Olympia SkiWorld Ski Week: 5 Days, 5 Mountains From Innsbruck

Why base in Innsbruck instead of one ski resort

Most Alpine ski weeks mean picking one resort and skiing the same slopes for five or six days. Innsbruck works differently. The city sits at the centre of the Olympia SkiWorld Innsbruck pass, which bundles a spread of separate ski areas — the Nordkette, the Patscherkofel, Axamer Lizum above Axams, Muttereralm, Kühtai, Schlick 2000 above Fulpmes, Rangger Köpfl, Glungezer and the Stubai Glacier — and connects every one of them to the city with free ski buses.

For full detail on what the pass covers and which areas suit which skiers, see our guide to the Olympia SkiWorld pass.

The result is that you unpack once, in one hotel in Innsbruck, and change mountains the way other trips change restaurants. It also means the trip survives a bad snow day on any single mountain, because tomorrow you are somewhere else entirely. Our broader case for this pattern is in why you ski a different mountain every day from Innsbruck.

This itinerary sequences five specific areas across five days, easiest and most central first, biggest and most snow-secure last, with a rest morning built in. It assumes no car: the bus network here genuinely reaches everything on this list, and driving into ski car parks in a city this compact rarely saves time. For the transport details behind that claim, see public transport in Innsbruck.

Before you go: passes, snow, and the Föhn

Buy the Olympia SkiWorld pass for the number of days you intend to ski, not necessarily five in a row — building in a non-ski day, as this itinerary does, is normal and cheap to plan for. Check each area’s own snow report the night before or first thing in the morning; conditions genuinely differ between the areas on this pass on the same day, sometimes sharply. See when to ski in Innsbruck for how the season typically shapes up month by month.

The one weather factor that can rearrange a week here is the Föhn, a warm dry wind from the south that can raise temperatures fast and soften or strip snow at lower elevations within a few hours. It is a genuinely local phenomenon — read how the Föhn wind changes the city’s mood before you fix a rigid day-by-day order in stone. The order below is a sound default, but treat it as a starting point you can reshuffle if a Föhn day or a fresh dump of snow changes which mountain is skiing best.

Day	Area	Top altitude	Character	Bus time from centre
1	Nordkette	2,256 m (Hafelekar)	Steep, freeride-leaning, dramatic	~20-25 min (funicular + 2 cable cars)
2	Patscherkofel	2,246 m	Gentler, sunny, forgiving	~20 min
3	Axamer Lizum	~2,340 m	Open bowls, former Olympic slopes	~30 min
4	Schlick 2000	~2,270 m	Compact, quiet, family-friendly	~40 min
5	Stubai Glacier	~3,210 m (Top of Tyrol)	High, snow-secure, long season	~50-60 min

Day 1: The Nordkette, straight up from the old town

Start where the pass’s single strongest selling point is: a mountain that rises directly out of the city. From the centre, the Hungerburgbahn funicular, then the Seegrubenbahn and the Hafelekarbahn, carry you from roughly 574 m to 2,256 m at Hafelekar in about 20 to 25 minutes on three linked lifts — the fastest ascent from a European city centre to true high-mountain terrain. Full route and station detail is in the Nordkette cable car guide.

Be honest about what you are getting into: the Nordkette is steep and mostly built for confident intermediates and freeriders, not first-week beginners. If that is not your group, treat Day 1 as a half-day taster — ride up, ski the easier pistes near Seegrube, and save the exposed upper terrain for a strong skier in the group — see Nordkette skiing and freeride for which runs suit which ability.

Because the whole lift system sits inside the city, this is also the day to do something non-ski in the afternoon without wasting travel time. An orientation walk through the old town under the Golden Roof works well on arrival evening or a shortened ski day — a guided version is the Innsbruck welcome tour, a couple of hours through the historic centre that sets up the rest of the week.

Day 2: Patscherkofel, the gentler mountain

Cross to the south side of the valley for a calmer day. The Patscherkofel tops out at 2,246 m, catches more open sun than the shadier Nordkette faces, and its pistes are noticeably more forgiving — a deliberate contrast after yesterday’s steeper terrain. It is about 20 minutes from the centre by ski bus, one of the shortest transfers on this whole itinerary.

This is the day to let a mixed-ability group actually ski together rather than split up. If anyone in the party is not skiing that day, the Patscherkofel’s summit area also has marked winter walking routes, and a return cable car ticket lets a non-skier ride up for the view and come back down independently.

For an active but low-key evening, especially if legs need a break from boots, the segway tour through Innsbruck with brunch at the Bergisel ski jump is a genuinely different way to see the Bergisel and the old town than walking it on tired feet.

Day 3: Axamer Lizum, Olympic slopes above Axams

Axamer Lizum, reached via Axams about 30 minutes from the centre, hosted Alpine events at both Innsbruck Olympics and still skis the open bowls that made it an Olympic venue. It is wider and more open than either of the first two days, with terrain that rewards skiers who like to open up their turns rather than pick through narrower runs.

By the midpoint of a five-day week, this is also a sensible day to check your own legs and the group’s morale honestly. If anyone needs a genuine rest rather than a gentler ski day, Axamer Lizum’s own village has enough on-mountain dining to make a half-day here — ski the morning, lunch on the hill, bus back early — a legitimate plan rather than a compromise.

