Stubai Glacier Ski Resort Austria
Stubai Glacier is the largest glacier ski area in Austria. Known locally as the Stubaier Gletscher, the resort is snow guaranteed for skiing & snowboarding from September to May. Loads of off-piste freeride options in winter combine with top class lifts & facilities to make Stubai a first-rate ski resort.
Stubai Glacier is located south of Innsbruck, from where day trips are possible to the mountain, but the ski resort's size is deserving of a multi-day visit as part of a broader exploration of this sensational ski region.
Pros & Cons for Stubai Glacier Ski Resort
Pros
- Snow sure for skiing from October to May.
- Superb snow quality, groomed terrain & challenging alpine off-piste.
- World class restaurants and on-mountain facilities.
- Modern lift system.
- Fabulous value lift pass price.
- Awesome family friendly centre at Gamsgarten top station.
- Glorious scenery on a sunny day.
- Can be done as a day trip from Innsbruck on public transport.
- Lift pass valid to include superb sledding on Elfer at Neustift.
Cons
-
Exposed in poor weather (wind, extreme cold or poor visibility).
- Snowboarders and small children may find the long glacier T-bars challenging.
- Limited accommodation at the lift base.
- Limited snow making on the valley runs.
Pro or Con (depending on your point of view!)
- Close to Innsbruck.
- No major village at the base (only one hotel).
- Limited après scene at the mountain base (but it does go off like a cracker on busy days!).
Skiing & Snowboarding Terrain
Austria's largest glacier ski resort, Stubaier Gletscher has terrain and variety for all levels of skier and snowboarder making it worthy of several days’ exploration. A modern lift system including the new Eisgrat gondolas, move one to the top of the mountain in style & comfort. The view out of the new gondola cars is extraordinary, allowing clear scoping of all the terrain possibilities. At the 'Top of Tyrol'(elevation 3,210m), views extend across to the Dolomites in Italy.
Check out the ski trail map for Stubai Glacier below.
Magnificent children's and novice terrain & facilities are all over the resort but particularly noticeable at Gamsgarten. Long groomed pistes will delight all intermediate skiers. Due to the limited on-piste advanced trails, advanced & expert riders will find the challenging terrain is in all the off-piste areas. Aside from the many marked ski routes (9 in total), any other off-piste riding requires full avalanche gear and knowledge. Stubai Glacier's terrain is generally snowboarder friendly however some glacier T-bars could present challenges to the uninitiated.
For more information on the resort's lift & terrain, see our Stubai Glacier Skiing & Snowboarding page.
Snow & Weather
There are numerous advantages at Stubai Glacier ski resort in the snow & weather stakes. Its many glaciers, location, high altitude & northerly aspect guarantee excellent snow depth & quality, especially above 2000m. Snow making ensures high traffic areas are well covered and mother nature sorts out the rest. Lower valley runs can become quite plocky (stony!) in lean years. As with all high-altitude alpine areas, the upper mountain can be very exposed in poor weather, but in sunshine it is absolutely glorious.
Where is Stubaier Gletscher Austria?
The Stubai Glacier is located at the end of the Stubaital (Stubai Valley) in the Tyrol region of Austria, approximately 42km south west of Innsbruck. By car it takes approximately 45min to reach Stubai Glacier from Innsbruck and significantly longer (almost double) by the public tram and bus.
The closest main town is Neustift im Stubaital, about 18km north of the ski resort.
Gateway airports are Innsbruck (INN) & Munich (MUC). Whilst it is possible to get to Stubai by public transport from Innsbruck (we have done it!), having your own rental car or using a private transfer are the most efficient modes of travel. Search & book all private transfers to Stubai Glacier.
For more detailed information on how to get there, see our Travel to Stubai Glacier page.
Stubai Glacier Accommodation
The Stubaier Gletscher location presents some interesting questions as to where to base oneself. As it worthy of several days’ exploration, staying closer to the resort base may be worthwhile. Equally, if chasing nice weather or snow conditions and want greater flexibility, Innsbruck may make more sense.
One hotel is at the base of Stubai Glacier between the valley lift stations of Gamsgarten & Eisgrat. The locality is known as Mutterberg. If you want first tracks & party hard, stay a few nights at the Alpensport Hotel.
Neustift im Stubaital is the closest village to the Stubai Glacier ski resort and has several wonderful hotels, apartments & pensions, plus all services. Neustift is easily connected to Stubaier Gletscher by a regular free ski bus or hotel shuttles. The small ski and sled resort of Elfer is in Neustift and offers some great alternative activities & skiing options in poor weather.
