Holidays in the popular Alpine resort are not always noisy bars and discos, a vibrant nightlife and crowded companies. Some go here to find peace and quiet in harmony with nature. When choosing ski tours to Austria for a family vacation, travelers most often prefer Stubai and Ellmau. These cities are located in different parts of Tyrol, but they are united by a calm and measured atmosphere.

Stubai Ski Resort

Stubaital Valley has repeatedly received the highest rating from the ADAC Skiguide as the best place for active recreation with children. This resort area is located just 30 km from Innsbruck, and is easily accessible by booking a transfer from your hotel or renting a car. However, you should remember that in Austria a special vignette is required to travel on motorways.

The Stubaital is divided into four main skiing areas:

  • Neustift;
  • Fulpmes;
  • Mieders;
  • Stubaital Glacier.

The Stubaital Glacier is perhaps the most interesting and beautiful place in the Alps. The glacier lies at altitudes from 1721 m to 3212 m, which is why locals often call it the “roof of Tyrol.” The Stubai Valley boasts another amazing natural phenomenon: the so-called thorny glacier ridge, consisting of 71 peaks above 3000 m.

Resort infrastructure

The snow cover of the Stubai Glacier, resistant to any weather changes, allows tourists to ski on its slopes all year round. The altitude at which the resort areas of Neustift, Fulpmes and Mieders are located starts from 960 m, so the ski season here lasts from December to April.

The total area of ​​the resort is about 205 hectares, the total length of the slopes is 108 km, of which:

  • 13 blue slopes (for beginners) – 32 km;
  • 7 red slopes (for intermediate level of training) – 25 km;
  • 3 black slopes (for professionals) – 7 km.

The slopes running on virgin snow are about 36 km long. The largest of them is 10 km long, and the height difference on it is 1500 m. At an altitude of 3332 m is the “Ski Carousel” slope, which goes around the top of the Schaufelspitz mountain.

More calm slopes for family recreation are located on the site of the Big Family Sky Camp ski club. The family camp has a snow park, a kindergarten, a zoo, and a large Big Family Fun slope, which is suitable not only for children, but also for people aged 50+.

Tourists are lifted to different heights by 4 conveyor belts and 25 lifts:

  • 10 towbars;
  • 7 chairlifts;
  • 6 car lifts;
  • 2 gondolas.

In the glacier valley there are more than 6,000 different places to relax, from five-star hotels to modest family farms away from noisy party places. The bulk of guests of the Stubaital Valley prefer to stay in the small, cozy town of Neustift. Big Family Stubai hotels are ideal for families with children. There is a special children’s menu, high chairs in the restaurant, colorful bed linen, interesting gifts for young visitors and a special playroom in each hotel. In addition, some hotels offer their customers free access to a ski camp.

The schools of the Stubai resort area offer skiing and snowboarding lessons for children and adults.

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, the Stubai resort can offer its guests a variety of other activities. For example, hiking along special trails, night skiing with torches, winter freeride on mountain bikes, ice climbing and much more. The observation deck, located at an altitude of 3210 m, which offers a magnificent view of the Tyrolean valleys, is always popular with tourists. In addition, it is interesting to visit the ice grotto, which is about 200 m long.

A fascinating detective quest “In Search of Treasures” will be organized for visitors to the ice grotto

Stubaital Valley: Guaranteed Satisfaction

One of the important points when choosing a skiing location is the altitude. It is at altitudes above 2000 m above sea level that even in the most capricious winters the snow will remain snow, and not incomprehensible slush under the ski.

