Mountain hut tips

Brandalm, 1,680 m A scene full of atmosphere

Tux-Finkenberg.In the midst of flowering meadows and fragrant forests, you can enjoy a place with a good atmosphere: after all, you’ll be warmly welcomed with alpine music and traditional home cooking. Reachable via many biking and hiking trails, this hut is also very well suited as a stop for bike amateurs.

Schwarzachalm, 1,378 m True idyll

Zell-Gerlos. Situated by a rushing stream, surrounded by lush alpine meadows with grazing cows, this lovely 17th century hut leaves no heart untouched. The pleasant hiking trail is even suitable for prams, and the spacious terrace o ers a good view of the nearby playground.

Lattenalm, 1,700 m Breathtaking view

Tux-Finkenberg. Sitting on the sun terrace with a glass of homemade buttermilk, taking in the green alpine hills as well as the majestic world of peaks – this snack station is a power spot that is easy to hike to: either uphill from the valley or downhill from the Eggalmbahn top station.

’s Legal, 1,905 m Children’s adventure

Zell-Gerlos. From the Fichtenschloss castle, located at the Rosenalmbahn cable car top station, it’s not far uphill to the Legal. Surrounded by rushing mountain streams with Kneipp facilities and animals such as calves, pigs, goats and donkeys, this Alpine place o ers sunbathing areas as well as a large play area.

Filzenalm, 1,908 m Magni cent enjoyment

Mayrhofen-Hippach. The buggy-compatible circular enjoyment trail to the Filzenalm starts at the Ahornbahn top station. Being a show farm, you can observe many animals here and enjoy excellent milk and dairy products from the farm’s own cows. Even more exciting: the viewing platform jutting out of the mountain with a view into the valley.

Geolsalm, 1,774 m Real home cooking

Fügen-Kaltenbach. For hikers who want to experience a beautiful mountain tour with children and great views in summer, this is the ideal snack station: rustic and very cosy, serving the finest Tyrolean delicacies. From the halfway station of the Spieljochbahn cable car, the alpine pasture is easily reached via a wide path.

Tristenbachalm, 1,200 m Rural joie de vivre

Mayrhofen-Hippach. In this somewhat di erent snack station in the wildly romantic Floitental valley with a view of overwhelming rock faces and everwhite glacier flanks, a life-a irming atmosphere always prevails. On the terrace, it’s easy to just enjoy yourself. Also easily accessible with bike and pram.

Huberwinkelalm, 1,370 m Charming character

Fügen-Kaltenbach. Not only the hut itself is characterised by Tyrolean charm, the whole package is enchanting: A great view, freshly prepared delicacies, an extremely friendly waitress who always has a joke in store. And because of its amazing location, it is easily accessible both on foot and by bike.

STARTER

Home-made butter with mountain cranberries, mountain herbs, and meadow owers

For approx. 600 g of butter Preparation time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours cooling time INGREDIENTS For the butter: 1 l cream 60 g dried cranberries 3 tablespoons dried, mixed mountain herbs 3 tablespoons dried, mixed meadow flowers

Whip the cream in a food processor for about 10 minutes until the fat separates from the thin buttermilk. Lift the resulting butter out of the liquid with clean hands.

Squeeze the butter in a bowl of ice water with your ngers until no milky liquid comes out. Divide the butter into three equal amounts.

Finely chop the cranberries. Using a fork, work the chopped cranberries, mountain herbs, and meadow owers into one piece of butter each.

Now place the butter mix on a piece of baking paper (approx. 30 × 30 cm) and roll it up tightly. Twist the ends, tie them up and chill the butter in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

MAIN COURSE

Schupfnudeln with chanterelles

For 4 persons Preparation time: 45 minutes plus 20 minutes cooking time INGREDIENTS For the Schupfnudeln: 500 g floury potatoes 1 egg 80 g wheat flour (e.g. Type 550) 1 pinch of freshly ground nutmeg salt

For the topping: 300 g chanterelle mushrooms 1 onion 2 tbsp butter 100 g Zillertal mountain cheese 1 handful rocket salad black pepper from the grinder

Wash the potatoes and boil them in their skins in a pot of salted water for 15–20 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and peel. Press through the potato ricer while still warm, allow to steam out. Tip: The more water evaporates, the u er the Schupfnudeln will become.

