Tirol's summer in the mountains magazine 2013

MY TIROL 01 · 2013 Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine

Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine Edition 01 · 2013

Edition 01 · 2013

MY TIROL Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine

Sports & Activities: Summit conquerors page 22 Nature & Health: The journey is the goal page 38 Family experience: Lots of space for adventure and relaxation page 54 Culture & Gastronomy: Mountains aflame page 80

Tirol Shop Inserat

Your Piece of Tirol

Summer in the Mountains

路 www.tirolshop.com

路 Shop Innsbruck 路 Maria-TheresienStrasse 55 路 6020 Innsbruck

Editorial

Josef Margreiter

CEO, Tirol Tourist Board

Tirol. Power spot in the heart of the Alps.

Tirol has 573 three-thousand meter peaks, 23,000 kilometers of hiking trails, more than 600 approved mountain biking routes, more than 5,000 alpine climbing routes, 70 toque-awarded restaurants, 10,000 springwater sources. The list could be lengthened anytime on request. Because Tirol’s summer in the mountains offers a bevy of superlatives.

But we don’t want to provide mere statistics.

We want to tell you the best stories.

Stories about the summer in the mountains.

Exciting and relaxing. Strong and softspoken. Brief adventures and grand love stories. About people, nature and a culture of being alive. Not as a requirement, but as incentive, impulse, inspiration. For your own personal script. Compose your own incomparable story in the summer in the mountains of Tirol. And I promise you, it will be extraordinary. Unique. Unforgettable.

Kindest regards, Josef Margreiter

–

Sports & Activities

Nature & Health

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Tom Dauer Stories of a summer in the mountains

At a glance Conquer Tirol

At a glance Feeling Tirol

About a biking tour in the Karwendel, the fascinations of glaciers and family adventures on a summer sledding run - four episodes of the summer in the mountains in Tirol.

An interview with mountain biking World Cup champion Lisi Osl. Sports country Tirol in statistics

‘Happy When Walking’ - an essay by Alois Schöpf. Where do the stars go golfing?

18

Eagle Walk On the lookout for eagles

Mountain biking Outstanding prospects for mountain bikers

Touring tips for beginners, advanced bikers and pros

20

Hiking without a backpack. Where are the best chances to spot a golden eagle?

38 Lechweg The journey is the goal

Downhill Now Comes Downhill

A portrait of Europe’s first ‘Leading Quality Trail’. Plus: instructive thematic trails

22

Biking hiking Happiness on two wheels

What do I have to know about downhills?

40

Mountain climbing Summit conquerors

A report about a typical biking-hiking day

24

Nature On the path of nature

The most renowned peaks of the land at a glance

42

Climbing The fascination of rock walls

On a guided Nature Watch Tour, you discover the flora and fauna of the region.

26

Alpine Wellness The power of the Alps

“Rock climbing makes you free.” Guido Unterwurzacher, rock climbing pro, about ‘his’ sport

Whitewater Out on the wild waters

Regardless whether rafting, canyoneering or kayaking - adventurous thrusts of adrenaline are guaranteed on Tirol’s waterways.

28 Items close to my heart

Unbreakable glasses, intelligent jackets and the right lotion on the mountaintop

30 Tips & Info

How do I plan my next mountain biking tour?

New app for rock climbing fans

4 My Tirol

36

44 Age-old herbs and products in Tirol - how do they contribute to our well being?

46 Items close to my heart

Telescope hiking sticks, Swarovski binoculars and an Alpienne hay blossoms bath

48 Tips & Info

How do I select the most suitable hike for my needs? Where can I book a mountain guide?

Contents

Family experience

Culture & Gastronomy

52

68

86

At a glance Discovering Tirol

At a glance Savouring Tirol

Imprint

A check-list with tips: how to prepare for a family hike

Culinary, cultural and customs tid-bits

54

Tirolean schnapps culture Noble sips

Family Tirol Lots of space for adventure and relaxation

Action for the young ones, relaxation for the parents

56 Leisure activities Floating in 7th heaven - together

A selection of high rope gardens, adventure and action parks

70 Tirolean brandies at a glance

72 Tirolean culinary routes Chocolate hikers

On the path of ‘Tiroler Edle’

74 Gourmet cuisine ‘Storytelling in the kitchen’

Andreas Senn creates a new dish

58

76

Tirol’s Summer Cablecars Summit joy for everyone

Filmland Tirol Exciting film locations

The awarded Austrian summer cablecars with their focus on family

From ‘Mountain Doctor’ to ‘The good years are past’ - cineast hikes

60

78

Family climbing Tirol - Climbing paradise for the whole family

Culture A village and its passion

61 Holidays on the Farm About hens and kittens

What everyday life on a farm looks like

62 Items close to my heart

A Tirolean card game, snuggly warm house slippers and funny children’s T-shirts

Four centuries of passion plays: innovations, performance dates

80 Customs Mountains aflame

A mythical spectacle at summer solstice

82 Items close to my heart

Speck, tortes and festive wear

64

84

Tips & Info

Tips & Info

How to select the most suitable leisure activities for a family vacation

Highlights of the cultural summer 2013

My Tirol

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Hiking 6 Myin Tirol the Karwendel

Stories of a summer in the mountains

›

Dark gray giants shoulder-to-shoulder

by Tom Dauer

It’s the middle of July. I’m biking into the Karwendel, that mighty mountain range between the Inntal and the Isar, stretching out between Lake Achensee and the Bavarian border.

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rom a bird’s-eye perspective you can look down on four different ranges extending from east to west. You can also spot three deeply cleft valleys tracing their paths through them in which after hard winters the high alpine pastures blossom in luscious green and the autumn follows with golden hues of the forests.

Above it all, an incomparable palette of colours offers everything the eye can swallow: bleached beds of scree dotted with snow patches until far into summertime fill the concave cliff bowls. These extend up to the dark gray, forbiddingly steep cliff walls that stand guard like dozens of fairy giants shoulder-to-shoulder to demonstrate just how puny human existence really is.

That’s where I want to go. All alone. I like being alone in the mountains. That way, I can continue to traipse onward, slow down, turn back or do headstands whenever I feel like it.

On my mountain bike I wend my way along the forest trail that leads straight through the Risstal into Johannestal. It’s a good five kilometers, this long trail flanked by dense coniferous woodlands nestled against the starkly ascending slopes.

Biking uphill is arduous, I can hear how my own breathing is the most audible noise far and wide, how my gaze turns more and more inward, how the struggle with my own inner frailties takes more and more of my strength.

I want to take something home from this experience.

Capture unique moments.

Tom Dauer

mountaineer, author, filmmaker

Tom Dauer was born in 1969, grew up in Mexico City and Munich. His parents taught him to love the mountains. Later on he spent many years traveling and mountain climbing in the Alps, the Andes and the Himalaya.

I don’t like that. I didn’t come here to exhaust myself. I want to take something Today this literature specialist and German home from this experience. Gather new im- School of Journalism graduate loves more than anything else to work in the mountain ranges pressions. Capture unique moments. of the world, where he combines passion with At the next switchback curve, where profession. He contributes regularly to GEO, the wind has carved an empty corridor GEO Special and National Geographic and is through the woods, I stop. Wait until my a columnist for the magazines Active Life and pulse slows down. Then I gaze up at the ALPIN. In addition, he has published several main ridge of the Karwendel out of which books on the subject of mountains, mountaithe Birkkarspitze, the highest summit of neering and adventure. As a climbing expert he the range, rakes and claws its way upward. writes scripts and directs documentary films.

A kilometer-long rampart whose northern crags are so high and overpowering that In 2012 he was awarded two distinguished priyou can’t really grasp the dimensions. An zes: the ‘Berg.Welten’ prize of the Tirol Tourist inexplicable, nearly magnetic power seems Board for a GEO report and the Golden Alpine to emanate from this landscape. It forces Camera of the Graz Film Festival for his docuyou to come closer, to come very near. mentary ‘Petit Dru, the fallen mountain’.

That’s the only way you can you begin to comprehend it, by grasping hold of it. The Tom Dauer lives at a lonely hermitage farmgrass, the trees, the ground beneath your house between Munich and the rim of the › Bavarian Alps. feet, the gravel, the rocks.

My Tirol

7

On walking and looking It’s the middle of August. I’m listening to the fish-swarming brooks, whose water comes from the glaciers of the Stubai Alps: Sulztal, Schwarzenberg, Wilde Leck and Kuhscheiben glaciers, weird and wild names one and all.

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uptured through and through with crevices, glistening and glowing in that unique blue-white hue, this is the festive attire of the three-thousand meter peaks: up close they seem to drape the mountain flanks like long gowns. From a distance they resemble white ruff collars.

head. For a while I just listen to the burbling of the brook, after a spell learning to distinguish between the high tones and low tones of the gurgling stream, the capricious and the steadfast flowing water. On a spontaneous impulse I rip off my T-shirt and dip my head into the water. Just for a few instants, that’s all it takes for the glacier water to make And what a contrast the valleys are! Near- my scalp cringe. What a gorgeous feeling. ly sweet and inviting by comparison. All around Gries im Sulztal, a western late- Extraordinarily rejuvenated, I hike along ral arm of the great Ötztal, the high alpine the trail. To begin with its level, then aspastures are as sumptuous as can be. The cends increasingly steeply, past Vordere farmers and their helpers will soon start Sulztalalm pasture, up to the Amberger scything the fields. The early morning coolness has long been replaced by summertime It is a miracle that repeats itself heat. again and again, how rapidly Karwendel one covers distances in the high Between the steep slopes to the left and right mountains. of the village the air nearly vibrates, dense with humidity, beneath the pale sky. Not a Hut. It is a miracle that repeats itself again For that reason, a paradox reigns in the breath of wind stirs. It is eerily quiet, as if the and again, how rapidly one covers distances Karwendel. Even though you can’t traverse thick air could swallow up every sound, as if in the high mountains: from the dark green it quickly, even though you have to endure a strange numbness blankets all of life. Peop- forests over the treeless, and soon shrubless long trails, make an effort over many hours, le and nature are standing stock still, silently slopes up into the very cold, very forbidding, take your time and allow yourself lots of in- hoping that a starry night will wake us again, built-for-eternity strongholds of ridges, refresh us. towers, peaks and summits.

An inexplicable, nearly magnetic power seems to emanate from this But I can’t wait that long. I descend a few stri- And then, as if it had been standing at landscape. des down the hillside, walk under a narrow 2,135 meters above sea level forever: the wooden bridge straight to the banks of the Amberger Hut, ensconced against the termissions; even though the Karwendel ex- brook which has worn down its primordial green-laced end moraine marking the acts a certain humility on mountain bikers, rocks of red-gray-brown to smooth round longest tongue of the glacier. I take a seat hikers, mountaineers and climbers, you spheres. I lean back on one of the flat boul- on the terrace and begin to gaze, simply to want to come back every single summer. You ders whose textured ripples remind me of gaze, and continue to do so well into the – want to delve deeper into its secrets.

– seawaves and clasp my hands behind my evening.

8 My Tirol

Stories of a summer in the mountains

›

Surrounded by the mighty three-thousand meter peaks, Amberger Hut (built in 1888) invites hikers to take a break.

My Tirol

9

On ‘Zirbenweg’ a famous panorama and teaching path between Glungezer 10 My Tirol and Patscherkofel.

Stories of a summer in the mountains

›

What you say, you have to do It’s the end of August. A little human being doesn’t want to walk.

Okay, the little human being is admittedly only six years old and it’s his privilege not to wish to climb mountains. What next?

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ortuitously, it is not difficult to reach a family compromise in Tirol. We choose the summer sledding run above Durchholzen on the northern flank of the Zahmer Kaiser. We embark on our adventure via cablecar and the wee fellow’s eyes begin to sparkle. With his stubby little fingers, he points to the silvery, shining sledding run that curls its way valleywards like a snake. “Are we With his stubby little fingers, he points to the silvery, shining sledding run. going down that, Daddy? Mommy won’t dare.” The little human being’s mother puts on her most superior smile - which means she has accepted the challenge.

When we get to the mountain terminal, we break the news gently to the little human being that we are first going to walk a short ways. Over to the Aschinger pasture where there is an inviting snackboard and lots of other delicious things awaiting us. On the way the little human being asks every five minutes how far it still is to reach the playground and his soda, which were promised to him. “Not much longer,” I tell him.

The answer is highly unsatisfactory - how else could it be, when time is something abstract to him, his life consists solely of the here and now, not of events in the future or in the past. Fortunately the hike really only takes 30 minutes. What’s more, as soon as the little human being spots the slide and the swing, to say nothing of kids

his age shouldering wooden rifles, there is nothing that can hold him back.

A fair spell of time passes before we even see him again.

“Come on, we’re going to walk just a little further,” I suggest. But he is deaf to my proposals. “You said we’re taking the sledding run today, Daddy, and what you say, you have to do.”

I have the distinct feeling I’ve been caught red-handed. But then I recall just how wonderful it used to be, sitting on one of the flat sleds with my father behind me, his arms protectively wrapped around me, the breeze whipping through my hair...whoever brakes first is the loser! It goes without saying that we were faster than my mother and brother. “Okay, let’s go to the sledding run.”

Whoever brakes first is the loser!

While we’re walking down to the middle station, I have to slow the little human being down, he is practically leaping over every root and stone to get there as fast as he can. That’s just fine.

‘Time’ can mean ‘ bored’ just as much as it can mean ‘avid’ or ‘ homesick’. In that moment it dawned on me that my ‘time’ in the mountains is very closely related to the fact that I never, ever felt bored there. I hope that my son will someday feel the same thing.

When he is guiding his own child down the summer sledding run someday.

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My Tirol

11

The gift of hospitality It’s the middle of September. Twilight is stretching out its feelers. I’m tired, washed out, I am tramping down the mountainside trail.

I

have to be careful not to stumble over just finished doing his homework together. roots or rocks in the fading light. It is “We’re already closed,” Grandma says. “Yes, diminished even further by the dark I’m sorry,” I reply. “But today I just can’t treetops hovering above the trail. I wonder make it all the way down to the valley. Do how far it still is. Far below me, a glittering you have a room?” The old lady hesitates. carpet of pixels blinks yellow and orange Then she says, “First, have a seat...let’s put a lights up at me. That’s the village. That’s little solid food in your stomach.” where I want to go.

She nimbly gets up, takes her grandson I trudge pass my first hay sheds, a little by the hand and goes into the kitchen. I while later I spot the first mountain farm- sit down on a corner bench and wait. It houses high above the valley, rising like doesn’t take long before Grandma reapgiant shadows against the dark blue sky.

They stand there so silently, so stolidly, as if there were no life to be found behind their massive walls: no old people leaning against the warmth of the tile stove, no men who are leafing through the daily newspaper, no women doing the desk work in the evening hours (a farm has to be run like a business these days), no children still romping around in their beds.

