Heavy snow (in terms of quality more than amount) in Lizum today. Weird as it was -4 at the base and -10 at the top, but the snow felt really wet and heavy.
15-20cms of it in the right places made for some fairly fun skiing though, and a good workout in the wrong places.
Pretty sloughy in places too. Watch out for slabs in the next days. Tomorrow should be pretty epic up on the glaciers!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@clarky999, Interesting. I got on fully expecting to pay, only to be told I didn't need to. No mention of any cards. That would be my defence if challenged.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Yes, is the ‘Welcome Card’ that I was asking about.
Bus J is the one I need, so sounds like I will get on free as I’ll be in ski gear. Thanks all.
For other bus’s I’ll resort to ‘Mus ich im bus bezahlen’
So after rain to the city/snow above over the last few days melted a lot of the snow sitting around in Innsbruck, it's now snowing (unexpectedly, to me anyway) fairly heavily down to the city again now. Snowing on Patscherkofel webcams but not Nordkette/Hungerburg.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
hi @woosh is there a ski tour, school or specific guide you'd recommend? headed to Innsbruck 1st time ever next Thursday, looking to try a guided bit on Sat or Sun, need to hire a guide for sure.
Weather was glorious, with grippy snow onpiste and some chalky bumps offpiste.
Last night it rained heavily in the city, with snow above. Finally the snow has melted from our balcony!
It's now snowing well down to the city, hovering around 0°C here. Lots of snow falling higher up, and we're expecting around 40cm at Nordkette during the day.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
hey @clarky99 I think my group is backing off the guided off piste ski tour or even adjacent to ski area boundary "guided Freeride" due to time. 2 of us have 4 ski days, 3rd arrives day after for 3 full ski days out of Innsbruck. Here's our current plan and I'd love feedback on this. Like this blog mentions https://blog.innsbruck.info/en/sport-nature/innsbrucks-olympiaworld-ski-resorts/, FOMO is a real thing. I'd love to spend a couple weeks there, but - jobs and kids and poo-poo! LOL
Day 1 (just the two of us):
Up the Nordkette, run a few groomers from the half station then
To the top for some steeps runs. With a backup plan if it's been sunny and no snow for a couple days (very likely looking at the weather forecast) this might not be 'great'. Expecting it to be skied out and icy.
Days 2-4 - weekend days Sat/Sun, again weather looking good (at this point) moderate winds, some sun, warm (negative single digits)
Sat: Stubai
Sun: Kuhtai
Mon: Schlick and Axamer
If you only had 4 days - would you do those? We're OK with long days, we're using the ski bus, no rental car ('car hire' I think you guys call it). Thanks for the input on my plan!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@decreed_it, Patscherkofel would work as a backup plan for day 1. Having had a word with myself after turning up at Nordkette on Saturday, a fair while after the last snowfall, it was pretty horrible and I won't be bothering again unless a) it's snowed or b) it's spring. It does get a lot of snow at a time though, so if there has been some precipitation it's probably worth a look. Patscherkofel has trees and more pistes, and I just had a rather enjoyable morning there in the snow that's currently falling. There might be more to do if conditions are not good at Nordkette.
As for the other days, keep an eye on the weather and be flexible. If it's sunny, go anywhere, but you don't want to be up at Stubai if the wind gets up and the cloud clags in.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Scarlet fantastic intel - thank you so much and confirmed what I'd suspected/read about the Nordkette - not good unless you've just gotten snow. I looooove trees. Definitely agree on weather flexibility - Stubai is top of our list - weather permitting, so we'll be watching it like a hawk.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@decreed_it, No trees at Stubai, and not many at Kühtai. Plenty at Schlick, Axamer Lizum and Patscherkofel though.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Scarlet that's OK - I'm not crossing the Atlantic to ski trees exclusively we got plenty of that in North America. This will be my first European Alps trip and I want the full experience - the huge wide open pistes look amazing to me, and *hopefully* (fingers crossed) the weather cooperates with some Sunny warm days.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@decreed_it, generally sounds good, but I'd agree with @Scarlet that Patsch may be better for Day 1. The groomers at Nordkette are realistically maybe 300m vert from the mid station to the chair lift below. Though they look like a piste to the bottom on the map, realistically 85% is essentially a cat rack winding down to the base. The offpiste terrain up top is fantastic, but you definitely want good snow - whether that's fresh, slush or chalk.
