Patscherkofel (f.k.a. Igls) Ski Resort Austria
Patscherkofel is a great fun little ski hill near Innsbruck. Little being a relative term as it has a skiable on piste vertical of around 960m - bigger than most ski resorts in North America & Japan!
Accessible from Innsbruck by car or bus to the ski resort plus the wonderful Line 6 tram to Igls, a day at Patscherkofel is memorable because you'll wish you had this little skiing gem in your own backyard.
Pros & Cons for Patscherkofel Ski Resort
Pros
- Fun ‘local’ ski area close to Innsbruck, great for day trips morning leg warmers.
- Long skiable vertical and piste trails.
- Modern lifts and facilities.
- Easy access freeride terrain and skin trail to summit.
- Splendid views over Innsbruck.
- Very quiet during the week.
- One of Austria’s best on mountain strudel selections!
Cons
- Snow quality down low can be questionable.
- Limited on-piste terrain is good for only a day or two (or a morning or two!).
- Busy on weekends.
- Top stage of new gondola is too short.
Pro or Con (depending on your Perspective!)
- Close to Innsbruck, so easy access but also big crowds on a good day.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Patscherkofel underwent a total lift redevelopment in the lead-up to season 2017/18. Completely re-inventing itself, a new 2-stage gondola replaced the old cable car & both chairlifts. Legacy surface tows were re-positioned & overall facilities have been totally upgraded turning Patscherkofel into a modern ski resort.
The resort’s Olympic heritage shines through with the top to bottom on-piste trails as good as anywhere in the world. But with a total of less than 20km of trails, it is limiting. Ski touring to the top of Patscherkofel adds another 300m vertical, for a total of 1,260m skiable vertical. The skin up is a pleasant jaunt which ends at the Gipfelstube mountain hut providing a comfortable location to warm down & get ready for the decent. Some lovely, varied off-piste terrain awaits including trees & redefines what a day at the resort can look like.
Check out the ski trail map for Patscherkofel below.
Interlinked Lift Ticket with Ski+City Pass
Whilst already having a great value ski lift pass, the resort is also part of Innsbruck’s Ski plus City Pass area which includes 13 ski resorts ranging from the small, like neighbouring Glungezer, Nordkette & Oberperfuss the in between like Axamer Lizum, Bergeralm & Schlick 2000, up to the larger such as Stubai Glacier and Kuhtai (the highest resort base in Austria). A Ski+City pass is for a minimum 2 days and allows unlimited access to all 13 ski & sled resorts, plus a wide range of attractions in the city of Innsbruck. See the Ski+City Pass resorts map here.
Where is Patscherkofel Austria?
The Patscherkofel ski resort is only 9km by road south of the world’s best ski city, Innsbruck. Access to the resort is easy by bus or car. Gateway airports are Innsbruck (INN) (for European & UK flight origins) or Munich (MUC) (for everyone else).
Getting to Innsbruck & hence Patscherkofel from anywhere in Europe can best be done by train. Trains from Munich or other locations are straight forward exercises. Search & book train tickets to Innsbruck.
See our Travel to Innsbruck page for detailed information on getting around the area.
Patscherkofel Accommodation
Whilst Patscherkofel is close to Innsbruck, there is some great local accommodation near the ski resort in or near the town of Igls.
A well-priced traditional hotel is Hotel Gruberhof. The closest hotel to the Patscherkofel base area is Hotel Garni Romerhof. It provides modern lodgings & a spa in a lovely rural setting.
The Sporthotel Igls is in the centre of Igls village. This traditional Austrian hotel with bar and restaurant is close to all the services in town & only a short distance from the ski resort.
Search & book Patscherkofel ski accommodation.
The world's best ski city of Innsbruck is clearly a wonderful cosmopolitan experience. It is the perfect central location to stay when skiing the region. Accommodation options are wide & availability is usually particularly good, even during the peak periods of the season.
Search & book all Innsbruck Accommodation.
Lessons & Guiding
If looking for local ski & snowboard lessons or off-piste guiding, see our local partners on the Patscherkofel Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds have visited Patscherkofel twice over the past few seasons - pre & post ski lift renewal. The changes are incredible, turning a functional, but historic relic into a modern, slick resort. Check our reviews via the link on the left column (or top of page if on a mobile).
See how Patscherkofel compares to the rest of the Austrian ski resorts on the Austria ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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