But wait, there’s a light, shining in someone’s living room! It’s an inn, even though it doesn’t look like one and is certainly not expecting guests at this time of day. I knock at the door, then again, several times. When there is no response, I decide to go in. The tables are of solid stone pine, the benches and chairs around them I knock at the door, then again, several times. When there is no response, I decide to go in. have darkened with time, over decades. It takes a moment for my eyes to get accustomed to the light. Then I see the dark pair of eyes staring at me in the dusk: Grandma with her grandson, it looks like they’ve

12 My Tirol

Stories of a summer in the mountains

Innergschlöss, Osttirol

pears, with a wooden board on which cheese, mountain bacon, a piece of smoked meat, two little salami-type sausages, a bit of horseradish and a tiny ceramic tub of fresh mountain lard have been arranged. She brings me some bread. “Baked it myself today. So eat up until you‘re full.”

I break out in a broad grin and nod gratefully at her. Then I eat up every single crumb without saying another word.

I break out in a broad grin and nod gratefully at her. Then I eat up every single crumb without saying another word.

Cheese dumplings

It is that scene - the old woman, the young kid, the dark dining room - that remains most indelibly imprinted on my memory of that mountain hike until this day. Where was it? I think it was somewhere in the Lechtal Alps. But it could have been any– where in Tirol.

My Tirol

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14 My Tirol

Sports & Activities

At a glance page 16 Outstanding prospects for mountain bikers page 18 Now Comes Downhill page 20 Summit conquerors page 22 The fascination of rock walls page 24 Out on the wild waters page 26 Items close to my heart page 28 Tips & Info page 30 Mountain biking on Hรถttinger Alm near Innsbruck

My Tirol

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Backcountry tour to the Kuchenspitze, Lechtal Alps

Eagle Walk alpine

Well equipped

Biker information

Tirol’s well known long-distance hiking route leads through eight exciting and sportive stages, including into high alpine regions. The high altitude variants in the Lechtal Alps are demanding and require reliable sure-footedness. They offer the ultimate in mountain experiences and – in case you seek it – isolation. This is the place to get away from it all.

For mountain emergencies, just call the Alpine Emergency tel. no. 140. A new, very convenient supplement for smartphone users is the free emergency app of the Tirolean Mountain Rescue Service (Android, iOS), which connects directly to the command center in Tirol. The caller location is determined more quickly and precisely via GPS coordinates, so the Tirolean Mountain Rescue can find the rescue spot faster and coordinated action begin sooner.

Through its certification of new biking routes, Bike Trail Tirol, which extends over approximately 1,000 kilometers, can now be covered almost entirely on Tirolean territory. The tour equipment materials include maps, altitude profile and GPS data on the nine stages between Kitzbühel and the Zillertal as well as numerous other useful bits of information for a perfect biking trip. Get it online

› www.bergrettung-tirol.com

› www.tyrol.com/mountainbiking

› www.tyrol.com/eaglewalk

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My Tirol

Sports & Activities

“The offerings are incredibly diverse” Interview Daniel Naschberger

Why is Tirol considered to be the world’s Number One sports country? Tirol makes immense efforts to provide a wide range of sports possibilities. The offerings are incredibly diverse. Summertime in particular makes it clear that mountains aren’t just there for skiing. You can go climbing, mountain hiking, paragliding...or mountain biking. There is something that appeals to the taste of every sports lover on earth.

Lisi Osl

Mountain biking World Cup champion

The mountains of Tirol can be experienced and explored in multifold ways. Mountain biking World Cup champion Lisi Osl likes doing it on two wheels best of all.

What makes Tirol such special biking country? Here you can find terrain in all its variations, ranging from flat to hilly.

In other countries a mountain is finished in 20 minutes, that can’t happen in Tirol.

The combination of heights and nature’s ultimate scenery is simply phenomenal. But Tirol isn’t just suited to mountain bikers and downhillers, it has something for everyone who loves whizzing speedily across the flat countryside, too. Especially for training purposes, and for testing my basic endurance, I love to get onto my racing bike.

Where are the best places in Tirol’s mountains to go biking? There are so many On the Gaisberg near Kirchberg there is a fabulous regions, the repertoire of biking ‘Lisi Osl Trail’. Is that an honor? It sure is. routes, regardless whether for mountain It is a truly extraordinary thing. I was perbiking, downhill or racing, is highly varied. mitted to snip the ribbon for the grand Since I go biking all year round on many opening in 2011. To begin with, it didn’t international routes for comparison, I really really sink in what it all meant, but when treasure it when I can go biking here in Tirol. someone told me for the first time that he I go most often in the Kitzbühel Alps, which had biked the Lisi Osl Trail, I suddenly is where I'm from, where there are countless realized that I was nearly bursting with pride. trails and places to venture. Besides, that’s – Thank you for the interview. where I know my way around best.

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i Sports country in statistics Mountain biking more than 600 approved mountain biking tours across more than 5,600 kilometers in all grades of difficulty and 41 approved single trails; eight regions specializing in mountain biking; more than 320 qualityapproved biker accommodations Bike Trail Tirol at 1,000 kilometers the longest mountain biking roundabout course in the Alps; 27,000 meters of altitude, 32 stages; eight several-day roundabout routes and eight day-long roundabout tours as highlights of Bike Trail Tirol Mountain hiking 573 three-thousand-meter peaks, 735 mountain guides Rock climbing more than 5,000 alpine climbing routes, 3,000 sport climbing routes, 1,500 boulder problems, many fixed rope climbing routes Whitewater 120 kilometers of rafting fun on Tirolean streams and rivers; more than 30 regional rafting and more than ten canyoneering providers; countless accessible gorges; kayak tours in Upper and Lower Inntal

My Tirol

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Unbeatable prospects for mountain bikers

By Daniel Naschberger

Mountain bikers are continually on the move through a finely tuned network of paths and trails with countless forks and turnoffs.

Beginners just learning the complex interplay of pure strength, flexible fitness and shifting gears will find the perfect route for their needs, as do pros who are

accustomed to the ascents. The Bike Trail Tirol covers 32 stages, about 1,000 kilometers and 27,000 meters of ascent through diverse countryside landscapes. You will

find dream-come-true biking tours of one-to-several days for every taste, from rookies to experienced mountain bikers.

– Cast a glance at a few examples...

Roundabout tour for beginners ‘Drei Kaiser’ roundabout tour

Roundabout tour for advanced bikers ‘4 Huts’ roundabout tour

Roundabout tour for the experienced ‘Karwendel’ roundabout tour

The Drei Kaiser (‘Three Emperors’) roundabout tour is a truly imperial, easy to manage tour with medium-difficult sectors. All those who are biking a severalday tour for the first time will find this the perfect initiation. Whispering gently through the hilly countryside around the Wilder and Zahmer Kaiser and the Niederkaiser, then along the Loferer Steinberge.

Lots of alpine pastures, farmhouses and little lakes dot the way as you pedal up hill and down dale.

This tour leads through four one-day stages into the heights of the surrounding mountain ranges. The mountains of Osttirol are unusual, with striking forms and two extraordinary massifs: the Grossglockner in the east and the Grossvenediger in the west. In the southern parts of the region, the wild crags of the Lienz Dolomites soar into the sky. The goals of each stage are Alpine Club huts where mountain athletes are warmly and cordially welcomed.

The Karwendel roundabout tour was conceived and designed a few years ago. It created a mountain biking highlight on the northern flank of the Main Alpine Ridge.

Using Kufstein as your point of departure, you venture on a four-day mountain biking tour from the northeastern border of Tirol straight through its heartland. The tour combines stretches through the Karwendel range which have since attained cult status as well as newly devised stretches that lead you through the Inn Valley and the Sonnwend range.

Stages

Stages

Stages

1

Starting point: Walchsee Goal: Erpfendorf Meters of ascent: 600

1

Starting point: Lienz Goal: Anna Schutzhaus Meters of ascent: 1,350

1

Starting point: Kufstein Goal: Maurach am Achensee Meters of ascent: 1,800

2

Starting point: Erpfendorf Goal: Fieberbrunn Meters of ascent: 430

2

Starting point: Anna Schutzhaus Goal: Lienzer Hütte Meters of ascent: 1,050

2

Starting point: Maurach am Achensee Goal: Scharnitz Meters of ascent: 1,730

3

Starting point: Fieberbrunn Goal: Scheffau Meters of ascent: 500

3

Starting point: Lienzer Hütte Goal: Hochsteinhütte Meters of ascent: 1,900

3

Starting point: Scharnitz Goal: Schwaz Meters of ascent: 1,400

4

Starting point: Scheffau Goal: Walchsee Meters of ascent: 1,160

4

Starting point: Hochsteinhütte Goal: Lienz Meters of ascent: 1,050

4

Starting point: Schwaz Goal: Kufstein Meters of ascent: 1,950

18 My Tirol

Sports & Activities ›

One-day roundabout tour for beginners One-day tour ‘Kaiserwinkl’ On this new one-day tour ‘Kaiserwinkl’, you ride through typical rural countryside and cultivated fields in the lowlands of Tirol and along the rim of the Wilder Kaiser.

The 40-km long roundabout tour starts in Kössen and thanks to the well distributed ascents is easy to manage. Along the way, the lovely village centers will entice you to make a stopover or two.

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Kilometers: 40 Meters of ascent: 700 Highest point: 1,025 m Grade of difficulty: easy Condition: medium Riding time: 5 hrs

One-day roundabout tour for advanced bikers Marienbergjoch This one-day roundabout tour is just the right thing for demanding mountain bikers: 1,000 meters of ascent distributed over ten kilometers have to be mastered in order to reach Marienbergjoch. As a reward, a splendid view of the Zugspitz massif to the north and the Ötztal and Stubai Alps to the south awaits you.

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Mountain bikers conquer Tirol’s stupendous mountains on many challenging trails.

Kilometers: 30 Meters of ascent: 1,200 Highest point: 1,800 m Grade of difficulty: difficult Condition: high Riding time: 5 hrs

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Now comes downhill

By Klaus Erler

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ou can’t get much faster on a bike than on a downhill. Tirol has lots of stretches on offer for just that kind of biking pleasure - a special type of enjoyment.

The downhill riding challenge is to cover a strictly delineated, downhill stretch in the shortest possible time. Sometimes it is over very difficult terrain containing every imaginable type of obstacle; that’s when it becomes a question of keeping your bike under strict control every minute. Downhill is a permanent high-wire act, which is also the reason it provides a very high degree of adrenaline release.

Descending 1,000 meters of altitude: the ‘Nordketten Singletrail’ down to Innsbruck.

Tirol’s downhill hotspots: Bike Park Tirol, Bikepark Hopfgarten, Lisi Osl Trail, Nordketten Singletrail, Fleckalmtrail –

Tirol’s top biking events in 2013 Mountain bikes

Freeride Downhill Nordkette Downhill.PRO – Innsbruck Invitational 20 July 2013 › www.nordkette.com

Summer Days 31 July – 4 August 2013 › www.bikepark-tirol.at

June

Ötztaler Mountainbike Festival

26th Dolomitenradrundfahrt

26 – 28 April 2013 › www.mtb-tirol.at

9 June 2013 › www.dolomitensport.at

April

UCI MTB Marathon WM & KitzAlpBike Mountainbike-Festival 26 June – 7 July 2013 › www.kitzalpbike.at

July

My Tirol

Rad-Marathon Tannheimer Tal 17 – 21 July 2013 › www.rad-marathon.at

Zillertal Bike Challenge

45th Biking World Trophy & Masters Cycling Classic 2013

5 – 7 July 2013 › www.zillertal-bikechallenge.com

24 – 31 August 2013 › www.masterswm.org

19th Ischgl Ironbike

33rd Ötztal Biking Marathon

3 August 2013 › www.ischgl.com

25 August 2013 › www.oetztaler-radmarathon.com

September 20

Racing bikes

August

Endura AlpenTraum 14 September 2013 › www.alpen-traum.com

Sports & Activities

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Gears

Saddle

Downhill bikers ordinarily have eight to nine gears to work with. At the front is only a geared ring sprocket. The bike is not suitable for mountain ascents.

The saddle of a downhill bike is set lower down. That brings about a deeper center of gravity overall, which enables you to make a safer and faster descent. The body is freer in its movements and can work along with the terrain more actively.

Suspension fork Extremely massive double bridge forks provide the requisite stability. However, despite deflections of 200 millimeters, the biker still receives lots of jolts from the irregular terrain. There are many possible adjustments, depending on the biker’s personal needs.

What do I have to know about downhills?

Tires The large volume tires provide the necessary traction, since such tires don’t turn as fast, and also cushion the jolts. Due to extremely stable construction, the risk of damage is minimized. Tires have to be changed, i.e. adapted to the given weather conditions.

2 1

3 4 8

6

5 7

Disc brakes Nowadays standard equipment. Obviously, only the very best, tried-and-tested brake performance is sufficient in highly difficult terrain and weather.

Shock absorbers (rear) The shock absorber measures about 200 millimeters. The cushioning effect is contingent on the type of terrain, i.e. it is variable and can be adjusted.

Chain

Frame

The bike chain is fed through in such a way that a popping out of the chain - which means you would pedal ‘empty’ - is prevented.

Under normal circumstances, you can only change gears at the rear axle.

Built mainly for sturdy endurance, in other words, very robust. The geometry is particularly suited for fast downhill biking.

Sitting position of the biker is weighted towards the rear.

My Tirol

21

Summit conquerors

By Sylvia Ainetter

Tirol, land of mountains. A proud 573 three-thousand-meter peaks are just waiting to be conquered. Here is a selection of the most renowned summits of the land.

Grossglockner

Grossvenediger

Wildspitze

The Grossglockner soars up to 3,798 meters above sea level, making it Austria’s highest mountain, and one of the major summits of the Eastern Alps. Ever since the first expeditions were launched at the end of the 18th century, the Glockner has played an important role: it is climbed each year by about 5,000 people - one starting point for your summit victory is Kals in Osttirol.

The Grossvenediger - nicknamed ‘His Ancient Majesty’ - is the heavily glacial main summit of the Venediger range in the Hohe Tauern. It reaches a height of 3,657 meters, making it Austria’s fifth highest peak. The normal routes up the Grossvenediger are not sophisticated, technically speaking, but are high altitude tours extending over glacial terrain full of crevices.

The Wildspitze is 3,768 meters high, is North Tirol’s highest summit, following right behind the Grossglockner as the second highest peak in Austria. It has two summits, the rocky southern peak with the summit cross and the firn-snow covered northern summit. The view from up above extends from the Bernese Alps in the west to the Schober range in the east. The Wildspitze is climbable on a day tour.

Height: 3,798 m Range: Glockner range / Hohe Tauern First climbed: 28 July 1800

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by expedition troops

Normal route: from Erzherzog-Johann

Hut over east flank and Kleinglockner Special: Austria’s highest mountain

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Height: 3,657 m Range: Venediger range, Hohe Tauern First climbed: 3 September 1841

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by Anton von Ruthner, Ignaz von Kürsinger and others, guided by Josef Schwab Normal route: from the new Prager Hut, from the Kürsinger Hut or from Defreggerhaus

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Height: 3,768 m Range: Ötztaler Alps First climbed: 1848 / Leander Klotz Normal route: High altitude tour

via Mitterkarjoch – west flank – southwest ridge Special: Austria’s second highest mountain

Sports & Activities

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Summit victory on the Habicht, Stubai Alps

Olperer

Watzespitze

Habicht

The Olperer is the main peak of the Tux Ridge in Zillertal, easily recognizeable by its pyramid-shaped summit. The Olperer Hut, at 2,388 meters, has served as ‘base camp’ since 1881, it often being the point of departure for traversing the peak. Hiking time from the hut is three to four hours. The route runs along the southeastern ridge. A different ascent leads over the northern ridge, which is occasionally iced up in summer.

