Austrian Mountain Sports

Hiking and Climbing

Tyrol has an abundance of more than 35,000 miles of well-maintained mountain paths that thread the countryside. Hiking is one of the best ways to experience the truly awesome Alpine scenery, whether you just want to take a leisurely stroll around one of the crystalline lakes mirroring the towering mountains or trek your way to the top of one of the mighty peaks. Mountain climbing is a highly organized activity in Tyrol, a province that contains some of the greatest challenges to devotees of the sport. The instructors at the Alpine School Innsbruck are the best people to contact if you want to make arrangements for a mountain-climbing holiday.

Skiing

Downhill was practically invented in Tyrol. Legendary skiing master Hannes Schneider took the Norwegian art of cross-country skiing and adapted it to downhill running. No matter where your trip takes you, world-class—and often gut-scrambling—skiing is available, from the glamour of Kitzbühel in the east to the imposing peaks of St. Anton am Arlberg in the west.

In the area east of Innsbruck, chic Kitzbühel is perhaps most famous for its "Ski Safari," a far-ranging system of ski lifts and trails, some floodlit at night, that allows you to ski for weeks without retracing your steps. Alpbach is one of the most popular resorts for families, with many not-too-challenging slopes and a reputation for being one of the most beautiful villages in Austria, full of heavily timbered traditional chalets surrounded by thickly wooded runs. The area around is collectively known as the Ski Welt (Ski World), where the villages of Soll, Ellmau, Scheffau, Itter, Going, Brixen im Thale, Westendorf, Hopfgarten, and Kelchsau form Austria's largest linked skiing area. It's dotted with cozy, welcoming mountain huts, many of which are family-friendly.

Innsbruck itself is at the center of a group of resorts easily reached by bus from the city. The best time to ski Innsbruck's slopes is January through March.

Southwest of the city, in the heart of Tyrol, is the Ötz Valley. From the Ötztal station you can go by bus to Sölden, a resort at 4,500 feet that has become almost as well-known for its party scene as for its superb skiing. The up-and-comers of Austrian ski resorts are Ischgl and Galtür in the Paznaun Valley bordering Switzerland. Here, good snow and a long ski season are assured on high-altitude slopes with a top station at 9,422 feet.

Close to the Arlberg Pass is St. Anton, which proudly claims to have one of the finest ski schools in the world. Although it has some nice piste skiing suitable for intermediates, St. Anton is known for being a challenge in the form of long, tough, and steep mogul runs and spectacular off-piste. It was in the Arlberg in the 1920s that Hannes Schneider started the school that was to become the model for all others. A short bus ride to the top of the pass brings you to St. Christoph, at 5,800 feet. If you care to mingle with royalty and celebrities on the lifts, the upscale ski villages of Zürs and Lech, on the Vorarlberg side of the pass, are the places for you.