Review of Stubai Snowboarding Holiday in Mieders & Schlick 2000

Last winter a friend and I took an early morning flight to Innsbruck and were on the Austrian slopes well before lunch. Check out this review of Stubai snowboarding holiday in Mieders & Schlick 2000 to find out more!

Our 07:15 flight from Gatwick to Innsbruck arrived in the Tirolean capital not long after nine. We had collected our bags, cleared security/customs and met our transfer driver before ten. Around half an hour later we arrived at Hotel Bergkranz in Mieders, our base for the next few days of this Tirol snowboarding adventure.

Review of Snowboarding Holiday in Mieders

The plan for day 1, was to snowboard in Serles/Mieders near the hotel. Our pre-booked 6 day Ski Plus City Pass lift tickets were waiting and covered us for 296 km of slopes in 12 ski areas across Stubaital, Innsbruck and Oztal Valley. The pass includes all the local buses, which are super efficient and easy to figure out on google maps.

After a quickly getting changed and putting bindings on boards, we got a lift from the hotel to the Serles slopes. It was so close we could have walked up to a ski run that passes near the hotel.

We had made very incredible time and actually completed our first two runs before midday. I don’t think I have ever been on the slopes so quickly when flying early morning.

With just 6km of slopes Serles, located next to Mieders, is a small ski area reaching from 960-1674 metres. The conditions were challenging as there was a thin layer of fresh but very sticky snow over an icy base at the top. Lower down it was softer but still sticky.

But it was great to be on the slopes, we did all four runs two or three times each, before deciding Mieders would not keep us entertained for the day. That said, the relatively long run from the top of the gondola down to the base is fun, particularly once it becomes a red about a third of the way down.

Being exceptionally quiet it would be a great place for beginners to learn or intermediates to improve. For us the 700 meters vertical was enough to get our legs working. But we hopped on the 595 bus to Schlick 2000 which took about 10 minutes.

Review of Schlick 2000 Snowboarding

Apart from giggling at the name we knew nothing about Schlick 2000, although we could hazard a guess at its altitude! It took two quick gondolas to reach the top. On the way we realised it was very quiet and they had received a lot of fresh snow.

Freeride Snowboarding in Schlick 2000

There was untouched off-piste all over the place, good visibility and barely anyone around. I guess this is the advantage of visiting a less know resort midweek. It was still early afternoon so we enjoyed half a day of powder riding.

There is great off-piste, particularly on the far right of the piste map where you’ll find the Free Nature Area. It is and open area pf undulating terrain with lots of gullies and drops. While more suited to experienced freeriders the gullies created natural half pipes so you can get really creative.

There’s loads of off piste between the slopes and through the trees. We really enjoyed the unpisted ski route through the trees that is  accessed from the the black slope under Panoramabahn. Also the unpisted area beneath the Zimachbahn chair was a lot of fun, particularly where it passes through a narrow canyon.

Around the area you’ll find steeps, some glades and more fun hits to do tricks off then most ski areas. What surprised me most is that the ski area only has 22km of slopes – it felt far larger. At the end of the day there are a few busy bars with a good vibe that I imagine at the weekend would spill over into banging apres.

Review of Schlick 2000 Snowboarding: Pistes

The next day we were due to go to Stubai Glacier but it was closed due to strong winds. So we returned to Schlick 2000, expecting more off-piste fun and freeride snowboarding.

Unfortunately the fresh snow had turned into glue… I have never known such incredibly sticky snow! The pistes were in good nick, perhaps running slightly slow, but off-piste was out of the question. Even on very steep slopes you could barely move and turning was incredibly difficult.

So we explored the piste. The long blue from top at 2,240 metres to the bottom at 1,310 is a lot of fun. There are many side hits along the way and the slope is really wide at points and great to blast down and carve. Although you need to carry your speed at a few points.

The cluster of reds and black #10 near the top are great, there are two chairlifts you can use to lap them. In this area there is also a small snowpark with some rails and a couple of kickers.

The relatively short slopes on the far left of the piste map are worth a look. The red and black are a lot quieter than the rest of the ski area, probably because they don’t link up. With space to play it was a area to practice switch riding, with the short black section having a challenging steepness.

Both days it was easy to get back to Mieders by bus. Interestingly there were a lot more buses at busy times, so despite queues there was plenty of space and seats for all. On google maps you can see live bus times, routes and destinations etc.

Review of Snowboarding in Stubai

On the third day the winds had dropped and the 68 km of slopes in Stubai Glacier were open. So we took the bus up the valley which took just under an hour.

