Our Skigloo bar is opening with free beer and schnaps
The almost completed Skigloo bar - Innsbruck, Austria - image © ineedsnow.com
After some delay due to great snow conditions, a back injury and work commitments we have set the opening party for the Skigloo for this weekend, Sunday 15th Feb 2009. Conceived in the days of falling share values, rising unemployment, weak £ and a very dodgy KGB guy with his hand on the EU’s gas tap, we decided to create a piece of heaven in the mountains above Innsbruck. It is a place where skiers and snowboarders can hang out for an hour or two after skiing to share a few stories and forget about the current (and hopefully temporary) problems with the world. The location of the Skigloo is private as it is an invitation only experience but it is buried deep in the woods of Axamer Lizum. Invitation only maybe but far from exclusive, if you are in Innsbruck and fancy hanging out at the Skigloo on a Friday or Sunday then just drop us a line on the blog and we will let you know when and where we meet – it promises to be a lot of fun. The theme will be serious skiers and snowboarders not taking themselves too seriously – this will be obligatory.
please! please send us an invite , we have heard this is the place to be , up & coming trendy bar in the alps. It’s a must to be there
If I am honest then I would not describe it as an ‘A’ list venue. But nor are you an ‘A’ list celeb, so yes sure you can come, we will meet at the Sonnalm at 14:00 and head down from there. If I can still get hold of him we will have an Irish pipes player there to do the Skigloo opening, alternatively it will an ipod mini + speakers. Drinks will be less uncertain – they will be cold and abundant and I am sure the usual suspects will get carried away. But hey, the office will be closed and Sundays are a day to relax and enjoy.
Matt, i’ll be honest with you,the venue looks fantastic & i can’t wait to give it a spin, but you will obviously be responsible for me on the mountain. I’m not like you i like to sleep indoors. Rest assured i will do my utmost to be there before the end of the season & when did i drop off the “A” list?
speak to you tomorrow.
Well the idea at the Skigloo is to enjoy a few drinks in moderation and then come down a forest track that is very mellow and cleared. That way you cannot be a danger to other piste users. To be honest the Skigloo is an amazing setting and we hope a great concept but yes it is 2000m up a mountain, safety is paramount. after one or two drinks the plan is to go down to the Leuchtturm Goetzens and for those that want to party in one of the best apres ski joints in Innsbruck from the safety of a ski lift base station then they can fill their boots. The Skigloo won’t be a swill hole until you get there I guess. http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/tag/leuchtturm/
before digging the rest out! go & get your back sorted!
Once again very logical John, I marvel at your ability to ‘assign’ commonsense
(I you cannot read between the lines there I am suggesting that you are a person with infinitesimal commonsense.)
The back has been a big problem, I even had to be a judge at a Eisstock schiessen (ice stick shooting) event in Innsbruck last night as one ’slide’ of the Eisstock almost almost did me. There was a doctor in the team although she is a head doctor (psychiatry). That means so far I have had Dr Murray and a shrink diagnose it – maybe I really should go to the doctor? In any case the Skigloo is opening for business on Sunday even if I am dragged up on a rescue sled.
free beer and schnaps…I´ll come
you know big words confuse me & Sunday is 4 days away & the back could probably fixed in 15 minutes. However if you thrive on pain & discomfort? dig away, but I’m sure you’d like to enjoy your fruits! so to speak.
Hey Wolfi, yes, I think the concept has some merit. I am not sure it will get me on the cover of Newsweek but it should be some good fun with some great people in a fantastic location – we really have found an amazing spot up there.
John I appreciate the concern but there will be medicine at the Skigloo and I am sure if I went to a doctor over here the would prescribe Schnaps. You have be impressed by one of the worlds best health systems still using Schnaps as a front-line medicine. Snowing over here in Innsbruck
I love this idea. Hope to get an invitation for the opening party at the Skigloo. Looking closer onto that picture I can remember that I saw something like that already somwhere.. But it must have been only a copy (http://www.icehotel.com/) of the skigloo in Axamer Lizum because the Skigloo is unique.
