Glungezer Ski Resort

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Glungezer ski resort rises far above Innsbruck
Glungezer ski resort rises far above Innsbruck's old town
Glungezer ski resort
Glungezer ski resort's newest lift is a combi gondola/chair up to Tulfein
Glungezer on-piste powder skiing
Glungezer on-piste powder skiing
Glungezer has some excellent lift & skin-accessed freeride terrain
Glungezer has some excellent lift & skin-accessed freeride terrain
Glungezerhuette provides an interesting high alpine overnight location at 2,610m, an hour skin from Schartenkogel
Glungezerhuette provides an interesting high alpine overnight location at 2,610m, an hour skin from Schartenkogel
The new combi gondola & chairlift has changed Glungezer forever
The new combi gondola & chairlift has changed Glungezer forever
Delightful lower mountain beginner piste at Glungezer along Halsmarter lift
Delightful lower mountain beginner piste at Glungezer along Halsmarter lift
Schartenkogel terrain at Glungezer ski resort
Schartenkogel terrain at Glungezer ski resort
Learn to ski area at Halsmarter, Glungezer ski resort
Learn to ski area at Halsmarter, Glungezer ski resort
Tulfeinalm restaurant provides a lovely traditional Tirolean mountain vibe & food at Glungezer
Tulfeinalm restaurant provides a lovely traditional Tirolean mountain vibe & food at Glungezer
Tulfeinalm restaurant interior at Glungezer ski resort
Tulfeinalm restaurant interior at Glungezer ski resort
tasty, affordable spinat knoedel at Tulfeinalm mountain restaurant
tasty, affordable spinat knoedel at Tulfeinalm mountain restaurant
Perfect, wide Glungezer intermediate piste between Tulfein (2,055m) & Halsmarter (1,560m)
Perfect, wide Glungezer intermediate piste between Tulfein (2,055m) & Halsmarter (1,560m)
Glungezer
Glungezer's valley trail goes rogue down lower & becomes a fun, off-piste rural adventure
Deserted slopes early on mid-week days allow endless powder turns on the piste at Glungezer
Deserted slopes early on mid-week days allow endless powder turns on the piste at Glungezer
The skin trail up to the Glungezerhuette takes about 1hr & climbs 300m vertical
The skin trail up to the Glungezerhuette takes about 1hr & climbs 300m vertical
Rinn is one of the local villages providing accommodation & services for visitors to Glungezer
Rinn is one of the local villages providing accommodation & services for visitors to Glungezer
The valley return
The valley return 'trail' ends just opposite the Glungezer gondola base in Tulfes
The Schartenkogel chair is old & slow but is the most important ski lift on Glungezer!
The Schartenkogel chair is old & slow but is the most important ski lift on Glungezer!
Ski Glungezer.
Ski Glungezer.

Glungezer Ski Resort

Readers Ratings

Glungezer

Glungezer3/52
Glungezer3 out of 5 based on 2 reviews
  • Recommend
    100%
  • Would Revisit
    100%
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Innsbruck Ski Resorts

Axamer Lizum
Bergeralm
Hochoetz
Kuhtai
Nordkette
Oberperfuss
Patscherkofel
Schlick 2000
Stubai Glacier

Glungezer Maps & Stats

     Glungezer Ski Trail Map
  • Glungezer Ski Trail Map
  • Vertical (m)
    948m - 2,304m (1,356m)
  • Average Snow Fall
    Unknown
  • Lifts (7)
    2 Gondola (incl. 1 combi chair)
    1 Chair
  • Opening Dates & Times
    Mid December to early April
    8:30am to 4:30pm
  • Terrain Summary
    Runs - 23km
    Longest run - 4km
    Advanced - 5%
    Intermediate - 68%
    Beginner - 27%
  • Lift Pass Price
    Day Ticket 23/24
    Adult - €45
    Child - €26
    Child u/6yr - Free

    Ski+City Pass valid
    Innsbruck Ski + City Pass Resort Map
  • Innsbruck Ski Resorts Map

Glungezer Ski Resort Austria

Glungezer is an Innsbruck ski resort that rises high above the village of Tulfes & is in the process of bringing its 1,350m vertical of north-aspect ski terrain into the modern world with the recent replacement of its most vintage lifts. Already with one of the longest valley trails in the region, one of the resort's big attraction for powder hounds is the huge potential of the freeride off-piste terrain from Glungezer's 2,677m summit. Only 300m vertical above the top ski lift, a modern alpine hut, Glungezerhütte (2,610m), is perched high in a saddle providing one of the highest winter lodgings in the Tyrol and potential descents up to 10km long!