The Watzesspitze is the highest peak of the Kauner Ridge in the Ötztal Alps, rising 3,533 meters. It possesses a striking double-summit which soars steeply over the southern Madatsch Joch and leaving strong impressions through its cleft, hanging glaciers, steep ridges and cliff walls. All the routes up the Watzesspitze are sophisticated alpine tours.

Point of departure is usually the Kaunergrat Hut.

The Habicht (‘hawk’), sometimes known as the Hager or the Hoger, is located between the Stubai Valley in the northwest, the Pinnistal in the east and the Gschnitztal in the southeast. Due to its striking form it was long thought to be Tirol’s highest peak. The Habicht has three glaciers. From the Innsbrucker Hut on the Pinnis Joch it can be climbed relatively easily on the normal route.

Height: 3,476 m Range: Zillertal Alps First climbed: 1867 / Paul Grohmann,

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Georg Samer and Jakob Huber via southeastern ridge Normal route: Olperer Hut, southeastern ridge (incl. small Schneegupf snowfield), or northern ridge from Geraer Hut over the glacier surfaces

Height: 3,533 m Range: Ötztal Alps First climbed: Alois Ennemoser in 1869

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along over the glacier route Normal route: Point of departure is usually Kaunergrat Hut, easiest access (no glacier) via eastern ridge

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Height: 3,277 m Range: Stubai Alps First climbed: 1836 by Peter Carl

Thurwieser and Ing. Krösbacher

Normal route: from the east

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“Rock climbing makes you utterly free” Interview Daniel Naschberger

also fascinates me. No two routes are alike; every type of rock requires its own special technique. If you have a tough time climbing in limestone, that doesn’t mean you’ll have a tough time in granite or sandstone. Climbing means embarking on a voyage, being free to experience adventures with friends and to get to know yourself.

Guido Unterwurzacher climbing pro

He grew up in Tirol’s rock climbing paradise, the Wilder Kaiser range, and has been scrambling in the rocks since childhood. Climbing pro Guido Unterwurzacher talks about the fascination of this sport and his favourite routes in Tirol.

How did you discover rock climbing?

I came into contact with the substance called rock for the first time at the tender age of eleven through the assistance of my uncle, who loved rock climbing. From the very start, it was my element. And with the Wilder Kaiser and the Schleier Waterfalls right at my front door, I thought I was in paradise. I discovered my first real challenges very quickly, and I am still discovering them.

What are your own favourite climbing hotspots in Tirol? My favourite routes are no surprise in that - the Schleier Waterfalls and the Wilder Kaiser, but also the Waidringer Steinplatte and the Zillertal. The Schleier is one of the most beautiful, most fascinating, pulsating regions I know. The views, the waterfalls that roar down so far out from the wall behind them, the spectacular climbs - all of that makes it incomparable. We are so lucky to have this vast ‘playground’ here in Tirol, full of firstclass climbing routes that offer something for everyone, for the well behaved and the wild at heart.

Which routes in Tirol would you recommend for beginners? That depends on the beginner, of course, but I would heartily recommend the ‘Ewigen Jagdgründe’ in Zillertal. There are easy routes galore through them, nestled in magnificent mountain scenery. And there’s a stream to go swimming in afterwards.

What does your climbing future hold in store for you? Hopefully it will be as rosy as my climbing past. Of course I want to go full speed ahead, and continue to enjoy an accident-free time in the rocks, in the What is the fascination of climbing?

For me personally, the fascination of What general tips for climbing rookies ice or in the snow, whether it is in Tirol or climbing is simply climbing itself. In practi- jump to mind? Move upwards with total anywhere else on earth. I will complete my cally no other sport do you enter a kind of attentiveness and concentration on safe- certification as ski and mountain guide this flow in which everything else is phased out ty. Observe yourself and your partners, be year and can then guide other mountain enof existence - the next grasp, the next step - conscious of the basic rules of climbing. thusiasts up over the summits, too. you simply immerse into a kind of instinctual Take your trash home with you and most of – Thank you for the interview. action and transcend yourself. The diversity all: enjoy yourself!

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Sports & Activities

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i Climbing for every taste Sport climbing Sport climbing is the nickname for climbing in climbing halls or climbing gardens. The routes are usually short, but often more difficult than on long climbing routes in the Alps. Hotspots: Tirol West (Starkenbach, Burschlwand); Families/ Beginners: Ötztal/Oberried, Imst/Reithle, Achensee/Mauritzalm and Grubastiege; Pros: Wilder Kaiser: Schleierwasserfall, Ötztal/Niederthai Bouldering

“We are so lucky to have this vast ‘playground’ here in Tirol, full of first-class climbing routes that offer something for everyone, for the well behaved and the wild at heart.”

Guido Unterwurzacher, climbing pro

Tirol – Climbers Paradise Tirol’s mountains offer simply everything a climber dreams of. All details revolving around local climbing hotspots, news, tips and climbing package offers can be viewed at the online platform Climbers Paradise. › www.climbers-paradise.com (German)

Bouldering is a discipline of sport climbing and the most original form of climbing - without ropes or climbing belt, but near to the ground so that you can jump down from rock boulders, walls or climbing walls. Hotspots: Paznaun/Ischgl (Silvapark Galtür), Ötztal/Bouldering area Tumpen Alpine rock climbing Rock climbing in the Alps is one type of mountain climbing. The goal is usually to reach the summit. Besides the sport of climbing, the alpine surroundings add their own particular challanges. Hotspots: Wilder Kaiser, Lienz Dolomites, Achensee, Karwendel, Wetterstein range Fixed rope climbing routes Those are pre-secured climbing routes with fixed iron steps, pegs, clamps and steel cables in the rock. The facilities assist one’s progress upward and aid selfsafety precautions, i.e. you can always keep yourself clipped onto the secure cables. Hotspots: Innsbruck, Achensee, Stubai, Osttirol

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Out on the wild water

By Barbara Wohlsein

Water in its most exciting form, that’s what can be experienced when rafting, kayaking and canyoneering. Tirol’s waterways offer countless possibilities to capture that ultimate adrenaline thrust.

Canyoneering – down into the gorge

Rafting – Teamwork indispensable

Kayaking – move that paddle

There are many ways to go through a gorge.

When canyoneering you choose to rapel, climb, jump, slide, swim and immerse.

Over roaring waterfalls, gigantic cliffs and boulders - and in you go into the crystal clear water - that’s where all paths lead for the daring who seek unusual experiences of nature at its most elemental. Fun and prickly thrills take turn non-stop. Natural barriers such as waterfalls are not circumvented, but consciously taken on and conquered. This stimulating trendy sport requires caution: it is strongly advised to go on such tours only when accompanied by an experienced guide.

For rafting, six to eight people pile into an inflatable boat to conquer a river and all its deceptions. Furnished with a touch of courage and solid team spirit, equpped with a neoprene suit, life jacket and helmet, you need to hear and heed the commands of your guide on this wild journey. Rafting numbers among the most popular summer activities in Tirol these days. It is a wonderful way to discover a splendid panorama of mountains while on great whitewater tours.

The temperature of the water is usually about 10 to 12 degrees Centigrade (it comes from glacier melt) but we guarantee you won’t get cold on thrilling tours like these!

Dipping your paddle into the water and gliding through the flow: nearly every stream and river in Tirol has tranquil sectors which make quiet, easy river trips possible for beginners most of all. The word 'kayak’ stems from the language of Greenland, it means ‘boat’, the type of narrow boat moved with a double-ended paddle. Whitewater kayaks are shorter and more nimble, bow and stern are specially formed to adapt to a particular river, something important in temperamental waters.

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Tirolean hotspots: Auerklamm in Ötztal, Zemmschlucht in Zillertal

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Tirolean hotspots: Imst Gorge, Isel Gorge, Lech, Ötztaler Ache, Sanna

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Tirolean hotspots: Brandenberg Ache, Lech, Ötztaler Ache, Sanna, Wildschönau Ache, Ziller

Event tips 2013 Universal athletes At the legendary team competition ‘Dolomite Man’ in Osttirol, the disciplines of mountain running, paragliding, whitewater kayaking and mountain biking comprise the agenda.

Every year the elite of the international kayak scene meet up for the Sickline World Championships on the Ötztal Ache. The Wellerbrücke section is considered to be the ultimate challenge.

7 September 2013 › www.redbulldolomitenmann.com

3 – 5 October 2013 › www.adidas-sickline.com

September

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Whitewater pros

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more event details › www.tyrol.com/events

October

Sports & Activities

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i Whitewater grades of difficulty The term ‘whitewater’ means waters with fast moving currents, strong countercurrents, whirlpools, rapids and, to some extent, waterfalls. There are six grades of difficulty to rate the sophistication, i.e. navigability of whitewater - often heavily contingent on water levels - and subdivide the categories.

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not very demanding, regular waves

medium difficulty with irregular II waves, medium swells, rollers and whirlpools, example: the Inn between Landeck and Imst good medium-distance visibility of the route ahead, high and irregular III waves, large swells, strong rollers and whirlpools, many obstacles in the current, example: Imst Gorge very difficult routes which cannot be viewed into the distance, pre-information is advised, high and persistent IV swells, strong rollers and whirlpools, boulders moved by the current, higher eddying levels of counter-suction, example: Ötztal Ache extremely difficult, pre-information is essential, extreme swells, rollers and V power water, narrow rock passages, higher stairs with difficult entries and exits navigating generally impossible, VI except under certain water conditions, high risk In Tirol, athletes like these master the whitewater of the Ötztal Ache in a kayak, have gleeful fun at rafting and rapel down waterfalls while canyoneering.

Source: www.aktiv-tirol.com

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Items close to my heart Editor Daniel Naschberger

Practical, functional and beautiful: with the right equipment, sports and outdoor action are double the fun.

photo: Franz Oss

Distant views The Habicht 7x42 by Swarovski Optik is the classic among binoculars, distinguished by its feather weight and timeless retrodesign. The 680-gram lightweight binoculars should never be lacking on a trip into the mountains. Available at select shops and online. › www.swarovskioptik.at

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Tirol’s mountain sheep provide the raw material for intelligent jackets of Tirolwool.

Thanks to a new weave, they are now especially breathable, kind to the skin, soft and warming even when wet. Available at select shops. › www.tirolwool.at

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From Tirolean sheep

photo: Tirol Werbung

Carry-all

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The bike-backpack “Steinach” is the ideal accompaniment on a biking tour into the grand world of Tirolean mountains. It has very comfortable straps and provides lots of space inside. Available at Tirol Shop. › www.tirolshop.com

Sports & Activities

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Got it all Not enough space? That can’t happen with tiroltrail 5. The hip bag provides room for everything you need on a hike or a biking tour - drinking flask, keys, maps, and lots more besides.

Available online or at select shops. › www.kohla.at

photo: Kohla

For every situation Whoever loves being outdoors simply can’t live without jackets by PolychromeLAB. This specially-developed textile is effective protection against wind and rain but allows perspiration to escape, simply wicks it away, and warms or cools as necessary.

It is perfect for all outdoors nature lovers. Available online or at select shops. › www.polychromelab.com

photo: PolychromeLAB

photo: Gloryfy

Unbreakable Glasses that are unbreakable, that’s the specialty of the Tirolean company Gloryfy.

Many local sports stars treasure this unbreakable eyewear. Available at well stocked specialty shops and online. › www.gloryfy.com

Tirol on your skin “Seppl” is a lotion to keep the skin of sports-active people fit and in good condition. It has a light lemony scent, provides skin care through wheat germ oil, cools with mint and doesn’t leave an oily coating on the skin. Available at select shops and online. › www.sepplskin.com photo: seppl

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Tips & Info

Mountain biking

Mountain climbing

Rock climbing

Bike Trail Tirol

Tour planners

Climbers Paradise

Everything about Bike Trail Tirol, the most beautiful biking tours, quality-checked accommodations, and details about single trails and bike parks, as well as special package offers from the regions. › www.tyrol.com/mountainbiking

Your own personal online tour planner: everything a mountain climber’s heart desires.

Including grades of difficulty, hiking times, altitudes and tour recommendations. › www.tyrol.com/hiking

The ultimate platform for all lovers of rock climbing. This comprehensive information portal gives you views of Tirol’s hotspots, currently updated details and all sorts of climbing package offers throughout the land. It is a must for every climber and, in addition, there’s the download of the specially designed climbers-paradise app. › www.climbers-paradise.com (German)

Mountain guides More than 700 superbly trained mountain climbing guides supervise your safety in the mountains. Here is all the info you need on Tirolean mountain sports guides. › www.bergsportfuehrer-tirol.at (German) Alpine Club

Mountain biking in Ötztal Bike camps From this summer, nationally certified mountain bike trainers hand on their knowledge at the SAAC Bike Camps to all interested mountain bikers. For details and dates, please see: › www.saac.at Sports events All the top events of the summer at a glance: from KitzAlpBike Festival to the Racing Bike Marathon in Tannheim Valley all the way to the Zillertal Bike Challenge. › www.tyrol.com/events

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The Austrian Alpine Club informs you about tours, courses of instruction, huts to overnight in, current weather conditions in the Alps and offers maps and lots more besides. › www.alpenverein.at (German)

Climbing camps The SAAC Climbing Camps give you all the basics for beginners at rock climbing. They place their focus on safe movement in the rocks. › www.saac.at

Eagle Walk alpine Tirol’s well known long-distance trail leads you up to high alpine regions. Follow the Eagle Walk on eight exciting alpine stages. › www.tyrol.com/eaglewalk Long-distance hiking Long-distance trail E5 (from the Atlantic Ocean to Verona, Italy) reaches its high point at Pitztal Joch (2,995 meters). Trail E10 takes you through the splendors of Osttirol. The E4 alpine variation is the most demanding trail in Europe. › www.alpenverein.at (German)

Secured climbing route Haidachstellwand

Sports & Activities

Whitewater sports Whitewater

Whitewater adventures

Tirol’s whitewater can be discovered in a raft, kayak or canyoneering. The website provides important basic information on leisure activities and contact data to all the providers in Tirol. › www.tyrol.com

Platform for all those who seek adventure in whitewater. With general tips for rafting, canyoneering and kayaking, as well as details about providers, courses of instruction and guided tours. › www.aktiv-tirol.com (German)

Still have questions?

Tirol Info Maria-Theresien-Straße 55 6020 Innsbruck · Austria +43.512.7272-0 +43.512.7272-7 info@tirol.at www.tyrol.com

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Patteriol – Verwalltal (St. Anton)

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Nature & Health

At a glance page 34 On the lookout for eagles page 36 The journey is the goal page 38 Happiness on two wheels page 40 On the path of nature page page 42 The power of the Alps page 44 Items close to my heart page 46 Tips & Info page 48

Mountain lake, Faselfadspitze, Verwall

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Eine Bergtour auf dei Kuchenspitz in den Lechtaler Alpen ist ein Erlebnis für Körper und Geist. Kurz vor dem Gipfel stellt sich echtes Hochgefühl ein.