On your last day, skiing Schlick and Axamer Lizum in one day is possible but not really ideal. They're right next to each other as the crow flies, but the road is pretty convoluted, and if you're on a bus I think you'd have to go all the way back to IBK and change to a new one at the train station. Personally I much prefer Lizum. And yeah, Kühtai sucks in bad viz, so if that happens maybe swap it for Schlick.
PS. Carlos will be stoked you found his blog!
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@clarky999, Skiied the Nordkette cat track recently? Some “interesting” manoeuvres required to bypass fallen trees (one had a queue!) at the weekend, and parts were definitely a little sketchy.
Ok so if you guys had to pick between Schlick and Axamer - which one and why? Yeah Carlos nailed it - GREAT blog and very helpful (or, not? due to FOMO? LOL).
Edit: just re-read your post @clarky99 and see you prefer Lizum - got it - still curious as to reasoning. I trust locals over any other source.
Weather permitting Stubai is a must. After that, Kuhtai is short list, then it gets a bit muddy on which ones and why. It is definitely FOMO whispering in my ear "you're going to Innsbruck and you're NOT going to ski the Nordkette?!? What is wrong with you?!?"
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 11-02-19 18:16; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@decreed_it, Axamer Lizum, though I struggle to articulate why. TBH, I have only been to Schlick once and that was last season, so I'm not certain about current conditions (though I can guess based on everywhere else).
Nordkette is certainly pretty unique as far as easily lift accessed steeps goes, but if it hasn't snowed or softened, the top section will be massive steep moguls followed by crusty mank. It isn't really worth going up for the pistes alone as they are so short, but they are worth doing if it's snowed as they don't always get groomed straight away, and you can be up to your knees in powder!
thank you both. right now no fresh snow on the forecast for Friday-Mon so - Nordkette might be out and I'll just have to deal with the FOMO. Maybe we just take a ride up there apres on Friday for a beer or twelve
Looks like the weather is shaping up real good for Stubai - either Sat or Sun, 10-15 kmh winds, sun, 0 C - bluebird. Is Sunday less crowded generally?
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@decreed_it, are you talking about Monday 18th? Could well be lovely spring snow and slushy bumps at Nordkette in the afternoon...
Re. Lizum vs Schlick, I just prefer the terrain at Lizum. More fun stuff, more varied, and more of it is more easily accessible. Easy options to drop form the lifts into different valleys on all different aspects depending on where the snow is good. There are some great freeride runs to the valley in Schlick, with only a short 10 minute or so hike, but the terrain is quite complex and really you need local knowledge to know where you're going. There's also a long fairly flat section on the pistes from the upper mountain to the mid-station at Shclick. It's IDEAL for beginners, but gets a bit tedious when doing laps.
----------------
Snowing now in Innsbruck again too. Around 5cm on the balcony overnight. Seems Nordkette is currently closed while they do avi control. Sun should be back out tomorrow.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@clarky999, That article was useful for this map of open lifts in the Innsbruck area: https://winter.intermaps.com/innsbruck One for the FZT area would be even better, but that covers most places.
Still snowing quite hard at 600m, replenishing lots of the snow that melted last week. Probably 5-10cm overnight here. Nordkette has remained closed this morning, so I'm glad I didn't bother getting up for that.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@clarky999, Good consistency in the updates this morning. It must be time for a coffee
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Afternoon. I just want to check in with the fantastic Innsbruck experts here.
I am doing a 2 night trip to Innsbruck on 8th March. It's the first time we've headed off since the birth of twins 2 year's ago so it's something of a coup that I've persuaded my wife to come skiing- albeit for 2 days!
I have booked a hotel in Mutters because it's very close to the airport and will allow a decent amount of skiing on the first day. I know it's a small area but am happy with this as my wife will be getting confidence back etc.
The second day is our only full day's skiing, so the plan was to bus to Axamar Lizum and enjoy a full day here before skiing back.
