I came to Austria to complete the Ski Welt Challenge, the aim of which is to ski the 279km of piste that connects the seven resorts of Brixen, Hopfgarten, Söll, Scheffau, Ellmau, Going and Westendorf. The Ski Welt region is the largest interconnected ski area in Austria.
As a first-timer to Austria, completing the challenge didn't really appeal to me. I was more interested in understanding why Austria remains the most popular destination for Irish skiers year after year.
It didn't take long to figure this out - after just 24 hours in Söll I got it.
Unlike other ski destinations, Austria's ski resorts aren't purpose-built ski towns. They are built around age-old villages with beautiful architecture. The Austrians do après ski very well and many of the hotels are family run, giving the visitor a good sense of community. Austria also offers better value for money compared to other alpine ski countries.
Söll is a typical Austrian ski resort and is home to friendly locals, snow-covered alpine wooden houses and pedestrianised streets lined with bars and restaurants. It also has a number of historic sights. I enjoyed lunch in Hotel Postwirt, where the German forces in Austria surrendered to the Allies on 8 May, 1945.
But, all this aside, the skiing is excellent and has runs that are considered some of the best in the world. There is a great range of blue, red, black and forest runs. They don't do green in Austria, but they have nursery slopes for beginners. For intermediate level there are plenty of wide blues and reds. The more advanced in my group were happy with the range of black runs, one of which I found myself on unintentionally.
My first day in Söll was perfect. By day there was excellent skiing in perfect conditions. For night time entertainment I hired a toboggan for €5 and rode the gondola to a mountain restaurant.
The setting oozed charm; the restaurant was housed in a snowy, wooden mountain hut and outside a number of locals practised their archery while listening to traditional Austrian music. But what caught my eye was the caldron of glühwein warming over an open wood fire, free for all to help themselves. After gorging on a delicious pot of fondue and a toast of schnapps we set off for our journey home, a 4km downhill toboggan ride.
To the right of the toboggan run was a sheer drop and on the left more thrill seekers enjoyed night skiing. Ski Welt has 13km of night skiing which is lit by floodlights and accessible by lifts until 3am each night. So if you want to party all night and sleep-in there is still plenty of ski time. It was a bumpy white knuckle ride back to the village, but thankfully the toboggan didn't require much skill and it guided me safely down the mountain in time to check out the bars.
For a village of its size, Söll's après ski is surprisingly lively, with over 30 bars and five nightclubs. The bar prices are good, with a large bottle of beer costing €2.90, and the Austrian favourite, a shot of Jagermeister, is €3. In the Moonlight Bar we met 'local Irishman' Lenny Carroll, who has been living in Söll for nearly 17 years. He works as a Topflight rep and rents his own self-catering apartments called Bergview Haus. Lenny is just one example of the strong Irish connection with Söll.
Aileen Eglington from Topflight says that Söll and its neighbour, Westendorf, have been Topflight's most popular destination for many years. "Kirchberg and Kitzbühel are also becoming popular with their access to Ski Welt. Many intermediate and advanced skiers in the St Johann/Kitzbühel areas also ski the Ski Welt during their week skiing," she says.
From January onwards there are plenty of mogul runs to enjoy. But moguls aside, there are advantages in going pre-Christmas; the pistes are nearly empty so there is plenty of space and no queuing for lifts. But, if you prefer the warm temperatures of March or April, it is possible to mix a ski holiday with a golf break.
If you are unlucky enough to visit Ski Welt when there hasn't been much snow, peace of mind can come from the knowledge that 210km of the 279km of slopes can be covered with artificial snow. The environmentally conscious authorities allow the snow machines to only use drinking water, making it good enough to eat.
Just two years ago they replaced the bus that linked Söll to Westendorf with a new gondola. Money has been pumped into making the Ski Welt's lift system one of the best in Europe. I rode one gondola over and over again for its heated seats and automatic roof which came down overhead, keeping its passengers warm and dry.
The advanced technology doesn't stop there. If you enter your ski pass number into the Ski Welt website at the end of each day it will give you a graph and statistics of your day on the mountain. The 'skiline' will tell you how many kilometres you skied, what altitude you reached and all the lifts and runs you used.
Needless to say, my 'skiline' didn't read the 279km of the Ski Welt Challenge - my distance didn't go much further than double figures. But I do know, after my virgin experience in Austria, I will be making a beeline back there again.
The Facts:
Deirdre Mullins was a guest of Topflight and stayed at the three-star, family run Ferienhotel Fuchs which costs from €719 including flights, half-board accommodation and transfers.
Beginners can avail of the 'learn to ski packs' for €359 and 'learn to snowboard' packs cost €369. This includes ski and boot hire for six days, five days of tuition for four hours per day and a five-day beginner lift pass.
The full Kitzbüheler Alpen Pass costs €217 for adults and gives full access to the Ski Welt and other ski areas including St Johann/Kitzbühel, Saalbach Ski Circus and Zell am See-Kaprun.
Call Topflight on: (01) 2401700 or visit: www.topflight.ie. Your local travel agent gets daily updates on special Topflight ski deals all season long.
For more information on Ski Welt, visit: www.skiwelt.at.
Deirdre Mullins
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