Over the past couple of years, the Alpine Training Centre and director Sean Langmuir have been laying down roots at their new training base, Steinach am Brenner and the Bergeralm ski resort.
Steinach and Bergeralm offer ATC a self-contained training package. The all new ATC self catering chalets are opposite the bottom of the lift station, a 3 minute walk from the gondola. The Jufa hotel next door provides a climbing wall, a games hall for dry land training and another option for accommodation for the ATC racers if the chalets are full. Situated 20 minutes from Innsbruck airport and a 2.5 hour transfer from Munich airport, this base provides the perfect backdrop for ATC’s fun and action packed racing camps.
The benefits of the area continue once you get on the hill at Bergeralm. The gondola departs from less than 100m away from the accommodation. The resort offers a great variety of terrain and fantastic piste conditions all winter long thanks to the abundant snow cannons which are around every 50 metres down the main piste. This allows ATC to provide excellent, consistent training for all of their athletes from the beginning of December through to Spring. For these same reasons, Bergeralm regularly hosts national ski teams including the Austrian, American and German teams. Bergeralm was the training base used by Austrian World Cup legend Mannfred Pranger, who is now regularly coaching his own children in the resort alongside the ATC teams.
Bergeralm offers the ATC athletes the opportunity to train under floodlights up to 3 nights per week. The main runs are available for night skiing and indeed gate training. The ski down to the bottom of the gondola next to and then under the Brenner pass motorway bridge is spectacular at night.
Duncan Freshwater, ATC China Head Coach, who is based in Steinach this winter said “This little ski resort is absolutely the best training facility I have ever come across for alpine race coaching. Quiet, friendly town, serious snow making capacity to guarantee the white stuff, a perfect beginner’s slope for drills, excellent easy progression training pistes and a glorious back bowl for variables skiing to compliment the gate training. The options for the alpine ski coach make this the perfect coaching resort for any ability level.”
Steinach is situated within a short drive of many other resorts including Stubai Glacier, Schlick 2000 and Axamer Lizum, giving the option of varied training as conditions dictate. Racers that come to Steinach get the valuable and fun experiences of being able to enter and compete against the local Austrian clubs and other national clubs in races held on Bergeralm and in other nearby resorts all winter long.
Joakim Strickner Head of the local tourist office had this to say of the area “The Wipptal together with its authentic high mountain valleys, situated just south of Innsbruck, is a holiday area in the Tyrol, known for its unspoiled nature.
In the main valley, in the village of Steinach a high quality medium sized ski resort, named Skiarena Bergeralm is well prepared to host training groups on a top level.
Many famous athletes use this resort to train, with about 30 km of well-groomed slopes and high lift capabilities, including two cabin ropeways and chair lifts.
Three times a week the World Cup ready light system illuminates 9 km of challenging downhill. This is a perfect location for improving skills quickly and also providing different types of accommodation at the foot of the mountain and with the closeness to other glacier ski resorts such as Stubai or Hintertux, being in the heart of the Austrian Alps.
We are very proud to be hosting the Alpine Training Centre and support their professional approach of organising alpine ski training in our resort and throughout the Tyrol. The partnership with Head Coach Sean Langmuir and his skilled team together with the ski resort Bergeralm is the perfect prerequisite for great ski improvements made and to come in the future.”
The area provides a perfect alpine home for ATC and all of their athletes. They look forward to growing their roots in the valley over the coming years.