Meanwhile, clean the chanterelles. Peel the onions and dice them nely. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion in it until translucent. Add the mushrooms and fry over medium heat until they are cooked but still rm (takes about 5 minutes). Remove the pan from the plate and keep it warm.

Knead the pressed potatoes with the egg, our, nutmeg and ½ tsp of salt until a smooth dough is formed. Cut o pieces of the dough and use your oured hands to shape into palm-length Schupfnudeln.

Cook the Schupfnudeln in lightly simmering, salted water until they oat to the surface.

Finely grate ¾ of the mountain cheese. Return the pan with the mushrooms to the cooker and douse with a small ladle of Schupfnudel water. Stir in the cheese until it is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Lift the Schupfnudeln out of the water with a slotted spoon and put them directly in the pan. Mix and briefly bring to the boil again. Then ladle into plates, garnish with rocket salad, grate the remaining mountain cheese on top, and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

For 4 persons Preparation time: 25 minutes plus at least 2 hours cooling time DESSERT

Panna cotta with blueberries

INGREDIENTS For the panna cotta: 4 leaves gelatine 1 vanilla pod 500 ml cream 60 g fine crystal sugar

For the sauce: 250 g blueberries 1 tsp cornflour 2 tbsp lime juice 1 sprig lemon balm

Soak the gelatine in cold water. Cut the vanilla pod open lengthwise with a small knife and scrape out the pulp. Bring the cream with the vanilla pulp and 40 g sugar to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from the stove.

Squeeze the gelatine out well with your hands and stir into the cream with a whisk until it has dissolved.

Pour the cream mixture into four moulds or jars, cover with cling lm and leave to cool at room temperature. Then chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Set aside 50 g blueberries for decoration. Boil the remaining 200 g in 50 ml water with 20 g sugar in a saucepan until they open up. Purée nely with an immersion blender and strain the sauce through a ne sieve.

Stir the corn our with the lime juice until smooth. Mix the blueberry sauce with the starch mixture in a pot and heat until the sauce thickens. Allow to cool.

Place the panna cotta moulds briefly in a bowl of hot water and then tip the panna cotta out onto a plate. Garnish with the blueberry sauce, the remaining blueberries, and lemon balm.

COCKTAIL

Non-alcoholic Marilly Vanilly

Recipe: Andreas Hotter

Preparation time: 3 minutes (when all components are ready to use) INGREDIENTS For 1 cocktail: 10 cl unfiltered apple juice 2 cl raspberry purée 2 cl apricotpurée 1 cl lemon juice 4 cl vanilla yoghurt from the Zillertal alpine dairy 1 cl vanilla syrup

For the fruit purée**: 250 g raspberries 250 g apricots a bit of apricot juice

Additionally**: ½ apple 10 raspberries fresh mint

Ice cubes cocktail skewers

PREPARATION For the raspberry purée, wash the raspberries, mash them with a fork and strain them through a ne sieve.

For the apricot purée, cut the washed apricots crosswise at the stem end with a sharp knife and place in boiling water for a maximum of one minute. Rinse under cold water, peel, quarter, stone, and chop in a blender with a dash of apricot juice. Then strain the mixture through a ne sieve.

FURTHER PROCEDURE Shake all the cocktail ingredients vigorously in the shaker with plenty of cube ice until it mists up. Then strain into a pre-chilled highball glass over fresh cube ice.

Cut thin slices from half an apple and put them on a cocktail skewer with fresh raspberries. Garnish the glasses with the skewer and freshly picked mint.

