This coming season, Stubai Glacier resort, which has been named the most family-friendly skiing area in the Alps by ADAC SkiGuide for the third time in a row, will celebrate its 40th anniversary. The resort was established in 1973 when skiing pioneer Dr Heinrich Klier built the first three ski lifts at Stubai Glacier. Today, with 26 lifts and 100 kilometres of ski slopes, Stubai Glacier is the largest glacier ski resort in Austria, and work is diligently continuing in this “Kingdom of Snow”: the new Rotadl chairlift will be in operation by the middle of October. The existing 4-seater chairlift will be replaced by a new 8-seater chairlift, which boasts seat hoods and heated seats. The 4-seater Daunjoch chairlift, whose summit is 3000 metres up, is also brand new. Opening at the end of November, this new chairlift completes a brand new skiing area on the glacier, with a black ski run and various freeride routes. Both lifts, which cost around 12 million euro, promise more skiing areas and comfort.

Experience the Stubai Valley winter wonderland
From the Kingdom of Snow and cool events to hidden idylls

Stubai Valley, 2012/2013: No matter whether they are skiers, snowboarders, ski mountaineers, pleasure skiers, adrenaline junkies, freestylers, freeskiers, families or simply deckchair lovers, winter sports fans will be perfectly at home on the 150 kilometres of pistes in the Stubai Valley.

There is something to suit every taste, from 110 challenging to easy kilometres of slopes on the Stubai Glacier to gentle descents in the Schlick 2000 ski resort, the Serles runs in Mieders or the Elfer runs in Neustift. Add cool and traditional events to the mix, and the winter fun is almost complete. Another somewhat hidden idyll, sporty fun away from the pistes, and the Stubai Valley winter wonderland is perfect.

Stubai Glacier: News, popular skiing, events and BIG Family

It is known as the ‘Kingdom of Snow’, a snowy playground for winter sports fans, the place to be for event lovers, and ideal for anyone who wants to get out into the mountains: the Stubai Glacier, Austria’s largest glacial ski resort, just 45 minutes by car from Innsbruck. Depending on the snow situation, the season begins from mid-September. The Stubai Glacier attracts visitors with 110 kilometres of pistes for skiers of all abilities and guaranteed snow from October to June. The Moreboards Snowpark Stubai Zoo is the meeting place for the international free skiing and snowboarding scene with its easy, medium and pro slopes.

New at the Stubai Glacier: The Stubai Glacier, already named the most family-friendly ski resort in the Alps by the ADAC Ski Guide for the third time, will be celebrating its 40th anniversary during the coming season. It was in 1973 that ski pioneer Dr. Heinrich Klier built the first three lift systems on the Stubai Glacier. Today, with 26 lifts and 110 kilometres of pistes, the Stubai Glacier is Austria’s largest glacial ski resort. And the work continues in the Kingdom of Snow: the new Rotadl chair lift will come into operation in mid-October. The existing lift with 4 chairs will be replaced by one with 8 chairs, a canopy and seat heating. The 4-chair lift in Daunjoch, which has a mountain station at 3,000 metres, is brand new, and will open up a completely new ski area on the glacier with a black piste and diverse freeride routes from the end of November. Both lifts cost around 12 million euros and promise even more convenience and room to ski.

Things are really hotting up at the Stubai Glacier with cool events: The season will begin on 13.-14.10.2012 with an Oktoberfest-style winter opening. At the MOREBOARDS Stubai Premiere IV from 19.-21.10.2012, snowboarders and freeskiers will show off their skills in the Moreboards Snowpark Stubai Zoo on the Stubai Glacier. The SportScheck Glacier Testival, the largest material test in the Alps, will take place on the Stubai Glacier for the 25th time from 8.-11.11.2012. And, from 08.-10.02.2013, snow fans can experience a real winter adventure at the SportScheck BiwakCamp on Schaufeljoch in the Stubai Valley.

The resort has received the highest praise in terms of family-friendliness by winning the 2012, 2011 and 2010 ADAC Ski Guide Award for TOP family ski resorts in the Alps. Children under the age of ten can travel with all of the cable railways in the Stubai Valley for free when accompanied by a paying parent or guardian. The BIG Family Ski Camp Stubai Glacier enables children to try out their skills at Boardercross at the Murmele ski lift. A particular highlight is BIG Family PistenBully riding: from 19.12.2012, the men from the piste service will report on their daily work with the PistenBully every Wednesday at 2pm by prior arrangement.

Powder department: During the 2012/13 season, countless new off-piste routes of varying levels of difficulty are being defined at Gamsgarten and safety camps in addition to the Pieps training facility for searching for avalanche victims. No matter whether you want to stay near the piste, or are looking for short hikes or challenging tours involving abseiling and glacial crossings - every freerider will find his ideal route here. Special freeride checkpoints, freeride maps, slope videos and freeride runs available as GPS downloads offer everything that you need when you want to go skiing over open terrain. And that’s not all - the Stubai Freeride Festival takes place in February 2013, offering workshops and freeride races.

