descents up to 10km & skiable verticals up to 1000m. Advanced skiers & snowboarders are best served at Nordkette, Stubai Glacier, Kuhtai and Axamer Lizum. Serious skiable vertical is available at the Innsbruck ski resorts. A classic descent of up to 15km and 1700m vertical is possible at Glungezer. None of the 13 ski resorts are lift interlinked and only two, Axamer Lizum & Muttereralm, are connected by a piste trail.
Ski Lift Improvements
All the Innsbruck ski resorts have been undergoing major improvements to their lift infrastructure. After many years of resting on their laurels, old chairs, surface tows & cable cars are being replaced by modern high-speed versions. Case in point is the Eisgrat gondola at Stubai, new 4 and 6-seater chairlifts at Schlick 2000, new gondolas at Oberperfuss and the new top to bottom 2 stage gondola replacing ALL the old lifts at Patscherkofel.
Not all resorts are 'keeping up with Jones’s', but the transformation is happening. The changes tend to be in favour of foot passengers & beginners in particular by means of providing gondola lift access up to higher altitude learn-to-ski areas, mountain restaurants & sledding trails. All these new developments benefit skiers with increased speed & efficiency, plus less clutter on the slopes. Glungezer is the latest resort to replace old chairs with a gondola finished for the 20/21 season and a second stage combi gondola/chairlift above that. We will check it out at some point soon!
Lift Passes & Ski+City Pass
All the Innsbruck ski resorts have local lift passes offering excellent value. Most day passes are less than €50 for an adult, the exception being the larger Stubai Glacier. The Powderhounds recommend Kuehtai as the best value ski resort in the area.
A Ski+City Pass, which is for a minimum 2 days, allows access to all 13 ski resorts using the one lift pass, plus 22 major Innsbruck city attractions. The major advantage of the pass is the ease of going from one small resort to another in the same day, plus a spot of night sledding or city sightseeing. Super convenient & good value. However if planning on just skiing one resort per day, it is better value to just buy local daily lift passes.
Innsbruck Snow & Weather
The snowfall is not as substantial in the Innsbruck area as further west in the Arlberg. Annual winter cumulative snowfall is not formally reported, possibly because they don’t want to emphasize a lack of daily fresh powder, but it’s thought to be about 3-5 metres around the lower valley. Much higher totals fall in the higher elevation valleys & ridges of Schlick 2000, Stubai Glacier, Axamer Lizum & Kuhtai. Due to its high elevation & aspect, Stubai Glacier & Kuhtai have the best snow conditions of all the Innsbruck ski resorts.
All the ski resorts have excellent snowmaking facilities which are heavily relied upon at lower elevations near the bases of Patscherkofel, Muttereralm, Oberperfuss, Nordkette & Glungezer.
In winter, temperatures in the valley near Innsbruck can be colder than in the mountains. Sunny days on the peaks are the norm, with haze impacting the views more often than not!
Ski Resorts Near Innsbruck, Austria
The 13 ski resorts of the Innsbruck Ski+City Pass area are summarised below.
Axamer Lizum Ski Resort
Axamer Lizum is a medium size ski resort with 38km of north facing terrain of 760m of vertical. Its high base at 1580m ensures great snow conditions. Axamer’s 10 ski lifts include a long funicular & 6 chairlifts – some painfully slow. Terrain is mostly intermediate, but there is plenty for beginners plus some ski routes and difficult piste for advanced skiers and snowboarders. It is possible to ski to Muttereralm resort from Axamer.
Bergeralm Ski Resort
Bergeralm is south of Innsbruck on the Brenner Pass road. The motorway passes over the main access gondola, providing a big of Crevacol like intrigue. Its 1100m skiable vertical & 30km of cold north facing slopes provide all one needs for a quality morning workout. A great stop off on the way to Vipiteno & the Dolomites.
Glungezer Ski Resort
Above the village of Tulfes, 15km east of Innsbruck by road, Glungezer has potentially the highest skiable vertical of any of the Innsbruck ski resorts - one just needs to walk or skin up to the summit to gain it. Total vertical is over 1,700m but lifted vertical is closer to 1,400m. A high summit area at 2,677m & the Glungezer Hütte provide descents close to 15km long - one of the longest in the Tyrol. The 23km of piste runs are mainly for beginner & intermediate, whilst the alpine off-piste is for advanced riders. it is possible to link Glungezer with Patscherkofel via the backcountry. New gondolas fully replaced old slow chairs & surface lifts from season 20/21. Upcoming additions to snow making & retention on the lower valley trail slopes will vastly improve the ski experience here.