Mountain road in Villgratental, Osttirol

Volunteers sought

Going with specialists

Hiking for life

The five Nature Parks in Tirol and the National Park Hohe Tauern are looking for volunteers willing to serve nature through voluntary involvement helping out in one of the parks daily. For all those willing to spend a day or two of their vacations assisting in this way there are magnificent experiences awaiting, i.e. in planting young trees to create living space for animals, in scything mountain grassy fields or taking on some of the daily tasks on high pastures.

The Alpine Club of Innsbruck offers for visitors in Innsbruck and its holiday villages a diverse programme of hiking every summer. For those who have an Innsbruck Card, not only the hikes are free-of-charge, so is the hiking bus.

In the run-up to the Hiking World Championships in Pillerseetal, the IVV Hiking Week will take place again this year.

From 19 to 21 September 2013, the routes of the Hiking World Championships can be tested. The first goal is pure enjoyment: these try-it-out hikes in varying grades of difficulty lead to a group of mountain huts at which a diverse programme of live music is planned.

› www.tyrol.com/nature

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› www.asi.at

› www.pillerseetal.at

Nature & Health

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i “Never ever ask how long it will take” Interview Sylvia Ainetter

Does nature also play a part? A big part!

Nature provides the theatre of the four seasons and is far more exciting than any fitness studio on earth. In fitness studios everyone is always watching television because otherwise it is too boring. Nature is full of variety, bursting with diversity.

Experiences of nature supply important contributions to feeling happy.

Alois Schöpf

Author and columnist

‘Happy When Walking’ - that’s the title of an essay by Tirolean author and columnist Alois Schöpf. A short interview with him about fitness studios, the right path and how walking can change your life.

Why does walking make you happy?

Walking makes you happy because it makes you healthy. But that isn’t everything.

After all, healthy people are not always happy. But walking makes your spirit free; it helps you work off stress and let go.

Apart from that, the effort brings about a release of endorphines which, as everyone knows, create feelings of happiness.

What do you need for a hike? Equipment includes hiking boots and functional clothing and, of course, the right path.

One suited to your personal physical condition. The walker should always keep two guidelines in mind: at the beginning, walk very slowly. The body will then find its own tempo all by itself. The second rule is: never ever ask how long it will take. It takes as long as it takes.

How has walking changed your life?

By making me healthier. Particularly professions burdened by stress, where you have to spend many hours sitting in front of a computer monitor, and where you often develop bad eating habits, sooner or later you get health problems. That’s when walking helps to get a grip on those problems.

That’s the way it happened with me.

Thank you for the interview.

The essay ‘Happy When Walking’ was – published by Limbus Verlag.

Where the stars go golfing Kitzbühel The Golf and Landclub Rasmushof in Kitzbühel transforms the legendary Streif into a golf course every year in May. Fifty golfers, including well known sports stars like Bode Miller, Hansi Hinterseer, Franz Klammer, Fritz Strobl and Leonard Stock master the links comprising nine holes in about two and a half hours - that means you have to be quite fit!

Mieming The course at Golfclub Mieming with its magnificent mountain backdrop wins the acclaim of celebrities, too – among them, ex-ski jumper Armin Kogler, the president of the club. Model and actress Gitta Saxx earned her qualification to play golf right here on the Mieming course.

Kössen Having a celebrity as a golf partner is no rarity at Kaiserwinkl Golfclub Kössen: after all, the Schweinsteiger family loves to tee off here. Football pro Bastian Schweinsteiger, brother Tobias and father Fred are also club members, as is ex-sledder Markus Prock.

Seefeld Also Golfclub Seefeld-Wildmoos is a meeting spot for celebrities: Franz Beckenbauer, Toni Innauer, Hansi Hinterseer, Franz Vranitzky, Franz Klammer, Gregor Schlierenzauer, Gedeon Burkhard, Rosi Mittermeier and Christian Neureuther have all played out on the links of the Seefeld plateau.

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On the lookout for eagles

By Barbara Wohlsein

Enjoying nature, breathing deeply again, at one with yourself: long-distance hiking has nothing to do with sports performance. Hiking on Tirol’s Eagle Walk brings deep insights and also special experiences of nature.

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Unbelievable views

Handicrafts

Hikers on the Eagle Walk really see it all - the eagle-eyed views make sure of it. A total of 15 telescopes at the most splendid panorama spots along the Eagle Walk make possible deep and far reaching vistas of Tirol’s breathtaking mountain world.

At the Adlerhorst (‘eagle’s eyrie’) near Daxerkreuz are eagle-oriented hand carved works crafted by graduates of the woodcarving school in Elbigenalp, displayed at the Handicrafts Symposium in Angerberg and Mariastein.

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Nature & Health

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Mysterious caves An experience for young and old alike is a visit to the dripping stone cave on Hundalm.

In the cave there is ice all year round, fascinating stalagtites and stalagmites. They take on the most bizarre forms imaginable.

The largest among them is the so-called ‘ice dome’ and is 25 meters long; the most striking is the so-called ‘head of Christ’.

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On tours of several days you can hike without a bothersome backpack and without the slightest problem. WanderHotels*Tirol offer a free-of-charge backpack transport service, e.g. St. Johann in Tirol and along numerous other stages of the Eagle Walk.

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When the golden eagle spreads its wings and careens through the air, hardly anyone is immune to the beauty and the fascination. It glides in elegant circles and provides an incomparable sight.

Its wingspan can be as great as 230 centimeters. Moreover, it is a strong bird, capable of preying on animals which are significantly heavier that it is.

In Europe the golden eagle is nearly extinct. Only in the Alps has it been able to preserve its living space. The golden eagle was nearly stamped out before it was declared a protected species in 1952.

Since then, it is strictly prohibited to hunt them.

Along the Eagle Walk you have good chances to spot a golden eagle. The probability is greatest in National Park Hohe Tauern, on the regional route of Osttirol, and in Alpenpark Karwendel, on stages 8-12 and 14-15.

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Literary encounters on high alpine pastures

› www.tyrol.com/eaglewalk

Sepp Kahn, a poet in Tirolean dialect, spends the summer on the lower Lärchenbergalm. Through his ‘alm diary’ he permits visitors insights into life on the alm through the eyes of a poet.

Incomparable heights The Studl Hut nestles on the highest pasture on the main route: 2,800 meters above sea level.

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The journey is the goal

By Sylvia Ainetter

Wandering along a riverside, gazing, gaping, meditating.

The Lechweg path is a long-distance trail for all those who seek a change. On the banks of the Lech, no one is ever bored.

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hoever has reached the fifth stage of the Lechweg trail faces a difficult choice: either the prickly thrill of crossing Europe’s longest hanging bridge or taking a short detour through the wildly romantic Höhenbach Gorge. Most choose the thrill: the bridge is 200 meters long, plummeting 100 meters down to the depths.

Along a bridge (about one meter wide) you walk right over the gorge. It’s an adventure you are not likely to forget. The Holzgau Hanging Bridge is merely one of many attractions on the 125-kilometer long Lechweg.

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Quality guaranteed Precisely these attractions were the reason why the Lechweg was declared the model trail in 2012, making it a ‘Leading Quality Trail’. “What is so special about the Lechweg is that it leads along an untamed river.

project until 2012. No one knows the secrets and the fascinations of this longdistance trail better than he does. It leads from the source of the Lech near the Formarin lake in Vorarlberg to the Lech “What is so special about the Falls in the Allgäu. “The trail includes Lechweg is that it leads along sectors which accompany the river’s flow an untamed river.” and many panoramas. For that reason, there is no danger of boredom,” says Salchner.

The Lech in some sectors is quite wild and Long-distance hiking has become more has the character of whitewater. That hard- and more popular in recent years. On ly exists anywhere in Europe,” says Günter the Lechweg hikers can be sure that the Salchner, supervisor of the Lechweg trail will always be cleared and walkable.

Nature & Health

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i Hiking to mottos Thematic trails are instructive, and lots of fun. Here are three examples.

At dizzying heights

“My personal favourite is the Kalvarienberg near Füssen, towards the end of the trail.

The view there opens wide over the entire Pre-Alps landscape, the gentle rolling hills and the numerous lakes.”

Günter Salchner, project coordinator Lechweg

“The certificate guarantees hikers outstanding hiking quality, and also very good marker signs and lots of spots to rest in,” declares Salchner. And just so it stays that way, a staff of nature workers is employed for its maintenance, repairing signs and damages, making sure the trail is always safe in every sector.

Stage by stage But for whom is the Lechweg conceived?

“The Lechweg is relatively easy to hike because it nearly always goes gently

downhill. But of course 125 kilometers are not exactly a stroll,” says Salchner, advising a thorough and critical selfanalysis before beginning.

Whoever doesn't want to go the whole way can of course hike along the trail for a day or two. And you can detour around the hanging bridge of Holzgau. One sector of the Lechweg trail runs along the Tirolean Eagle Walk, enabling hikers to combine – the two trails with each other.

The Paznauner high altitude trail takes you up, up, and up: in nine stages, you master 10,000 meters of altitude along 120 kilometers. But personal enjoyment doesn’t suffer: along the Paznauner high altitude trail are sun-bleached alpine huts with lots of traditional mountain dishes on offer, as well as modern facilities with select delicacies.

Finding back to yourself Learning to let go while you walk - on the meditation path in Stubai Valley it’s possible. You can also view artworks on this trail: Hansjörg Rainalter and Gotthard Obholzer, artists from Neustift, fashioned a number of stations along the trail. Their artistic sculptures form part of a spiritual journey each hiker can experience.

Historical insights The ‘Archeological Roundabout Trail’ from Obergurgl in the Ötztal leads you far back in time. Where researchers and archeologists are at work, hikers can gain truly profound insights of the human past reaching back to the pre-history of regional settlements. The information is presented in suitable form on copper cylinders - in three languages.

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Happiness on two wheels

By Klaus Erler

Putting 190 kilometers behind you in five days that is a challenge that even less trained bikers can manage.

And there is enough time to enjoy many things along the way.

We accompanied a couple for a whole day on the Inn Cycling Path.

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pending holidays with your bicycle that’s something Martin never expected to do. But even today, on his fifth day of vacation, he feels just great on his bike.

“The stages are relatively short, it’s something even I can do, as a untrained cyclist,” he grins. The bike-hike vacation was the idea of his wife, Irene. Biking has just the right speed for her to explore the landscape, she says.

And at their accommodations, the breakfast is well worth savouring: fruit salad, muesli, fried eggs and fresh orange juice were on the table this morning, in other words a special biker’s breakfast. During the day, they make stopovers at Tirolean inns, which gives them ample opportunity to try out the specialties of the land. No matter whether ‘Schlutzkrapfen’ or ‘Speckknödel’ or ‘Erdäpfel-Gröstl’ - the dishes are tasty as can be. “What I love most are the baked Since both partners are not particularly desserts. It’s a good thing we are active active in their leisure time, they chose the before and afterwards!” grins Irene as she Inn Cycling Path, which is also suitable for climbs onto her trekking bike. She rented families and fine-tuned less to sporting her bike just before her tour. The route is performance than to pure enjoyment. In flat and most of it is asphalted, but she five days, they bike 190 kilometers. Only the didn’t want to subject her Holland bike first stage has gentle ascents, after that it is to the gravel stretches. The rest of their practically all downhill or flat. “That way, equipment they brought from home: a little we still have enough energy left over to look tool kit, air pump and of course biking at the sights and to relax,” says Martin as he shorts and helmet. A biking map with swings into the mountain bike saddle again. details of all the stages they picked up at their accommodations.

Culinary highlights They’re about to start off again, the interlude Bike-hikes without baggage is over, the bikers feel strengthened by their Today the two of them are out on the snack. A large plate of Tirolean lettuce final stage of the route. It leads from Strass varieties, fresh tomatoes, grilled chicken im Zillertal to Kufstein, about 40 kilometers filets with homemade dressing was the along the banks of the Inn, with green perfect power-food for the bikers. “And it meadows on the other side and wide open tasted great!” smiles Martin. Good food views of the Rofan range and the Kaiser is very important for the couple while on range ahead of them. Every once in a while, holiday, and it already starts with breakfast. they take a short break to enjoy the views

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of nature. Their baggage is being delivered to their next stop by car. But that’s not the only reason Irene and Martin decided on this Enjoyment Biker Package. “We didn’t have to do anything,” says Martin, “and our bikes are always locked up safe and sound at night.”

After all, the quality-checked and verified accommodations have to fulfil a number of exacting criteria in order to be approved as ‘bikers accommodations.’ For example, they all have special bike storage rooms, bike repair kits and lots of information about the trails and routes and bike repair places. Also the weather reports are always available for bikers. And just in case it rains, the hosts have details about public transportation where they can take their bikes along. But until now they’ve been lucky: outside of a short thunderstorm, there has been nothing but radiant sunshine.

Time to look around “Look over there, do you see that beautiful church?” Irene calls. The pair just arrived in Wörgl and decided on a spontaneous impulse to take a coffee break and stroll through the town center. Earlier in the morning, they strolled through Austria’s smallest city Rattenberg - and visited the glassmaking workshop at Kisslinger.

Along biking routes, cultural highlights like Kufstein Fortress come to view

“We’re just letting ourselves float along this time. We usually plan everything from A to Z,” laughs Martin, “the only problem is that this vacation is going by much too fast.” The final station is getting nearer and nearer. In Kufstein, the destination has been reached.

Then the biker-hikers will spend a few days at a wellness hotel before returning home again. “We will without any doubt take another biking vacation,” says Irene.

And Martin adds with a smile, “I could easily imagine biking on for another few – kilometers!”

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On the path of nature

By Daniel Naschberger

Wild animals and rare plants: on Nature Watch, hikers look closely and delve deeply into the flora and fauna of the Alps.

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irol’s mountain landscapes have unparalleled views on offer. But whoever wants to get to know the world of wild animals and wildly diverse plants in all their variations has to look much more closely.

Alpenpark Karwendel, “but also stag, ibex, study nature under professional guidance. mufflons, golden eagles and an array of They go ‘stalking’ in Halltal with Susi birds appear in our lens.” It goes without Vianello and Swarovski binoculars. saying, also gorgeous plants and lots of Nature Watch is tiny animals can be observed. “Turning the all about looking carefully. binoculars around is like looking through On a Nature Watch tour, pros are frequently a microscope, that is a good way to study guiding the gaze of nature lovers to flowers and insects up close,” guide Susi “It used to be that groups were tiny, but what really matters, and suddenly, a wild explains. now up to eight or twelve people take part,” chamois appears in view between the relates Susi, who was one of the very first shrubs; or a strange looking sheep emerges Trained guides to absolve a course of education as ‘Nature which turns out to be an alpine mufflon. It all began three years ago, when a few Guide’. This additional qualification can To enable your gaze to cover wide ranging interested people got together. Nowadays be attained by all certified hiking guides. distances, Swarovski Optik makes suitable it is extremely popular, with Nature Watch They learn about the right way to approach binoculars available.

Hotels in Tirol that specialize in observing nature with binoculars, basic knowledge nature’s treasures up close. Depending on of botany, zoology, geology and lots of There is a lot to see. “It’s possible to observe the given package offer, up to three tours are in-between knowledge as well. Upon the chamoix every time we venture out,” included in the package. The region Hall- graduation, they can call themselves says Susi Vianello, Nature Watch guide in Wattens also gives guests the opportunity to Nature Watch Guides. “But of course it’s

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"Nature has the right-of-way."

