Rob Rees takes us on a tour around Austria’s five major ski glaciers and explains how a chance to get back on the piste is just around the corner
If you are desperate to get back on the snow after our enforced 18-month hiatus, get out to Austria this autumn where you can enjoy one of the biggest professional ski tests in the Alps, or simply treat yourself to a flexible ‘White 5’ lift pass that covers all five Tirolean glaciers on one ticket.
The five major ski glaciers of Tirol provide 75 lifts and 300 km of slopes at Kaunertal, Pitztal, Stubaital and the more famous ‘Gletschers’ at Sölden and Hintertux.
Many of them are already open after early snowfalls in late August. Hintertux stays open all year.
www.TirolerGletscher.com will update you on the latest conditions, daily opening times and ‘all inclusive’ holiday packages on all of the glaciers.
If you like to get a first glimpse of the latest equipment on offer, the best consumer ski test, in my opinion, has been running for nearly 20 years, over a three-day weekend in November on the Stubai Glacier, a short bus or tram ride from the centre of Innsbruck.
Formerly known as the Testival, the ‘INTERSPORT Snow Days’ will take place from 11 – 14 November 2021 with 35 snow industry manufacturers loaning out their sparkling new wares including the local Blizzard, Atomic, Head & Fischer.
You can test new touring, freeride or all-mountain skis, ski boots, poles, merino layers and helmets plus snowboards and splitboards. It’s organised with Teutonic precision and allows you to push your boundaries and find just what’s exactly right for you. A Test card (excl. ski pass) costs: 1 day – €20; 2 days -€35; 3 days – €45; all still vastly cheaper than ski rental.
Every time I have attended, the conditions have been brilliant. Food lovers can also dine at the world’s highest Gault-Millau-rated restaurant, David Kostner’s gourmet Restaurant Schaufelspitz. David has been a chef at top establishments in Luzern and London (table bookings +43 5226 8141 308).
As winter approaches and temperatures drop, a good dump can open up some exciting freeride terrain between the Eisgrat gondola’s middle and top stations. But for me, 8-10 runs and finishing early at 3pm for a sauna and afternoon tea in Neustift back down valley is a perfect way to spend the day.
The family-owned 3* Haus Erika – www.erika.at – provides a perfect base for breakfast sunrises, evening relaxation, and homespun Tirolean cooking. Early season there are some great value, half-board packages
At the top of a long valley, wedged between Kaunertal and Ötztal, Pitztal is often overlooked in favour of its larger and better-known neighbours, but this is a mistake.
It is not the largest of the glacier resorts, but it is the highest with steep, fall line red pistes. And there’s every chance you’ll bump into a world ski champion or two as many of the pros train on Pitztal for the week leading up to the men’s and women’s Giant Slalom season opener over the hill in Sölden. This year the World Cup kicks off on 23 & 24 October.
I’ve shared lifts with Lindsey Vonn, a ski prep room with Maria Höfl-Riesch and a hotel dining room with Hermann Maier.
But relax and let the racers get the first lift up at 6.30am! Get ready for your own day ahead at Café 3.440, Austria’s highest café at, as the name suggests, 3,440m above sea level. The fresh cakes and strudels just happen to come from Austria’s highest bakers, 600m lower at the mountain station of the Glacier Express.
For a quality B&B, try the pristine Pension Anna – – www.pension-pitztal.at – run by the entertaining Familie Eiter, just down the valley in Plangeross
Sölden (Ötztal) and Hintertux (Zillertal – Mayrhofen) are the more famous of Tirol’s five Glaciers, but all are absolutely worth exploring.
TRAVEL FACTS:
Getting there: Innsbruck airport unlocks all glaciers within 60-90 mins.
White 5 ski pass is valid for all lifts on the glacier ski resort of Sölden and the glaciers at Kaunertal, Pitztal, Stubai, and Hintertux. It is valid for any 10 days between 1 October 2021 and 15 May 2022, and costs €492. It does not have to be used on consecutive days.
Ski Pass & holiday packages: 5 Tirol Gletscher – www.tirolergletscher.com
Ski test weekend: ‘Intersport Schneetage’ 11-14 November, 2021. For more info, go to the events section on: www.stubaier-gletscher.com
The Bergstation Eisgrat is worth visiting as there is often free coffee and schnapps available.
Other useful websites: