One of the main reasons that led us to establish Ski Paradise's base camp in a small village near Innsbruck was the vast opportunities the city and its mountains offer us for skiing along with its vibrant cultural life.
The City of Innsbruck offers locals and visitors a unique mix of urban flair and an alpine lifestyle seldom seen elsewhere. The Capital of the Alps is the gateway to the mountains. Only in Innsbruck can you go from the city center to enjoy the winter in the mountains in 20 minutes.
Innsbruck is home to over 130,000 residents, with about 30,000 being students, many of whom are from abroad. So it's no surprise that the city is seen as "young, cool and modern". At first sight, the city's trendy and winter sports atmosphere is immediately apparent.
Innsbruck has so much to offer in addition to the ski slopes: unusual cultural events, a wide range of excellent shops, bars and cafés, restaurants, and a multitude of trendy pubs.
Start a day on the ski slopes and end it enjoying an evening in the city.
In Innsbruck, skiing feels like an urban experience due to the short distance to the mountains. More than anywhere else in the world, Innsbruck offers the urban atmosphere of a city, but in the shadow of a mountainous landscape. If you want to transform your ski holiday into something extra special, you can combine the best of both worlds at Innsbruck's Ski Paradise.
In the morning, we head up to Patscherkofel, Innsbruck’s "local mountain", where the Winter Olympic Games were hosted in 1964 and 1976. In Patscherkofel there is the slope where Franz Klammer wrote one of the most brilliant pages on Alpine Skiing in the Winter Games history when he won the gold medal in the downhill for Austria on February 5th, 1976.
Patscherkofel is Innsbruck's Ski Paradise in the south, easy to recognize from its rounded shape and the prominent radio mast on its peak. Innsbruck locals appreciate the resort's proximity to the city, which is just 6,5 km away. Is easy to reach with the Free Ski Bus and the city bus line J.
The new Patscherkofelbahn 10-person monocable gondola has been in operation since December 2017. From the bottom station (1,010 m.), you will reach the mountain station (1,965 m) quickly, and easily in 9 minutes.
In the afternoon, we enjoy a walk through the historic Old Town, the "epicenter" of Innsbruck, with the Imperial Palace, the city's famous galleries, the Golden Roof, the cathedral on Domplatz Square, and Maria Theresien Street.
We rounded up our day in Innsbruck by experiencing an emotion-filled dance theater at the Congress Center Innsbruck.
After the success of the inaugural edition, the Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival is back and on February 20th, we attended the premiere of Dorian Gray.
Based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Gasa Valga, and his Limonada Dance Company are staging a piece whose content seems more relevant today than ever: It tells the story of a man who is given eternal youth by a magical portrait, while the painting ages in his place and shows the effects of his moral failings. In this world premiere, Gasa Valga stages the pursuit of pleasure and selfishness, which ultimately leads to Dorian Gray's downfall.
Rising star Australian Locke Venturato, took on the lead role in the dance piece. The musical highlights include the talented singer Greta Marcolongo with her deep and at the same time heartfelt voice. Arranged by Roberto Tubaro, she is responsible for the musical accompaniment of Dorian Gray together with the singers Jana Stöckler-Spazier and Elisa Gobbi.
Roberto Tubaro's musical arrangements create a world of sound between seduction and the abyss, which impressively underlines the dark aesthetics of the piece. Musically, the repertoire ranges from classical to jazz and chanson to modern pop and rock sounds, which make the characters' inner conflicts intensely tangible. The stage design relies on two strong symbols: an oversized mirror and an opulent armchair, while the sophisticated lighting design immerses the stage in atmospheric moods - from seductive shine to threatening darkness.
With the premiere of Dorian Gray, Enrique Gasa Valga and the Limonada Dance Company showcase in an exciting and thrilling performance the cult of youth and beauty, along with its dark consequences, which seem more relevant than ever from today's perspective.
With a top-class cast and a perfectly coordinated ensemble, the premiere was an unforgettable experience.
A wonderful day full of lifelong memories!!!
PS: The Innsbruck Winter Dance Festival 2025 runs until March 2, 2025. In addition to Dorian Gray, the program also includes Carmina Burana by Ilya Jivoy and Maurice Ravel's Boléro, choreographed by Gasa Valga.
Further Dorian Gray's performance dates are February 26, 27, 28, and March 1 and 2, 2025.
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