Review by Kris Herbert

With a highest lifted point of 3333 metres, Stubai Glacier has height on its side. Even in a lean year, Stubai will have plenty of snow. The resort’s “snow guarantee” says it offers the most reliable snow conditions from October to June.

The bulk of the resort sits above the treeline, where off-piste lines are easy to scope and find.The place is dripping are beautiful couloirs and cliffs.
Many of the locals avoid Stubai in the winter, because it is so high and cold, so it’s not particularly crowded. Many of those who do make it up to Stubai prefer to stay warm in the plastic “bubble” bars littered around the slopes.

The area is massive and the views from the top are expansive. Stubai has a high-alpine feel, with jagged slabs of granite and glacier ice.

Serviced by a network of 25 high-speed lifts that carry 36,000 people per hour to 110km of trails, Stubai is Austria’s largest glacier resort. There is a good mix of novice, intermediate and expert terrain with good access to the backcountry. Other facilities include a 20m artificial ice climbing tower, a cross country ski track, and a permanent race course.

One of the best things about Stubai Glacier is that you can use Innsbruck as a base. With 117,000 people and a university, Innsbruck is more than a ski town. There are nightclubs, cinemas and nice restaurants amongst the quaint streets of the old city. And at the end of each street is a view of the stunning snow-capped peaks that frame the city.

Free snow buses take visitors from the central city to any of the seven resorts in easy reach of Innsbruck.

Article sponsored by Kingswood Skis - the World's first carbon neutral ski manufacturer

Author: Kris Herbert who is a Freelance journalist based in Christchurch, NZ. She has worked in Antarctica as a journalist for the National Science Foundation and in 2005, was named Best New Science Writer by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

photo credit: iV3