Search & book all Stubai Glacier Accommodation Listings.
Between Neustift and Stubai are a range of quieter lodging options, culminating in several excellent hotels, pensions & apartments at the hamlet of Volderau. Volderau is a 10min drive or free bus ride to the ski resort. Further down the Stubaital is the town of Fulpmes, which given its location at the base of Schlick 2000 ski resort & the terminus of the Stubaitalbahn tram from Innsbruck, makes it an interesting proposition. Fulpmes is linked to Stubai Glacier via the free ski bus.
Search & book all Innsbruck Accommodation.
For detailed information on the best places to stay, see our Stubai Glacier Hotels, Apartments & Guesthouses page.
Ski Rentals, Lessons, Guiding & Facilities
Ski rentals are available from our partners in the village of Neustift im Stubaital. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Stubai Glacier Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
Some off-piste ski lessons & guiding can make all the difference to a visit in the Stubaital, particularly the freeride routes on the glaciers. For more information & options see our Stubaital Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
The resort base area caters superbly for day visitors. Storage lockers, gear rentals, restaurants and toilets are all perfect at either of the two valley stations or the mid-mountain stations at Eisgrat & Gamsgarten. The nearby hamlet of Neustift im Stubaital has a range of full-service hotels and facilities that cover all other eventualities. Beyond the ski resort, the villages of Neustift, Fulpmes have all services that are lacking at the ski resort base.
Autumn, Spring & Summer Skiing at Stubaier Gletscher
Stubai Glacier offers skiing through Spring to the start of summer (generally mid-June), however this can vary depending on snow conditions. The season is effectively guaranteed until the start of May, with snow conditions dictating any extensions to the season. Once closed for the remainder of summer, the lifts start turning for skiing again from mid-September to early October at the latest.
Interlinked Lift Pass with Innsbruck's Ski+City Pass & Elfer
Stubai Glacier is part of Innsbruck's Ski+City Pass area which includes 13 ski & sled resorts. The closest are the great ski hill Schlick 2000, near Fulpmes, plus the sledding resorts of Elfer & Serles in the Stubaital. Other ski resorts range from the small, like Nordkette, Oberperfuss, Glungezer & Patscherkofel (Igls), to the larger like Axamer Lizum, Hochoetz & Kuhtai (the highest resort base in Austria). A Ski + City Pass is for a minimum 2 days & allows access to all 13 ski resorts plus 22 local Innsbruck city sites.
All Stubai Glacier lift tickets of 2 days or more are valid at nearby Elfer (11) ski & sled resort near Neustift im Stubaital.
Activities
For anyone visiting Stubai Glacier, a range of interesting alternative activities is available. Aside from taking in the views at the 'Top of Tyrol' lookout, one can undertake a winter walk down the glacier to Gamsgarten via the 'winter wanderweg'. At Eisgrat there is an ice climbing tower to try and the Ice Grotto walk into the bowels of the glacier.
Whilst it may not make sense to many overseas visitors, sledding is a great European winter tradition and worth a try, particularly if with a family or large group. Often combined with lunch, dinner or drinks at a mountain hut, sled runs also run at night under illumination. In the Stubai valley, Elfer (11) mountain rises above the village of Neustift and has 3 long sled runs, 2 of which are over 8km long.
Other activities in the Stubai Valley include a few winter walking trails to alpine hüttes, plus paragliding.
Nearby Ski Resorts
Stubai Glacier is intrinsically linked to Innsbruck, which is centre stage for a huge range of Austrian, and even Italian, ski resorts. It is a train transport hub that allows easy travel east to the Zillertal (with Mayrhofen, Hochzillertal & Hintertux Glacier), and further to Kitzbuhel, SkiCircus Saalbach & Zell am See. Or perhaps west to Pitztal Glacier, Soelden or St Anton and the huge Ski Arlberg area. South to Italy are Monte Cavallo (Rosskopf) near lovely Vipiteno, and Dolomites resorts like Plose, Gitschberg-Jochtal, Kronplatz and 3 Peaks - not to mention all of the other Dolomiti Superski resorts.
Review
The Powderhounds last reviewed Stubai Glacier in 2017 & had a great time. We visited Stubai Glacier on a super-stormy day in january 2022, but the wind shut down the lifts and we were left to do sightseeing instead! We will return whenever in the region again. In the meantime, you should go there .... go on ...... just go! Yes you..... Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read its honest & inciteful observations!
See how Stubai Glacier compares to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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