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Skiing Pleasure Meets Enjoyable Breaks
Pleasantly warm temperatures, sunshine from early to late and perfectly groomed pistes thanks to snow reliability until mid-May. Do you need any more reasons for a sunny skiing day on the Stubai Glacier? I don’t think so. But then I couldn’t tell you about our perfect day of pleasure skiing, when we alternated between skiing fun and break stops at huts as all day long …
While others are hurrying out of the station building and towards their offices in their business suits, my friend and I are dressed in winter outfits and carrying our skis on our shoulders while standing at the bus stop in front of Innsbruck’s main railway station on a spring-like morning. Bus line 590 takes us out of the town, to the end of the Stubai Valley right to the valley station of the Stubai Glacier lifts. In the valley the meadows are already green and in bloom, while up on the mountain the summits are glistening in a promising white and our anticipation of a spring day of skiing is rising with every kilometre.
Once you arrive at the Mutterberg valley station, the 3S Eisgratbahn and the Schaufeljochbahn lift take you quickly to the top. Every time a must before I put on my skis for my first turns: a brief detour to the “Top of Tyrol” viewing platform, from where I can see an impressive panorama of the surrounding three-thousand-metre-peaks from an altitude of 3,210 metres. A short glance towards my friend tells me: I am not alone – she too finds it difficult to tear herself away from the view.
First break stop: cappucino with a view
Jetzt aber los! Die Pisten sind dank der niedrigen Temperaturen in der Nacht perfekt präpariert und bieten pures Skivergnügen. Und da am Stubaier Gletscher auch später in der Saison alle Pisten und Anlagen geöffnet sind, gibt es an den Liften keine Wartezeiten. Also nichts wie rauf und wieder runter, rauf … und wieder runter. Nach ein paar rasanten Abfahrten auf dem Daunferner und Eisjochferner schwingen wir in der Café Bar „Zum Steinbock“ an der Bergstation Eisgrat ab und gönnen uns eine erste Pause in der Sonne.
There we are enjoying a cappuccino in a deckchair on the relaxing sun terrace, while our gaze is wandering towards the mountains and slopes. If you want to, you can also enjoy a piece of homemade cake as a second breakfast.
Second break stop: delightful burgers at Austria's highest mountain restaurant
We save our appetites for lunch, put on our skis again and are back to enjoying the still perfect slopes while the sun is shining on our faces. Slowly we are getting hungry, so we take the Schaufeljochbahn up to over 3,000 metres to the Jochdohle (3,150m), Austria’s highest-located mountain restaurant.
Not only is the view spectacular, the restaurant is also known for its tasty burgers. I order the "Alpenglück burger" to match the day, enjoy the warm spring sunshine on the terrace and talk shop with my girlfriend about skiing while we wait for our food. Did it taste good? Yes, it did!
Third break stop: a "sundowner" at the end of the day
Freshly fortified, after lunch we complete a few more runs in the Schaufelspitze ski carousel and on the Daunferner before we start to feel the tiredness in our legs. So we head for the Schneekristall Pavillon at the Gamsgarten. The modern glass construction can be opened upwards when the sun is shining and not only offers a fantastic panoramic view of the ski area. Here you can also round off a day's skiing with a refreshing drink and DJ music in the sun. And that's exactly what we don't want to miss out on. Cheers!
If you still have enough energy left in your legs, take the Wilde Grub'n ski route down into the valley. Or, like us, hop on the gondola at the Gamsgarten and take a comfortable ride down to the valley station. A short wait for the bus back to Innsbruck and an all-round successful, springtime skiing day on the Stubai Glacier comes to an end.
Sunshine skiing on the Stubai Glacier
- Ski operation until 20 May in the 2023/24 winter season.
- Return journey to the Mutterberg valley station with bus line 590 from Innsbruck main station for €8, in the Stubai Valley the ski bus is free for guests and visitors dressed for skiing.
