Innsbruck, Austria: From a small Trading Post to Olympic Skiing City In Just 800 Years

By Bob Wilbanks, NSCN

Innsbruck, Austria dating back to 1170, was originally a trading post on the River Inn and a rest stop for travelers going to and from Germany and Italy via the Brenner Pass. The little village, located in a beautiful deep Alpine valley with towering mountains on all sides, had become a major city of its time when Columbus discovered America. Many of the buildings in Innsbruck's old city date back to the 15th centuries, and some even earlier. As a result, Innsbruck's filled with old world charm, ancient churches, museums, monuments, and great architecture.

Innsbruck, often viewed as the epicenter of Austrian skiing, hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976. Today, it's home to over 125,000 people, is the capital of Austria's province of Tyrol, and is perhaps Europe's most popular ski destination for Americans. The reasons for its popularity are largely due to a huge choice of ski areas, its relatively low cost, excellent hotels, its abundant culture, excellent restaurants, and a wide selection of evening activities.

The Skiing
The choices of ski areas near Innsbruck are extensive, with the nearby resorts of Schlick 2000, Axamer Lizum, Nordpark-Seegrube, Patscherkofel, Stubai Glacier, and Glungezer accessible on a single life ticket for less than $40 per day-and all of them accessed by a free shuttle bus ride of 20 to 45 minutes. These six resorts combine to offer over 60 lifts and 180 kilometers of runs, but there is more skiing to be done from Innsbruck. Lots more!

The Innsbruck free ski shuttle now goes to the remote little ski village and resort of Kuhtai, located at 6,600 feet in the Stubai Mountains. This is where the emperor Maximillian hunted during the 15th century and only about a dozen people live there year-round today. But Kuhtai now boats 1,200 guest beds in several picturesque hotels, eleven ski lifts, and 25 miles of scenic, above-treeline ski runs. Also located at Kuhtia's base area is a delightful restaurant where the décor and food are very traditional Austria and the staff all wears traditional leather lederhosen. Entering for lunch, you may begin to imagine you're in the Austria of Maximillian's time-until the waiter pulls out of his handheld computer to transmit your order to the kitchen.

Since Innsbruck is located in the heart of Austria's Alps, St. Anton, Kitzbühel, Ischgl, and even Switzerland's St. Moritz, are all available as day-trips via the shuttle bus or rail. This is one of the reasons that Innsbruck has become an ideal base for an Austrian or European "sampler" ski trip where you can discover where you want to ski next season, and perhaps even the next. Innsbruck is, therefore, an excellent choice for your club's first-time European skiers.

The Culture and Activities
At 1,500 feet above sea level, the weather in Innsbruck is much milder than the ski areas, which peak out at almost 9,000 feet-one and a half miles above the city!

The Old City, in the center of town, is where the famous Golden Dachl or golden roof is located. From the balcony, the Hapsburgs watched festivals and performances in the plaza below and this is where they addresses the populace-some of whom lived in the stone houses that still line the adjacent streets 600 years later. Construction of the Kaiserliche Hofburg, or court place, was begun in the 15th century by Empress Maria Teresa and it's now open to tours. There are numerous churches and castles to be examined in the area and the Ottoburg Tavern, which dates back to 1494, is still in operation today. Think about it! You could have bought a drink at this bar to celebrate Columbus' discovering America just two years after he sailed (had you been around then).

Innsbruck's Bergisel-Stadion ski jump looms high above the city and, when viewed from the top, it looks as if the jumpers are going to land right into a Cathedral hundreds of feet below-or worse, into the cemetery adjacent to the Cathedral. The ski jumping facility also contains a restaurant that has been remolded and which can be rented for private parties. It is a great spot for happy hour or a club dinner party!

The subterranean Swarovski Museum in nearby Watten features three-dimensional exhibits of crystal, light, and sound, showcasing the famous manufacturer crystals and optics. It's the second most visited tourist attraction in Austria and is available for private and group tours in the evening.

And, for those lovers of Mozart and fans of The Sound of Music, Salzburg is just a two-hour train ride from Innsbruck. It makes a wonderful day trip.

Innsbruck is simply a great experience for first-time European skiers or European ski veterans alike!

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Innsbruck, Austria: From a small Trading Post to Olympic Skiing City In Just 800 Years