The Best Backcountry Skiing Routes in Innsbruck

Nestled at the intersection of 2 famous alpine valleys and surrounded by mountains, Innsbruck fully deserves its title - "Capital of the Alps". Austria might not be home to any of the 82 4000m peaks, but it has a seemingly endless array of slightly smaller peaks, many of them easily accessible from Innsbruck. Innsbruck city itself is charming, with old cobbled streets winding around the River Inn and towering mountains looming above. The mountains themselves are spectacular, lined with hiking and biking trails and home to some of the best mountain huts in Europe. The network of huts above Innsbruck is extraordinary and they can be accessed year round thanks to the efforts of the guardians to keep summer trails clear and snowy tracks ploughed in the winter. Within an hour's drive of Innsbruck you'll find enough skiing to keep you going for several lifetimes, and 1000s of scenic hikes. The lack of famous mountains in the region mean that those who visit the area are real mountain folk, more interested in experiencing the wonders of the Tirol than peak bagging, and the culture of the area is wonderfully authentic. So if culture, a taste of city life and some epically wild mountains sound like your thing - get to Innsbruck!