Interview Sylvia Ainetter

For amateur photographers, Tirol’s nature parks and National Park Hohe Tauern has photo workshops on offer.

Professional nature photographers gladly hand on their experience and their special knowledge, taking participants out on nature photo shootings. if he wants to photograph animals. Wild animals are very shy, it’s hard to get them in front of your lens.

What is the best way to behave out in nature? One rule holds true above all others: nature retains the right-of-way!

Photographers should never intervene in harmful ways. It goes without saying that you have to be quiet. If animals are nearby, you need to avoid any hectic movements.

important to continue the ongoing process of education,” adds Susi.

No need to know anything beforehand Participants on Nature Watch tours don’t need any special knowledge, they don’t even need to be physically fit. After all, it’s a matter of observing nature; this is not about physical activity, but about looking carefully. “Utterly ordinary hiking gear and a snack are quite sufficient to take along,” says Susi Vianello. And then, you’re ready to go. And for two, three hours you get to immerse deep into the secrets and the sights of wondrous nature.

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Reinhard Hölzl

nature photographer

Nature photographer Reinhard Hölzl explains in an interview what the charm of nature photography really consists of, how to conduct yourself correctly and what is required to make good photos.

What’s so fascinating about nature photography? Nature photography can’t really be planned, because nature has its own unpredictable laws. A photographer has to know a lot about nature, especially

What do people learn at your workshops? In the analytical part, participants get to know their cameras better. I explain the rules of designing photos. In the practical part, we head out into nature and take photographs.

Do you need special equipment for nature photography? You often take photos of far distances, so you need equipment such as special lenses for such projects. They are also quite useful if you want to take photos of insects.

Thank you for the interview.

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The power of nature

By Sylvia Ainetter

Relax, recover, recuperate, rejuvenate. In Tirol amidst incomparable mountain scenery, crisp fresh air and pure water, that is easily done. Age-old Tirolean herbs and products do you good, and ameliorate many ailments.

Stone pine

Stone oil

Mountain pine

Stone pine is a coniferous species which is found at higher altitudes in particular.

Medical studies have proven that it slows down the pulse and thereby improves the quality of sleep. And its enchanting scent provides wonderful interior atmosphere.

Stone oil is obtained from oily shale. Due to its high content of naturally bonded sulphur, Tirolean stone oil has a soothing, beneficial effect. For centuries it has been a standard item in households for pains, aching joints and rheumatic ailments.

Mountain pine is a conifer which is found mainly in high alpine regions. From its needles essential oils are obtained which, when their steam is inhaled, clear the respiratory channels. Rubbed into the skin, they provide relief from muscle tensions and cramps.

Products and applications: Stone pine oil as scented oil or in cosmetics, furniture and furnishings of stone pine, pillow stuffing, schnapps

Products and applications: Massage oil, stone oil baths, cosmetics for hair and skin, drawing salve for inflammations and frostbite

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Products and applications: Scented oil, salve,

sport salves and crèmes, cough drops

Mountain herbs

Salt of mountain crystal

Water

On the sun-drenched slopes of Tirol’s mountain flanks, a wide variety of herbs can be found. Their beneficial effects have been treasured for centuries. Lemon balm, calendula, sage, arnica and peppermint are the best known.

Salt of mountain crystal was formed in the primeval seas more than 250 million years ago and has matured inside the mountains ever since then. It is protected from harmful environmental effects and supplies us with numerous minerals and tracer elements.

Pure, clean, clear Tirolean water straight from the source, full of minerals, guarantees unbeatable drinking water quality. That also holds true of most swimming lakes in Tirol. The pleasant, warm waters from thermal springs in Längenfeld and Hintertux are particularly agreeable.

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Products and applications: Liqueur, tea, massages with herbal oil, steam inhalation, cosmetics, salves, hay baths

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Products and applications: Peelings, spice,

bathing salts, facial masks

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Products and applications: Mineral water,

baths Kneipp footbaths, an element in many cosmetic products, thermal baths

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i Feeling Alpine Wellness Herbal hikes What are the effects of herbs? How do they taste? Answers can be had from herb instructor Susi Vianello on easy going walks around Tulfes. Afterwards, the herbs are processed and used to make fresh spreads, which you eat on bread you bake yourselves. › www.hall-wattens.at Behind the scenes On a guided tour through the world’s oldest larch-oil distillery in Pillerseetal, anyone interested can discover the secrets of medicinal mountain pine oil. As an added stimulant, historical treasures are on view in the distillery museum. › www.pillerseetal.at Treading water Tranquility, good health and refreshment are what athletes find at the Kneipp footbachs in Spertental. The area has classic footbath basins, drinking fountains and fresh spring water, plus a special area for foot reflex zone massage, arm basins and circulation-enhancing pools. › www.kitzbuehel-alpen.com From germination to flight Stone pine woods above Jerzens have protected the village from avalanches and earthslides since time immemorial.

And that’s only one reason pine is so important in the Alps. A special exhibition guides visitors through the fascinations of stone pine. › www.pitztal.com

Grawa Waterfalls, Stubaital

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Items close to my heart Editor Barbara Wohlsein

Tirol does you a world of good.

These little aids assist well being and boost good feelings.

Ultimate relaxation

The healing effects of mountain herbs have been well known for centuries. The handpicked herbs (rose blossoms, blackberries, hops, lemon balm and calendula in Alpienne Tea ‘Ruhepol’ guarantee a relaxing and enjoyable pleasure. › www.tirolshop.com

With these telescope sticks called ‘Experience Comfort’ by Kohla, hiking is twice as easy. The sticks have cork handgrips and special shock absorbers. Available at well stocked specialty shops. › www.kohla.at photo: Kohla

photo: Tirol Shop

Over hill and dale

An Alpienne hay blossom bath supplies the powers contained in highly nutritive grasses and wildflowers from sun-bathed mountain slopes. It gently reinforces blood circulation and at the same time provides quieting effects. The scent is enchanting - like fresh blooming mountain meadows! › www.tirolshop.com

photo: Tirol Shop

Simply let go

Naturally beautiful

photo: Lanserhof

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Lanserhof is Europe’s leading destination in matters of innovative vitality medicine, looking back on 30 years of experience. Out of a symbiosis of purely organic active ingredients and medical expertise, the natural cosmetic skin care products by LANS Derma were born. Available at Lanserhof Lans or from the Online Shop. › www.lanserhof.com

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photo: Ty

rolia

Nature & Health

Mountains, destination-of-choice In splendid coffee table books by Alpine photographer Bernd Ritschel, you can leaf through panoramas for hours on end. Unparalleled atmosphere is evoked, inspiring texts about climbers and mountain enthusiasts complete the experience, making Bernd Ritschel’s book “Der andere Horizont” a treasured reading experience. › www.tyrolia.at

photo: Tirol Shop

More than decoration The little stone pine ball doesn’t just look beautiful, it also is redolent with the scent of stone pine which it emanates into the water. The carafe with the stone pine ball is available at Tirol Shop. › www.tirolshop.com

Robust partner

photo: Tirol Shop

This drinking flask belongs in every backpack in summertime. Regardless whether for hiking or biking, a cool, refreshing beverage strengthens you for the rest of the way. Available at Tirol Shop. › www.tirolshop.com

photo: Tiroler Steinöl

Healing powers of nature Stone oil salve from Tirol is something which should not be lacking in any home. It helps quickly and reliably for all mild inflammations and frostbite. Available at specialty shops or online from the manufacturer. › www.steinoel.at

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Tips & Info

Cycling

Hiking

Biking tours

Eagle Walk

Sleeping on a mountain

Here is where you can find out everything about touring, equipment, rentals, qualitychecked accommodations, package offers and lots more besides. › www.tyrol.com/cycling

Tirol’s best known long-distance hiking trail leads in 126 stages straight through Tirol. On the website all stages are described in detail, a comprehensive and precise map makes it all crystal-clear. Overnight accommodations and tour planners are also provided. › www.tyrol.com/eaglewalk

The best overview of all open huts and refuges on Tirol’s high pastures and slopes, including contact information for each accommodation, can be found at the Hut Finder of Austria’s Alpine Club. › www.alpenverein.at (German)

Gourmet biking tours From Maloja Pass (Switzerland) to Passau (Germany). On this website, you’ll find everything you need to know about the stages, the sights along the way, suitable accommodatioins and ‘rewarding’ stopovers. › www.innradweg.com Tracking down ancient Romans Via Claudia Augusta, the most important mountain pass route of the ancient Romans over the Alps (Fern Pass and Reschen Pass) provides bikers with the easiest way to cross the Alps. › www.viaclaudia.org Along the river Drau The 50-kilometer long Drau River cycling trail from Sillian to Lienz through magnificent nature scenery, most of it gently downhill. › www.drauradweg.com With that extra thrust of energy The electro-bike infrastructure is very good in Tirol: numerous rental stations in the various regions and a dense network of battery-exchange stations make e-biking an effortless pleasure in all regions. › www.tyrol.com/ebike 48 My Tirol

Lechweg Meandering along the banks of the Lech, from the source to the waterfalls. On the website of the Lechweg you will find, among other things, an interactive map and the Lechweg song. › www.lechweg.com Santiago-de-Compostela Trail in Tirol From Tirol to Santiago-de-Compostela, goal of countless pilgrims over the centuries, there are more than 2,000 kilometers. The stages of the way leading through Tirol provide St. James pilgrims with more than 100 overnight accommodations and unique views of the mountains. › www.jakobsweg-tirol.net What to do in an emergency?

In collaboration with the Austrian Alpine Club, the Curatorium for Alpine Safety and the Mountain Rescue Service, the Tirol Tourist Board has compiled checklists for hiking. They provide tips about equipment and tour planning, as well as important details about what to do in an emergency and first-aid measures. › www.tyrol.com/hiking

Hiking in Wilder Kaiser range Looking for a mountain sport guide?

With an interactive map, you select the desired region and then find the perfect escort for your next hiking tour. › www.bergsportfuehrer-tirol.at (German) WanderHotels*Tirol Being able to hike through the mountains without the slightest thing to carry, from hut to hut, having your baggage waiting for you on arrival is something WanderHotels*Tirol make possible, from Lake Walchsee to Lake Achensee and all through the Karwendel. › www.wanderhotels.at Barrier-free Hiking through Tirol’s mountains is even possible in a wheelchair. A total of 24 guided wheelchair tours are on offer. › www.tyrol.com/without-barriers

Nature & Health

Still have questions?

Nature Gems of nature

Photographing nature

Five nature parks as well as Hohe Tauern National Park invite you to explore the sensitive and delicate alpine landscapes. Everything you need to know about photographing nature, volunteering and observing nature up close can be found here: › www.tyrol.com/nature

In every nature park in Tirol there are three specially designed photo points. From those stations, particularly fine views of the beauties of Tirol’s mountains unfold to your vision. › www.tyrol.com/fotopoints

Tirol Info Maria-Theresien-Straße 55 6020 Innsbruck · Austria +43.512.7272-0 +43.512.7272-7 info@tirol.at www.tyrol.com

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Faselfadsee – Verwalltal (St. Anton)

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Family experience

At a glance page 52 Lots of space for adventure and relaxation page 54 Floating in seventh heaven together page 56 Summit joy for everyone page 58 Reaching for the sky with the kids page 60 About hens and kittens page 61 Items close to my heart page 62 Tips & Info page 64

Children hiking in Thomasegg, near Zirl

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“The ideal playground venue for new experiences: nature in Tirol” Interview Klaus Erler

Charly Frinner

You’ve been actively supervising children on vacation in Tirol for 15 years.

What has changed in that time? What strikes me is that the parents who book family vacations in Tirol nowadays have a much higher level of awareness about how much nature offers in the way of new experiences than they used to. Play and game programmes out in nature as the center of holiday experiences - like the ones offered by Family Tirol Villages are a real hit, and they are accepted by more and more people.

Family-friendly

What are the latest trends in family vacations in Tirol? There is a clear trend About 17 outstanding Tirolean summertime Charly Frinner has been a trained and certified towards a truly diverse repertoire of cablecars, mountain experiences of quality children’s supervisor at Family Tirol for 15 years. offerings for family vacations. Summertime guaranteed, no fewer than twelve are This is a special distinction for family-friendly sledding runs, rafting, canyoneering, particularly family-friendly. vacationland Tirol. rock climbing, high rope gardens, climbing towers, those are the things that A big heart for young and old is proven by make Tirol and its nature world both ten Family Tirol Villages and 23 Family What makes a family vacation in Tirol so interesting and attractive to children Tirol Hotels. attractive? That’s very simple: because the and all those who visit: new experiences unique nature of Tirol is the ideal playground are the reward.

There are about 600 natural lakes, ponds and venue for new experiences. Forests, and pools in Tirol, 29 of which are meadows, rivers and brooks harbor endless And how do parents benefit from a officially approved for swimming. They have possibilities and secrets, whether to build a vacation in Tirol? If children are in the good crystal-clear and clean water. tree house or to go barefoot wading through hands of a supervisor throughout the day, an icy-cold mountain stream or following parents are free to pursue their own adult More than 400 Tirolean farmsteads rent out the tracks of an unusual animal. Children interests. Outside of that, the vacation their rooms and holiday apartments with - particularly those who live in big cities - package offers which Tirol extends to pleasure and full of tradition. charge up on brand new kinds of energy families are often highly attractive for In Tirol there are about 60 leisure parks here. They also learn to live with their five parents and children to do together. and alpine adventure worlds which are senses wide open and have their enthusiasm – beautifully suited for family vacations. awakened as never before.

Thank you for the interview. certified children’s supervisor

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i Checklist for family hikes Planning the tour Suit both the route and the goal to the children. Leave enough time for long breaks.

Choose an exciting destination. Plan interesting stopovers along the way.

Get a weather forecast beforehand and keep an eye on the current weather.

Equipment Clothing should be adapted to the route (sturdy hiking boots, rainwear...)

Take along snacks, e.g. fruit, wholewheat bread, muesli bars, and make sure everyone drinks enough Keep first-aid materials in your backpack Make sure your cell phone battery is charged up.

Hiking map and hiking guide are helpful orientation aids.

“Forests, meadows, rivers and brooks harbor endless possibilities and secrets, whether to build a tree house or to go barefoot wading through an icy-cold mountain stream or following the tracks of an unusual animal.”

Charly Frinner, certified children’s supervisor

Be sure you have sun creme, sun glasses and cap.

Take along amusing or interesting items for the children, e.g. toys, flashlight, camera.

Always have along a change of clothes, even for older children.

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A natural environment for the entire family

By Klaus Erler

Really successful family vacations are distinguished by young and old generations getting to do the things they love to do. In Tirol that works like a charm: children are beautifully supervised and find their own adventures, while parents can enjoy the beauty of Tirol’s mountains their own way, in their own time.

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hat do you need for a perfect family vacation? The serenity of the mountains, first and foremost; then, comfortable accommodations and lots and lots of adventure possibilities for the younger ones. Families find those things in Tirol’s ten Family Tirol Villages. The merging of particularly family-friendly regions has made custom-designed family oriented programmes possible.

