The mountain that held the alpine events of two Winter Olympics, in 1964 and 1976, twenty minutes from the middle of Innsbruck. That proximity is the point, because you can stay in a real Austrian city and be on serious snow before the lifts have warmed up. Axamer Lizum sits in a high bowl that faces north and holds snow well into spring, with steep terrain that reflects its racing history. Muttereralm on the neighbouring hill is gentler and has a good toboggan run. There is almost no accommodation at the ski area itself, so people stay in Innsbruck or the villages below and take the bus. The Innsbruck lift pass covers several mountains around the city, which makes a week here unusually varied.