Pros

  • Long skiable vertical of over 1,300m.
  • Modern access lifts.
  • Uncrowded.
  • Quality on-piste trails, particularly for intermediate skiers & snowboarders.
  • Surprising amount of off-piste terrain including trees.
  • Very good snow quality of the north-aspect, upper mountain slopes.
  • Huge ski-touring & freeride potential from a night in the Glungezerhütte.
  • Some superb local accommodation with all season-long availability.
  • Affordable lift pass.
  • Nice mountain restaurants.
  • Good public transport access by train & bus, plus ample free car parking for day trippers right near the lift station.

Cons

  • Despite extensive lift modernisation, the majority of upper mountain trails & off-piste terrain served by a slow double chair
  • Limited advanced terrain on piste.
  • Valley trail lacks snow-making and is more like an adventurous off-piste run at lower elevations than a marked and groomed piste (we did have fun doing it though!).
  • Local villages lack restaurants & bars, particularly mid-week.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

  • Local villages are very quiet after hours.
  • No après ski bar at the bottom of the mountain!
  • Overall limited terrain for only a few days of exploration in good snow. A stay is best combined with ski-touring up to the Glungezer summit, plus visits to other Innsbruck ski resorts by rental car to give maximum flexibility.

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

Just like nearby Patscherkofel, Glungezer has undergone a recent modernisation that changes the way one skis the resort. The journey to the highest lifted point at 2,304m (Schartenkogel) is infinitely quicker with the recent installation of two new lifts. The 23km of piste trials sounds smallish, and it is. However, the skin to the top of Glungezer peak is a must and adds a true powder-hound dimension to a visit, not to mention a potential skiable vertical descent of over 1,650m - outstanding!

Piste trails are mostly intermediate in pitch and north-aspect providing excellent quality. Low crowds during the week ensure groomers stay fresh all day. The off-piste options are more extensive than at first appears. From the top of the resort at Schartenkogel, traversing skiers right provides access to a mass of alpine & light tree terrain which ends back on the groomed piste #2 below Tulfein. Skiers left of piste #5 provides additional variants. Tree skiing would be possible all the way to the base in a cold deep season (rare these days!). Due to the strong winds during our visit, we did not venture up to the Glungezerhütte and will endeavour to do this on a return visit soon! However there looks to be nice 600m vertical freeride descents back into the Schartenkogel lift base from the hut. Full-on off-piste freeride descents are possible from Schartenkogel top station into the Voldertal (the next valley to the east), but local knowledge is required to ski tour back to the gondola base in Tulfes.

The full valley descent back down to the Tulfes lift base involves a variety of slopes & includes a fun, adventurous 'rural' section down low that crosses a road twice and lacks snow-making. It should be treated with caution in lean times! The descent is well over 8km in length & one of the longest in the region. Judging by the number we passed, it also appears popular with the uphill skinning crowd. We understand there are plans to upgrade the last few kilometres of the descent with snow-making in the near future.

Check out the ski trail map for Glungezer below.

Glungezer Ski Trail Map
Glungezer Ski Trail Map

The most recent ski lift changes to Glungezer include a new gondola from the base at Tulfes (930m) to mid-mountain at Halsmarter (1,560m), and a new combined gondola/chairlift from Halsmarter to Tulfein at 2,055m altitude. Other lifts include the Halsmarter surface tow which serves a superb, forest lined beginner run perfect for improving skills or just letting it rip in long carves. Thankfully the days of long, slow ascents are almost over for good at Glungezer; they just need to replace the old, slow (and important) Schartenkogel chair and the resort will be all squeaky new!

Interlinked Lift Ticket with Ski+City Pass

Glungezer already has a good value ski lift pass, however the resort is also part of Innsbruck’s Ski plus City Pass area which includes 13 ski resorts ranging from the small, like Nordkette, Oberperfuss & Patscherkofel, the in-between like Axamer Lizum, Bergeralm & Schlick 2000, up to the larger such as Stubai Glacier and Kuhtai (the highest resort base in Austria). A Ski + City pass is for a minimum 2 days and allows unlimited access to all 13 ski & sled resorts, plus a wide range of attractions in the city of Innsbruck. If planning on skiing multiple small resorts in a day the pass is good value. However, if just visiting one resort a day, the value of the pass diminishes greatly.