Hochoetz Ski Resort
A recent addition to the 'Innsbruck stable', probably because of its connection with Kuehtai, Hochoetz is a family friendly mid-range ski resort with excellent gondola access from the Oetz valley as well as up high at Ochsengarten. A great alternative to Kuhtai during poor visibility, it is probably a little too far away for day trips from Innsbruck.
Kühtai Ski Resort
Kuhtai ski resort is the highest resort base village in Austria at 2020m. It is awesome on a powder day & is rated the equal best ski resort in Europe for Powderhounds. The second largest of the Innsbruck ski resorts, Kuhtai is worthy of a couple of days exploration and some overnights in the village, particularly after some fresh snow. Located 40km west of Innsbruck, Kuhtai has 42km of piste trails, a modern lift system and quality snow. Interestingly Kuhtai has the shortest skiable vertical of any of the Olympia Ski World resorts at around 500m – just enough to be good enough!
Muttereralm Ski Resort
Muttereralm (or Mutters for short) is close to Innsbruck and accessible by tram from the centre of town. A 1000m of vertical is serviced by comfortable gondolas and a chairlift. The 20km of ski runs include a 6km long intermediate piste. Muttereralm is also rodelbahn (toboggan/sled) central and has multitudes of descents up to 5km long. Great ski resort for all the family.
Nordkette Ski Resort
The closest ski resort to Innsbruck, the huge Nordkette south facing slopes are unmistakable. Ski routes from the top at Hafelkar to Seegrubbe are extremely challenging to many skiers, and lots of people test their skills here on a powder day. Mainly intermediate and advanced terrain at Nordkette ski resort, with extraordinarily little for beginners and families except an exceptional funicular & cable car ride to the top where the views. food & fun are first rate. In good snow the skiable vertical is a hefty 1400m. Springtime on weekends is super fun with exuberant locals.
Patscherkofel (Igls) Ski Resort
Patscherkofel (a.k.a. Igls) is another of the ski resorts remarkably close to Innsbruck. A longest run of 7.5km and the original Olympic downhill course of 5.4km over its 960m vertical give it some real oomph! The winter ski touring & walking trail to the summit of Patscherkofel is also an excellent freeride powder ski opportunity adding 300m vertical to the ski area. The new 2-stage 10-seat gondola replaced the old cable car and 2 chairlifts in season 17/18, transforming the ski resort into the modern age. The new base area facilities are superb as well.
Rangger (Oberperfuss) Ski Resort
The Oberperfuss ski resort (sometimes referred to as Rangger), along with Nordkette, is Innsbruck’s smallest. That said, it has an 8km long beginner trail on its 17km of piste & 1200m of skiable vertical. The runs are accessed by two new gondolas and a surface lift at the top. The resort has a 10km rodelbahn (toboggan/sled) trail that is illuminated at night – cold but fun!
Schlick 2000 Ski Resort
Schlick 2000 ski resort is 17km south of Innsbruck, about halfway to Stubai Glacier. Schlick makes for an interesting day out with its broad range of trails & facilities. Modern lifts include 2 gondolas, a 6er & 2 quad chairs, plus children specific learning areas. Skiable vertical is 1240m, the highest lifted point is 2240m elevation. Plenty of snow in this hidden gem & great off-piste options for the adventurous including tree skiing.
Stubai Glacier Ski Resort
Stubai Glacier has some of the best facilities & services of any ski resort in Europe. The lifts, restaurants, bars, amenities, sun decks, children’s slopes are all first class. Stubai has a long season from Oct to June which guarantees skiing & snowboarding for most of the year. The top of the Stubai Glacier ski resort is 3210m elevation, with runs up to 10km long & 23 modern lifts including 12 gondolas & chairs. Views from top go all the way to the Dolomites in Italy. An Innsbruck ‘must do’!
The last two resorts are more about family fun & sledding than skiing, but offer a diversity not available in most places. Elfer & Serles are both located on the opposite side of the Stubaital to Schlick 2000. They provide a worthy distraction if staying in the Stubai valley or whilst on the way home from a day at Stubai Glacier.
Ski and snowboard Innsbruck - you will not regret it.
Nearby Resorts
Within a 3hr drive in a rental car or train ride from Innsbruck there are a host of world-class Austrian ski resorts. Take a train direct to St Anton, Silvretta Montafon, Mayrhofen or Kitzbuhel. Drive to Ischgl, Pitztal Glacier, Soelden, or Alpbach. The Dolomites are even that far away. The choices go on and on...