But what is it that makes the whole package into something truly special? Family Tirol Villages is a programme distinguished by a special repertoire of offerings of unusual and creative children's activities in summertime. Well trained supervisors embark with our young visitors aged 4 to 10 on nature-oriented play/game and instructive voyages to imaginative adventure worlds. A play-story which is new each and every year (this year it is Willi Waldwichtel, a forest gnome) forms the centrepiece of the adventure world in Tirol’s nature. Even for older children there is loads to do and to experience for the first time: in 2013 they have the opportunity to take part in such activities as rafting, rock-climbing in high rope gardens and canyoneering under the supervision of trained and certified instructors, go on treasure hunts with a GPS device (Geo-caching).

Room to recover That way, the parents have new room to recover, recuperate, recharge, it all opens up

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wide before them. Then they can genuinely enjoy the Tirolean mountains or one of the 30 swimming lakes in Tirol full to the brim with crystal-clear water. And regardless whether the focus is on relaxation or activity, Family Tirol Villages have enough of both on offer to make this vacation, which you so deserve, into an unforgettable one. Together, the family can seek actively and intensely all the adventure it can handle, then relax from the excitements in qualitychecked accommodations - together.

A big heart for little guests The 23 Family Tirol Hotels open their hearts wide to guests young and old. The big advantage of these 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels is that they are run with great sensitivity to the needs of families. Regardless whether it’s a particularly delicious children’s buffet at lunchtime or spacious play and game areas, or special children’s bed linen or a diverse entertainment programme, a special certification system with 3 or 4 or 5 crowns makes it easy for a family to select in a wink the hotel best suited to their needs.

Furthermore, there is also a special baby symbol which is used when a hotel is particularly baby-friendly. Those are the hotels where the motto ‘If the baby is happy, the parents are happy’ not only reigns, it takes on whole new meaning. › www.tyrol.com/family

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Family experience

With Family Tirol mascot Willi Waldwichtel, Stubaital.

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Willi Waldwichtel, forest gnome by profession, is the hero of this year’s games at Family Tirol.

In point of fact, he only wanted to make a brief stopover, but he fell asleep in the grass.

And while he slept, someone must have swiped his cap. Full of determination to get it back, Willi sets out in search of it....

Refreshing There are no fewer than 600 natural lakes, ponds and pools in Tirol, 29 of which are officially approved as swimming lakes, with comfortably accessible spots to go bathing.

Nestled in the splendid mountain panoramas, fed by crystal-clear Tirolean streams, their quality is strictly controlled, making the invitation to relax and go swimming absolutely flawless. › www.tyrol.com/water Children "sailing" in the Hohe Tauern, Osttirol.

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Nature becomes a playground, the days seem to fly by.

Floating in 7th heaven - together

By Klaus Erler

Active vacation design, full of attractions, fun and excitement: whoever spends his holidays in Tirol doesn’t merely find peace and quiet in untouched mountains.

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arents and children can also take part in adventures together, such as high rope gardens, adventure parks or exploring hiking regions, the days simply fly by and at the same time it makes your vacation utterly unique.

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Whoever thinks about family vacations knows what it is like to worry that parents and children might be operating on different frequencies, might be seeking different things. The one is bored, the other savours a bit of time out. One of them has a marvellous time, the other can’t find the

necessary relaxation. Those scenarios simply don’t occur in Tirol, quite the contrary: the most wildly diverse leisure offerings guarantee vacation experiences together that will resound in pleasant memory long – after the summer has come to an end.

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Playing and climbing

Adventure & Action Parks

Family hiking

Hochoetz, Ötztal A new playground

Tulfes, Region Hall-Wattens Ball bearing forest on the Glungezer

St. Anton am Arlberg WonderWanderWay

The brand new mountain-mine adventure playground in Hochoetz was just completed in spring 2013. Together with your children, you can embark on a voyage into the mountain-mining past and immerse yourselves in utterly new worlds. At numerous stations, you (and they) can climb, slide and swing. Adventurous wobbly-trails, balancing beams and hanging ropes make this playground even more attractive. › www.oetz.com

In this mountain adventure world, oversized ball bearing runways extend over a length of 350 meters, criss-crossing through 7,000 square meters of playground. Other specialties: sports stations and a quiet zone with panorama telescope. › www.kugelwald.at

On the WonderWanderWay above St. Anton there is a lot to experience. Over the ‘barefoot path’ you wend your way to the ‘waterway’ and the ‘wonderwoods’ and then on to the ‘herbal path’ and the ‘natureplayground’ - all in all, a journey of discovery for all five senses. › www.wunderwanderweg.at

Hintertux, Tux-Finkenberg Europe’s highest playground On the glacier in Hintertux, at 3,250 meters altitude, there is a ‘flea park on the glacier’ with many attractions, all living up to the motto “If it’s too hot down in the valley, come on up into the ice!” It is a gorgeous enticement way up in the eternal ice. › www.tux.at Ainet, Osttirol High Rope Garden Osttirol Adventures Floating at a height of eight to fourteen meters above the ground, equipped with climbing belt, harness and helmet, trying to master the obstacles in the treetops in this very unusual park. It is fun and it is active sports training of older children, teaching team spirit at every step of the way. › www.osttirol.com

Haiming, Ötztal Area 47 Full of giant slides, a climbing paradise and countless possibilities for outdoor adventures, AREA 47 leisure park (20,000 m2 of water!) at the Ötztal entrance provides endless opportunities for fun. › www.area47.at Gerlosstein, Zell-Gerlos, Zillertal Arena Arena Coaster, Arena Skyliner The fun of sledding in summertime doesn’t win the acclaim of merely kids: the 1,450 meter long coaster in the Zillertal is full of waves, steep curves, whirlabouts and jumps, making it the ultimate attraction of summer.

The Arena Skyliner, a new type of flying machine, offers unforgettable bird-eye views. › www.zillertalarena.com Imst, Ferienregion Imst Alpine Coaster The Alpine Coaster (3.5 km!) is the longest coaster in the Alps: waves, steep curves, jumps, a gradient up to six meters. It adds up to adventurous pleasure. › www.imster-bergbahnen.at

Leutasch, Olympiaregion Seefeld Leutascher Ghosts Gorge (‘Geisterklamm’) Wicked wild brews and ghostly globs, witch’s cauldron and devil’s due, a world made of water and stone, the path through the Ghosts Gorge in the Leutasch leads through imposing ravines over spectacular steel bridges. A bold descent lets you peer 75 meters down into the home of the ghosts of the gorge. › www.leutascher-geisterklamm.at Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis Hikable Adventures In Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Thomas C. Brezina, a renowned children's book author, has created and staged stories composed of ‘hikable adventures’ where without much technology, mountains turn into thriller-locations, and where the kids and their parents are the real stars. › www.serfaus-fiss-ladis.at

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Tirol’s summertime cablecars bring adventure lovers a step closer to the sky

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Adventure World Serfaus ‘Murmliwasser’ is the name of the magic potion that makes children’s dreams come true. Whether panning for gold, marmotte’s den or building dams on the Lausbach stream, numerous interactive stations entice one and all to come and play. You can also observe real live marmottes in action.

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Summer Fun Park Fiss Have an urge for adrenaline shots?

Summertime sledding on the Fisser Flitzer, flying with the Fisser Flieger and falling with the Skyswing - not something for wobbly nerves!

Hiking paradise Rofan Flying like an eagle: on the skyglider called AIRROFAN all courageous adventurers grow wings. From the Gschöllkopf (2,038 meters high) you zoom downwards for 200 meters of altitude. Don’t worry, you fly more safely than a bird. Buckle up, and off you go!

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Summit joy for everyone

By Sylvia Ainetter

With Tirol’s summer cablecars, you are whisked swiftly and comfortably up to the airy heights. Up above, imposing views and numerous attractions await your arrival.

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n Tirol’s 17 excellent summer cablecars, anyone can become a mountain goat. On the twelve so-called ‘family mountains’ boredom is banned, since every mountain has concocted a creative entertainment programme for children and adults alike. On the ‘family mountains’

everything is designed for families: all the cablecars have special family prices and buggy-friendly entrances and exits. Up above, there are children’s programmes and, of course, family-friendly restaurant – dishes and prices.

Spieljochbahn Fügen Here is where the young head up, up, up. In the Zillertal's first climbing kindergarten, ‘scrambling’ up into the rocks becomes child’s play.

for a quiet rest or as point of departure for a hike laced with panorama views and fascinating insights.

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Lauserland Alpbachtal Caves, panorama towers and water games: explore, hammer, craft, children’s crossbow shooting, barbecues, tooling at Lauserland all the rascals are right in their element.

Alpinolino Westendorf At Alpolino the children discover nature up close: an eagle named Bert guides their gaze to the weasel and mountain hare, the woodpecker and forest dormouse.

Hexenwasser Hochsöll More than 60 wetland stations stimulate the witch’s brew of imagination, inviting the whole family to discover and experience brand new things.

Lake Filzalm Brixen im Thale An idyllic mountain lake, rare animals and plants and an intact bit of nature on a high alpine pasture - just perfect

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Kaiserwelt Scheffau A KaiserWald (‘emperor’s woods’) for young adventurers: on fortress walls, climbing walls, tree huts and other playtime equipment, the young ones can test their endurance and strength.

10 Ellmi’s Magic World Ellmau The Rübezahl family numbers 22 members. They await hikers, ready to astound them on the course of a 1.5kilometer long trail dotted with wood carved figures.

Family experience

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i Tirolean summertime cablecars Apart from twelve family mountains, other Tirolean summertime cablecars have lots of other ways for adventurers, connoisseurs and culture vultures to experience the mountain anew. For example, Tiroler Zugspitzbahn takes you up to 2,962 meters, where views open up to numerous peaks 2,000 and 3,000 meters high. Also the summit platform dubbed ‘Top of Tyrol’ on the Stubai Glacier is incomparable. And from the Nordkette Innsbruck you can see all the way to the Italian border.

In an absolutely unique nature-ice palace on the Hintertux glacier, you can explore a ‘walkable’ glacier crevice, magical ice stalagtites, huge sparkling ice crystals, frozen waterfalls and even a glacier lake.

And nature lovers love the Adlerbühne in Mayrhofen, where they can observe the majesty of the magnificent golden eagle up close.

11 You-can-do-it Mountain Fieberbrunn On Timok’s Alm Coaster, the trip down to the valley is rapidissimo. It includes the ‘emperor’s wave’ and the ‘360° carousel’. Wow! 12 Lienzer Schlossberg Along curvy 2.7 kilometers, full of waves and whirls: the spectacular Alpine Coaster that zips from the Moosalm high pasture in Lienz down to the city in the valley - something for the brave of heart.

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“In Tirol everyone can find just the right climbing area” Interview Klaus Erler

Mike Rutter

mountain guide

Tirol is a rock climbing paradise for the whole family. Mountain guide Mike Rutter of the Austrian Alpine Club is a rock climbing specialist, and he knows why.

Why is Tirol as climbing country so well suited to the entire family? Because the mountains in Tirol are so unbelievably multi-faceted. They offer not only great rock climbing to experienced climbers, but to children as well, or teens or novices. It doesn’t really matter how good you are (or aren’t) because in Tirol everyone can find just the right climbing area, and in the midst of beautiful nature to boot.

What is it that makes rock climbing so fascinating to kids and teenagers? First of all, it is incredibly much fun. Then, it reinforces your mobile adroitness, focuses your concentration and strengthens your self-confidence. If the whole family takes part in it, a brand new feeling of togetherness is usually the result.

Rock climbing is the big trend of the moment. How do you explain that?

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Children learn the right climbing techniques in children’s courses

It’s because in Tirol the factor of sport and the factor of getting close to nature are so perfectly blended. An additional benefit especially for young visitors is that after you learn the basics you can train by yourself back home, and be even more prepared for your next vacation.

Is climbing an expensive sport? Not at all, in climbing areas there are always sports shops that rent the necessary equipment. If you want to buy your own equipment, it doesn’t add up to more than 250 euros.

Which regions in Tirol are particularly well suited for climbing with the family?

The region around Lake Achensee, the rear Zillertal, the whole Ötztal and the region around Imst.

Where can you book a children’s climbing course? In every region there are mountain guides and mountain climbing schools that offer children’s courses. Information is available at every tourist office or at the Internet website www.climbers-paradise.com (German).

Thank you for the interview.

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A wonderful, and completely different kind of family vacation

By Klaus Erler

Fieberbrunn

More than 400 Tirolean farmsteads have rooms and holiday apartments for guests.

They do it out of pleasure and historic traditions of hospitality. All of them offer families genuine experiences of nature on the farm, with their own farm animals and out in the wild.

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he more than 400 member farmsteads of Holidays of the Farm can be found throughout Tirol. The selection ex-tends from tranquil, alpine mountain farms to farmsteads in the low hills to the huge farmhouses in the Inntal. What they all have in common are diverse, attractive and nature-oriented package offers.

A wonderful holiday feeling Everyday life on vacation, which gives some visitors from big cities a truly new feeling for being alive, might look a little bit like this. In the ceramic tile stove a fire is crackling, the cows in the nearby stable are mooing and the house kittycat is prowling along the window ledge.

Under such conditions, your soul learns to roam free. The kids accompany the farm woman into the stables and help along with her tasks. After they have fetched their own breakfast egg from underneath a hen, after they have wished ‘Good Morning’ to the goats and petted the many baby kittens,

things like game consoles and smartphones soon lose their glamour. A breakfast with homemade marmelade, freshly baked bread just taken out of the woodburning oven, butter and milk from the farm is almost the crowning point of every day, and that is just the beginning.

the fresh hay they’re feeding to the animals or drink the still-warm milk from a cow, a new kind of value grows inside them. It’s something that shows what an intact natural environment does for us, gives – to us.

Learning new values like a game Children learn at Holidays on the Farm how to handle and deal with animals large and small, whether tiny kittens, piglets, sheep, ponies, dogs, cats or rabbits. Many city kids encounter these things for the first time in their lives. Farmers are, whether we realize it or not, competent teachers; they can tell you why goats bleat, how to approach animals without risk, and help you to understand how animals communicate.

In the afternoons when everyone gets the fodder ready for the feeding hour, they all can even play with the animals, the children learn to be considerate and responsible towards animals. When they see (and smell)

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Items close to my heart Editor Daniel Naschberger

Regardless whether this ‘little piece of Tirol’ is for in the home or outdoors, among these accessories there is something for everyone in the family.

