Easter spring skiing has very much arrived in Innsbruck
My run home, luckily after the avalanche and not during – image © ineedsnow.com
Plenty of wind, sun and snow in Innsbruck today with great spring skiing conditions. Although the avalanche danger is low at present there have been many slides over the last week or so and several of the connecting pistes have been dissected by avalanches especially between Axamer Lizum and Mutters / Gotzens, high above Innsbruck. For those who enjoy spring conditions then the snow pack is sensational at present and the high pressure pretty sustained here in Innsbruck. For the coming month or so then the glacier skiing around Tirol is very likely to be outstanding. I will be spending much of my time dealing with maternity wards – very exciting if also terrifying.
Hi Matt -
I’m traveling to Austria on May 19-June 6 and would like to head to the Innsbruck area to do some snowboarding for 3 days on the glacier, if its still possible. Out of all the ski areas, which is your favorite for spring skiing?
I was thinking of trying to hit Stubai Valley, Pitztaler, or Solden (or some combination of the three). Is it easy for someone travelling to move from one resort to another?
Thanks much.
Regards,
Matt
Hey matt, good to hear from you and your trip sounds exactly how I would spend a week at the end of May, I often ski the glaciers here late into the season, last year I was at both the Stubai Glacier and the Solden Glacier in June – conditions were great. We have just had a client come back from the Stubai Glacier last week who said they were the best ski conditions they had ever experienced, anywhere – that is really saying something! But as we are based just down the valley in Innsbruck I was not at all surprised, the snow here has been outstanding and I imagine the glaciers are superb right now. It has been warm for the last 2 weeks but is a little cooler now, whilst this winter was really bitterly cold. In terms of getting between the glaciers then whilst you can see the Solden Glacier from the Stubai Glacier and vice versa and also the Pitztal Glacier from the Solden Glacier then the only way between them is off-piste and for that I would definitely advise on a local guide – it is serious off-piste glacial and avalanche prone terrain and is extremely hazardous. To be honest it would not be possible so late in the year in any case. So I am afraid the option would be to take the road route between glacial ski areas that are pretty close together geographically but a really long distance apart by road. In my view you should stay in Innsbruck or Neustift and travel to either the Stubai Glacier and maybe a day trip to the Hintertux Glacier or the Solden Glacier. I rate the Pitztal Glacier highly and they have had good lift investments in the last few years but it is a long way down a long and winding valley from the other glacier areas around here. Let me know if you get to the Stubai Glacier as I will be there to do some filming at the end of May and feel free to send through some details of your trip for our blog readers.
Hey Mat -
Thanks for the response! Your comments are very helpful. Its good to hear from someone who has firsthand experience in the area. I’m glad to hear that the glaciers will be in good condition during this time. It will definitely be different from what I have seen before; which is Minnesota, Colorado, Lake Tahoe, Big Sky, etc. I’m pumped!
I’m in the midst of planning the trip and had a few more questions for you, as long as you don’t mind answering them:
1) Where do you suggest I stay in order to get the most amount of riding and least amount of car/travel time? You mention taking day trips from Innsbruck to Stubai or Solden. Is that easy to do? Are there shuttles from hotels that would take you there? How should I find a hotel in Innsbruck?
2) I just bought a new snowboard this year. Would you suggest brining it (I’m coming from the US) or renting equipment from the resort?
3) My flight lands in Vienna on May 20 (in the morning). I’d like to get to Innsbruck, or wherever I decide to stay, that evening and then ride from May 21-24. Is the train system to get me from Vienna to Innsbruck pretty good and is there one you recommend?
Thanks again!!
Hey Matt, good to hear from you again. I would go for the Stubai Glacier, either staying in Innsbruck or down the valley toward the glacier in a resort called Neustift. Innsbruck will have far more going on at night and things to see. It is about 50 minutes I would say from the glacier by regional bus, they run through Innsbruck and then head for the glacier. They run all day as well. Neustift is about 20 minutes from the glacier is a large and pretty resort and has good facilities but not those on offer in Innsbruck. If you stayed in Neustift then you could get a bus into Innsbruck to have a look around in the evening. It is really up to you to see what best suits – Innsbruck has far more going on but is slightly further from the glacier, Neustift is closer and is the main resort in the region but will be far quieter in the evenings in May. Innsbruck would also be a far better location if you did want to ride on the other glaciers, for me I would try and stick to one of you want to maximise your time on the snow, although you can definitely get to Solden on a day trip, the only issue is that these glaciers form the border with Italy and are at the end of long valleys so getting between them involves quite a trip even though geographically they are pretty close. Getting to Innsbruck from Vienna is no issue at all, it is at the other end of the country, but this is Austria, not the USA so distances are far shorter. It takes about 4 hours or so to get from Vienna to Innsbruck and you can do it on a fast and direct train, taking luggage on and getting tickets in English should be very straight forward as well. You can find train times etc on the links on our Innsbruck route planner page:
http://www.ineedsnow.com/ski-holidays-austria/innsbruck/innsbruck-route-planner.html
You can rent snowboard gear on the glacier, in Neustift or Innsbruck so it is totally up to you how you feel about bringing your board over.
Regarding hotels then just drop me a line with where you want to stay and what type / standard of accommodation you are after and we can get you a range of offers. Also confirm the dates when you will be here and I will arrange to meet and buy you an Austrian beer!
check out:
1)www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/
2)www.avalanche-center.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=402
Hi Lynda, I have followed this story for some years following some pretty aggressive and at the time random emails. I have read reasonably widely on the topic and it is a real tragic story. Please understand that we are no way linked to the Stubai Glacier, we recommend it to some and not to others – you are very welcome to publicise your plight with the above links. My experience of the Stubai Glacier is generally a good one but that does not reflect your experience. All I can say is that I hope you are able to find closure to this terrible event and that the outcome is to your satisfaction.