Hotels near Olympiaabfahrt, Patscherkofel

The men's Olympic downhill was never held at Axamer Lizum. In 1964 and again in 1976 it ran on the Patscherkofel, the mountain facing Innsbruck from the south, and the Olympiaabfahrt still carries a black grade. The course measures 3.4 kilometres with 700 metres of vertical, and the pitch that decided those two races has not been softened. The Patscherkofelbahn ten-seat gondola, rebuilt in 2018, lifts skiers out of Igls to the start. The wider Patscherkofel ski area holds 19 kilometres of piste with snowmaking across all of it, and an 8.2-kilometre family route from top station to valley keeps the rest of the group busy.

Igls sits roughly 7 kilometres from Innsbruck city centre at 870 metres. IVB city bus line J stops at the Patscherkofelbahn valley station and runs every 10 minutes Monday to Friday, every 15 minutes at weekends and on public holidays. Drivers pay 6.00 EUR a day to park.

Pro Tip: Keep your parking ticket at the Patscherkofelbahn valley station on Römerstraße, because the 6.00 EUR charge is refunded against a cable car ticket at the counter. Thursday is the evening when the ski touring route up the Patscherkofel stays open until 22:00.