Innsbruck Austria is your next bucket list for Skiing

Highest Lift: 3200m/10498′
Lowest lift: 850m/ 2789′
Vertical Drop: 2350m/ 7710′
Total Runs: 270 km
Beginner: 70 Runs (35%)
Intermediate: 84 Runs (42%)
Expert: 46 Runs (23%)
Cross Country: 30km

If you are from Europe or someone from any point of the globe and wish to visit a famous and excellent ski resort in Europe, this could be an incredible place to see and experience.

Have you heard of Innsbruck, in Austria? If not, then keep reading and find out why this should be on your bucket list for the next ski resort to visit.

A picture-perfect juxtaposition between urban and outdoor, Innsbruck, Austria, is a must-visit winter destination. The city is famous internationally for being an epicenter for winter sports and a showcase for the Hapsburg Empire’s legacy. It nestles between high, snow-capped mountains along the River Inn. What will awe strike your senses are the picturesque Old Town’s winding streets, charming churches, the smooth slopes of the surrounding mountains, and crisp Alpine air.

This “Capital of the Alps” visit in the winter will leave you feeling refreshed.

WHAT INNSBRUCK OFFERS TO SKIERS, SNOWBOARDERS, AND VISITORS

It got gotten a global reputation when it hosted the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games. It contains 19 lifts for 26 runs, and it became the center of several ski areas.

You don’t need to travel into Tirol’s remote side valleys just to find good pistes, but securing a lift pass in Innsbruck will make you enjoy 250 kilometers of piste (groomed trail for skiing). The regional capital Innsbruck offers a wide range of options for skiers and snowboarders. The Nine ski resorts around the city have joined together, forming the Olympia SkiWorld Innsbruck, including the freeriding paradise Axamer Lizum, the family friendly Rangger Köpfl, and the Stubai Glacier topping out at 3,210 meters above sea level. Each resort showcases each personality, beauty, and charm.

A 20-minute trip will take you from the center of the city to the Seegrube mountain overlooking Innsbruck to the north.

The famous Nordkettenbahn cable car transport skiers, boarders, and guests up to this small but incredibly formed resort. Some of the highlights include the world’s only Incity Snowpark, the steep Karrinne couloir with gradients of up to 70%, and the eye-catching Cloud 9 Igloo Bar. Visitors may head for either the Muttereralmpark or the Rangger Köpfl resort in Oberperfuss, which have relatively plenty of easy small slopes.

About 20km from Innsbruck is the Axamer Lizum resort, the city’s closest large resort. Skiers and boarders will find fantastic powder runs, a snow park, and a racecourse. Once the skiing activities are done, guests can dine in the Hoadl-Haus Restaurant on top of the resort, which is at 2,340 meters above sea level, offering magnificent views.

Patscherkofel is one of the mountains that can be seen from the Axamer Lizum; it is about 7 kilometers south of Innsbruck. During the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976, the mountain was the venue for the men’s downhill race and the bobsleigh and luge competitions in neighboring Igls. The Axamer Lizum held the other five alpine skiing events.

Those that can endure too long runs can take on one of the longest runs in Tirol at the nearby Glungezer resort: more than 15 kilometers from the top of the Schartenkogel all the way down to the village of Tulfes.

Though a little further away, the resort of Kühtai in the Sellrain Valley is still well worth a visit. It is considered the highest ski resort in Austria as it reaches 2,000 meters above sea level.

Kühtai offers not only snow-sure slopes but is also very compact. Thus, the walk from the bus stop or hotel to the lifts usually a few minutes.

Innsbruck: Ski Resorts in the Region

Innsbruck Ski Resorts Elevation and Skill Levels
Ski Area Top Elevation Skill Level
Nordpark/ Seegrube 2260m/ 7415′ Intermediate/ Difficult
Igls/ Patscherkofel 2247m/ 7372′ All Levels
Axamer Lizum 2340m/ 7677′ All Levels
Tulfes/ Glungezer 2304m/ 7559′ Beginner/ Intermediate
Schlick 2000 2230m/ 7317′ Beginner/ Intermediate
Stubai Glacier 3200m/ 10,500′ All Levels
Kühtai 2520m/ 8268′ Beginner/ Intermediate
Rangger Köpfl 2000m/ 6562′ Beginner/ Intermediate