Unlike most Austrian ski areas, Stubai is not a resort with a town at the base. Instead there is just a very modern gondola station that whisks you from 1,697 to 2,291 metres. But that is just the first leg, further lifts reach all the way to 3,212 metres, the third highest in Austria.

Whiteout City

We arrived at the mid-station to one of the worst whiteouts I have seen in years. The higher slopes were all closed and we did a couple of runs where we could barely tell which way was downhill. Even the piste markers were hard to see at points. There was lots of fresh snow, but visibility was so poor we had an early lunch.

As higher lifts opened we tried them out and while visibility was still very poor, it was no longer impossible. We did runs down from the Eisjoch and Gamsgarten chairlifts, both times returning to the bottom of the lift. There were good powder conditions on the piste, and off-piste it was even better.

We moved around the ski area without really being able to see properly. We were finding plenty of powder but also got stuck a lot due to not really knowing where we were going. Late afternoon we were on the Fernau chair and the clouds lifted, the sun came out and we could see!

Stubai Freeride Snowboarding

It was near the end of the day but we lapped the lift three times enjoying untouched powder with no-one else around. For our final run we took the unpisted red ski route (far left of the piste map) all the way to the middle station. It turned out to be the best untouched powder run of the trip.

From the middle station there is a a black itinerary run to the base. Some signs said it was open and others closed, but plenty of people were heading that way so we joined them. After-all, it needs to be a comprehensive Stubai snowboarding review!

It is a tightly winding cat track that many were finding a challenge. I found it a lot of fun, particularly the tight switch backs and little bridges. I also enjoyed exploring just off the edge of the track as there was interesting terrain with plenty of shrubs to avoid and lips to jump off in the fresh snow.

We made it back to the base station in time for the bus and headed back to Mieders. From there we got changed, packed up our things for the end of this review of Stubai snowboarding holiday. From here we headed to Innsbruck for three days to explore resorts from the city.

Review of Hotel Bergkranz in Mieders

Arriving at around 10:30 in the morning we did not expect our rooms to be ready, but after a very warm welcome we were shown up to impressive rooms. Decorated with a modern feel they are contemporary and comfortable with a nice bathroom and powerful shower.

Hotel Bergranz has a small wellness area with a sauna and steam baths. Which is perfect to unwind after a hard day on the slopes.

We were half board and my friend is vegan, which can sometimes be problematic in Austria. But at the Bergkranz they catered to his needs so he could enjoy the five course menu. It is nice to know a more regional hotel like this can adjust their dishes to create a tasty vegan menu.

I also found the food exceptionally good. There were some classics such as Schnitzel, dumpling soup and pancakes, but also delicate fish courses, and dishes I had not tried before. The salad buffet was a hit and I never left hungry.

Breakfast consisted of Tyrolean breads with various spreads, plus a meat and cheese selection. There was also muesli, yoghurt and fruit, all washed down with juices, tea and coffee. In the afternoon they put on cake, although you need to be back by five otherwise you’ll miss out. Unfortunately the cake was not vegan.

Review of Stubai Snowboarding Holiday: Conclusion

This was the beginning of a nine day snowboarding holiday in the Tirol region of Austria and it certainly did not disappoint. We had powder days in Stubai and Schlick 2000 and got plenty of piste riding in too.

The pistes at both Stubai and Schlick 2000 are large, varied and high enough to entertain advanced snowboarders for a few days and intermediates for even longer. But the off-piste in both is exceptions and with fresh snow I’d be happy to spend a week here and to get involved in the Schlick 2000 apres!

We also visit Serles at Mieders. It is very small and only worth visiting if you have a spare couple of hours. But beginner or nervous intermediates may find the empty slopes help them improve.

In the Stubaital valley there is also the Elfer ski area with 1,000m of vertical, but only 2.5 km of pisted slopes and 3.5 km of off piste ski routes. It is small and only reaches 2,000 metres, but it is mainly treelined so would be good on a poor visibility day.

Cheap, Easy to Access and Fun

One of the huge advantages of this area is how easily you can access everything on the local buses. Plus it is close to Innsbruck meaning you can be on the slopes before lunch after an early morning flight. Another positive is the prices, accommodation here is cheaper, and both food and drink are lower than usual (beer was cheaper than London!).

I would certainly return to the area. I loved Schlick 2000 and it felt much larger than it’s size. Stubai offers high altitude fun, if you get good conditions you’ll be in for a very good time. Plus you can tie it in with a stay in Innsbruck, which is a lovely city and what we did next!

I hope you found this review of Stubai snowboarding holiday in Mieders & Schlick 2000 useful. For more information visit: www.stubai.at