We ventured the short distance from our digs in Rinn to the small Glungezer ski area. I found this area quite unique for its almost New Zealand like club mountain feel amongst the more commonplace giant ski areas of Austria we had been frequenting.

Rising out of the top of the village of Tulfes at about 922m is the glorious brand new gondola. It is clearly a major upgrade for the area on a budget as it modernise's and takes you in two parts, first in a gondola to Halsmarter at 1560m then on the combine lift to Tulfein at 2055m. It's a comfortable ride to here but then the only way to the top at Schartenkogel at 2304m is on the old double chair Schartenkogel lift.

The Schartenkogel lift and subsequent descent sealed my fate this day unfortunately. I know that the next part of the Glungezer upgrade is to replace this lift, but this day was ruined for me in part because of the weather but mainly because of this lift. The weather was cold, visibility at the top poor and this long and very slow lift made it a miserable experience.

The descent from here with limited visibility was sketchy at best and not clearly signed. I can imagine that in fairer weather it could be a fun place to ski with some nice, albeit short off piste options but on this day it was not. At the bottom of the chair there is a wide area which looks quite inviting to the valley beyond but it is a run to nowhere apparently and the bunting and signs tell you so. I couldn't help but wonder if this was an untapped area worthy of opening up?!

Leaving the double chair area the main run between Tulfein and Halsmarter is fast and fun but doesn't hold your attention for long. Looking for something more, my intrepid "younger" brother and I plowed on past the closed sign at the bottom of the Halsmarter T-Bar lift intent on skiing the home trail back to the car-park. This was quite the adventure and at times a sketchy proposition in the thinning snow and backyard paddocks of the houses in Windegg which gave no indication that we were on the right track. We were undeterred however and discovered on reflection that we were on the right track the whole time and incredibly finished on skis at the bottom of the gondola.

Hot and sweaty and suitably impressed that I successfully completed the diabolical descent (but happy for the adventure), that was enough for me for the day. With my kit back in the car and wearing comfortable shoes again I headed back up the gondola to the super family restaurant at Halsmarter were I ate, drank and read my book for a couple of hours while I waited for my skiing companions to get their fix. This is a friendly eatery with wonderful service and I highly recommend it.

I rounded out my day with a wander around the Kugelwald adventure park. Entirely made of wood, set in the forest below the restaurant and overlooking the learners lift, this is a cute, quaint area that is clearly popular in summer.

Whilst my day on Glungezer wasn't the greatest for skiing, I had a fun day and can see how this small ski area with a big heart is catching up on its infrastructure and offering a brighter future. Given the opportunity I will gladly come back for a polite ski with locals. With good snow to the bottom I might even be excited at the prospect!
See our video here

Glungezer is a classic Innsbruck ski resort. Clearly visible from the old town centre of Innsbruck, it appears full of promise. Not huge by any stretch of the imagination, when the snow is fresh it provides enough adventure to fulfill that promise.

During the week it is deserted in the morning when the lifts start turning, and during our visit on a snowy, blowing Friday in late January, it was indeed that.

New gondolas at Glungezer make the passage up the hill supremely comfortable. Cant imagine how hellish the previous combination of old chairlift and surface tow would have been to get up to Tulfein. The slow Schartenkogel double chair was cold with a fierce wind & drving snow, but such is life. At least it was running, AND no one was on it.

Piste trails are mostly intermediate in pitch and north-aspect providing excellent quality for fast turns. Low crowds during the week ensure groomers stay fresh all day or, as we found it, morning powder on the piste is there until after lunch! The off-piste options are more extensive than at first appears. From the top of the resort at Schartenkogel, traversing skiers right provides access to a mass of alpine & light tree terrain which ends back on the groomed piste #2 below Tulfein. Skiers left of piste #5 provides additional variants. Tree skiing would be possible all the way to the base in a cold, deep season (rare these days but tracks were evident in parts!).

Due to the strong winds during our visit, we did not venture up to the Glungezerhütte and will endeavour to do this on a return visit soon! Like neighbouring Patscherkofel, we reckon a visit to the alpine hut would be a real highlight of a Glungezer visit. There looks to be a nice 600m vertical freeride descent back into the Schartenkogel lift base from the hut. We scoped out a few full-on off-piste freeride descent possibilities from Schartenkogel top station into the Voldertal (the next valley to the east), but local knowledge is required to ski tour back to the gondola base in Tulfes and we didnt have the time.

The full valley descent back down to the Tulfes lift base involves a variety of slopes & includes a superb, forest lined beginner run perfect for letting it rip in long carves (along the Halsmarter surface tow), and a fun, adventurous 'rural' section down low that crosses a road twice and lacks snow-making. It should be treated with caution in lean times, but we did it without any damage (despite the closed sign near the bottom of the Halsmarter tow!). The descent from top to bottom is well over 8km in length & one of the longest in the region. Judging by the number we passed, it also appears popular with the uphill skinning crowd too. We understand there are plans to upgrade the last few kilometres of the descent with snow-making in the near future which will make it one of the funnest trail around.

For a truly authentic mountain restaurant experience, the Tulfeinalm is the juice. Classic interior and traditional food made fresh. Lower down the mountain, the Alpengasthof Halsmarter is the place for a brew or two at the end of the day.

We stayed in lovely apartment in the nearby village of Rinn during our visit. A nice place, quiet after hours, but perfect for our requirements. We even had a huge apres ski session in the tiny bar at the base of Archenstadel ski slope just on the outskirts of the village. The proprietor was good enough to stay open until we had our fill!

Glungezer is let down by a few things: limited advanced trails; the old Schartenkogel chair (needs to be replaced); the lack of snow coverage on the lower section of the valley trail; and the lack of a decent bar at the valley station. That's pretty good for a small ski area, so its worth a visit. A place to take your time, explore and enjoy.
See our video here