Place of power. Swiss stone pine trail on the Glungezer

The seven-kilometre-long Swiss Stone Pine Trail runs above the Inn Valley through one of the largest stands of Swiss stone pine in Europe. The trail begins at the Patscherkofel mountain station and ends at the Tulfeinalm (Tulfes). You can take the bus from Tulfes to the valley station of the Patscherkofel cable car in Igls. From there, you can take the gondola comfortably up to 1,964 m. The Swiss stone pine trail first follows a wide path to the somewhat hidden Boscheben Hut. Running along the tree line, at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, the trail ascends and descends gently, but without any significant change in altitude, all the way to the Tulfeinalm. Throughout the hike, you can look down into the Inn Valley and enjoy the breathtaking backdrop of the Karwendel range opposite. The entire route takes around 2.5 hours. Near the Tulfeinalm, you can take a leisurely ride on the new gondola lift to the Halsmarter midway station and then continue down into the valley.

The Patscherkofel Nature Trail
Above the Patscherkofel mountain hut, not only does the path towards the east begin, but also the “Patscherkofel Nature Trail” with its botanical garden. It is the highest Alpine garden in Austria and has been owned by the University of Innsbruck since 1930. It also features a modern research station within the garden. Interested visitors can follow a signposted circular walk to view naturally occurring plants such as dwarf heath, high-altitude woodland and tall herbaceous vegetation. The aim is to foster interest in and understanding of the extremely sensitive landscape at this altitude, which is coming under increasing threat due to the growing development of the mountains.

Alpine rose blossoms on the Zirbenweg
Many visitors hike the Zirbenweg at a very special time of year: once the last patches of snow have finally receded, the landscape along the Zirbenweg slowly comes to life again. The alpine roses are a magnificent natural spectacle that delights many visitors every year. We have reported in detail on the fascination of alpine roses in a blog post.

The Zirbenweg Circular Walk Ticket
is available at the valley station of the Glungezerbahn. It includes the bus journey to and from Igls, as well as transport on the Patscherkofel and Glungezer cable cars. The current prices and the Zirbenweg hiking bus timetable can be found on the Glungezerbahn website!

The Swiss Stone Pine Trail on the Glungezer leads through one of the largest stands of Swiss stone pines in Europe and also past the oldest Swiss stone pine in Tyrol. It is already a stately 750 years old and was designated a natural monument in 1926. The Swiss stone pine belongs to the pine genus and lives for an average of 200 to 400 years. However, they can reach a maximum age of up to 1,200 years.

This example illustrates particularly well just how indispensable trees are to our environment, as well as to flora and fauna. This is because numerous animal and plant species have established their habitats in and around the Methuselah Tree. The tall lichens, for example, give the tree a very mysterious appearance. And various species of woodpecker love the old tree as a nesting site.

The new 10-seater gondola lift has been in operation since the 2018/2019 winter season. Winter sports enthusiasts in particular are enjoying this new luxury at Glungezer. The double chairlift, which took a full 15 minutes to reach the midway station, was replaced on 22 December 2019, and the feedback from locals and visitors alike has been fantastic. The old Glungezer lift was particularly unsafe for children, which always proved problematic during ski lessons or family outings.

Although the municipality of Tulfes and the tourism board took over the old lift system in 2010, implementation took a while longer due to funding issues. In the end, hopes for a new lift had almost been lost, but now everyone is delighted, especially the local businesses. Many restaurants are attracting more visitors thanks to the new gondola lift, such as the Larchenhittl below the valley station, but also the Alpengasthof Halsmarter at the middle station.

What makes the gondolas special is that each one is labelled with the name of one of the 19 municipalities that co-funded the new lift. Nostalgic Glungezer fans were given the opportunity to buy the old chairlifts.

Snow-making system
As a further stage of development, a snow-making system with a reservoir was installed in 2019. The reservoir is situated above the Tulfeinalm at an altitude of 2,080 m. In total, around 17 ha of slopes are covered with artificial snow.

Combi cable car instead of combi lift
Many people remember the long T-bar lift in winter, as well as the single-seater chairlift in summer, which took them up to the Tulfeinalm. Since 2020, the last of its kind in Austria has also become a thing of the past and has been replaced by a modern combined lift: the Tulfein Express, with 26 chairs and 13 cabins. The new lift opened on 24 December 2020 and, despite this difficult winter due to the pandemic, was a resounding success with the local population.