Children’s lift

photo: Tirolwerk

With the ‘Koahla Deluxe’, the backpack manufacturer has found just the right articles for hiking fans and little kids. This Tirolean children’s carrier weighs less than 3 kilos and is suited for children weighing up to 23 kilograms. It has an adjustable carrier system, a thicklycushioned roller frame that stabilizes the child’s head and also a large section for stored items. A sun-roof or rain-roof with mosquito net is integrated into the back part. › www.kohla.at

Hearts are trump ‘Watten’ is the name of one of the most popular and traditional card games in Tirol. It is easy to learn and is played with enormous enthusiasm by young and old alike, making rainy days a rather special pleasure. The game takes on a certain flair with Tirolwerk’s ‘Watten Set’ which combines originally designed Filztasch watten cards, a writing pad and pen. › www.tirolwerk.at

photo: Kohla

Peter Freiberger is one of Tirol’s most widely known alpine journalists. In his book ‘The most beautiful family hikes in Tirol’ (published by Löwenzahn) he introduces 52 excursions that can easily be hiked with children. For every destination, there is a recommended age and a detailed map. › www.loewenzahn.at

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photo: Tyrolia

Hiking with Kids

Family experience

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Warm soles The children’s house slippers made by Tirolean manufacturer Giesswein are snuggly warm, anti-slip and available in many cool designs which will tickle the young ones. Their lightweight soles of genuine rubber ensure sturdy standing, the uppers of 100 percent boiled new wool are washable at 30 degrees. Lateral rubber strips make them easy to put on and take off. › www.giesswein.com

photo: Giesswein

Show the world where you come from

‘Driving the cattle and sheep down from the high pastures’’ is the newest version Sheep, don’t get excited’.’’. The game of ‘Sheep, board is made entirely of wool felt, and whoever gets excited can used it as something to sit on. › www.tirolshop.com

photos: Tirol Werbung

Don’t get excited

These cotton children’s T-shirts available at Tirol Shop make it obvious for everyone to see. Those who wear them are real ‘Tirolean Gals’ und real ‘Tirolean Guys’. › www.tirolshop.com

photo: Tirol Werbung

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Tips & Info

Accommodations

Leisure activities

Family Tirol Villages

Hiking with children

Swimming lakes

On this website, all ten Tirolean regions which specialize and focus on vacations for families with children are listed in an easily gleaned way. Thematic focal points include rewarding family day-trip destinations and special family events. › www.tyrol.com/family

After strict testing, more than 40 Alpine Club huts have been approved as familyfriendly, and given the appropriate seal of distinction. The brochure ‘With Children to the Hut’ informs you about all the things you need to know - both general descriptions and specific attributes of certain huts. › www.alpenverein.at (German)

Tirol’s lakes for swimming are introduced here, so that on hot summer days you can find the cooling refreshment you need.

Information on admission prices, water temperatures, facilities and possible sideline activities can all be found here. › www.tyrol.com/water

Family Tirol The 23 quality-checked Family Tirol Hotels are introduced on this website. With lots of heartwarming dedication and a love of detail, they offer diverse family vacations with free-of-charge children’s programmes. › www.tyrol.com/family Holidays on the Farm At this website you can not only book farmhouse accommodations, but also book high alpine pastures and alpine huts. Inquiries about available accommodations are answered within 48 hours, plus lots of additional details revolving around the subject of ‘overnights on the farm’ will make the time til your vacation fly by. › www.bauernhof.cc Camping This website provides a complete listing of all the camping areas in Tirol, sub-divided according to region and town, with links to each individual provider, where you can inquire about special children’s facilities and the children-friendly aspects of each camping area. › www.campingtirol.at

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Checklists for family hikes Since on hikes with children the hike itself is usually the goal, the route has to be carefully chosen. The service checklists provide assistance and helpful tips for planning your hiking tours, including tips about the right equipment and first aid. › www.tyrol.com/hiking Summertime Cablecars in Tirol This website is dedicated to 17 select Tirolean summer cablecars which have been awarded the seal-of-quality known as ‘Outstanding Austrian Summer Cablecar’ for their large sports and leisure programmes that win the acclaim of families and for their sustained high quality. › www.sommerbahnen.tirol.at (German)

Leisure tips In this independent Internet leisure magazine, you’ll find all sorts of valuable leisure tips. They include independent activities for children, but also for family outings together. › www.mamilade.at/tirol (German) Climbing with kids Here you will find all the wide ranging information you seek for climbers, from beginners to pros, in Tirol’s climbing regions.

There are detailed descriptions of the individual routes, which makes it easy to find family-friendly climbing spots. › www.climbers-paradise.com (German)

Day-trip destinations This website provides a comprehensive list and detailed descriptions of Tirol’s day-trip destinations, from summertime sledding runs to leisure and animal parks all the way to museums. › www.tyrol.com/excursions

Children-friendly climbing routes

Family experience

Still have questions?

Tirol Info Maria-Theresien-Straße 55 6020 Innsbruck · Austria +43.512.7272-0 +43.512.7272-7 info@tirol.at www.tyrol.com

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Willi Waldwichtel, forest gnome by profession, is the hero of this year's games at Family Tirol.

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Culture & Gastronomy

At a glance page 68 Noble sips page 70 Chocolate hikers page 72 ‘Storytelling in the kitchen’ page 74 Exciting film locations page 76 A village and its passion page 78 Mountains aflame page page 80 Items close to my heart page 82 Tips & Info page 84 Lucknerhaus, end of the Glockner Road, Kals in Osttirol

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“The traditional cattle drive down from the high pastures to the valley is a sign of gratitude,” comments Hans Feller on the Kelchsau cattle drive

Hans Feller

chief of Kelchsau cattle drive

When the cattle are driven from the high alpine pastures down to the valley in autumn, it is cause for celebration. Hans Feller is chief of the Kelchsau cattle drive, which numbers among the most original of these festive traditions.

What it is that makes the cattle drives in Kelchsau so special? Our cattle drive looks back on a long historical tradition. The old farmhouses in Kelchsau have a very special ambiente, something which even visitors from afar notice at once. They say it is something you really can’t describe. › You simply have to experience it.

History and Customs The history of Tirol is spreads out before your vision at the Tirolean State Museum in Innsbruck. The deepest insights into the rural past and everyday life can be viewed at the Tirolean Folk Culture Museum, right next to he Imperial Church.

Up above on Bergisel, a brand new building awaits visitors, the Tirol Panorama, in which the famous 360° wall mural can be seen. › www.tiroler-landesmuseum.at

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Culture & Gastronomy

“You simply have to experience it.”

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Interview Barbara Wohlsein

How many people are involved in the planning? How many spectators come?

The programme is organized by four different associations that each have ten members. I would estimate that each cattle drive attracts about 500 to 1,000 visitors to Kelchsau. We wouldn’t have room for more people than that, and the age-old festive atmosphere would suffer.

What is offered to visitors? Our programme starts at 9:00 am. The visitors stroll through the village and look around at the farmers market. There’s cheese, speck, bread, everything from the region.

Later on, they eat typical local dishes from the Lower Inntal, from ‘Brodakrapfen’ doughnuts to ‘Kiachln’ doughnuts to

‘Kasspatzln’ cheese pancakes and ‘Knödeln’ dumplings. Then there is a handicrafts market, with wood carving, where sheep are shorn, and other things. There are music groups playing throughout the village, there is something happening on every streetcorner.

How many cows are driven through the village? For each pass, that is, for each farmer, as many as 100 animals are driven down to the valley. That all adds up to a pretty impressive scene, when you think that each one is decorated. On top of that come the yodels and calling cries of the shepherds, just as tradition calls for.

Thank you for the interview.

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Enjoyable customs Interesting facts about Tirol as a land of culinary enjoyment There are 127 inns that carry the seal-ofquality ‘Tiroler Wirtshaus’ - meaning that you can enjoy quality Tirolean dishes of long-standing tradition there.

About 2,100 high alpine pastures are open to visitors. On these ‘alms’, mountain specialties from cheese to honey can be tasted.

The so-called ‘marend’ in Tirol is a robust and hearty morning snack, including various sausages, alm cheese and grey cheese, invariably accompanied by farm-fresh bread and Tirolean butter.

Things worth known about Tirolean culture and customs More than 300 brass-and-woodwind bands and more than 7,000 instrumentalists play at a variety of festive events in Tirol.

Glittering World of Wonders

Building in Tirol

Swarovski’s Crystal Worlds in Wattens numbers among the most popular cultural sights, having welcomed ten million visitors over the last 15 years. In fourteen ‘wonder chambers’ international artists have brought to life the theme of crystal and interpreted it in a plethora of ways. In addition there are temporary exhibitions and music events, e.g. ‘Music at the Giant” and ‘FM Giant’.

Architecture is an important theme in Tirol.

Apart from the traditional architecture of farmhouses there are futuristic cablecar stations, mountain huts and hotels to be seen, which have been designed by world famous architects. Whoever would like to pursue the path of architecture in Tirol can visit the website aut.architektur and obtain lots of information. Thematic routes and a database listing all the buildings can be found there.

› www.kristallwelten.swarovski.com

› www.aut.cc

The so-called Gauder Fest takes place in Zell am Ziller from 2 to 5 May 2013 and forms the largest traditional festivities in the Alps.

Tirol’s state traditional festive costume association has more than 10,000 members. It ensures that regional festive wear is displayed at official events and is maintained in authentic form and style. Brass bands and riflery companies usually have standard costumes which fulfil the function of a uniform.

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Noble sips

By Daniel Naschberger

Tradition and quality are the most indispensable ingredients of Tirol’s schnapps culture. and spicy. The ‘meisterwurz’ root is an herblike plant which grows predominantly on mountain meadows It is made in the side valleys of Ötztal and Zillertal and in Ausserfern. Due to its essential oils, meisterwurz has long been treated as a medicinal plant. In some parts of Tirol it is tradition to this day to ‘smoke out’ the living room with meisterwurz in order to drive off any malingering spirits.

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tarting with the raw materials, the crops themselves, to the distilling and all the way to the final refinement and tasting - centuries old knowledge is what makes Tirol’s brandies so unique.

Meisterwurz Meisterwurz schnapps has been distilled in Tirol for centuries. Its taste is fresh

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Krautinger The notorious Krautinger is distilled exclusively in Wildschönau, which has possessed the exclusive official monopoly since it was awarded to the inhabitants of this valley by Empress Maria Theresia centuries ago. In olden days 51 distilleries received permission to make this rustic turnip brandy; nowadays there are only 15 which do so. Specially cultivated turnip seeds and beechwood are what make the taste of Krautinger just what it always was: intense and headstrong.

The people of Wildschönau call ‘their’ schnapps ‘medicine and elixir of life in › one gulp’.

Culture & Gastronomy

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Tirol’s Brandy Road In a special selection of Tirolean brandy distilleries, visitors are invited to watch each and every step in the distilling process, from the planting of fruit orchards to the traditional distilling process right up to the taste-testing at the finish. It is displayed in attractive ways: visitors learn about the creation of this Tirolean specialty and come to understand how much science and how much dedication - go into its production. › www.tyrol.com

Gentian Gentian blossoms are an age-old symbol of Tirol’s mountains. Gentian schnapps is aromatically bitter and is said to be good for stomach ailments. Gentian plants bloom up to 2,500 meters altitude and grow extremely slowly: only after ten years do they blossom for the first time.

That’s why all wild gentians in Tirol are a protected species. The plants used for making schnapps are specially cultivated and harvested.

Apples are a special treat when used for distilling schnapps, as in Osttirol's ‘Pregler’.

Pregler Pregler is permitted to be produced only in the region of Lienz in Osttirol. It is made from old varieties of apples and cider pears, in exceptional cases plums can also be used. This rule was laid down by the Austrian Food Commission. The taste of this brandy is clear and fruity.

Incidentally, ‘pregeln’ is ancient Osttirol – dialect for ‘distilling schnapps’.

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Chocolate Hikers

By Barbara Wohlsein

The milk from the noble race of cows known as Tyrolean Greys is transformed by chocolatier Hansjörg Haas into fine chocolate known as ‘Tiroler Edle’.

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connoisseur’s route to Venet in Tirol’s Upper Inntal brings hikers a wee bit closer to this delicacy, from the panorama of summits to the milk on the high alpine pastures all the way to the confectioner’s craft.

First station: summit joy From the valley station Zams hikers are whisked upwards on the cablecar to the mountain terminal of the Venet at 2,212 meters altitude, where the ‘Viewing Path’ to one of the unforgettable 360° roundabout panoramas is possible. Then you walk further along long-distance trail E5 where in slow, gentle descent you hike past lush pastures on your way to the Gogles Alm. Second station: milk from the high pastures Here on the Gogles Alm at 2,017 meters altitude, Joachim Nigg processes the milk from more than 70 cows to make cheese and buttermilk. If you announce your coming ahead of time, you can visit the demonstration cheesemaking facilities and the stables. Then you continue your hike to

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Nature Park House Gachenblick, at 1,581 meters, with a lovely panorama terrace and an unusual forest playground, to linger awhile and enjoy the surrounding scenery.

How about a glass of milk from Tyrolean Greys or a mug of hot chocolate from ‘Tiroler Edle’ to help sweeten your stopover?

Third station: chocolate We are now approaching the final, particularly succulent stage: on the Nature Park bus, which can be taken free-of-charge with the TirolWest Card, you ride to Haag Confectionery in Landeck, where chocolatier Hansjörg Haag invites you to come in and taste his hand-made chocolates, the ‘Tiroler Edle’.

Milk and fresh cream from Tyrolean Greys plus the cocoa beans provide the indispensable, noble ingredients. Then tiny mountain cranberries, mountain mint or mountain brandy are added. And thus, the connoisseur’s route reaches a climax and winds down to a close with a scrumptious aftertaste, which you are welcome to take – home with you.

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Rare Tyrolean Greys dubbed ‘the noble ones’ - number among Mycattle Tirolbreeds.

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If it’s beautiful, it tastes better. Precision is an integral part of gourmet cooking.

Andreas Senn

3-toque gourmet chef

Andreas Senn first collected experiences from top restaurants all over Austria and in Switzerland before he worked as sous chef at Ikarus in Hanger 7 in Salzburg for six years.

Since 2010 the Tirolean has been executive chef at gourmet restaurant Heimatliebe at Grand SPA Resort A-ROSA in KitzbĂźhel. In October 2012, he was awarded 3 toques and 17 points by the gourmet guide Gault Millau.

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Culture & Gastronomy

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Fresh Tirolean produce and gourmet cooking: Wow! Interview Barbara Wohlsein

No fewer than 65 restaurants in Tirol were awarded one or more Gault Millau toques in 2012. One of the rising stars was Andreas Senn of Grand SPA Resort A-ROSA in Kitzbühel.

Your cuisine was awarded the grand prize of three toques and 17 points in October 2012. Did you expect that? It’s very difficult to forecast how the evaluations will turn out, since the testing takes place on one given day. It’s obvious that I’m proud of this highly positive assessment. After all, there is still more room up at the top. The most important thing, however, is the guest who, hopefully, becomes a regular guest and visits us repeatedly throughout the year.

The Gault-Millau testers note that your dishes actually ‘tell a story’. What do they mean by that? When you create a new dish, you are usually inspired by certain sources and out of those sources a story can grow. By the time a new creation is actually finished, it might take as long as three weeks before it is just what I imagined. The people who know me realize that I am never 100 percent satisfied. A large part of our work consists of experimentation, researching, combining, a little bit like putting together the elements of a story.

Do the surroundings of your restaurant, i.e. the mountains around Kitzbühel, have an influence on your cooking style?

We endeavor to bring both the regionality and the authenticity of the products to life.

Tirol offers precisely the right backdrop for that goal.

Do you cook differently when you’re at Ikarus in Salzburg or in Switzerland?

Of course I do! You are always evolving, you develop, you change, you find new techniques. If I didn’t do that, it would be a step backwards.

