Publication: Southern Daily Echo Date: 2009-07-10 Author: Jayne Stamp
Jayne Stamp gets all excited by the prospect of snow and heads to the Tyrol in Austria in the hope of learning to get down the mountain in style.
For a picturesque skiing break it’s hard to beat Austria. The chalets with their carved wooden balconies and oversized roofs ooze Alpine charm, while the restaurants serving mulled wine and goulash are the perfect antidote to chilly days.
My partner and I booked a week in Söll, in the Tyrolean area of Austria. Our flights from Gatwick took us straight to Salzburg airport, and in little over an hour the coach was climbing the winding mountain roads and crossing the snow line.
Fellow ski lovers will understand the shiver of excitement this first glimpse of snow – promise of a week of exhilaration, fresh air and fun.
Our destination was the Hotel Tyrol, a welcoming four-star hotel with plenty of home comforts and charm. Of course it’s possible to have a great holiday in less luxurious surroundings, but why would you want to? Warm spacious rooms, a fabulous restaurant serving great food each morning and evening to keep those energy reserves up and sauna and steam room, all made returning from the chilly mountain after a long day’s skiing a heavenly prospect.
The pretty town itself has plenty to offer, a wide variety of restaurants and shops appeal to all ages, from the young single clubbers to the more mature holidaymaker looking to relax after a day on the slopes.
It’s small enough to feel friendly and safe, but big enough to keep you occupied for a couple of hours perusing the shops.
Söll nestles in the valley that runs along the base of the Ski Welt and is one of six villages and towns that connect to the ski range, giving lots of options for days out by skis or by bus. Within easy reach of the town centre is the gondola to take you to the top of the mountain. And if you want to conserve your energy, there’s always the free resort bus to take you there every ten minutes or so.
The gondola gives you direct access to the Ski Welt with 250km of runs, and 94 lifts or chairs. There is a good mix of slopes from easier blues to more challenging reds and blacks. There is a large ski school based at the bottom of the gondola at Söll, ideal for beginners as novices don’t need to get far on their own before being in the instructor’s safe hands.
Despite having skied before, my partner and I signed up for lessons in the hope of getting rid of bad habits and developing better techniques. Not only did the lesson do that, but they are also a great way to be guided around the mountains by someone who knows them like the back of their hand. We covered so much ground, and still had tome to work on some intense exercises to iron our techniques.
Another up-side to lessons is the people you meet along the way and the camaraderie created by sharing the same goal – to stay upright with as much dignity as possible, for as long as possible!
The Ski Welt has more than enough slopes to keep skiers of all levels amused for a week. However, if you wanted to try something else, a half hour coach trip will get you to the range at Westendorf and Brixen. A favored spot by locals, while smaller, it is quieter and you can find yourself with heaps of pristine snow ahead of you and little or no queue for the lifts.
There has been a great deal of investment in the whole area over recent years, with upgrades in snow canons and the provision of extra lifts, so even if the snow coverage has been light, you are sure to find runs in good condition to ski on. In between whizzing down mountains at full speed and taking breath on the ski lifts on the way back up, we made time to try the mountain cafes. Whether it’s a creamy hot chocolate for elevens, Tiroler Grostl (a traditional dish of chopped and fried potatoes, bacon and onions with herbs and a fried egg on top) for lunch, or a Glüehwein in the afternoon, taking a moment to spot, look at views and gossip with your skiing companions is all part of the experience.
Food did play a big part in our holiday – well, we figured we must be burning a fair amount of calories on slopes. The hotel Tyrol set us up well in the morning, with a spreads of fruit, muesli, croissants and breads, alongside sausages, bacon and eggs. Then in the evening, once we had return to the hotel, via one of Söll’s lively après-ski bars, we would sit back and enjoy the waitress service three-course meal. And if we could keep our eyes open, then the charming ski rep from Directski.com had plenty of lively social events lined up for us to join – pub quiz’s, club nights, live bands or tobogganing.
Söll makes a great base for a skiing holiday, and offers enough flexibility to tailor your holiday to suit your own skiing style, and budget. The surrounding countryside is breathtaking and the town fits in with the picturesque Austrian image.
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