Day 4: Schlick 2000 above Fulpmes, a change of valley

Day 4 moves out of the immediate Innsbruck bowl and into the Stubai valley proper, to Schlick 2000 above Fulpmes. It is the smallest and quietest area on this itinerary, which is exactly its appeal midweek — fewer queues, a slower pace, and terrain well suited to families or anyone wanting an easier day before the glacier finale. The bus ride out, at around 40 minutes, is also a preview of the road you will take again tomorrow.

Fulpmes and neighbouring Neustift are worth a slower look if the week allows an extra half-day beyond skiing; the valley’s other draws, from canyoning outfits to summer hiking huts, are covered in the wider Stubai valley material, and the case for treating the valley as more than a glacier day trip is in why the Föhn wind and shoulder timing matter if you are weighing whether a resort-based week would have been simpler. For most groups on this pass, it would not have been — see that argument laid out directly.

Day 5: The Stubai Glacier and the Top of Tyrol

The week closes at Austria’s largest glacier ski area. The Stubai Glacier sits at the head of the same valley as Day 4 but climbs far higher, with skiing up to the TOP OF TYROL viewing platform at around 3,210 m — high enough that this is usually the most snow-secure day of the whole week, and the one least affected by a Föhn spell that has softened lower slopes elsewhere. Full detail on lift layout and the viewing platform is in Stubai Glacier skiing.

Because it is also the furthest transfer on this itinerary, at 50 to 60 minutes each way by ski bus, plan an earlier start than the previous four days. It rewards the extra travel time with the longest, most reliable ski day of the week, and it is a fitting last stop precisely because nothing else on the pass matches its scale.

If the group includes a thrill-seeker who wants one non-ski adrenaline hit before flying home, tandem paragliding is genuinely offered locally in winter conditions permitting — the Stubaital tandem paragliding flight launches from terrain near this same valley and makes a striking final afternoon if weather and schedule allow it after skiing wraps up.

Building in a rest or non-ski day

Five ski days back to back is honestly demanding, and this itinerary works just as well stretched over six or seven days with a rest day inserted after Day 2 or Day 3. Innsbruck’s old town, its museums and the Swarovski Crystal Worlds day trip in Wattens are all a short bus ride from the centre and need no ski legs at all — a private half-day version of that visit is available as the private Swarovski Crystal Worlds tour from Innsbruck, which works well slotted into any gap in the ski schedule without disrupting the pass days around it.

If anyone in the group is new to skiing rather than simply taking a rest day, it is worth reading beginner and family skiing around Innsbruck before committing them to the steeper Day 1 terrain — swapping their Nordkette morning for extra time on the Patscherkofel or at Schlick 2000 is a straightforward, low-stress change to this plan.

Sample budget for the week

Item	Per person, 5 days
Olympia SkiWorld pass, 5 days	~€350-410
Ski or snowboard rental, 5 days	~€130-180
Ski bus travel	Free with the pass
Mid-range accommodation, 5 nights	~€400-650
Lunches on the mountain	~€75-100

Prices shift year to year and by exact area, so treat this as planning-level guidance rather than a quote, and check current pass pricing before booking accommodation dates around it.

Frequently asked questions about the Olympia SkiWorld ski week

What is the Olympia SkiWorld Innsbruck pass?

It is a single lift pass covering a spread of ski areas around the city, including the Nordkette, Patscherkofel, Axamer Lizum, Muttereralm, Kühtai, Schlick 2000, Rangger Köpfl, Glungezer and the Stubai Glacier. One pass, one base in Innsbruck, a different mountain each day.

Do I need a car to ski a different mountain every day?

No. Free ski buses connect Innsbruck to every area covered by the pass, including Axams and Fulpmes. This itinerary is written for exactly that pattern and assumes no car.

When does the Olympia SkiWorld season run?

Broadly January to March, though exact opening and closing dates vary by area and by winter. The Stubai Glacier usually opens earliest and closes latest of the areas on this itinerary.

Which mountain on this itinerary is best for a nervous or beginner skier?

The Patscherkofel and Axamer Lizum both have gentler, more open terrain than the Nordkette, which is genuinely steep and better suited to confident intermediates and freeriders.

What happens if the Föhn wind melts the snow partway through the week?

It can strip snow from lower slopes within a few hours, which is why this itinerary checks each area’s snow report every morning rather than fixing the mountain order in advance. Higher areas such as the Stubai Glacier are the most Föhn-resistant.

Is the Stubai Glacier open every day of the ski week?

Usually, but not guaranteed. It has one of the longest seasons of any area near Innsbruck, but it still schedules maintenance closures, so check its own operating calendar before building it into a fixed itinerary.

How much does a ski week like this cost?

Budget roughly 350 to 550 euros per person for a 5-day pass plus bus travel, before accommodation, food and equipment rental, which typically add another 400 to 700 euros depending on standard.

Can this itinerary work if one person in the group does not want to ski every day?

Yes. Innsbruck’s old town, museums and the Swarovski Crystal Worlds day trip all sit a short bus ride from any of these ski days, so a non-skiing day is easy to slot in without breaking the base-in-the-city pattern.