With 70 km of groomed trails, Stubaier Gletscher can’t be considered one of the larger ski areas in Austria. In fact, proficient skiers can comfortably cover the entire ski area in a single day. Nevertheless, in the early and late part of the season, the glacier at the head of Stubai Valley offers a considerably superior range of open runs than most large ski areas in Austria – it is, after all, the nation’s largest glacier ski area
The most challenging runs are on Daunkopf and Daunscharte
Trail 7b down from the Daunferner 1 lift, run no. 21 on Daunscharte and the long and steep no. 22 from Daunkopf are the only three trails in the ski area rated as difficult. In addition, red trail 1b down from the Eisjoch chairlift and red run no. 11 from the Fernau Lift are also popular with good skiers. The black-rated “Daunhill” is the steepest run in the ski area with a maximum gradient of 60%, offering a tough challenge for even expert skiers.
Very modern lifts for a glacier ski area
Skiers exploring a glacier ski area for the first time are often disappointed by the many surface lifts. It should be pointed out that Stubaier Gletscher also still relies on nine surface lifts to carry skiers up the hill. This is because it is often simply impossible to build other types of lift on a glacier. The glacier flows several metres down the valley every year, carrying the masts of the surface lifts with it – something impossible for chairlift systems to withstand. However, wherever the underlying ground allows it, the lift operators have already replaced surface lifts with modern chairlifts and gondolas here. The new eight-person Rotadl chairlift even boasts under-seat heating, which is a real boon on cold days.