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On the Stubai Glacier with Teenagers at Easter
Many ski resorts in Austria are suitable for families, but why is the Stubai Glacier perfect for families with teenagers? We asked ourselves this question with our two boys Flo and Ben as we travelled from Neustift up to the Eisgratbahn.
It was early in the morning and breakfast was served at the hotel at 7.00 am. That's not the time for real teenagers. So it was pretty quiet in the car until we reached the large valley station of the Eisgratbahn lift and saw the cable car with its huge gondolas. That was really impressive for all of us.
We boarded one of the first gondolas just in time for the start of operations at 8.00 a.m. and travelled out of the spring-like valley into a completely different world. It was Easter and the valley was beginning to blossom, the birds were chirping and the sun was already really strong. But the Eisgratbahn took us back to winter. Up to an altitude of around 3000 metres to the Stubai Glacier. We had already been told by friends that there are really wide pistes here. When we got off the Eisgratbahn lift, we knew what they meant. Full of anticipation, we rented skis at the Eisgratbahn mountain station and were able to get up onto these wide pistes.
We first got an overview of the ski area:
- There are up to 110 kilometres of slopes to explore.
- There are excellent opportunities for freeride skiing off the pistes.
- Stubai Zoo Spring Garden - a fun park that is perfect for our teenies
- Top of Tyrol summit platform
- Ice climbing tower at the Gamsgarten
- Piste Bully riding
So there should be plenty for us to discover on the Stubai Glacier. Especially with the keywords freeride, fun park, ice climbing and Piste Bully riding, our two boys were looking forward to two cool days of skiing.
Exploring the Stubai Family as a Family
No matter how big the ski area is, we first explore it together as a family. So up to the very top to the Top of Tyrol. Unfortunately, the viewing platform was closed as too much snow had fallen in the last few days. So we headed down the wide pistes. These are very pleasant to ski here, as you have a wide view. Of course, there are no trees on a glacier, which makes skiing very pleasant, especially in terms of visibility. After a few turns, Flo and Ben dared to ski a little off-piste, which is perfectly possible here on the Stubai Glacier.
From the Fernau middle station at an altitude of 2300 metres, we headed for the Eisgrat mountain station because Flo and Ben wanted to go to the fun park. This is located between Eisgrat and Gamsgarten. The Stubai Zoo Spring Garden awaited us here with small and large ramps and elements for slides, jibs and grinds. Well, our two teenagers aren't quite that wild after all. But it is very impressive for all of us to see how some of them get down the snow park. The boys then took one or two of the smaller ramps and tried something new. Whenever we passed the Stubai Zoo Spring Garden, we parents skied down the piste and the boys skied down the Fun Park and Fun Slope.
Ice Climbing on the Stubai Glacier
But skiing is not the only thing to do on the Stubai Glacier. We had our sights set on the large ice climbing tower when we first drove past the Gamsgarten. That's exactly where we were allowed to go ice climbing with Marko, our climbing guide. We had brought mountain boots with us, which we had left in the ski hire shop for the day. You simply have a better grip on ice with mountaineering boots. We already knew that from previous ice climbing tours. But it also works very well with ski boots. So don't worry, you don't need to bring any special equipment, anyone can try ice climbing here.
We were then given climbing harnesses, crampons and ice axes by Marko. He gave us a short briefing and set up a training via ferrata with the ice axes. We tried it out a few times and then we were ready to go. Each of us was allowed to climb a section of the 20-metres-high ice climbing tower. No - none of us reached the top. Flo dared to go just over halfway up. It doesn't look as high from below as it does when you're hanging on the ice wall. So it does take a bit of effort. Our guide Marko gave us helpful tips from below while we were climbing.
Piste Bully Riding is Exciting for Teenagers too
Another highlight off the piste is a ride on the really heavy equipment: a Piste Bully. You can always see them in the ski area away from the piste and these vehicles usually operate at night and make the ski slopes wonderfully smooth again provide them with the typical grooves. Who doesn't dream of getting into one of these snow groomers and having a ride? This is possible on the Stubai Glacier and we were allowed to try it out.
We were waiting at the ice climbing tower for our Piste Bully when it slowly came down the mountain. Our excitement grew. There were always two people in the vehicle and Michael, the driver, really answered all our questions about the 500 hp monster. A Piste Bully is equipped with a lot of technology so that the driver can even see how thick the snow cover is under the machine. The machine is controlled with a flat steering wheel and two joysticks, just like the PS5. Only everything is much bigger. A small lap through the snow with a turn. Flo and Ben as teenagers also had fun, because as city dwellers from Berlin, we don't see and experience something like this every day.
If you still have energy left at the end of the day's skiing, you can take the ski route down the Eisgratbahn to the valley station. However, this is not so easy as it is narrow and quite steep in places. So it's not for beginners, but just the right challenge for our two teenagers Flo and Ben. So we also took this downhill run into the valley and arrived back in spring. This is our farewell to the Stubai Valley and the Stubai Glacier. See you soon, we'll definitely be back with our enthusiastic teenagers Flo and Ben!
Thomas, Melanie, Flo und Ben from www.fravely.de
