Hintertuxer Gletscher

To get there, you first have to reach the Zillertal valley, which in winter is a true hub of skiing. Hintertux lies above the upper end of this 50 km long valley. Its upper part is called Tux and lies at about 1,500 m. That is where the valley station of the cable car to the glacier is. The car park below the lift is huge and, of course, free. There are a few hotels here, which are naturally the most expensive in the whole of Tux. Two parallel gondolas start from the car park. The better and faster one is of course the Sommerberg, which carries 8 people per cabin and forms the first section of the Gletscherbus. It takes you to the hub at Sommerbergalm at 2,100 m. TUXERJOCH In winter you can head right from here to the slopes of the Tuxerjoch, served by 3 lifts: two T-bars and a four-seater chairlift that goes up to 2,460 m. The Tuxerjoch slopes are a training ground for beginners and leisure skiers. This is where the ski schools work with their instructors. The pistes here (nos. 15, 16 and 17) are blue. The more difficult stretch is 17a (red). In winter you can ski from here down a beautiful off-piste but marked route, 1a, from the Tuxer-Joch-Haus restaurant via the Bichlalm to Tux. But let's leave Sommerbergalm and head for the glacier. We board the Gletscherbus proper, a gondola hung on 2 cables, whose cabins hold 24 people. The two cables are a safeguard against gusts of wind, which blow fairly often on Tux. Running parallel to the Gletscherbus is the old "small" gondola, which only operates at the busiest times. Section 2 ends at 2,660 m at the Tuxer Fernerhaus restaurant, the gateway to the glacier. Up to here, or rather from here on, you ski in the summer and autumn months. Hintertux. Photo: J.Ciszak. GEFRORENE-WAND In 2000 the third section of the Gletscherbus opened, rising to 3,250 m, just below the Gefrorene-Wand peak. Gletscherbus 3 is the highest-reaching gondola in Europe. You can also get up to the Gefrorene-Wand on two sections of 2-seater chairlifts, which of course takes much longer. We are at the highest point of the glacier, with all of Hintertux in front of us. The slope directly below us, with red pistes 5 and 8 and black 8a, is the training ground for racers. Here, in marked lanes, coaches set slalom and giant slalom courses. Skiing down the left side of the slope (looking from the top) we reach the Gletscher Hutte mountain hut. From here two pistes (red 5 and black 5a) lead down the slope of the small Schlegeis glacier below to a three-seater chairlift. Watch out: in autumn, on sunny days, you sometimes ski on "bare ice" here! OLPERER We now move to the gentle slopes of the Olperer, served by a line of two double T-bars. Blue pistes 9 and 9a are the perfect place to polish your technique. The pass is also the start of the longest run on Tux, which links piste 11a with piste 3. After 3 km we arrive at the Tuxer Fernerhaus. KASERER From the Olperer slopes we traverse left to the Kaserer slopes, below the striking rock face of the Larmstange. The area is served by 2 T-bars and has four pistes: black 11b, red 11 and two blue 12s. I recommend coming here in the afternoon, when the sun has softened the snow. The slopes by the Larmstange are sheltered even when a strong wind is blowing higher up. Dream conditions for fun carving! From here piste no. 3, laid out beneath a beautiful blue serac, takes us to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. That leaves the piste directly above the Tuxer Fernerhaus. It is the most popular piste on Tux: fairly steep in its lower section, but wide and safe all the way. Together with piste 4, which starts by the top station of the Gletscherbus, the run is about 2 kilometres long. If you are on Tux in the warm months, that is where the offer ends. If you are lucky enough to visit in winter, a run all the way down to the car park awaits. First the red piste no. 2 with machine-made snow (do not expect miracles: during the day it is not worth skiing here, it is simply a waste of time) down to the Zubringer chairlift, and then from Sommerbergalm to the car park along ski road no. 1 (watch out for stones!).