Austrian delights for the non-skier
As a keen but cautious skier of many years standing (correction... falling !) I had honestly never visualised going to Austria’s Tirol, without actually taking to the slopes.
Still recovering from breaking my shoulder a year ago (yes, it was a ski accident!), memories of enticing picture-postcard villages, ludicrously blue skies, delicious Austrian comfort food and the promise of ‘re-energising’ wellness and safe outdoor pursuits was too good to miss. Donning skis and leaden boots, careering down steep icy slopes had for now lost its allure.
A visit to the impressive Tyrolean terrain of Ferienland and Kufstein, a fine medieval town on the banks of the River Inn, an hour-plus by train from Innsbruck, and about the same distance from Munich, was to be all about “enjoying peaceful moments in a magical winter setting, leaving behind the stresses of everyday life”.
Gentle walks on cleared pathways, snowshoeing, a Qi Gong hike, and detox and spa wellness which Austria does perfectly beckoned.
On our first morning, an assortment of ages and nationalities, united in our goal to enjoy Austria without venturing near a ski slope, found ourselves on a snowshoe walking crash course. Up to our knees in virgin snow, we had strapped (with some difficulty) hi-tech snowshoes to our footwear and tramped about on a practise walk while our guide playfully demonstrated a sporty falling technique called “a bum slide”.
That sounded suspiciously similar to scary skiing, I thought. Well no, apparently not. As long as you remembered to stop the Bigfoot-style heavy-duty plastic paddles that clip on to your walking boots from touching each other and you balanced your body a little forward all the time, snowshoeing was perfectly safe.
Here in the Hohe Tauern National Park, and in much of Austria, snowshoeing is growing in popularity as a alternative winter sport.
Snowshoeing turned out to be active and great fun, allowing us to walk easily through glittering snow fields, our footsteps vanishing as the snow settles. Now and then, through a clearing in the woods, we stopped to marvel at the view of awesomely high Alpine peaks.
Off the beaten track on a snowshoe trip, you might spot Tirol’s ‘big five’ — Chamois, Ibex, Eurasian Nutcracker, Golden Eagle, and Alpine hare. Our beginners’ group — red-faced and gasping , only one or two trying out the “bum slide” — accomplished a respectable 7km or so that morning.
Pleasantly tired and ravenously hungry, we clattered down a winding lane through farmyards with Hansel and Gretel carved buildings flanked by mountains of neatly stacked firewood. At the Alpenrose restaurant, steaming bowls of soup with dumplings and tasty Tyrolean specialities awaited the starving walkers. A sinful slab of homemade strudel with whipped cream rounded lunch nicely off amid suggestions that we start snowshoeing again to work off all those calories.
Our calf muscles still tender thanks to the steep gradients, the next day we were introduced to the art of Qi Gong on a walk by the (blissfully flat) frozen Hechtsee lake. We formed a circle to learn the rudimentary philosophy of Qi Gong, a series of energy-building exercises designed to bring the body, mind, and spirit together as one.
In the distance, the faint sound of Kufstein’s famous organ — the largest in the world — being put through its paces wafted upwards, lending a ghostly presence to this most fairytale of settings. Harold the Qi Gong instructor tells us to focus on tranquillity, the beauty of our surroundings, and the power of nature. He has a captive audience.
Aer Lingus operates daily flights from Dublin to Munich. Affordable resort transfers (one hour from Munich to Kufstein) through www.transfer.tirol.at The popular ski resort of Soll with packages from Topflight, (see www.topflight.ie) is just 10km away from Kufstein.
Elegant Hotel Panorama Royal Bad Haring (www.panorama-royal.at) has stunning views, prices start from €81 pp. Best Western Alpenrose Kufstein (www.alpenrose-Kufstein.at)
See www.kufstein.com For the Tirol www.visittirol.co.uk Two night hotel taster packages from €112.
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