One of these resorts that fully meets these requirements is the Stubai Valley. The entrance to the valley is just 15 km from the capital of Tyrol, the city of Innsbruck. You can most likely get here via the A13 autobahn, which leads to the Brenner Pass, just keep in mind that along the way you will have to pay for the toll on the Europa Bridge. The valley goes to the right of the autobahn immediately after the bridge and extends 35 kilometers deep into the Stubai Alps. Around there are 80 glaciers and 109 three-thousanders, the highest and most famous of which is Mount Zuckerhütl with a height of 3507 meters. The Stubai Glacier is located at the very end of a dead-end valley and is the largest glacier skiing area in Austria, where the season lasts from October to June. The total length of the slopes, if counted along the slope drop line, is 62 km (104 km of effective use of the length of the track), of which 21 (36) km are easy “blue”, 14 (25) km are medium-difficulty “red”, 5 (9) km are difficult “black” and another 3 (5) km are allocated to snow parks, Kinderland, etc., but as many as 19 (26) km are off-piste “routes”, among which is the longest track in the region – a 10 (16.5) km descent from the upper station on the Wildspitz (3210 m) to the lower stations of the Mutterberg cable cars (1750 m).

Actually, this is a combined descent – along route No. 7 along the Daunferner rope bridge, through the Gamsgarten “clearing” at an altitude of 2620 m and further down, along the off-piste route No. 14 Wilde Grub’n. The resort administration considers this route difficult and strongly recommends using the services of an instructor or guide. In bad weather – this advice is very sound, but who would decide to climb Wilde Grub’n in bad weather?

Speaking of the weather. Even in strong winds, the lifts on the glacier do not turn off. Here the choice is yours – to freeze and ride, or to sit in the Eisgrat restaurant at an altitude of 2900 m, sipping beer and watching the clouds of snow and fog sweeping outside. By God, the second option is much better than the first – once, during my next ascent on the 6-chair Eisjoch chairlift, a gust of wind was so strong that it lifted the protective cap and turned the chair 30 degrees. The sensations were very strong, but everything worked out. Another surprise was the large number of children in the Gamsgarten, in the children’s park, who were indifferent to both snow and wind. However, in addition to the BIG Family Ski-Camp ski camp with a playground, as well as the BIG Family Boardercross snowboarding track, there is a children’s restaurant and a kindergarten where the little ones can hide from the weather.

In addition to the longest descent, the Stubaier Glacier skiing area also has the steepest slope, which leads from the Daunjoch, 1.8 (3.1) km long, with a maximum gradient of 60%. What is not a test for those who like to tickle their nerves?

All trails on the Stubai Glacier are served by a total of 26 cable cars of almost all types, with a total capacity of 36,000 people per hour. However, despite the presence of two powerful parallel cable cars at the bottom, there are often queues in the season to climb the glacier. But the glacier has an alternative – small ski resorts scattered throughout the valley.

The main villages of the Stubai Valley, where tourists prefer to settle, are Neustift, Fulpmes, Telfes, Mieders and Schönberg. The closest to the glacier is Neustift. It is also the most famous and visited. Near Neustift there is a local ski area Elfer, very small, which is perfect for those who came to Stubai with small children. The heights here are small – cable cars, including one gondola and three towable, lift to 1800 m above sea level. The main attractions of this village are the church of St. Georg – the second largest in the Austrian Tyrol and the farmers’ market, open every Friday.

Another popular town is Fulpmes and the Schlick2000 ski area. It is larger and higher than Elfer: there are several trails with a total length of 15 km, starting from an altitude of 2240 m, which can be reached using three chairlifts, one gondola lift and a couple of tow lifts. A very good alternative to the glacier – in case of severe frosts. And skiing in the fog on the trails that run through the spruce forest is much more comfortable than on the glacier fields. In addition to the prepared trails, Schlick2000 also has its own snow park, the SPS 2000. In addition, Fulpmes has two nice churches: the main church of St. Vitus and the church of St. Margaret in the neighboring town of Medrac.

Since this year, Fulpmes has become even more attractive to tourists – it was here that the StuBay aqua center was built with a total area of ​​​​5,000 square meters, with a 25-meter pool, water attractions and saunas in the indoor part, as well as a 400 square meter sports pool with a water temperature of 26 degrees and sports grounds – in the outdoor area.

You can visit the StuBay aqua center from 9.50 euros for a 2-hour stay in the pool, up to 25.50 euros for a whole day of relaxation in both the pool and the sauna complex.