Hey Jurgen, thanks for your feedback, sure you can come along, we will meet at the Sonnalm at 13:00 on Sunday 15th Feb. You will hopefully see us wearing ineedsnow.com jackets – come over and join us. The key difference between the Skigloo and the other snow creations in the Alps are 1 – the Skigloo was built by hand so no artifical snow or pisten bullies, 2 – the Skigloo does not cost €300 to visit, 3 – the Skigloo does will not charge for drinks on Sunday. It should be a very cool start to a pretty cool idea – bis dann.
another nice fact about the skigloo is that the other gender really seems to like the idea of the romance that could happen in there.
Nice angle. Had not thought of that one. I think the theory will need testing though, we will see how long Mrs Brown deems it a positive in her life. Early indications are good but let’s see how Sunday develops before we start to think of the Skigloo as a centre of romance and a force for good in relationships. I am pretty sure it will tick many other boxes irrespective of its emotional values.
Hey Matt, looks like the back ache was worth it!! I hope we can make it on Sunday. Will there be parties on a regular basis? I totaly agree with austrianlocal, the other gender does like the idea of some romance in there
Hey Goetznergirl, it would be good to see you up at the Skigloo on Sunday – we will be running the Skigloo twice a week all being well but Sunday should be a hooter, not one to be missed I imagine. Austrianlocal has also been digging the snow, I think mainly driven by the romance opportunities although I am not sure how much passing trade he will find deep in the forest at 2000m in Axamer Lizum?
At least some deer species
I think I will leave the Austrianlocal to answer that one:) The only deer I have seen recently are either on the wall of the local bars or in the Kaunertal when I was convinced I had seen a bear. Although I did eat some deer in a ragu not so long ago – bloody good too.
Mat – can you please put an inviting rug inside on top of the seating area with some candles and a little door mat at the entrance? Also, it would be great if you could organise a skidoo to get me up there, or a strong bloke to give me a piggie back. Danke!
“Mat – can you please put an inviting rug inside on top of the seating area with some candles and a little door mat at the entrance?” thrice no.
“Also, it would be great if you could organise a skidoo to get me up there, or a strong bloke to give me a piggie back.” twice no.
sheer brilliance….secret is the key … a place in sydney is called ssshhhh and moves around run by one of the breweries ….. they don’t do anything other than on-line messages to key people – Matt could find it i’m sure…
Wow, that is the most positive feedback we have had so far and you have not even mentioned beer or romance – thanks. The Sydney concept sounds brilliant, christ there are some smart people out there. To be honest are idea was not hatched out of brilliance we wanted to bury the Skigloo deep in the woods as we don’t want the wrong people visiting and thinking they are in a safe environment – it is 2000m up a mountain. But the place is meant to be a retreat run by serious skiers and snowboarders to relax and take themselves a bit less seriously – any hero talk up there and they will be shown the ice door. And as well as serious skiers etc the Skigloo will be a broad church, if you love the mountains but have a horrible technique, you are as welcome as anyone.
Not sure how anyone can help here but I met two absolute heroes on the Streif a couple of weeks ago, they had decided to walk it in sports shoes after skiign in for many years. Trust me it is a challenge with skis on and these guys were in Nikes – we need to get them to the Skigloo, they were young Troy Hurtubise in the making – http://www.youtube.com/user/troyhurtubise. I am going to send this video to the tourist board in Kirchberg and see if we can get an email address for them and get them to the Skigloo – http://www.ineedsnow.com/blog/kitzbuhel-apres-ski-doom/
Good luck for the Grand opening on Sunday,& looking forward to the web site on Monday for a match report & Photos.
Thanks John Murray, the Skigloo has been a lot of work but we made real progress yesterday and the thing will certainly be ready for tomorrow. Having trouble tracking Rob the bag pipes player – I think he may be in Switzerland but it should be fun all the same. Shame you are not over here to enjoy it – maybe later in the season?
25 comments on the Skigloo, you really can see what our readers are interested in
Thanks to all the skiing / boarding drinkers !