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SKI: Kitzbühel, Austria

David Graham
15/11/2008

CHOCOLATE-box pretty, a timeless charm and an old-fashioned welcome - yet an area steeped in tradition now has to be one of the biggest, most stunning ski playgrounds in the world.

Centre of it all is Kitzbühel, an ancient Austrian town with a cutting-edge approach to giving skiers and partygoes alike exactly what they want.

It's high on the list of places to see and be seen among the glitterati and the über-rich, especially over the weekend of the legendary Hahnenkamm World Cup ski races, so stay in the medieval gem of a place itself and it's not going to be cheap.

But the best of both worlds is just a few kilometres away in the delightful village of Kirchberg, a canny choice by specialist operators Directski, where the living is cheaper and the skiing is just as rich, thanks to an up-to-the-minute integrated lift system.

The Tirol region has been many things to many people over the decades, perhaps as a family haven for kids to be nurtured in renowned ski schools; maybe a place to polish that classic, elegant and seemingly-effortless (and timeless) Austro-English technique; or for off-piste loonies to clatter through trees on near-vertical pitches, or squeal over polished green ice on sun-seared slopes late in the season.

Stunning

Throughout the upheaval in skiing, with the growth of tailor-made, high-altitude ski stations and huge, linked ski circuits, the Tirol might have been sidelined by many people as a bit dated (like my skiing!) and maybe even twee but it's always had the lot . . . and it now has it in spades.

A key to part of the revival is the Ski Safari, with the new 3S gondola linking the Pengelstein with the Wurzhöhe above Jochberg, opening up an amazing amount of skiing and stunning high-level scenery.

Easiest way to get up top from Kirchberg is a short ride to Klausen, on the road to `Kitz', catching the long Fleckalmbahn gondola ride to Ehrenbachhöhe, then playing on some lovely reds and blues to Pengelstein and the awesome 3S.

The 3S is a wonder in itself, taking you on a spectacular peak-to-peak journey across Saukasergraben Valley, with only a single lift tower in between, travelling more than two miles each way at heights reaching more than 1,300ft. The ride, which spans a mile and a half from station to tower, is even more of a dizzying experience if you happen to be in the 30-person gondola with the partial glass floor, making you realise just what `vertical' means!

Further lifts open up the Resterhöhe sector above Pass Thurn, much higher than the rest of the area and less crowded, too, with views to take your breath away even more than the altitude.

Good for tired legs as well, by then, with blues and a super-long red back down to village level and a convivial ski bus ride back to Kitzbühel . . . where the big decision is whether to stay and party big-style or catch the train for the short hop back to Kirchberg to wind down.

Come-hither

You have a similar dilemma even if you don't wander too far, with a choice of nice home runs to either place, perhaps the best of them some lovely long blues to Kirchberg to round off a great day.

It's a smashing village in itself, with several watering holes to choose from, including an open-air bar in the village square that sends out a heady, come-hither invitation with the smell of glühwein mingling with the tang of woodsmoke as the light and the temperature fades.

Locals and skiers in the know also head for the bar of the family-run Hotel Rösslwirt, our friendly home base - and home of choice for the Swedish national ski team during race week - before a fortifying meal ahead of the night's festivities.

The hotel has its own butchery and chances are, the pick of a dinner menu rich in game might well have been shot by the owner, Heinz. Essential advice is `be hungry!'

Not up to a full-blown party afterwards? A horse-drawn sleigh ride could be just what the metabolism ordered, snuggled under animal skins, with good company of course, and off into the crisp, crystal-clear night along frozen country roads lit only by the stars, until the lights of a mountain inn beckon you inside for hot chocolate and rum.

Enjoyable

Back home later for a natter and a nightcap with the Schießl family at the Rösslwirt, bouncing doubts about the degree of skiing difficulty the morning after with Heinz and his wife Marion. But a hearty breakfast, a train ride to Kitzbühel and a contemplative coffee is about right, then a look at the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill race piste - the Streif.

And it is just a look for most people, for it is expert territory for skiers who don't have nerves, either. After the race weekend, most of it is opened up for lesser mortals, and snow permitting, you can have a bash . . . but it has to rank as one of nature's most effective laxatives, even with some pitches taken slowly and somewhat gingerly.

Much of the other skiing around town, including the landmark Kitzbüheler Horn, is regarded as not-too testing for both skiers and boarders but it is very enjoyable, with the area boasting a total of 168km of immaculate runs, signposted for all levels of ability.

There's a lot more snowmaking than there used to be, with snow canons covering 84 pistes and, naturally, there are also plenty of high-level Alpine halts where you can stop off for a drink, a bowl of goulash and a gaze at the jaw-dropping scenery.

Limiting? Not for me, because what it might lack in black runs, it more than makes up for it in sheer enjoyment and atmosphere. And I can't wait for the next time.

FACT FILE:
Directski.com has a week's ski holiday in Kirchberg from £369 per person, based on two sharing a room in the Pension Franglhof on a b&b basis, with Manchester flights and transfers. A week's b&b stay at the Hotel Rosslwirt costs from £489, including return Manchester flights and transfers – directski.com or tel 0800 358 0448. For information about the Tyrol region of Austria see www.tyrol.com, email info@tirol.at or telephone +43 512 72720.