Another ski center in the Stubai Valley is located near the town of Mieders. Although it would probably be wrong to call it a ski resort – there is only one slope. The Serles center is more suitable for cross-country skiers, located on a sunny plateau at an altitude of 1200 to 1600 m above sea level. In the town itself, you can also go bowling and swim in the outdoor pool.

As soon as the first snow falls on the glacier, the Stubai Valley is full of fun events until the end of the winter season. The Stubai Glacier is set for a fun atmosphere with the ski Oktoberfest and the opening of the season with the “Moreboards Stubai Zoo Premiere” in the snow park. In addition, the non-glacial resorts host the traditional “Winteropening” events before the winter season opens, as well as regular night shows in the Schlick 2000 ski area and near the Sonnenbergbahn in Mieders. You can try out and rent sports equipment during the “SportScheck Gletscher Testival” on the Stubai Glacier. The SAAC Lawinencamps, the SPORT OKAY avalanche safety training and the Powder Department Freeride Camp on the glacier will be of interest to fans of off-piste skiing. Gourmets can appreciate the Dine & Wine evening on the glacier or buy homemade products at the regularly held farmers’ market in Neustift. Surprises await guests during the BIG Family Club’s “Snow Festival” on the Stubai Glacier and at the children’s festival with the mysterious character BIG Ron in the Schlick 2000 skiing area.

Snow Kingdom on the Stubai Glacier

The ski season is over and everyone is eagerly awaiting summer. But for those who feel like they haven’t really skied this year, we have a tip. There are several glacier resorts in the Austrian Alps that offer extended seasons or are open all year round.

This time we are heading to the snow kingdom on the Stubai Glacier in the Tyrolean Alps. The resort is located 45 minutes by car from Innsbruck. You will bypass Innsbruck on the southeast highway, as soon as the signs for Italy start to appear, turn into the Stubaital Valley, where you will find a toll gate (for travel), so have 3 euros or a credit card ready. Then you only have to go through a pleasant valley through small tourist villages, and after a 30-minute drive you will find yourself at the bottom station of the new 3S Eisgrat cable car, that is, directly under the glacier. Parking options, considering the many cars that go up, seem unlimited. But don’t worry, the resort is well prepared for the onslaught of enthusiastic skiers, and people will disperse here.

The new 3S Eisgrat cable car, leading from the valley, is 4.7 km long and will take you from an altitude of 1,695 m to 2,900 m in just 11 minutes. One cabin can accommodate 24 people in its comfortable seats and another 8 people standing at the same time. From the rear car park there is also the classic cabin of the Gamsgarten cable car, the final station of which is slightly lower. There are large restaurants at the final stations of both cable cars.

The Stubai Glacier Ski Resort is the largest glacier resort in Austria. It has 20 lifts (anchors, places for two, six and eight people and cabins). The complex is located on 5 glaciers, so it has incredible potential for further possible expansion. The glacier surfaces are impressively wide in places, and the narrow strips of ski slopes on them look almost comical. That’s why many people go off the slopes here and safely enjoy the freedom of movement also in the space around them. Because these places are also good for skiing, thanks to natural snow (snow cannons are very rare here, only in the lower parts of the resort). The resort has many kilometers of red and blue ski slopes among the sharp peaks of the mountains. Judging by the map, there is also one black ski slope, but this slope is overrated. Thanks to the moderate slopes of the slopes, the complex is also suitable for families, even children under 10 years old do not need to buy any ski passes. The resort guarantees snow from October to June, ski pass prices are stable throughout the season.

Above the upper station of the Schaufeljoch gondola lift is the impressive Top of Tyrol viewing platform, which is a must-see. Metal steps and ski boots are not the best combination, but it is recommended. The platform offers a view of the resort and the distant surroundings from a height of 3210 m. The expressive peaks of the surrounding mountains bring many impressions in good weather. Directly below the area on the southern slope is the large Stubai Zoo snow park, which is full of large bridges and other opportunities for adrenaline seekers. Overall, this complex is also suitable for freestyle fans, who will definitely enjoy it here.

Enjoy great skiing in spring too!

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