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west road between Vienna and Zurich and at thegateway to the Brenner Pass through the Alpsinto Italy, Innsbruck is situated perfectly to accessa variety of active mountain sports.Even before the snow disappears from thepistes that surround Innsbruck, the locals haveinaugurated the biking, hiking and climbing season.The local venues for these sports are variedand spread out in all directions from Innsbruck.Many climbers spend their weekends challengingthemselves on a variety of the 150 routes to befound on the Martinswand, about 10 kilometerswest of the city. Hikers find the Axamer Lizum,southeast of town, to be a very good location topursue their passion, while the newest hit amonglocal mountain bikers is the Bikepark Tirol at theBergeralm ski area, just south of the city.I was heading west through the city a fewyears ago, on my way to ski in France, when theconditions persuaded me that a stop here wasmandatory. It was a postcard day. Snow had beendumping from the heavens for a number of days,the rooftops and trees were all clad in their heaviestcoat of winter white, and the sun finallyemerged that morning.The various Olympic venues are all at AxamerLizum, 18 kilometers outside of town. Thisis a smallish ski resort, with 10 lifts and 38 kilometersof pistes, that rises from 1580 meters upto 2340 meters atop the Hoadl. But, I was moreinterested in visiting the Nordkette ski area thatrises skyward from close to the center of town,and which is home to one of the steepest officialpistes in the world. This seemed like a brilliantLEFT: Florian Schuchter skis high up in the Karrinne above Innsbruck.BELOW: Innsbruck blends an 800 year history with a 21st Century presence -narrow streets, world-class museums, and active nightlife. photos by Jimmy Pettersonday to check out the infamous Karrinne.Driving through town to the base of the skilift, I couldn’t resist taking a short wander aroundthe narrow streets and picturesque houses of theold town before heading to the slopes. Innsbruckis steeped in Austrian history as well as ski history.Remnants of yesteryear drip off the rooftopslike snow melt in a spring thaw, and one can almostexpect to meet Maria Theresa and her entourageas one passes through this charmingquarter.In the city center is the famous GoldenesDachl, a court box for Emperor Maximilian I(1494-96), that is covered by a roof made up ofover 2600 tiles gilded with gold. Around eachcorner of the cobblestone streets of the Old Cityawaited another chapter of Renaissance Europe.Not far from the Golden Roof is the world’slargest Swarovski Crystal shop. Leave your creditcard in the car, lest you be tempted to make apurchase, but don’t miss viewing some of theamazing crystal on display here, where the bottomfloor houses an exhibition of fascinating artcreated in crystal.While walking the streets of the old town islike a stroll through a virtual museum, the HofburgPalace, the home of the local royalty in the15th century, is a true museum well worth a visit.The Gummp House, the Ambras Castle, theStadtturm, the Helblinghaus, and the TriumphArch are some of the other historic sites that keepa visitor immersed in the atmosphere of that by-Snow enthusiasts have access to over310 miles of trails in 25 surroundingresorts connected by a free ski bus.Far West Skier’s Guide 2O12 - 2O13 59