See here for the Ski+City Pass resorts map.

Where is Glungezer Austria?

The Glungezer ski resort is in the Tyrol, a 16½km (20min) drive from the centre of the world's greatest ski city, Innsbruck. The village of Tulfes is located at the base of the Glungezer gondola & a piste trail ends right on its outskirts. The major town of Hall im Tirol is 10km by road in the valley below Tulfes.

The nearest international airport for flight origins from within Europe & the UK is Innsbruck (INN), located a few minutes down the road. The excellent Munich (MUC) airport is the gateway for everyone else. Search & book here for all airport transfers.

Regular buses (route 4134) travel from Innsbruck to Tulfes via the village of Aldrans in 35min. Alternatively, one can catch a train to Hall-im-Tirol & change to the bus for Tulfes from there (that sector is free for skiers/boarders!). Private taxis, rental cars & shuttles provide another option.

For anyone with a rental car, there is an extensive tiered car park right at the lift base in Tulfes. Parking is free of charge.

See our Travel to Innsbruck page for detailed information on getting around the area.

Glungezer Accommodation

Local accommodation is either in the best ski city in the world, Innsbruck, or in the village of Tulfes, at the foot of the resort. The nearby village of Rinn also has some comfortable lodgings only a few minutes drive from the gondola base. On the mountain, 1 hour skin above the ski lifts, the Glungezerhütte has meals & overnight lodging in bedrooms & shared bunkrooms at 2,610m altitude.

Search & book here for all Glungezer ski accommodation.

To see the best accommodation options in the city, see our Innsbruck Accommodation Info page.

Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding

Ski rentals are available in Glungezer’s base at Tulfes via our local partners, just opposite the car park & gondola station. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Glungezer Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

Ski lessons & mountain guiding are available at Glungezer and the broader Innsbruck region. Compare, search & book via our Glungezer Lessons & Guiding page.

Review

The Powderhounds reviewed Glungezer in late January 2022 and had a lovely time on deserted slopes with fresh snow. It is a wonderful place to fully stretch your ski legs when it is top to bottom coverage. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how the Innsbruck ski resorts of Glungezer, Patscherkofel, Nordkette, Kuhtai & Axamer Lizum compare to the rest of the Austrian ski resorts on the Austria ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

Follow Powderhounds Europe on Instagram to see where we are currently skiing. Follow our main Powderhounds page on Facebook to stay in touch with up-to-date info, tours, and discussions.

Tours in or near

Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area Tours

Guide & Ride Private Off Piste Freeride Powder Tour
PRIVATE GUIDED POWDER SKI TOUR
1 Full Day Skiing near Innsbruck
Ability: Advanced to Expert
Enjoy the best snow & terrain in the ski resorts near Innsbruck in the Austrian Tirol with a professional guide on this fully customised private off-piste freeride ski tour. Go solo or get a group together & book in for your best dates & duration....
Price p/p Based on a 1-day tour with minimum 4 people
Base/invoice currency is in EURO inc. taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 162
View Details
 
Guide & Ride Private On Piste Ski Tour
GUIDED ON-PISTE SKI TOUR
1 Full Day Skiing near Innsbruck
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Enjoy the best snow & terrain in the ski resorts near Innsbruck in the Austrian Tirol with a professional guide on this fully customised private on-piste ski tour. Be guided through the ski resorts on the groomers, improving your technique as you go. Get a group together & book for your best dates & duration....
Price p/p Based on a 1-day tour with minimum 4 people
Base/invoice currency is in EURO inc. taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 162
View Details
 
Austria Innsbruck Freeride Tour
HOSTED & GUIDED MULITI-RESORT TOUR
7 Days | 6 Nights | 5 Days Snowboarding | 7 Ski Resorts
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Based in Innsbruck, this trip is for intermediate to advanced (or better) snowboarders taking in some of the best ski resorts in the Austrian Alps. Join the "fixed date" tour with your own group, come alone & meet new friends or fully customise a private tour.
Price p/p From price based on single-share room occupancy on a 7 day tour.
Base/invoice currency is in EUR inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 2,538
View Details
 
See all Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area tours that visit Glungezer here
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