Freeride Area Stubai Glacier

Finding powder on the Stubai Glacier could not be simpler! Just a 45-minute drive from Innsbruck,  Austria's largest glacial ski area boasts 13 off-piste freeride runs covering all levels of difficulty in unsecured, open terrain, with enticing names such as 'Hidden Valley' or 'Hard Rock'. The runs are marked on a freeride map which can be downloaded together with GPS data. Planning and preparation can be carried out online beforehand, enhanced by additional, up-to-date risk-management information at the glacier itself. Just remember that every individual is responsible for their own safety!

The meeting point for freeriders at Stubai Glacier is the 'Powder Department' with its two checkpoints at Eisgrat and Gamsgarten - the ideal spots for getting accurate information before hitting the snow, since the better planned you are, the more 'powder fun' you can have. Route plans, weather forecasts, and snow and avalanche reports are all available from the checkpoints, ensuring serious powder pleasure with maximum safety. 

Although there is never a 100% guarantee in the mountains, the safety aspect is nonetheless crucial. Risks can be reduced with the help of risk management measures which are provided for freeriders by the Stubai Glacier Powder Department: Avalanche transceiver checkpoints, avalanche risk checks, weather/snow/avalanche information. And all the absolute musts - avalanche transceiver devices, probes, shovels, helmets and the increasingly-popular avalanche airbags - can be hired from the sports shops at Stubai Glacier. But what use is even the best equipment if, especially in the case of an emergency, you don't know how to use it correctly? 'Learning by doing' is very much the name of the game at Stubai Glacier, where free SAAC Avalanche Camps are a fixed item on the agenda, along with weekly training courses in the use of avalanche transceivers and other training camps which deal with this key topic, such as the Kästle Powder Department Ladies' Day.