Neustift im Stubaital - Neustift in the Stubai Valley
1.000 - 3.333 m
Exciting winter holidays in fascinating surroundings
Neustift is located in the Stubai Valley, approximately 25 km south of Innsbruck, the capital city of the Tyrol. The valley can be reached easily on the motorway A13 or without paying a toll fee on the national road B182 towards Italy - Exit „Stubaital“.
The Stubai Glacier in Neustift represents one of the most extensive all-year-skiing areas in the Eastern Alps with over 100 km of slopes and off-slope tracks of all grades of difficulty and a 4,5 km high-altitude cross country slope. It is the biggest glacier skiing terrain in Austria with absolute certainty of snow from October until July.
Two modern gondolas are running in parallel from the base-station at Mutterbergalm (1.750m) to the first stage at Fernau (2.302m). From here, you can either continue towards the top-mountain stations Eisgrat (2.900m) or Gamsgarten (2.600m), where the trail for cross-country-skiers has been tended. The ski area combines 5 glaciers: „Eisjochferner“, „Daunferner“, „Fernauferner“, „Windachferner“ and „Gaiskarferner“. („Ferner“ is the Austrian word for „glacier“.) Besides the five gondolas, the resort is equipped with three six-seater-chairlifts, one four-seater-chairlift, three double-seater-chairlifts, nine T-bars and rope-lifts. Since the winter season 2003/2004 a new gondola for eight persons brings the people from the top-mountain station Eisgrat to the highest restaurant of Austria which is called “Jochdohle”.
The trend of innovation and replacement of T-bars by chairlifts will be continued. The two-seater-chairlift „Pfaffengrat“ is closing the gap of lifts between Fernau-glacier and Gaiskarglacier. With this lift it is possible to ski uninterruptedly around the spectacular Schaufelspitz-peak (3.333m).
Most of the slopes are „family“-runs, marked in blue and red. The Tyrolean Mark of Excellence for ski areas, which has been awarded to the Stubai Glacier, is proof of their quality in preparation.
Fans of more difficult tracks concentrate on recently open black runs, powder freaks turn to several ski routes (neither tended nor patrolled) with such illustrative names as „The Wall“, „Fast Corner“ or „Steep Glacier Tongue“. The 10 kilometres (6 miles) „Wilde Grub’n“-trail is Austrias longest run from the top (3.150m) to the base of a ski-resort (1.750m). Permanent snow-making-facilities in its lower parts guarantee skiing to the bottom-station until late April.
For a time out at any elevation, there are the panorama restaurant „Eisgrat“, the restaurant „Gamsgarten“, the service-restaurant „Zur goldenen Gams“ with a large sun terrace and its umbrella-bar „Eissee“, the „Dresdner Hütte“ near the middle-station, originally built at the end of the last century and the „Jochdohle“, Austrias „highest“ snack bar at 3.333m.
A 100 m long half-pipe, designed in collaboration with local snowboard-cracks, is attracting the people.
One permanent race track with a modern speed-scale for boarders and skiers allow to compete against time. The path of security and „coexistence“ of all snow-sports on the Stubai glacier will be followed consequently.
The Neustift Tourist Board is offering ski- and snowboard-packages consisting of:
- 7 days accommodation (in B&B’s, with half-board pension or in a selfcatering apartment),
- a 6-days- ticket for the Stubai Glacier
and
- free entrance to the indoor swimming-pool in the recreation-centre Neustift
starting at Euro 262,-- per person and week.
Short-term-packages comprise a 2-1/2-days-glacier-pass and accommodation for two nights, with breakfast starting at Euro 99,-- per person.
Not to neglect: sportsmen with glacier-passes are allowed to use the busline „Stubaital“ for return trips Neustift - Stubai Glacier for free from October until May!
For „easy-riders“ among skiers and snowboarders, the Neustift mountain guides will be offering their most rewarded programme „More safety – More fun“, that is a practical daily excursion off-slope in order to judge appropriately risks of avalanches.
The Stubai-Superski-Ticket (available from December until April) comprises the local ski-bus-system, two public indoor swimming pools and winter sport facilities with 45 lifts and approximately 160 km of slopes not only on the glacier but also in 3 smaller resorts throughout the whole valley:
- the „Elfer“-mountain with its one gondola, one chairlift, two T-bars and a brilliant beginners’ground with artificial snow making facilities right in the centre of Neustift,
- and the „Schlick 2.000“ in the neighbouring Fulpmes – and the Hochserlesbahnen in Mieders.
