Garmisch is only a 60-minute drive away from Innsbruck on fairly major highways. Soon we found ourselves in a proper European city complete with an extensive tram network and the standard bewildering inner-city European traffic pattern. When we arrived it was low clouds and dusk. The following morning the skies cleared and revealed a historic city with stunning mountain scenery as the backdrop. We stayed at the modern and classy Hotel Maximilian which is right in the city centre. It has parking… but it costs 13 Euros a day. Regardless the Maximilian is highly recommended and its Continental Breakfast, complete with, star fruit, kiwifruit and fresh ground coffee is the best I have had on my ski adventures to date.
Two cauldrons for the two olympics (the one on the left
is for 1976 and the one on the right 1964)
A third cauldron added in 2012 for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games
Innsbruck hosted the Olympics twice in 12 years. The first time in 1964 and then again in 1976, in 1964 the theme was “a simple Olympics”. So how did Innsbruck get two Olympics Games so close together? Well, the 1976 Winter Olympics were originally awarded to Denver however with 2 years to go the good people of Denver Colarado had a change of heart about the excessive cost necessary for hosting the Olympics and after a referendum, public funding was withdrawn for the games. The IOC had to scramble. Innsbruck, which already had the infrastructure from 10 years ago stepped in and agreed to host the games again, which they did successfully. All of the infrastructure from the games is more or less intact.
We spent 4 days exploring the city and the nearby slopes. Basing your ski holiday from a city as large as Innsbruck makes for a unique but worthwhile vacation. The city centre is very historic with old gothic buildings linked by narrow streets, lined with trendy cafes, struddle shops and endless supply of stores selling overpriced beer steins and cuckoo clocks to tourists. The centre is compact and most sites can be walked to. It is a nice change from a typical resort town. It is quite trendy, but you get good value for money and the city can easily be explored on foot.
This city has skiing in its heart. Two large ski areas can be reached by public transit on the J Bus. If you are in ski gear the bus ride is free. There is also an underground funiculair thing (a Skubway if you will) linking the city centre to a ski slope, Nordkette in 8 minutes! Finally, coaches picked you up right outside our house for free to many ski hills.
The daily "commute" to Nordkette
Skiing: Silver
There are a total of 9 ski areas covered by the Innsbruck Olympia World most can be accessed by a free coach service from the city centre or even a tram. In the 1964 Olympics, snow cover was an issue and the Austrian Army had to transport 40 000m3 to cover the downhill pistes with adequate snow and 20 000 blocks of ice from the mountains for luge and bobsled. For us although it was mild, snow coverage was not a problem.
On Patcherkofel with Innsbruck in the background
Our first day of skiing was on Patcherkofel, the venue of the Men’s Downhill. We had spectacular views of the Innsbruck and the Inn valley. Conditions were great and for only two major runs, I was occupied for the entire day until the last lift. It has a vertical of 2900’ (870m), the cable cars are from the Olympics and one must change at an intermediate station before getting to the top. For us the sun was shining and the scent of pine was in the air as the piste take you through the forest to the base of the mountain.
The next day we went to Nordkette, the local hill.the weather was grim and nobody was around. The skiing was disappointing the highlight here was walking thorough Innsbruck to the Funicular/skubway to get to the hill. The conditions were the worst I have experienced. I think there was a recent avalanche and the debris had frozen making for ungroomed runs littered with ice boulders. It was a treacherous run down. The runs at Nordkette are easy with one major exception, there is a second cable car that goes to Hafelekar where you can descend among the steepest marked runs in Europe with a 70% grade (40-50 degrees) apparently there is a warning sign that says a fall on this run is hazardous to your life. Considering the conditions on the red run, which pushed my limited ski abilities to the limit, I didn’t even bother going up.
In complete contrast, the following day at Axamer Lizum was among the best conditions I experienced. There was a snowfall overnight with fresh powder and the pistes were in good shape. Axamer was where all the Alpine events were held except the men’s downhill. There are some great intermediate runs to keep you occupied here for a day and the scenery is amazing. There is a modern, almost all glass chalet with good food and views at the top of the resort.
Innsbruck has hardly any expert runs and the ski areas are fairly small and disjointed. For an intermediate they make for a great day out but an expert may want to go to the large resorts elsewhere in Austria that attract skiers from around the world. The skiing around Innsbruck is certainly good and the crowds are minimal
Apres Ski: Gold
Supper! Austrians get straight to the point and
don't faff around with starch and vegetables.
For Innsbruck, I use this term very liberally, it should really be “night out in a small city after a day of skiing”. The Innsbruck scene is not like the hard-partying après ski scene like at Whistler or Val D’Isere, it is more sophisticated with a great choice of good restaurants with a variety of cuisine. We had excellent, reasonably priced Thai at the Rathaus Platz. The following day we had homemade Indian at Little India (which was literally like being a guest at someone’s house and sitting in the breakfast nook while watching them make a meal – there was only two tables. The mango shake was very good). We had hearty local cuisine at a brau hause in the market. There was only one disappointing night at restaurant recommended by the hotel desk staff, the White Horse, service was poor and the food unspectacular.
After eating there is quite a bit of choice, of course there is a selection of night clubs, but there is also a casino, Irish pub, brau hauses… well you get the idea. We went to the Irish Pub but felt too old so we made our way to a bar called 360 which is a glass circular bar serving drinks, mainly wine where I felt too young. 360 is recommended, but word to the wise: if you want to avoid being the laughing stock of the bar, make sure you let the sliding glass door open before walking out.
Overall Silver
Marc Says: “Innsbruck is a skier’s city, to say the least. You can have the urban experience or with a 10 minute drive you can be in a quaint Alpine village such as Ingls at the base of Pacherkofel. The actual skiing in the Olympia World Ski Pass is not top rate, the areas are small and cater to intermediates. I don’t mind small areas to be frank. In short, there is lots of good skiing, good beer, good views, good food and good times to be had. What more could you want?
Combining Garmisch with Innsbruck would make for an easy, and unique car-free ski holiday. Take the train from Munich Airport, base yourself at Partenkerchin, near the Hauptbahnhoff/ Zugspistebahn station then take the spectacular Mittenwald Railway to Innsbruck. At Innsbruck you can rely on free ski buses and public transit to get you to the hill. Then hop back on the train to Munich Airport”
Mike Says: “Rock on dude. I love trams”
Olympiahalle 1964
Olympiahalle 2012
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