Is it difficult to bring together Tirolean cooking traditions with international gourmet cuisine? Not at all. High quality Tirolean products and international gourmet cuisine can be combined beautifully. The diversity of local products is incredible, if you take the trouble to look and cultivate a little interest in it.

What is a restaurant guest looking for at Restaurant Heimatliebe?

Rustic Tirol or finest delicacies?

Both. The guest experiences a journey of tastes of a very special kind, in the course of which tradition interfaces with creative openness in the big, wide world. We unite exclusive top products from Austria with ingredients from all over the world and combine them in creative menus.

What’s your favourite Tirolean dish?

Without any doubt, wild game, the way my mother prepares it.

Can you reveal a very simple Tirolean recipe to us? I would be happy to, whenever you visit my gourmet restaurant Heimatliebe.

Thank you for the interview.

Culinary Route Santiago de Compostela Each summer the Tirolean Paznaun transmogrifies into a region of enjoyment blending hiking, nature and gourmet cuisine in very special ways. Four internationally renowned chefs create at four different mountain huts highly individual dishes which pay tribute to local products. The four hiking routes on this culinary Route Santiago de Compostela start in Ischgl, Galtür, Kappl and See. They are intended to draw visitors closer both to nature and to the best food the region can offer.

– › www.kulinarischerjakobsweg.paznaun-ischgl.com

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Lights, camera, action in Tirol

By Klaus Erler

From ‘Mountain Doctor’ to the Daniel-Brühl film ‘The Best Years are Past’ - Tirol has established itself as scenic backdrop for many different types of films and TV programs over the last few years.

Now visitors can have a look at the shooting locations of exciting film productions.

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hoever thinks about ‘Crocodile Dundee' immediately evokes images of Australia. But not only the Down Under jungle has its charms, so does Tirol. Numerous Bollywood movies,

international cinema productions and popular television series have recently been filmed in Tirol. Ranging from the old classic ‘Der Weisse Rausch’ in 1931 all the way to Hollywood blockbuster ‘xXx - Triple X’,

Tirol has proven itself to be a first class shooting location for modern films. For cineasts there is now the opportunity to track down their favourite stars and movies, and – visit the locations first hand.

Mountain Doctor

The Best Years are Past

Powder Girl (Chalet Girl)

The mountain doctor has won the hearts of TV viewers for a long time. The current doctor is played by Hans Sigl, who lives in Ellmau near the Wilder Kaiser. The village Wildermieming is to this day inseparable from the series which was filmed there from 1991 to 1998.

The successful movie by director Hans Weingartner not only made leading actor Daniel Brühl famous, it also thrust the imposing mountain world around Lake Achensee into a very flattering light.

The romantic comedy starring well known Hollywood actors such as Brooke Shields and Ed Westwick (‘Gossip Girl’) plays in St. Anton am Arlberg, where a young snowboarder works as a chalet girl for the rich and beautiful society.

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Year: 2007-2013 Locations: Wilder Kaiser, Ellmau

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Year: 2004 Locations: Achensee

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Year: 2010 Locations: St. Anton am Arlberg,

Kaunertal glacier

Culture & Gastronomy

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Actors and bit-part players listening to the director’s final instructions on the set of ‘The Midwife’

Yuvvraaj

Soko Kitzbühel

The Midwife

The sights of Innsbruck are the centerpiece of this Bollywood film, the State Theater, the Imperial Palace, the ski jump. Even Swarovski Crystal Worlds serves as a screen set.

The detective series on ZDF and ORF is in its eleventh season, with more in the planning. The Roither/Kofler team solves criminal cases which frequently have their roots in Kitzbühel’s upper crust society.

The historic TV drama about a courageous midwife who fought for better conditions in a 19th century village faced an uphill struggle with the church and conventional medical authorities.

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Year: 2007 Locations: Innsbruck, Wattens, Stubai,

Kufstein

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Year: 2001-2013 Locations: Kitzbühel and surroundings

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Year: 2009 Locations: Bschlabs, Hall in Tirol,

Farmhouse Museum Kramsach

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A village and its passion

By Barbara Wohlsein

As of 26 May 2013 the tiny Tirolean village of Erl will once again be the centerpoint of the passion plays which have been performed there for 400 years. About 600 of the 1,450 village inhabitants can be found on stage for this anniversary of the dramatic productions.

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he tiny Tirolean village of Erl, located right at the German border, is the oldest passion play venue in the German speaking region. According to oral traditions, Bavarian pilgrims on their way to Altötting in a riverboat on the Inn stopped

by Erl to watch a passion play at Eastertime in the year 1613. From that time on, passion plays are on record as having been staged in this border town in Tirol. The year 2013 is a very special one for Erl, since the village is preparing for anniversary plays which will be staged and performed for an enthusiastic public from 26 May until 5 October 2013.

Modern version For this special occasion, illustrious artists have been commissioned to modernize the production. The new passion play script comes from no lesser an author than Felix Mitterer who currently numbers among the most popular contemporary dramatists in the German speaking area. For the new stage production, which in some parts is

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downright revolutionary, Markus Plattner is responsible. Wolfram Wagner has revised the music which will be presented live by a choir and orchestra. Annelie Büchner has designed a brand new set. Costumes are being created and sewn by Lenka Radecky.

Ralf Wapler is in charge of the lighting.

33 performance dates Between 26 May and 5 October 2013 the plays will be performed at the Passion Playhouse in Erl, a venue which shines brightly due to its architecture and splendid acoustics. Thirty-three performances of the anniversary passion play are on the agenda.

Except for one evening performance (at 7:00 pm) the play always starts at 1:00 pm. In July, it is possible to visit the passion plays parallel to the Tirolean Festival under the direction of Gustav Kuhn. On these Sundays, a Holy Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am in the playhouse, apart from the anniversary passion play later on. › www.passionsspiele.at

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Culture & Gastronomy

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Culture Summer in Tirol Besides the Erl passion plays, there are numerous other cultural events which are well known beyond our borders.

TschirgArt Jazzfestival Imst

May

8 – 18 May 2013

Tirolean Beethoven Days Ferienland Kufstein 31 May – 8 June 2013

Tanzsommer Innsbruck 17 June – 17 July 2013

June

Schlossbergspiele Rattenberg 28 June – 09 August 2013

Tirolean Festival Erl 4 – 28 July 2013

July

Operettensommer Kufstein 2 – 17 August 2013

The Erl passion plays dramatize the agony of Christ. The whole village is the cast.

August

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music 7 – 25 August 2013

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An impressive spectacle, when mountain fires (pictured here, Tiroler Zugspitz Arena) light up the summer skies

Mountains aflame

By Daniel Naschberger

In numerous Tirolean villages and towns, the summer solstice is celebrated with fires on a wreath of surrounding mountains.

In the Zugspitz Arena, the spectacle is particularly impressive.

T

he valley bowl all around Ehrwald, Lermoos and Biberwier provides the perfect stage set for this spectacle which takes place on 22 June 2013. About 8,000 individual firespots depict symbolic mythological figures and beliefs that light up the skies over Tirol.

UNESCO has declared the mountain fires, which have long enjoyed a prominent status among events, visited by people from far

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beyond our borders, as an immaterial cultural heritage of Austria.

But also in other Tirolean villages, the mountain peaks ‘go up in flame’ at summer solstice, e.g. Tannheimer Tal, Lake Achensee, in Innsbruck, Ramsau im Zillertal, in the Alpbachtal, in Ellmau, Söll and Westendorf, in the Pillerseetal, Kaiserwinkl, in TuxFinkenberg, St. Johann in Tirol and in the – Wildschönau.

Culture & Gastronomy

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Items close to my heart Editor Sylvia Ainetter

Tiroleans are deeply proud of their ancient traditions.

Sometimes their love of the homeland blossoms through the taste buds...but not always.

From the smoking shed Tirolean mountain bacon by Handl is always made by hand and is already a classic among connoisseurs. It mustn’t be lacking at any Tirolean ‘marend’ (Latin for ‘pause’, the name of the mid-morning Tirolean snack). Available in Tirolean grocery stores, supermarkets and in Handl shops. › www.handltyrol.at photo

: Ha n

dl Ty

rol

The ‘Alpbach Taler’ is a peppy sliced cheese manufactured by the cheesemakers in Reith im Alpbachtal. Available at the cheesemakers’ shop and in Spar and MPreis grocery stores. › www.kaeserei-reith.at

photo: Darbo

Tea from a bottle

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Tea Syrup by the Tirolean company Darbo is made from pure fruit juice concentrate refined with tea extracts and herbal additives. Available in Tirolean grocery stores and supermarkets. › www.darbo.at

photo: Agrarmarketing Tirol

Spicy stuff from Tirol

Culture & Gastronomy

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Crystal clear and strong The demo distillery Stiegenhaushof in Zillertal is well known for its prizewinning brandies. Apart from local specialties such as Meisterwurz and Gentian, fruity Obstler brandy is also a popular classic. Available from the online shop. › www.stiegenhaushof.at

Foto: Original Tiroler Prügeltorte

Pure tradition Boiled wool jackets made of merino wool set great store in meticulous handicraft and high quality materials. They are the specialty of the Kitzbühel family company Frauenschuh. Also available at the online shop. › www.frauenschuh.com

photo: Stiegenhaushof

A sweet rarity The so-called ‘Prügeltorte’ from Branderberg is made of Tirolean eggs, butter, flour and sugar - and that’s all. The liquidy dough is slowly dripped onto a so-called ‘prügel’ cylinder, which rotates slowly over an open fire. Available at select confectioners in Brandenberg, Kramsach and Rattenberg or online. › www.pruegeltorten.at

photo: Frauenschuh

photo: Tiroler Edle

Noble chocolate daydreams Finest bars of chocolate fashioned from milk and cream of Tyrolean Greys. Filled with Tirolean ingredients such as Stanz brandy, mountain cranberries or walnuts. Available at select dealers and at the online shop of Tiroler Edle. › www.tiroleredle.at

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Tips & Info

Fine eating

Customs

Quality products

Cattle drives

The website for Tirol’s agricultural marketing offers wide ranging information about Tirolean products and the things which distinguish them, as well as a list of traditional rural festivities in Tirol. › www.amtirol.at (German)

This is the right website for all those who want to know everything worth knowing about the dates of the magnificent regional processions which go on in September as a climax of the summer season on the high alpine pastures. › www.tyrol.com/tradition

Culture & Film

Brass and woodwind music

Tirolean dumplings & cheese dumplings

When and where are the more than 300 brass and woodwind instrumental ensembles of Tirol performing? The agenda of the Tirolean Brass Band Association supplies the details. › www.blasmusikverband-tirol.at

At the website of the illustrious restaurant guide Gault Millau, evaluations and descriptions of the numerous restaurants in Tirol which have been awarded high marks can be read about. › www.gaultmillau.at (German)

All information about the top chefs along the culinary Route of Santiago de Compostela and the agenda of the annual culinary high alpine pasture hikes. › www.kulinarischerjakobsweg. paznaun-ischgl.com

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No mountains, Tirol nonetheless The online portal introduces cultural highlights in Tirol, sub-divided according to region or type of event. › www.tyrol.com/events

Gourmet cooking

Culinary Route Santiago de Compostela

Festival Hall in Erl

Filmland Tirol

Church Day musicians in Kals

Which film or which series are currently being shot in Tirol? Where are the spectacular locations? These answers, and others, can be read on the Cine Tirol website. › www.cinetirol.com

Gauder-Fest

Architecture

The website supplies all the details, together with terrific package offers, on the Gauder Fest in Zell am Ziller. › www.gauderfest.at

The online platform offers interesting tours to examine buildings in Tirol free-of-charge with ‘architek[tour] tirol’. › www.aut.cc

Culture & Gastronomy

Museums & Galleries Contemporary art

Tirolean State Museums

‘Innsbruck Contemporary’ is the merger of 14 galleries in Innsbruck and Schwaz with their focal point on contemporary art. › www.innsbruckcontemporary.at (German)

This website supplies the best overview of the Tirolean State Museum, the Armoury, the Folk Culture Museum, the Imperial Church and Tirol Panorama in Innsbruck. › www.tiroler-landesmuseen.at

Still have questions?

Tirol Info Maria-Theresien-Straße 55 6020 Innsbruck · Austria +43.512.7272-0 +43.512.7272-7 info@tirol.at www.tyrol.com

t f e w

A colourful spectacle when after 120 days in the heights the cows are driven homeward

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Imprint

Publisher and Editor: 5JSPM 8FSCVOH ัง .BSJB 5IFSFTJFO 4USBย F *OOTCSVDL ัง "VTUSJB Concept & Art Direction: $BNBP "( ัง #VSHTUSBย F .VOJDI ัง (FSNBOZ Photos: page 9 - Anton Thaler page 16 - Marius Maasewerd page 20 - Michael Werlberger Erwin Haiden page 24 - Hannes Mair Tobias Madoerin page 30 - Stefan Wierer page 31 - Area 47 page 34 - Alpenpark Karwendel TVB PillerseeTal page 35 - Gerhard Berger page 37 - Ferienregion Hohe Salve Hannes Dabernig Daniel Neilson page 39 - Gerhard Eisenschink (Verein Lechwege) page 43 - Reinhard Hรถlzl page 52 - Tiroler Familiennester

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page 55 - ร sterreich Werbung, Patrice Kunte page 57 - TVB PillerseeTal page 59 - Mayrhofner Bergbahnen AG page 60 - Privat Zillertal Tourismus GmbH, Bernd Ritschel page 64 - Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, www.foto-mueller.com Sepp Rettenbacher page 65 - Hohe Tauern Osttirol, ร sterreich Werbung, Patrice Kunte page 68 - Privat Gerhard Berger page 72 - Fotoarchiv Tiroler Edle page 74/75 - Grand SPA Resort A-Rosa Kitzbรผhel, Martin Engelmann page 76 - ORF/ZDF/Thomas R. Schumann coop99, Y3 Filmproduktion Novotny & Novotny Filmproduktion, Neue Bioskop Film, Kaleidoscope Film page 77 - Roxy Film, SK Film Matthias Pflug ORF/Beo Film

page 79 - Passionsspielverein Erl Tanzsommer Innsbruck page 80/81 - Albin Niederstrasser page 85 - Margherita Spiluttini Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum Texts: Target Group Publishing GmbH #SVOFDLFS 4USBย F ัง *OOTCSVDL Austria Printer: Crossover-Mediagroup Druck und Veredelungs GmbH "EJ .BJTMJOHFS 4US ัง .VOJDI Germany Translated from the German: +FGGSFZ .D$BCF ัง $SFBUJWF 5SBOTMBUJPOT -BOEFTTUS ัง 0CFSIPGFO ัง "VTUSJB Cut-off date: March 2013. All contents have been diligently compiled and verified, nonetheless no liability can be assumed for their accuracy.

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MY TIROL 01 · 2013 Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine

Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine Edition 01 · 2013

Edition 01 · 2013

MY TIROL Tirol’s Summer in the Mountains Magazine

Sports & Activities: Summit conquerors page 22 Nature & Health: The journey is the goal page 38 Family experience: Lots of space for adventure and relaxation page 54 Culture & Gastronomy: Mountains aflame page 80