It’s been a long time coming to ski Stubai Glacier again. Several attempts ended in failure due to wind and other extreme winter snow events, but such is life in the mountains. When I finally got back up in March 2024 it was after the ski area had been closed for 11/2 days due to a huge snowfall closing the access road. On the second day of waiting (I skied powder at Schlick 2000 on the first day, so the wait was not literal!) the road finally opened & it was a joy to be one the first on the lifts for a Pawesome afternoon. The snow was incredibly deep & not forgiving if you lost momentum. Established trenches on flat spots were gold, but tough work if you were the one making them! Snowboarders were certainly doing it tough in some parts of the hill.

In one of the biggest storms for years, over 100cm was dropped on the hill over a single night. The following day’s road closure was apparently due to avalanche danger, and then the lack of capacity to clear the huge volume of snow on the road, car parks & other infrastructure.

The following day was blue sky and gorgeous. The road stayed closed until midday and anyone that was patient was rewarded with one of the all-time cracking afternoon powder sessions. The mountain did a great job getting lifts & terrain open and it highlighted all of the resort’s amazing infrastructure, snow-sure terrain, fantastic mountain restaurants (which were all empty on this day!) and value for money.

What it showed though was that despite all of Stubai’s strengths, it also has a couple of weaknesses. The road being prone to closure in heavy snow is clearly one of them, but it is relatively uncommon in our experience (..more likely would be a lift & terrain closure due to high winds!) And the terrain, whilst great, has many flattish sections that can be troublesome for freeriders in deep powder, and especially for snowboarders.

One of Stubai Glacier’s other perceived weaknesses is the lack of a resort village at its base. Whilst there are a couple of ‘on-mountain’ accommodation options, staying in a Stubaital village like Fulpmes, Neustift or similar, gives one a wonderful experience of Austrian mountain culture. Any alternative village established at Stubai Glacier itself would be ‘manufactured’ by comparison. The major issue with the lack of nearby accommodation is the requirement to drive or take a bus to the resort every day. The buses in the valley are quite efficient but can get fairly hectic by the time they get close to the ski area.

I based myself at a fantastic farm-stay near Fulpmes - the Schottenhof. Within walking distance of town, and overlooking the valley, it has great hosts, comfortable rooms and numerous farm animals to keep one amused. The pigs are adorable. Schlick 2000 ski resort is only a few minutes away by car or bus. Highly recommended. There are absolutely loads of other options in the Stubaital ranging from high-end hotels to simple apartments and pensions.

Heading down the Wild Grub'n valley trail (#14) in the late afternoon, I was a little surprised to see signposted for 'experts only'. Turns out it was essentially one groomer wide and had already got incredibly 'smashed up' by exiting skiers & snowboarders, so it proved a a tough task on weary legs. Thankfully off-piste powder along the route was deep and fun up high, and just good enough down low (until the last 150m of vertical where it turned to poop) to avoid suffering on the ‘trail’ most of the way. At the end, I smiled at how the trail deposits one right into the car park, 20m from your rental car. Such a lovely way to end a day!

It is clear that the glaciers all over the Alps are in rapid decline and this is also evident at Stubai. Despite what the trail map states, the Windachferner surface tow, already looking quite tenuous on its glacier several years ago during our first visit, has been removed. And the supports for the Fernau chairlift are now, in places, perched on remnant ‘ice mounds’ high above the current actual glacier surface. Disturbing indeed.

Hitting up Stubai during the week when the sun is out, and the snow is dry provides all sorts of fabulous, big mountain ski opportunities. I have barely scratched the surface of the more technical freeride options in the ski area, let alone anything in the sidecountry, so visits of a few days to hunt powder are a very good proposition, and perhaps with a guide to show you the sneakier lines. Weekends here can get busy, but so does everywhere. The lifts deal with the number of skiers admirably, but as with anywhere on a powder day, getting first lifts is the only way to do it.

Stubai’s long season, incredible infrastructure, high altitude and Austrian attention to detail combine for a near perfect glacier ski resort experience. Go check it out while you still can.

See out thoughts on the pros & cons of the ski resort via our Stubai Glacier overview page.

See our video here

One of the three Innsbruck resorts I visited, Stubai is large with a number of opportunities to explore.
ACCESS: We did not have a car in Innsbruck so elected to use the bus system. As with a lot of Austria, buses are cash only. Buses are NOT ski buses, so you will be stopping constantly to the local routes. Stubai bus was the only one where we had to pay - 4 Euro per person each way - make sure to pay at the bus as the terminals will charge you more. The return bus was a bit confusing - we had to swap once. Despite this, it was still an easy 1.5-2h commute.
TERRAIN: This is by far the largest of the Innsbruck resorts. We covered most of the resort in a day, however given the low tide season of 2023 there was a number of closed lifts. You could happily spend at least two days here without fresh snow.
PISTE: Pistes we’re long and plentiful and well groomed. Some pistes had a speed check area which was a novelty.
OFF-PISTE: I was impressed with the off piste opportunities. There are a number of natural half pipe type runs between pistes that were a lot of fun. Small traverses also unlocked some short but fun descents.
PARK: A strange situation - given the Stubai Zoo from April onwards, I assumed there would be a good park setup. In fact, there was the smallest park setup I had seen in Austria. Still fun to be had but don’t come here pre April expecting much park.
CROWDS: We went on a Friday and the resort did not feel crowded. We experienced some 2 minute waits but nothing significant.
FOOD: We only spent the day so did not explore a heap. There was a lower number of huts for the size of the place and stuff seemed to have a slight premium to other Innsbruck resorts. Make sure to bring cash.
VALUE: The most expensive resort in the Innsbruck region but not overpriced. There was still some older lifts (a slow double on the back side) but the majority were quality. I felt that the price matched the value.

OVERALL: I enjoyed Stubai and would return. You could spend a lot of time here when it snows which I will look to pursue in the future.
See our video here

Spent the weekend there. April 2016.
It snow a day before my visit. The snow was great off piste. Choppy at times but great over all Did not ride much of the Piste trails as they were crowded. Views are stunning. Backcountry is worth it. Ride "The Wall" when you there! Night life is somehow okay. Nothing special.
Would definitely recommend.
See our video here

The quality of the snow, lifts and facilities at Stubai is just about second to none. Great children's facilities at Gamsgarten, stunning scenery all around, challenging off piste - its just a fun, diverse place to have a ski.

Two base areas have super efficient lifts to get every member of the family up the hill. Being glacier based, there is always quality snow and skiing here.

Restaurant, bar and outdoor seating facilities are fantastic. You can eat simple, traditional, fine dining or get half a roast chicken take away. Loved it.

Loses points for having a very plocky valley run open (maybe should have been closed), a long bus trip up and lack of a nearby town.

Can do a day trip from Innsbruck though on the 509a bus. Beware that if you have a few beers after skiing, make sure you pee before getting on the bus. Its 1hr20min to Innsbruck! If staying in Innsbruck there a loads of after ski options.
See our video here