CITY TO THE SLOPE
Sandwiched between two mountain ranges, Innsbruck is a hub of culture, with no less than nine ski resorts on its doorstep. Sophie Mead dropped by to see how many she could visit in 48 hours…
SATURDAY 3RD MARCH
The skies above Innsbruck
09:10AM
Staring out of the plane window, I realise that the thrills of Innsbruck start when you are still in the air. Descending into the city is spectacular. As farmland drops away across rural Austria, rolling hills transform into jagged peaks. The view across the seemingly endless Alps could easily be mistaken for a choppy sea and is mesmerising to see. The city itself sits tucked in a valley and the descent is not for the faint-hearted, plunging passengers down rapidly from mountain top to valley floor.
10:30AM
From the airport, we take one of the regular shuttle buses that drop visitors in the centre of town in about 20 minutes. Whereas many airports are surrounded by industrial wasteland, the Tyrol’s capital is charming; the journey takes us through residential neighbourhoods, allowing us to take in some traditional Austrian architecture on the way. In the centre, I am immediately struck by the sight of skiers and snowboarders walking around. In most cities this would be a bit of a shock, but it’s commonplace in Innsbruck since the two-time Olympic venue has not one, but nine ski resorts surrounding it.
11:40AM
Not wasting any time, we drop off our bags at Hotel Innsbruck and head straight for the ski rental shop. Thanks to the thriving snowsports community, hire shops are not hard to come by and we are quickly kitted out. The first ski area on our hit list is Kühtai, which is the largest resort with 46km of slopes and 11 lifts, and is 45 minutes’ drive away. The route passes the iconic Olympic Bergisel Ski Jump Tower, an architectural marvel designed by multi-award-winning architect Zaha Hadid. Her influence is present across the city, with several funicular stations showcasing her signature curved style.
12:30PM
The transfer is scenic, passing through rustic villages before climbing up higher into the mountains towards a high pass called the Kühtai saddle. The resort is spread over two mountains and is well suited to beginners and intermediates, offering a variety of blue and red runs on either side. Its height, at 2,020m, makes it Austria’s highest resort – and usually snowsure until April.
12:55PM
The car park at the bottom is walking distance from the lifts, so we take the Dreiseenbahn straight up to the top of the north side to break in our ski legs, cruising the long 6a red from the 2,410m summit back to base. Kühtai has a great selection of areas for training, and the jewel in its crown is the Olympic-sized superpipe for freestyle enthusiasts, boasting 6m-high walls. It also has an area for snowboard cross, ski cross and downhill racing, plus plenty of snowshoe routes nearby. But it's all about Kühtai's perfectly groomed pistes for us today - unusually quiet despite it being a weekend.
02:40PM
We stop for lunch at the Das Jagdschloss hotel at the resort base, built by Emperor Maximilian as a hunting lodge 500 years ago. The ancient dwelling still retains its grandeur and character, with traditional banqueting tables, vaulted ceilings and mounted stag heads, mixed with modern touches such as contemporary fireplace decorations and stylish lighting. In the restaurant we get stuck into some lunchtime dumplings and sample the famous Kaiserschmarrn (translated as 'Emperor’s mess' it looks like a scrambled pancake), to keep the sugar levels up.
03:30PM
After conquering the north side of the hill, we move to the sunnier south-facing side, which has natural gullies and wide-open slopes. The KaiserBahn whisks us up to the top of the mountain where we can see across the whole resort, including the dam on the opposite side. From the 2,447m summit, a wide, sweeping red takes us all the way down to the bottom, and on a sunny day it is the perfect place to slice up the corduroy. The pistes are spacious with plenty of opportunity for freeriders to pop off the edges and get their sidecountry kicks.
05:45PM
After descending from Kühtai, we’re back in the city for a quick clothes change at the hotel, before venturing out for dinner. Das Schindler is a slick, sophisticated restaurant located on the main street. I opt for the fillet of turbot with spinach, which is hearty and fills my boots after a hard day’s skiing. Round the corner we find Bar 360, a circular glass-windowed venue, serving up tasty cocktails and even better views of the sparkling city.
