Fine dining at airy heights

Fine dining at airy heights

The Ziller Valley offers half a dozen skiing areas and 500 kilometres of piste. A paradise for lovers of deep-snow and piste skiers alike. Especially since there is no shortage of viewing points with cosy huts, sun terraces and fine food to tempt you for some après-ski refreshments.

At first sight, the Ziller Valley is just a wide aisle through wooded slopes. It gouges a 30-kilometre path deep into the Austrian High Alps. However, at second glance you notice the modern cable cars. The gondolas look as if they disappear into the snow-covered forests, and one senses that the skiing areas only really start up there. And you’re not far wrong. The piste map provided with the ‘Zillertal Superskipass’ reveals everything: half a dozen accessible snow areas stretch out above the main valley and its branches. From Fügen via Zell am Ziller and Mayrhofen, all the way up to the Gerlosplatte and into the glacier region of Hintertux. A colossal landscape. The bare facts alone are enough to get skiers excited: 506 kilometres of perfectly prepared piste served by 181 lifts. Even the most energetic and foolhardy skier will find it difficult to race down them all in one week. Of course, it’s not just the ski-freaks who get their money’s worth here. This snowy paradise holds two attractions for pleasure-skiers. Along with the perfect skiing conditions, the Ziller Valley entices with its numerous huts offering delicious food for hungry skiers.

From the end of the Karspitzbahn 2 lift in the Zillertal Arena skiing area, you race down the red piste to the ‘Enzianhof’, first enjoying magnificent views of the mountains, then later of wonderful, snow-covered woods.

At an elevation of 1,270 metres the Kerschdorfer family sell their own home-made produce of farm-reared Fleckvieh cattle and pigs. In the Felsenkeller, juicy hams, thick sausages and smoked bacon hang from the ceiling. The smell alone is enough to get your mouth watering. So, of course you are allowed to try the delicacies along with a glass of home-distilled schnapps. If hunger gets the better of you, you can take a seat in the cosy restaurant and order the butcher’s platter. And if you have any room left, you can round off the hearty meal with some sweet shredded pancakes.

An enormous red sign glows from the Isskogelbahn against the white of the surroundings: ‘Seppi’s’, the après-ski location with DJs playing laid-back sounds. But it’s not just the cool music, freshly tapped beer and well-mixed cocktails that draw you in to the conviviality. The pizza chef tosses the dough of the devilishly delicious Diavolo in front of the public and the home-made apple strudel, fresh from the oven, is simply divine. The ‘Kristallhütte’ in the Hochzillertal skiing area manages to be homely and stylish at the same time. An extensive wine list and gourmet food – be it traditional fare, such as the spinach dumplings, or more modern offerings such as the alpine ox filet with truffled creamed potatoes – and all at 2,150 metres above the sea.

You don’t even need to strap on your skis to get to the best restaurant in the Ziller Valley: the ‘Alexander’ is hidden away in the ‘Hotel Lamark’. Chef Alexander Fankhauser has gained an enthusiastic following due to his creative use of traditional Tyrolese ingredients – the blood-sausage and crayfish doughnuts are delicious. Its haute cuisine is also exquisite: the turbot in a delicate crust of ciabatta, for example. The ‘Theresa Hotel’ is the place to go if you are looking for a varied programme of indulgence: Austrian delicacies and opulent buffets, gourmet menus and international specialities. In winter, the scent of aromatic Thai food often fills the corridors – an indication that the Thai crown prince and his entourage are back for another skiing holiday.

If you prefer a more intimate snow retreat and are looking for a family-run, idyllic hotel complete with fine cuisine, why not try the ‘Jagdschloss Kühtai’ in Tyrol’s Sellrain Valley. The proprietor is Christian Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg, great-great-grandson of Kaiser Franz Joseph – he and the wood-panelled rooms of his hotel exude a magnificent Habsburg charm.

Text: Kiki Baron

Information

Hotels

Theresa
A-6280 Zell im Zillertal, Tel. +43 5282 228?60
www.theresa.at

Jagdschloss Kühtai
A-6183 Kühtai/Tyrol, Tel. +43 52?39 52?01
www.jagdschloss.at

Restaurants

Enzianhof
Gerlosberg 23, A-6280 Zell am Ziller, Tel. +43 52?82 22?37
www.enzianhof.eu

Seppi’s
Haus Nr. 307, A-6281 Gerlos, Tel. +43 52?84 54?71
www.seppis.cc

Kristallhütte
A-6272 Kaltenbach, Tel. +43 676 88?63?24?00 (mobile)
www.kristallhuette.at

Alexander
Hotel Lamark, A-6264 Fügenberg, Tel. +43 52?80 225
www.lamark.at