Ski-alpinism along the „Stubai Haute Route“ ranks among the Eastern Alps’ classics. Mountain-guides can be engaged from daily hikes to weekly courses in rock and ice-climbing, to such particularities as ski alpinism and ice-waterfall climbing.
By the way, in winter every Friday, equipment and professional advice will be given to all climbers at the 20m high permanent ice-tower on the Stubai Glacier.
When accompanied by their parents, children under ten years have free admittance to ski lifts. Children under the age of 15 pay 30% less for Stubai-Super-Skipasses and 50% less than adults for Stubai-Glacier-Passes. On the glacier, young people under 19 and senior skiers (over 60 years) are still granted a 35% discount. For Stubai-Super-Skipasses people under 18 and with more than 60 years pay 20% less. People older than 80 ski free of charge on the Stubai Glacier, among them Mr. James Woolgar, a World War Veteran of the British army and in the class of the „Over eighties“ World Champion of the F.I.S.-Seniors’Masters 1999, a series of ski-races in prominent ski resorts all over the world. The friendly Englishmen known throughout the Alps simply as „Jim“ chose the Neustift resort as his all year training camp. (He served with Field Marshall Montgomery and was on escort duty.)
The glacier-pass „7 out of 10 days“ might bring some variation in your holiday programme.
Children who don’t ski can be looked after from a nanny in Neustift or at the „Kinderland Gamsgarten“ on the glacier which is cooperating perfectly with the glacier-ski-school: If baby-skiers do not yet have the persistence to follow skiing lessons the whole day, they can be put into the childrens’ crèche without paying separately. Nursery classes are held on a beginners’ slope reservered for children. Every new week brings about a childrens’ party at the top mountain station Gamsgarten. Together with 19 partner hotels and the Stubai Glacier resort Neustift created the unique “Ski Club Micky Maus” for all kids from 3 to 12 years.
Courses for snowboard and the whole range of ski sports (big foot, carving, alpine, telemark, skwal and cross country skiing) can be obtained from the ski-schools „Neustift - Stubaier Gletscher“, the ski-school “Alpin Schischule Neustift” and „Olympia“. One mountaineering-school provides guided variations. „Special interest days“, ski touring for beginners, snowshoe-walking during the day or in the dark, introductory lessons for carvers and the „freeriding day“ for snowboarders make the tiny difference to average ski-school curricula.
Cross country skiers find more than 40 km of slopes in the valley ground and 50 km on various high altitude parcours, both classical and Skating-style.
Over and above skiing a winter-vacation in the Stubai Alps guarantees numerous other activities: ice-skating, curling, horse riding, horse-drawn sleigh rides, indoor tennis and squash. There is one school which is teaching paragliding and delta-flying. Three schools simply can take you on a tandem-flight.
For those who want to try their hand at tobogganing, five runs with a total lenght of about 60 km present a real challenge. A „must“ is the „Elfer“, Tyrol’s longest natural toboggan track, several times a week also open for nightly floodlit runs. The „Brandstattalm“ in the most charming neighbouring Oberberg-Valley can be reached on a huge snow cat or after a gentle walk on a well groomed path through winter-wonderland. And this is only one out of 27 cosy mountain-huts being the aim of those who prefer winter-walks in the silence of a snow covered forest to the „action“ of the „ski-circus“.
Nearly all winter sport equipment can be rent in local sport shops.
The Neustift recreation centre contains an indoor swimming pool with a waterslide, saunas, sun beds, 9 pin bowling lanes, an indoor shooting range and a festival hall.
With a total number of 8.800 beds being sold, Neustift is providing high quality accommodation in apartments, farmhouses, private boarding houses, inns, forty quality and one 5-stars-luxury Hotel. Approximately 2.900 beds are sold in 3 and 4-stars Hotels, a lot of them with generous leisure facilities such as indoor-pools, saunas, steam-baths, satellite-TV, etc. Two camping sites are open all year round.
Various restaurants serve international such as Tyrolean food, offer candle-light dinners, fondue-evenings and for a change even „supper without cutlery“. „Umbrella“-bars and romantic after-skiing places along the road to the glacier are worth a visit. Several discotheques, bars and pubs attract the late-night crowd. Those, who prefer to dance to live-music rather than disco sound will find several occasions during the ball season.
If weather turns out nasty, local shopping facilities are more than a substitute. The variety of goods sold ranges from sport and mountain gear through crafts and latest fashion „Tyrolean Style“ to ecologically raised products of local farmers. The farmers’ market once in a fortnight in the music pavilion usually is sold out quickly and no secret for insiders any more!
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