Super Mountain Carts! 5 kilometres on 3 wheels at Mutterer Alm

If you don't want to just jump back on the cable car, there are several much more exhilarating ways to get down the magnificent mountains in Tirol, even in the snow-free summer season. Hiking and biking are always options. Then there are the 'Alpine Coasters'. But my new favourite is the Mountain Carts at Mutterer Alm.

A short drive or tram/bus ride from Innsbruck, the carts have a couple of big adavantages over the coasters. For one, you can go carting on drizzly days - the coasters close down when it rains as the wet conditions make braking unsafe. Also, in the carts you have much more control as you have to steer, not simply brake to slow down. The track length of over five kilometres is also a plus point - it's longer than any of the Alpine Coasters.

The car park for the cable car (Muttereralm Bergbahnen) is a 15 to 20 minute drive from the centre of Innsbruck at Nockhofweg 40, 6162 Mutters. Via public transport, the best idea would be to take the Stubaitalbahn (STB) tram, get off at Mutters Nockhofweg and walk the remaining 500 metres to the cable car station.

There is also the option to take the 405 bus, get off at Mutters Dorfstrasse and walk for around one kilometre. Check the VVT website.

The summer season runs until the last day of October. The cable car operates from 9am until 5pm and it takes around 12 minutes to get up to Muttereralm. When you depart the cable car there's lots to do. We (me, my 13 year old son and his friend) took a walk around, following the path of the 'magic water'.

We then went for lunch, and, as the drizzle had by that point ceased, we ate our Käsespätzle (Austrian-style cheesy egg noodles topped with crispy onions) at an outdoor table. We were sat near to a stag party who had the brilliant idea to go carting to celebrate their friends' upcoming big day. 

Then it was time to set off. We got our tickets at the kiosk, having checked my son's height beforehand. You have to be 10 years old OR at least 150cms tall to ride on your own cart. The website is clear on the rules: 

Attention!

• Children under 10 years of age or under a height of 150 cm may only ride a Mountain Cart together with an adult on the same Mountain Cart.
• Children and teenagers aged 10 to 15 years and with a minimum height of 150 cm may ride a Mountain Cart independently but must be accompanied by an adult riding their own Mountain Cart.
• From the age of 16, riding without an accompanying adult is permitted. A person is considered an adult from the age of 18.
• For all Mountain Carts drivers applies: sturdy shoes (no flip-flops, Crocs etc.).
• Renting the Mountain Carts - only with photo ID! (Freizeitticket does not count as ID)
• Mountain Carts can be borrowed only half an hour before the end of operation of the mountain railway.

The route is clearly marked, you really can't go wrong (he says!) and it's also very safe, as the track is closed off for the use of mountain carts only during the summer season. Even at the points where the track crosses hiking and biking trails, there are signposts so people know they have to wait for the mountain-carters.  

Wow! What a blast! The carts are responsive and the brakes are so good it doesn't feel unsafe to go at top speed. Although, we had to stop at certain points to admire the magnificent views, especially as the sky was now mainly blue and the sun was shining down on us. 

Rather than race, we took it in turns to take the lead. With their canvas seats, the carts are comfortable no matter how bumpy the track gets in certain places (although, to be fair, the track is well-maintained and not particularly bumpy at all). 

The track is great; a fantastic mix of open views and shady forest, turns and long, straight sections. It's downhill all the way, so gravity does the job of getting you to the bottom of the mountain!

As I was more inclined to take it easy than my son and his friend (plus, I was taking all those photos!) I rolled up to the finish line a good minute or so after them. With broad smiles on their faces, the first thing they said to me was 'can we do it again?!'. 'You enjoyed it then?' I replied, a superfluous question if ever there was one. I had to disappoint them and say 'not today...but another time'.

It's truly a wonderful experience, the only problem being that the carting itself is over so quickly (somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on your need for speed) that you will want to head straight back up the mountain to cart down again too!

See you at Muttereralm soon.

The Mountain Cart track is five kilometres long, starting at an elevation of 1.620 metres and finishing at 959 metres. 

It costs €16 to hire a cart (August 2026).

You have to wear a helmet. They are available to borrow, but you are encouraged to take your own.