New school and extinct school on the Hintertux Glacier today
With a top height of 3250m the Hintertux Glacier is still offering great skiing conditions with blue skies and plenty of snow today. I spent much of the day capturing images and film in the terrain park as well as chasing a ski ballerina – I thought this discipline was long extinct but there he was, a guy in his 60s, resplendent in his one piece suit and glacier glasses performing some staggering tricks on skis. I will edit the video from today as soon as possible and see if I captured any of his moves on film.
There was a great display of freestyle skiing and snowboarding today on the Hintertux Glacier.
Big air Hintertux style – image © ineedsnow.com
The top station of the Hintertux Glacier is located at 3250m ensuring great snow conditions into early summer and from autumn onwards. The Hintertux Glacier actually offers skiing throughout the year.
The Hintertux Glacier top lift station – image © ineedsnow.com
And the viewing platform above the lift station – image © ineedsnow.com
I managed to ride with Matt from the USA again today before he heads over to Vienna and then back to the mid west.
Air Matt – image © ineedsnow.com
Mr Brown, out on the road again already, tut, tut. Had a look at a piste map & there appears to be a lot off off piste action for you to play in. Weather looks perfect, just the sort the missus & i would appreciate.
Hey John, yes it was a belter of a day up there, the snow held up really well in the early summer sun and the wide pistes were pretty empty. The highlight of the day for me was following a ski ballerina down the slopes, he was engaged in some crazy manoeuvres – really quite a spectacle. Not sure if you would have seen him from your sun terrace but I am sure you would have liked the day up there.
That’s a given, may have even put the skis on for ten minutes just to earn a beer in that weather.
Fear not John, whilst the Austrians are about as passionate about skiing as anyone, even they understand that the need for a cold beer need not always require clipping your feet into ski bindings. The main bar on the Hintertux Glacier is accessed via the Gletscher Bus II, a gondola running on twin cables for stability. Following an afternoon at the Fernerhaus you can glide effortlessly back down into the valley for further refreshment. Would you ever consider a role as an après ski guide should one develop?
Past my prime young man.If only a job like that had arisen 15 years ago?
Yes, I have to admit that whilst I could in the past apres with the best of them, then I am more inclined these days to occupy the middle lane rather than the fast lane of post skiing excess. There are of course exceptions to the rule even today but yes, if I had been offered an ‘apres ski ambassadorial role’ some years ago I think I might just have accepted
If you had to sum up the joy of apres ski in Austria in a couple of lines what would it be?
There’s nowhere else in the world that does Apres like the Austrians. A unique carnival experience at the end of every skiing day.
A couple of points here John: skiing is not necessarily a pre-requisite for apres ski, whilst if you head to Solden, Soll, Flachau, Mayrhofen, Kitzbuhel, Ischgl……..(the list is endless) then the start of the day is for some the optimal time to start festivities. The word around the campfire is that a certain Mr Murray has begun apres ski before the last lift on more than one occasion.
vicious rumours with no substance what so ever Mr Brown, but if you do like an awesome party? Austria is a great venue.
I would consider a job as an apres ski guide if one ever opened! I would maybe even consider switching to skiing if someone could actually teach me to do it well. Hope everything is going well in Innsbruck, Matt. I’m planning to email soon. This class has turned out to be a bit of work and is taking up much of my time. I am learning a lot at a quick pace, so its good. We’ve been out until 3am every night and up for school at 8pm. Talk soon!
Hey matt, glad to hear that the candle is going both ends. Yes an apres ski guide is indeed a great concept, let’s see what we can work toward over the summer and autumn – watch this space as they say