ski austria

My 10/11 season kicks off tomorrow at the Hintertux Glacier

matt — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:34:07 +0000

Back in boots & boots in bindings tomorrow for the season opener on the Hintertux Glacier. Conditions there today look incredible - see the webcam below. The Hintertux Glacier was not the only recipient of the April snow - the Pitztal Glacier and Stubai Glacier also got around half a metre of new snow but the Hintertux Glacier is the only one offering skiing year round at the moment. I have to rate autumn glacier skiing as my favourite of the whole year. Cold, short afternoons and plenty of fresh snow and if you start in September then you have a full 9 months of skiing ahead of you.

The ski boots are going on again

matt — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:23:02 +0000

Not the best advert for summer holidays in Austria (and you know this is a glorious place even without the snow) but today saw new snow across the local peaks around Innsbruck and it is currently hammering it down in cold weather. Snow is forecast down to 2000m overnight and judging by the precipitation it is going to heavy across the peaks. I am going for the first ski of the season on Wednesday to the Hintertux Glacier for some 1st September powder. It seems such a long time since the last ski in May on the Stubai Glacier. June, July and now August seem a blur - September skiing at last!

The northern Alps are set to get the most snow over the coming days - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Tirol snow card - 2010/11

matt — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:10:29 +0000

The new Tirol snow card has been advertised and the ski areas for the 2010/11 ski season total 81. In those 81 ski areas there are 960 lifts and over 3100km of skiing. Possibly the best aspect as well as the scope of the ski areas included is the fact that the pass covers all glaciers in Tirol (except the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers at Solden) and allows skiing from the 01.10.10 right through to the 15.05.11. Lots and lots of skiing over very many days for not much Geld. Those not resident in Tirol can get this card for 608 Euros for the coming season - I can’t seem to find the local’s price but last year it was 439 Euros. 7 and a half months of unbeatable skiing awaits!

Kitzbuhel - the complete alpine resort?

matt — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:05:17 +0000

There has been much talk at home over the last weeks about Kitzbuhel. My wife is deserting me and Josh in a week or so for the Tirolean resort for what is a well deserved break from the two of us. It got us talking about what makes a great destination. One thing that you can often take for granted in Alpine resorts is the scenery - Alpbach might not have the Matterhorn or Eiger but in its own way the scenery is as attractive if not as dramatic, making a fairly ‘level’ playing field in terms of natural beauty. For me the two key variables in a resort are its built infrastructure and its atmosphere. From here you can pretty much rule out the ‘Star Destroyer’ of La Plagne or the ‘Polytechnic libraries’ of Tignes on any short-list of the Alps most desirable locations - the skiing and access to the slopes certainly good but the rest pretty diabolical to the eye really. Then there is atmosphere and this is where to my mind purpose built (Austria and Switzerland included) fall down. There is no permanence to these resorts, they offer a real sense of seasonality at the beginning and end of the winter seasons. I remember going for winter surfs in my Cornish stomping grounds some years back and the places out of season had a depressing air to them - closed shops, large empty communal areas etc etc. Majority self-catering resorts are another killer for resort atmosphere to my mind -, the process of lifts closing, slopes emptying and skiers and snowboarders heading back home to eat and drink is such a disappointing way to celebrate a day on snow. And whilst there are many equal and better locations in Austria to ski then for a resort experience I believe few can match Kitzbuhel. With a population that exceeds the tourist bed numbers (a rarity in many big resorts) Kitzbuhel has a superbly rounded feel to it. Out of season doesn’t exist and whilst some periods are quieter than others then these are times to see the locals going about their days, the saw mills run, the school kids amble to school and the shops remain open. Add to all this the superb medieval centre of Kitzbuhel and it is hard to think of too many better ski holiday resorts.

St Anton film festival - 24-28 August

matt — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:46:55 +0000

2 options to enjoy your time this August in St Anton am Arlberg - summer hiking, biking, relaxation, dining, spa….. or better still to get the blood pumping for the coming winter season by seeing a selection of alpine films at the St Anton Film Festival. There might be no snow on the ground in St Anton but ski and snowboard movies from previous years are on offer for all those needing a winter fix. I will be heading down there to see a few of the features and take a look at the temporary Mooserwirt bar that I read is planned for the festival hosting Arlberg-well centre - if Mooserwirt and ‘well’ aren’t direct contradictions then I am lost for what is

Early extreme ski filming efforts - Skiing Austria style with an ice-screwed winch system to launch a zipflbob rider into the stratosphere - the rigging broke - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Powder skiing in August!

matt — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:45:23 +0000

Hard to believe but if September 2010 delivers some fresh powder then there has been powder skiing on offer on the Austria glaciers for a full 12 months. The last few days over in Austria have seen cool and very wet weather with snow down to around 2100m and 30cm of powder on the Hintertux Glacier. It will be little comfort for the fleece-wrapped summer guests that a bit higher above there will be a number of skiers getting some great powder skiing in August!

The view of the lower peaks above Innsbruck - image © www.skiingaustria.co.uk

Fresh powder snow on a base of 125cm - southern hemisphere?

matt — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:12:44 +0000

….possibly somewhere but certainly also at the Hintertux Glacier in Austria this August 3rd. There are those out there that feel the summer is for water and tanning. And others who dream of the eternal ability to slide across snow and ice every single day of the year. Tragically I am too busy this week to clip into mein bindung and sample some Hintertux Glacier summer powder. If you are there then enjoy

GPS on the ski slopes

matt — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:20:26 +0000

Heads-up display of speed and altitude inside a pair of ski goggles? Yes that is what I saw in a gadget magazine I was handed over the weekend in the New Forest. I thought they would be ideal for the German race teams that train on the Stubai Glacier in autumn and clock up about 20 km/h on slopes of around 3 degrees incline. They also reminded me of the 1980’s goggles that incorporated a battery powered fan to clear condensation. I am over in our UK office and I uncovered an old GPS system that I used when I canoed across Australia back in 1997 and got inventing (or perhaps integrating is more realistic). Do you think it will sell?

Snow for the July visitors

matt — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:06:06 +0000

Possibly not the primary reason for the visit of most of the guests to the Austrian Tirol this July but the snow-capped peaks around Innsbruck made for a wonderful welcome back after another stay in the UK. We had heard from a partner that St Anton had white peaks over the last few days but it was pretty surprising to see in on the local mountains around Innsbruck. The glaciers will have received a great dump for sure. Not long now till the agonising wait for the glaciers to get in full flow again and for those looking for green pastures and sunny terraces the warm weather is set to return over the coming weekend.

Hintertux Glacier offering 20km of summer skiing

matt — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:58:58 +0000

A client who contacted us went to the Hintertux Glacier today for some summer skiing - hard to believe given the temperatures of the Innsbruck valley right now but there was 20km of skiing on offer. Maybe the frigid May and June in the Austrian Alps has helped preserve the snow cover but 20 km in a hot July is pretty surprising. Sumer glacier skiing is almost always better in the mornings (unless there is a cold snap) when the surface of the snow melts after the overnight freeze and provides a fantastic soft surface. Later in the day the snow can get pretty heavy at this time of the year - still it beats crowded beaches