SUNDAY 4TH MARCH
Innsbruck city
08:15AM
The beauty of having nine resorts on your doorstep is that you can go to the best one, depending on the weather. Waking the next day, we discover that, sadly, the Stubai glacier and its legendary park, the Stubai Zoo, are covered in cloud. Undeterred, we decide to channel our inner Olympians and follow an Alpine racer’s trail across two different resorts.
09:30AM
Our first stop is Axamer Lizum, only a 30-minute drive from town. The resort is compact, with 40 pistes served by 10 ski lifts, but popular due to its proximity to the centre and easy access. We board the iconic red Olimpiabahn funicular and head up into the clouds. Just a few minutes later we are at the top, met with incredible views of the jagged Kalkkögel mountains, which look like mini Dolomites.
09:40AM
To get into the racing spirit, I convince former Ski+board editor, Arnie Wilson, to join me on the podium for a photo, and he happily obliges. In the 1976 Olympics, Axamer Lizum hosted the women’s downhill race, which was won by West Germany’s Rosi Mittermaier, taking the title from Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Pröll. Today, it’s our race and glory is at stake!
09:55AM
From the start point, we set off down the course, which descends from 2,340m. In 1976 the length was 2.51km (1.56 miles) and Mittermaier completed it in 106.16 seconds with an average speed of 85.286km/h. I don’t quite make it to 85km/h, but I do enjoy whizzing down the immaculately groomed piste. At the bottom I try to imagine the fanfare as I fly towards the finish line, albeit with slightly less finesse than an athlete.
11:45AM
From Axamer Lizum we make a beeline for Patscherkofel, an hour’s drive east, home to the men’s downhill run of 1967. Innsbruck’s home hill benefited from a lift upgrade in 2017, with a new gondola that zips skiers up to an altitude of 1,965m in 10 minutes. We are accompanied by ski instructor, Felix, who has agreed to show us the run that alpine racing legend Franz Klammer took gold on by a margin of only 0.33 seconds.
12:05PM
From the top, we decide to practice once before timing ourselves to see if we can balance speed and endurance. The run itself is a combination of red and black sections and is not an easy piste – the key is staying in control. The resort itself is quiet, which makes it much safer for us to go careering down the pistes at full speed. After the first run my thighs are absolutely burning and I doubt I can do it faster than round one, but Felix and I head back up the gondola to test ourselves against the clock.
02:15PM
We set ourselves up at the starting point and count in… on your marks, get set, GO! I thrust forward with all my might, trying to work up a some speed on the flat, but when I look up, Felix is long gone, flying down the run at break-neck pace. I charge down the route, feeling my skis rattle in protest and struggling to stay in control.
02:16PM
As I swing around the corner and over a lip, I see a dot disappearing into the distance. Not so far behind after all, I think. There is sleet in the air and the run is choppy towards the bottom but, with thighs screaming, I storm across the line. “What was my time?” I ask Felix. Three minutes 33 seconds: only three times the gold medal-winning Klammer. I’ll take it! Doubting I’ll be able to walk for the next few days, I hobble back to the minibus, content that I’d skied in the tracks of former Olympians.
FACTFILE
Innsbruck’s nine satellite ski resorts are all covered under the Olympia SkiWorld pass, which costs €230 for five days. Visitors can also make the most of attractions both on and off the slopes with the Ski Plus City pass, which gives tourists access to 13 ski resorts, 308km of pistes, and 22 tourist attractions. These include the Bergisel Ski Jump stadium and the Imperial Palace, whose lavish Baroque-style halls take visitors back to the reign of Emperor Maximilian.
SKI AUSTRIA WITH THE SKI CLUB
Like your uphills as much as your downs? Freshtracks is running two Pitztal Day Tour trips this winter, both via Innsbruck. The price is from £1,635, including seven nights’ half-board at Hotel Sonnblick (twin share), return flights, coach transfers and six days with mountain guides. The trip is aimed at Advanced (Purple) and Expert (Gold) off-piste skiers.
Or, if you’d rather stick to the piste, the Obergurgl On-Piste Week 2 From £1,825, including seven nights’ half-board, return flights, coach transfers, a six-day lift pass and the services of a Ski Club Rep. The trip is aimed at Intermediate (Red), Advanced Intermediate (Silver) and Advanced (Purple) on-piste skiers. This is also one of the Peak Experience holidays.