Alpbach

Alpbach, Austria

Rated: 4/5 (from 6 ratings)

Alpbach

An ideal beginner resort oozing Tyrolean charm and voted the most beautiful village in Austria by Austrians themselves in 1983. The village's 2500 year history has not been compromised by modern development, which includes an excellent indoor pool complex. Inneralpbach is linked to skiing of Alpbach, 4km (2.5 miles) away, it is a quiet, ideal beginner resort. In 2012-13 the local ski area was connected by two gondolas and several miles of piste to that of neighbouring Wildschonau creating the 'Ski Jewel' area with 145km of piste shared between the two resorts.

Summary

The Austrian ski resort of Alpbach is in the Austrian Alps at an altitude of 1,000m, with 45km of marked runs.

Alpbach is part of the Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau area with access to 109km of downhill skiing, with 83 marked pistes, served by a total of 46 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in Alpbach itself (45km of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau ski resorts of Auffach, Kramsach, Niederau, Oberau, Reith im Alpbachtal and Thierbach.

With ski lifts as high as 2,030m, snow cover is generally reliable.

Ski Area Stats

Alpbach Overview

An ideal beginner resort oozing Tyrolean charm and voted the most beautiful village in Austria by Austrians themselves in 1983 and then awarded 'most beautiful flowering village in Europe' status a decade later by an international Jury during the 'Entente Florale' competition. Alpbach is located in one of the valleys that runs off the main River inn valley, 57km (36 miles) east of the Tyrolean capital, Innsbruck.

Alpbach's natural beauty, apart from the generosity of mother nature, can in part be attributed to Alfons Moser, the mayor for more than 30 years from 1945 to 1979. He ensured as early as 1953 that local building regulations insisted that all new construction was completed in the traditional Tyrolean architectural style. The village's 2500 year history has therefore not been compromised by modern development, which includes an excellent indoor pool complex.

The oldest houses are in the neighbouring community of Inneralpbach, linked to the skiing of Alpbach and is 4km away. It is a quiet, ideal beginner resort. The area's rich history is well documented. It was christianised in the 8th and 9th centuries by monks from Ireland and Scotland. St Oswald, the former king of Northumbria in England, is patron saint of the village church, which has a steeple dating back to 1440 and a nave to 1754. Copper and silver were discovered in the 15th century and mining continued for more than four centuries, after which farming became the dominant industry until the advent of tourism in the 1930s. This began after the first road reached the resort in 1926 and by 1938 there were 110 guest beds. Although this number has now increased to more than 2700 beds - still a modest figure by modern standards - the resort is clearly proud that it still has just over 100 farms operational, just as a century ago.

Because of its isolation until the first half of this century Alpbach has many unusual local 'twists' on traditions, a lot of which survive to this day. Locally produced farmers and miners furniture is still evident and highly sought after by collectors. A local brandy was until recently, produced in one of the five old miner's houses in the village, two of which remain inns, as they were several centuries ago.

Among its many claims to fame, Alpbach hosts the European Forum annually when groups of thinkers from all over Europe come together for discussions. Established at the end of the war in 1945, the forum has attracted personalities from the worlds of politics, economics, science and culture for the fortnight long convention. The staging of this annual event was a major factor in the awarding of the European Flag in 1985 by the Europarat organisation in Strasbourg. The resort's international status away from winter sports doesn't end there, the convention centre is named after Paula von Preradovic, who wrote the lyrics for the Austrian National anthem whilst the large lecture hall is dedicated to Professor Erwin Schrödinger, a Nobel prize winner who is buried in the local church yard.

 Notable Ski Runs

The longest possible descent in Alpbach is 8km long and the most difficult run is the 'FIS'.

Skiing

Alpbach's skiing is largely centred on the wooded Wiedersberger Horn mountain, the main access gondola lift to which is a four minute bus journey from the village, at Achenwirt. It's also possible to reach the skiing by a second gondola lift, an eight seater, up from Inneralpbach. The slope has largely north-west facing, well prepared slopes that are grass covered in the summertime, so that skiing is possible on even a thin layer of snow without much fear of hitting rocks beneath.

Alpbach has three separate nursery areas at village level, away from the main pistes below the Wiedersberger Horn mountain. If snow cover is inadequate at village level you can take the four minute bus ride over to the mountain and take the gondola to the top where there is another nursery area. Intermediates will find plenty of long reds cut down through the trees from the top to the bottom of the mountain.

A particularly long and challenging route, the Gmahkopf, goes from the top of the gondola down to Inneralpbach. Experts have a choice of two blacks, plus off-piste routes and good tree-lined powder skiing when the snow is freshly fallen. Alpbach also participates in the huge Kitzbüheler Alpen Ski Pass which covers 680km (425 miles) of runs in total and more than 260 lifts. Guest races are staged at the end of the week with a prize giving ceremony following.

In 2012-13 the local ski area was connected by two gondolas and several miles of piste to that of neighbouring Wildschonau creating the 'Ski Jewel' area with 145km of piste shared between the two resorts.

There are a variety of pistes to suit all levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert.

Snowboarding

Alpbach offers a 40 metre long half pipe. Otherwise 'boarders will find plenty of natural terrain features to enjoy, including some excellent long red cruises and off-piste powder routes. Although the village nursery slopes are drag lift driven the gondola served main mountain terrain, including additional altitude blues for the less confident has a lot going for it.

Aprés Ski

Alpbach is usually jolly and lively as soon as the lifts close. No visit to Alpbach is complete without a visit to the two historic Inns, originally built by miners in centuries past, at the Böglerhof and the Jakober. The Postalm is also popular, as is the Messnerwirt Pizzeria and Bar.

Organised evening activities include the not-to-be-missed farmer's theatre (Tyrolean night) and film shows. Evening sleigh rides to the Rossmoos Inn for a yodel and to learn a bit of yodelling technique are another popular weekly option.