Austria
Rob Rees takes us on a tour around Austria’s five major ski glaciers and explains how a chance to get back on the piste is just around the corner
If you are desperate to get back on the snow after our enforced 18-month hiatus, get out to Austria this autumn where you can enjoy one of the biggest professional ski tests in the Alps, or simply treat yourself to a flexible ‘White 5’ lift pass that covers all five Tirolean glaciers on one ticket.
Like many Austrian resorts, Kitzbühel has put in a whole range of covid protection measures to keep visitors safe this winter.
Situated in the Tirol at an altitude of between 762 – 2,000m, skiers and snowboarders have a choice of 57 cable cars and lifts, 233km of pistes and 92 marked and groomed ski slopes, plus the Hanglalm Snowpark to enjoy. There’s also natural toboggan runs and four artificial and two natural ice-skating rinks.
Ischgl’s new €60m wellness complex currently being constructed is right on schedule to open at the end of next year (2022).
The impressive multi-level Silvretta Therme will have spectacular panoramic mountain views and is right in the heart of the Austrian ski resort, which has a focus on health, wellbeing, luxury and lifestyle.
Ischgl is taking action to safeguard the health and safety of skiers, boarders, employees and locals in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the Tirolean ski resort gears up for the winter season – which starts on November 26 – the decision makers in the Paznaun-Ischgl valley have devised a comprehensive package of measures including C-19 testing for locals and visitors alike.
by Lulu Sheard
Chalet Artemis, one of the most luxurious chalets in the Austrian resort of St. Anton, has been completely redesigned by luxury travel entrepreneur Andrew Dunn.
Having launched Scott Dunn in 1986, Andrew has become known for elevating the ski holiday experience with first-class personal service and premium accommodation. Built as his personal chalet, Chalet Artemis was designed using his in-depth knowledge from over 30 years in the business.
by Lulu Sheard
Bramble Ski has added three elegant chalets in the heart of Lech in Austria to its list of luxury accommodation this season. The stylish chalets, situated a stone’s throw from the Schlosskopf piste and chairlift.
by Lulu Sheard
Undeterred by Covid19, bookings for Severin*s’ winter season are coming in thick and fast, with New Year 2020/21 nearly fully booked.
Severin*s – The Alpine Retreat, is a luxury boutique ski hotel located on the outskirts of the Alpine town of Lech – around one hour’s drive from Zurich and 90 minutes from Innsbruck.
The Tyrol Tourist Board has issued a statement about resorts in the area. It says: With the announcement of the state of Tyrol on March 12, 2020, additional precautionary measures to contain and combat the spread of the coronavirus have been implemented for all of Tyrol.
British snow sculptors Justin Scott and Martin Sharp are feeling on top of the world after completing their stunning likeness of Sir Elton John on the slopes of Ischgl in the Austrian Tirol.
Ready to make a start
The two Yorkshiremen are frequent visitors to Ischgl to take part in the resort’s annual Shapes in White competition – in fact Justin met his wife Jasmina there – and with this year’s theme being 25 years of Top Of The Mountain rock concerts, it was the perfect opportunity to create a homage to Sir Elton John, who has twice performed open air gigs in Ischgl.
The Austrian ski resort, Schladming-Dachstein in Styria, has opened a new 10-seater gondola replacing the old six-seater lift on the Planai ski area.
The new gondola can transport up to 3,800 people per hour – increase of over 70% (capacity of previous gondola was 2,200ph) – which means that waiting times for winter sport enthusiasts are a thing of the past.
Klagenfurt Airport, Easyjet and two of the leading ski resorts in southern Austria have joined and have come up with a money saving offer for skiers and snowboarders who want to make a low-cost fast trip to the Alps this winter.
How the profits from contraband helped build a ski resort - Lisa Young sets off on Ischgl’s duty-free trail
Rarely have the proceeds of criminal activity been put to such noble use – at least that will be the view of skiers and boarders. Smuggling was the game and it was very popular indeed in the years after the Second World War when luxuries were in short supply in the remote Paznaun Valley in the western part of Tirol.
Crystal Ski Holidays has added the Austrian resort of Hopfgarten and Drei Zinnen in the Italian Dolimites to its programme for winter 2019/20.
PHOTO: SkiWelt-Hopfgarten/Christian Kapfinger
Part of the huge SkiWelt area, one of Austria’s three biggest ski regions with more than 285km of piste, the traditional Austrian village of Hopfgarten is just over an hour’s transfer from Innsbruck and only an hour and a half from Salzburg.
Austria’s Kaunertal glacier will unveil a new ‘Funifor’ style cable car this autumn that has been designed to cope with the thawing of the glacier it provides access to.
The new Falginjochbahn lift will cope with the thawing of the glacier
A spokesman from the area said: “Due to the glacier retreat of the last decades, the area of the Weißseeferner has changed a lot. Glaciological and geological surveys also point to the expected future changes in this area. In order to cope with this imminent change in terrain, a type of lift was chosen that can overcome large spans with a maximum of two support tower, is wind-stable and occupies as little space as possible.”
VORARLBERG ticks all the boxes for winter magic – perfect slopes and runs for skiers and free riders in state-of-the art ski resorts. There are also quiet trails for those in search of peace and tranquillity, entertaining programmes for families, and quaint villages that are pleasantly small in size.
KATY DARTFORD found that ‘skinning up’ had a whole new meaning when she visited SalzburgerLand in Austria
I’m sweating out what I’m sure is pure Austrian schnapps. But just a few more meters and I’ll be rewarded with views across Salzburgerland’s Grossarl Valley and – of course – lunch on the summit of the Filzmooshörndl at 2,189 meters, followed by a mouthwatering untracked descent.
PHOTO: TVB Paznaun-Ischgl
THE snowstorms have cleared and revealed Superheroes on the sunny, snowy slopes of Ischgl, in the Austrian Tirol. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman will preside over Ischgl until the Spring thaw – thanks to the 26th annual Shapes In White competition, which was implemented due to the abundance of snow in this special snow pocket of the Alps.
Innsbruck is a special place to visit during the festive season says SUE FREEMAN who took full advantage of the shopping and skiing on offer
The Swarovski tree at the Christmas market in Innsbruck
TODAY we were ladies who lunch. Later we would be ladies who shopped in the Christmas markets. The next day we would be ladies who ski. Not a bad programme for a pre-season trip to the magical Tirolean city of Innsbruck, bound on all sides by snow-covered slopes looking very glittery and festive.
IF you happened to be in Salzburg recently you may have been surprised to see me busking in one of the city squares!
Fortunately, this is not because I have fallen on hard times. I was actually in the city doing some filming for the Austrian National Tourist Board and one of the things they asked me to do was pretend to be a busker with a cap to collect the money out in front of me.
ZELL AN SEE-KAPRUN: The refurbishment of Zell am See’s Areitbahn ropeway, which now includes free wifi, will help bring skiers and snowboarders to the Schmittenhöhe even faster thanks to a 50% increase in passenger capacity.