Gourmets will be pampered in the numerous mountain restaurants on the Stubai Glacier, as the exquisite cuisine at the Schaufelspitz full-service restaurant promises the pinnacle of quality for connoisseurs. Pasta lovers can also feast on their favourite dish in the Eisgrat quality market restaurant thanks to the world’s highest pasta-making facility.

Three further ski resorts are small, fine and cosy

The Schlick 2000 ski resort high above Fulpmes is a hit thanks to its long, snowy valley descent, a fun park on the Sennjoch piste, après-ski fun and a special feature: its wide variety of log cabins. Anyone who wants to dine and relax in nine alpine log cabins, which range from original to modern, is in just the right place at Schlick. Children will be enchanted by flying carpets, the ski carousel, mogul training run, curves and much more at BIG Ron’s Children’s Land in the BIG Family Ski Camp Schlick 2000.

The Serlesbahnen family ski resort near Mieders and the Elfer mountain railway in Neustift complete the wide-ranging facilities on offer: carving and snowboarding on perfect pistes, snowshoe walks and Nordic walking or ski tours over unspoilt terrain as well as horse-drawn sleigh rides and night-time tobogganing.

Hidden idylls, sport and more than just fun on the pistes

With the Stubai Glacier and the three further ski resorts of Schlick 2000, the Serles runs und the Elfer runs, the Stubai Valley definitely shows expertise when it comes to winter sports. If you want to spend a day away from the skiing, experts know that Stubai offers plenty more to discover. 60 kilometres of toboggan runs with 11 routes guarantee you’ll feel the wind through your hair by day or by night. Beforehand, toboggan fans can summon up a bit of Dutch courage in the huts offering regional delicacies. During a snowshoe hike, you can get in touch with nature and explore unspoilt regions that can usually only be accessed by ski mountaineers. There’s just one small difference: ski mountaineers aim for the peak, whereas snowshoe hikers aim for the journey and experiencing nature. Almost all muscle groups are exercised equally on 130 kilometres of cross-country ski runs. Anyone who wants to get out into the mountains should definitely try paragliding - in tandem and with warm clothing a necessity. The starting points are the Elfer and Schlick 2000 mountain stations. Ice climbers also reach lofty heights in the mountains, but need a little more coolness and a head for heights at a total of twelve climbing points. Introductory courses are on offer at the 20-metre high climbing tower on the Stubai Glacier near Gamsgarten mountain station.

Top offer for children

The Stubai Valley is known for its family-friendliness. One unique feature is that children under the age of ten can travel with all of the cable railways for free when accompanied by a paying parent or guardian. The ADAC Ski Guide has already awarded the Stubai Valley the prize for the most family-friendly ski resort in the Alps three times in a row in 2012, 2011 and 2010. Children are taught how to handle skis with plenty of care and humour at the BIG Family Ski Camp on the Stubai Glacier – Austria’s largest glacial ski resort – or in BIG Ron’s Children’s Land in the BIG Family Ski Camp in the Schlick 2000 ski resort. Families with children are very well catered-for here.

The BIG Family Stubai is expanding
B.BIG from the Stubai Glacier will be joined by BIG Ron at the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre
Family-friendly ski areas, ski schools and accommodation. Children under 10 can use the cable cars for free

Stubai Valley, 2012/2013: Four years ago, B.BIG and Mini B., the mascots of the Stubai Glacier BIG Family, came to the Kingdom of Snow and livened up the child care programme at the ski school and the cable cars. There is going to be an addition to the family in December: BIG Ron will move into the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre. This winter, the BIG Family offering initiated by the Stubai Glacier will extend to the entire valley. The Stubai Valley has already been awarded the title of TOP Ski Area in the family category by the ADAC Skiguide three times in succession in 2010, 2011 and 2012Children under ten travel free when accompanying a paying parent. There is child care available from the age of four months and kids get to ski from the age of four. Highly qualified ski instructors enjoy working with children and know just how to keep the little ones in line and happy.

Pizza on the Stubai Valley pistes

“Today, we are learning pizza,” Anna tells her mother excitedly while they are making their way up to the Kinderland in a cable car. Yesterday, the six-year-old ski novice was still feeling a little apprehensive - not surprising since everything was still new. But today she is really looking forward to her skiing lesson. With up to 400 highly qualified ski instructors in the Stubai Valley, the little ones are in the best of hands. Besides being professionals, these are also people who command respect and they know precisely what tricks to use to teach the children how to do the snowplough in a playful manner. The V-shaped position of the skis is reminiscent of a slice of pizza, which is why using the snowplough technique is also called “the pizza”. And it gets even better: Children do not need to queue for the cable car. At the base stations for the Stubai Glacier and in the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre there is separate access for ski school children and therefore definitely no waiting times. And if Mum wants to have a lie-in one day, the ski schools offer to pick the kids up from the hotel as an optional service.

