For a European mountain town, Innsbruck delivers so much. Our visit to this Tyrolean city had everything you could ask for. European village feel crossed with stunning scenery, outdoor mountain town meets University City, for a perfect combination.
Nestled in the Inntal valley that is surrounded by mountains, Innsbruck is the capital of the Tirol region.
As an outdoor enthusiast, whether that is winter or summer sports, Innsbruck have so much to offer.
To say we love it would be an understatement.
Skiing is well ingrained as a way of life here and with a variety of smaller resorts surrounding the city, there are plenty of opportunities to get your skiing fix.
For a skiing holiday with a family or mixed group of abilities, Innsbruck can be a great base to use, as you explore the region and nearby resorts.
Why Choose Innsbruck for Your Ski Holiday?
Well Innsbruck may not be top of the list as a skiing destination, given the quality of other marquee resorts in Austria, however the town is well connected to many resorts nearby, making it a great option to explore what skiing in the Tirol has to offer.
There are currently 12 resorts that are easily connected to Innsbruck via the local Ski Bus service.
These resorts include:
- Nordkette
- Muttereralm
- Oberperfuss
- Patscherkofel
- Glungezer
- Axamer Lizum
- Schlick 2000
- Kuhtai
- Hochoetz
- Stubai Glacier
- Elferbahnen
- Serles Mieders
If you are staying in Innsbruck for 2 days or longer, you generally have access to the ‘Welcome Innsbruck Card’. This card allows for free travel on the ski buses and local transport, with various out and back services daily to each of the above resorts listed.
Innsbruck has been home to the winter Olympics twice and remnants of the Olympics can seen throughout the town, with the Bergisel Ski jump overlooking the town.
Given the larger town vibe and high student population, there is plenty to experience from an après-ski perspective, with cafes, bars and restaurants to choose from
Another resort with 30 minutes or so from Innsbruck include Seefeld, which has a more intermdiate vibe to the terrain and stuning mountian village.
Overview of Innsbruck Ski Resorts
A quick summary to get a feel of the resorts on offer near Innsbruck.
Nordkette
The closest resort to the centre of town, Nordkette is generally regarded as an intermediate to advanced mountain. Not a lot for beginners here. 6 lifts with about 15km of skiable on-piste terrain. Day pass is €39.00.
Mutteralm
This is the family friendly resort of the Innsbruck resort options. You have roughly half the terrain being easy blues and the other half being intermediate. Served by 5 lifts covering about 15km of on-piste terrain. Day pass is €45.00 (online) or €52.00 (at resort)
Oberperfuss – Rangger Koepfl
Another resort that caters to a more beginner and intern=mediate skier/rider. There a 5 lifts, although only 1 gondola, the rest are poma’s or carpets. There are 17km of piste with a single black run. The rest are blues and reds. Day pass is €45.00
Patscherkofel
Not a massive resort, but with a good mix of terrain catering to all levels of skiers and riders. Skiable piste is 19Km, largely catering to an intermediate – red run skier. A day pass will put you back around €49.00
Glungezer
Another small resort that packs a punch for intermediate and family skiers. With two gondolas, to get you to the top with long linked runs and quality mountain huts along the way. Featuring 23km of pistes and a day pass costing €48.00
Axamer Lizum
This resort is close to Innsbruck and includes 40Km of pistes. Billed as a mountain for all levels of skiers ad riders, with 9 lifts, including a funicular and two gondolas. A single day ticket is €59.50 in the high season.
Schlick 2000
Popular with families with over 50% of the terrain graded as blue this solid resort includes 22Km of pistes and 11 lifts (although three are carpets and three are t bars). A single day pass costs €56.00
Kuthai
The ski area of Kuthai is a high altitude ski area, above the tree line. Its high location ensures great snow coverage and offers mainly intermediate skiers a large chunk of the 47Km of available pistes. A day pass here is €55.00 (this also includes the ski are of Hochoetz).
Hochoetz
A resort next to Kuthai and included in the one ski pass is Hochoetz. Lots of intermediate terrain here, sprinkled with blues and handful of blacks. With 41km of runs and if you include the 22Km from Kuthai, the value and skiing opportunities is excellent.
Stubai Glacier
One of the more well known ski areas near Innsbruck with high elevation, powder bowls and a long season. It is particular excellent for beginners and intermediates, with great family skiing opportunities. It has 5 x gondolas, 5 x chairs, 10 x T-bars and 4 x carpets. The pistes covers 41Km and an adult day ski pass costs €69.80.
Elferbahnen
Super small with 1 lift and about 3km of piste, the Elfer 11 ski area is included in the Ski Bus pass, near the Stubai Glacier. A 1 day lift ticket here costs €46.00
Serles – Mieders
Another small resort with 5km of piste for beginners and intermediates near the town of Mieders. Featuring 1 x Gondola, 3 x T-Bars and 1 x carpet. An adult day pass at Serles will cost €46.00.
Getting to Ski Resorts near Innsbruck
As mentioned, for those that are staying in Innsbruck for two nights or more, you may have access to the ‘Welcome Innsbruck’ card. A tourism card that gives you free travel on local transport, within the region. It also provides free access to the ski bus, which departs from various locations within the city, to get you to one of the above resorts.
If you can get to the main bus station, out the front of the train Innsbruck central train station, you can connect to the ski bus and other bus that take you to the various resorts.
There is no requirement to scan, and no questions are generally asked if you have ski equipment or clothing (suggesting you are skiing/riding/tobogganing etc.). The welcome card can be saved to your phone wallet for easy access, should you need to present it.
Each person in our party (including kids) had their own welcome card that the accommodation provider arranged via a registration link, sent via email. It was all very straightforward and easy to obtain.
We were staying in an AirBnB and our host was able to arrange for this welcome card. So note that it is not just for official hotels and can be for short stay accommodation as well.
Additional tips for planning the Innsbruck Ski Trip
Given the location of Innsbruck, surrounded by mountains, it is well suited for winter sports, with plenty of stores and services catering to skiers and riders needs.
Innsbruck Ski Hire
There are number of Ski Hire locations throughout the town. We used Ski Borse, which was very close to our accommodation and had everything we needed. Note that they even rent out clothing, should you forget something.
Friendly staff, easy to mange and a wide range of equipment to get ourselves sorted.
Innsbruck – Clothing and Outfitters
Pretty much every outdoor clothing and equipment brand is available to get in Innsbruck. With standalone stores of Patagonia, The North Face, Black Diamond, Mammut, Mons Royale and multi level stores with winter and summer gear from all your favourite outdoor brands, with a European lens.
Getting to Larger Austrian Ski Resorts from Innsbruck
With the airport located at Innsbruck, the town is a gateway to Austria’s winter playground.
The connections are very good from Innsbruck airport to the main train station, which can easily get you to larger ski resorts such as St Anton, Kitzbuhel or Saalbach. These are direct services with no changes, for ease of access.
Final Thoughts on Innsbruck Ski Resorts
Innsbruck is a charming mountain city, with over 130,000 residents and is the perfect stepping off point for ski and snowboard travellers making the most of their Tyrolean holiday.
With a number of smaller resorts easily accessible, you can pick and choose, depending on the snow conditions and ability levels or requirements.
This could be hitting intermediate groomers all-day or structuring a day around mountain hut visits – whatever your requirements the resorts around Innsbruck have got you covered.