I'm quite comfortable with these plans and the hotel looks lovely, but it occurred to me that our Lizum day is on a Saturday and am a bit concerned that it might get busy with locals. Is this often the case on weekends- might their be a better strategy? The hotel is booked but I can pull out within the next 2 weeks if necessary.
Many thanks in advance.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Scarlet, ha!
@EdYarker, sounds like a good plan to me! It can get busy on weekends, but it can also be surprisingly quiet, especially later in the season. Depends on the weather really, but it never really gets to feel as busy as the 'big' resorts do. General standard of skiing is usually pretty high too - rare to find idiots zooming around out of control.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Ok, thanks@clarky999, glad there are few idiots there (will have to up my own game obvs). Will stick to the plan then!
Looking forward to more good updates on conditions as the big day approaches.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Well looks like bluebird spring conditions in the Tyrol this weekend. Might soften up the Nordkette. We are glacier bound! Great weekend to tour Innsbruck too.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@decreed_it, I saw the first riders dropping into Nordkette as I was on my way to Lizum (thought Nordkette might open to late to ski before work) this morning. Looked pretty epic! It will definitely be tracked out, but should be spring snow and nice soft steep bumps by the weekend.
Lizum was fantastic this morning - untracked cold snow in the sun. Ridges badly windfucked but glorious in the sheltered spots.
Stubai likely to be bloody good on the weekend too!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Dang it @clarky99 you had to rub it in LOL hey man we are stoked regardless. going to be an awesome trip. Still working on a guide for the weekend, going to be a hike to find any snow left but we're game.
Very nice snow in the Arlberg this morning, though not much untracked due to the crowds yesterday. Still knee deep and a few lines to be had before it turned heavier in the afternoon. A lovely, warm sunny day though.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@clarky999, Sorry to appear naïve but are you skiing off piste in that video. It looks ridiculously smooth and yet lack of piste markers and various shrubs suggest it is.
I really shouldn't be watching this stuff yet. Far too long until I'm over there and conditions may have gone the full circle by then!
It's a bit out of the way of the 'normal' slopes (actually I haven't skied it for a few years, which is why I was stopping to check where I was going), which is partly why the base was smooth/untracked underneath, but it was also filled in with new snow (from the day before) and wind-blown snow (from that night). If you skipped the last half you could just about traverse back to the lifts with a bit of poling, otherwise you have to either skin/hike 20-30 mins along a prepared forest path, or ski down (same path or through dense trees) to Axams village and get the bus back up to the resort - but the path down to Axams is currently closed as a wild animal/game feeding zone.
For a small resort, there are a lot of different easily-accessible zones to explore at Lizum!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@clarky999, Looks great but may have to give that particular area a miss when I visit, as a bit of poling to get back to the lifts wouldn't go down well with the wife and if we missed the turn and had to ski/hike 20/30 mins along a forest path I would officially be dead!
If the conditions are good before we go I may be back asking for any more accessible options though.
Thanks
Skied Patscherkofel today. Spring conditions but very well maintained, fast! Found the trees above Patscher Alm, some untracked but very thick wet snow. Still, saw some runs I'd love to try next time. Onto Lizum tomorrow, guided trip to somewhere Sunday.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Well that's a wrap on the trip. Seefeld was our favorite, Lizum second, Patsch 3rd, glacier was huge and amazing and I didn't care for it. We will be back to the alps!
@clarky999 thanks for the guide recs we got in touch with Markus from flatsucks and he hooked us up with Thomas and we had the best ski day of my life, so far. Highly recommended.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@decreed_it, Awesome, glad to hear! And post pics!
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Innsbruck folk - has anyone skied on the glacier in May? Just booked some cheap Innsbruck flights for the first weekend on a whim, so any advice on what to expect/busyness etc welcome - plus any Neustift recommendations as we'll probably stay there.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@ElzP, Not been up in May, but it should be good spring skiing. Unlikely to be that busy, most of the locals will have their bikes out! Sorry, no idea about accommodation in Stubaital, but you might want to consider staying in the city so you have more options for eating out, nightlife and other things to do.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
we got plenty of that in North America. This will be my first European Alps trip and I want the full experience - the huge wide open pistes look amazing to me, and *hopefully* (fingers crossed) the weather cooperates with some Sunny warm days.