BIG Family on the piste

If you want to enthuse kids, you need a BIG Family Winter World: with things totally geared to the youngsters, you go up on magic carpets - because walking uphill is just too tough - and then down on undulating nursery slopes and doing your turns. It’s always great fun at the BIG Family Kinderland, with its ski carousel, tent and cosy hut, where B.BIG, Mini B and now also BIG Ron entertain the kids.

The BIG Family Kids are easily recognisable on the slopes. They bring colour onto the piste with their helmet covers and bright vests. And children who have been busy practicing throughout the week not only get a medal and certificate at the finishing race, but can also take a surprise gift back home.

Ski novices learn quickly. Then it’s goodbye to the nursery slopes and onto the piste. First, onto the easy runs of the Schanzlin piste at the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre before going up to the Kreuzjoch, where experienced youngsters can get up quite some speed on their way down to the valley. The wide pistes of the Daunferner at the Stubai Glacier are further ideal slopes for novices. And you might try something a little more ambitious at the Stubai Glacier, such as the action offered by the BIG Family Boarder Cross or the Kinderline in the Moreboards Stubai Zoo snowpark, where new challenges await the visitors. The snowpark is actually one of the top parks in Europe, the largest in the Innsbruck region and a top destination for beginners and experts. Anybody who has always wanted to know how a snowcat works can find out directly at the Stubai Glacier. From 19.12.2012, children can take a ride on a snowcat once a week.

Anybody coming to the Stubai Valley with very young children is well served in the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre. Located directly next to the piste is the BIG Family crèche, where babies from the age of 4 months are looked after. At the Stubai Glacier, little ones from the age of three, who are not doing any skiing, are well cared for in the Gamsgarten kindergarten from 9.00 to 16.00 every day. There is painting, handicrafts and playing going on in the children’s rooms. Occasionally, a child might look longingly over to the Kinderland, which is right next door.

Ski stars also need a break sometimes

There is a BIG Family Kinderland located in the middle of the ski area. Parents sometimes enjoy meeting their children for a joint meal in the lunch break. But of course the ski schools also offer childcare over lunch time. In that case, the kids go off to the restaurant with the ski instructors for some tasty food and lemonade. Besides the absolutely child-friendly interior, the BIG Family children’s restaurant at the Stubai Glacier also offers additional entertainment by way of a play corner and a climbing frame. The restaurants in the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre are also geared towards the small hungry holidaymakers and up-and-coming ski stars and offer excellent food and drink.

Well-rounded offering

The Stubai businesspeople know that price is also an important criterion for families, and it is actually also a criterion for the award from the. This is why children go for free on all the cable cars when accompanying a paying parent. Intersport Stubaier Gletcher offers excellent hire conditions for ski equipment for children, and many of the family-friendly businesses in all price categories offer special conditions to families. These hire companies are listed at stubai.at and specially marked there. Those who are not tired out when the skiing is done will find lots of winter fun activities to engage in in the Stubai Valley: snowshoe hiking, ice skating in the village centres of Fulpmes and Neustift or a fun toboggan ride near the Serles and Elfer cable cars. The Ski Night Shows with the amusing appearances of B.BIG and BIG Ron are particularly enjoyable. The members of the BIG Family also put in an appearance at the two children’s events, the BIG Family Snow Party at the Stubai Glacier and BIG Ron’s Children's Party in the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre on 12.2.2013.

What makes a family holiday complete is probably the combination of outstanding quality and service, the enjoyment of learning to ski, motivated ski instructors and a good price/performance ratio. Children are big in the Stubai Valley, just like the BIG Family.

THE STUBAI VALLEY – the most beautiful valley in the Alps

The Stubai Valley in the Tyrol is located only twenty minutes from the state capital of Innsbruck and is easily reached from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy via the Brenner motorway. The Stubai Valley is 35 km long and surrounded by 80 glaciers and 109 three-thousand-metre mountain peaks; its five main centres are Neustift, Fulpmes, Telfes, Mieders and Schönberg.

Stubai offers everything needed by children and adults for perfect ski enjoyment – this was the conclusion of the ADAC SkiGuide 2012 who awarded the Stubai Valley the title of “most family friendly ski area in the Alps” for the third time. The Stubai Glacier, Austria's largest glacier area which was voted top in the “snow safety” category by the online portal www.snow-online.de, offers 110 piste kilometres of ski enjoyment and snow safety from October to June. Optimally prepared pistes also await holidaymakers in the Schlick 2000 Ski Centre in Fulpmes, at the Serlesbahnen family ski area near Mieders and the Elferbergbahn in Neustift.

The Stubai Tirol tourist board gives information about current offers, dates and events on the website www.stubai.at. An online accommodation search helps you to find suitable lodgings for your holiday. You can also request information by telephone: +43 (0)501881-0 or via email at info@stubai.at. Stubai Touristik would be delighted to assist you in booking package deals, tel: +43(0)501881-171 or 172 and via email at stubaitouristik@stubai.at.