**You can prepare about 10 drinks from the quantities given here.

Fashion shoot in Zillertal. For the models, posing on the meadows and in front of the magnificent mountain motif was a particularly delightful challenge.

Rebekka Ruetz – the designer felt inspired by the beauty of Zillertal.

Fashion art

THE DESIGNER:

Rebekka Ruetz was born on 17 October 1984 in Zams, attended the fashion school in Innsbruck, studied in Munich, trained in London and started her own business as a designer in 2009.

THE STYLE:

This unconventional artist makes “fashion for the modern Amazon”, has a preference for asymmetrical, feminine designs, wide silhouettes and expansive prints.

ZILLERTAL MAGIC:

Rebekka Ruetz wanted to pay tribute to her native region and chose Zillertal to design and stage special fashion collections.

Sometimes life is very simple. “I was seeking the perfect place to pay homage to my native country,” says fashion designer Rebekka Ruetz. “And I found Zillertal.” But it was not only the imposing mountains and the sublime expanses of the valley that seduced her to extraordinary collections and special shootings. It was not just the breathtaking panorama that she identi ed as a source of strength and felt as an inspiration. It was also the people. When the 37-year-old from Innsbruck presented her ideas in Zillertal, she never met with scepticism, not even for a second. “On the contrary,” happy Rebekka recalls, “I sensed curiosity, desire and a cordial spirit from the very rst moment.”

The deep-rooted connection with nature. That is the best way to describe the artist’s thoughts. And although tradition is also cherished here, the willingness to reveal the Zillertal essence with bold and modern approaches was immediate. “I absolutely love it that the people in charge dared the collaboration and supported it. And for the models, the beautiful landscape was a magni cent ‘stage’” – nature as a catwalk, so to speak.

Style, conviction, dream Already as a child, Rebekka, whose parents own a sports store, liked to think di erently, and she loved drawing. Combined with an interest in fashion and a fascination with a colourful world, the path was therefore only logical. She rst graduated from the fashion school in Innsbruck, and then her desire to broaden her horizons and seek an international dimension grew. Whether it was the half year in India (“a great culture as inspiration”), the Academy of Fashion and Design in Munich (“important for craft awareness”), or working in London for the label Peter Pilotto (“Vivienne Westwood’s right hand”), Rebekka Ruetz began to develop a style, a conviction, a dream.

And in 2009, the Tyrolean dared to take the leap into independent entrepreneurship. “Maybe it was naive at the time, but I wanted to create my own language with my designs, de ne my idea of freedom through the work,

As Rebekka Ruetz likes to say: “A lot of things are beautiful that you may only find beautiful at second glance.” The model wears a coat dress with dandelion motif, symbol of a deep-rooted connection with nature. The dress was produced from a piste covering with a print of the Zillertal panoramic map. In addition – quite patriotic – the cheeky funny red-white-red socks.

and break with conventions.” This required perseverance and a rm belief. But today, with her own online distribution, Rebekka Ruetz has that name that was once just a vision. Thanks to the extreme designs, the dedication to quality and sustainability, as well as the feminist passion.

Pursuit of perfection In addition, she ghts for fair fabric productions and social understanding: “We should all have a sense of wanting to save the world every single day.” She therefore appeals: “If we want to bring about change, we must pay attention to quality. Better to buy less, but wear something good for a longer time. You don’t have to blindly follow every trend.”

In any case, there is no such thing as perfection for this avant-garde designer, who creates “fashion for the modern Amazon” and likes to harmonize her prêt-à-porter line “rebekka ruétz” with her streetwear collection “You know you want it”. “But the pursuit of perfection” is certainly always a driving force.

And where, if not in Zillertal, can you get a big step closer to this goal? Where the mix of materials is enriched by regional producers and suppliers. Where nature serves as an arrestingly beautiful template for her penchant for asymmetrical, feminine cuts, wide silhouettes and expansive prints. And where fashion which inspires people to look and to feel thus comes to life. In an upcycling sense, Rebekka used a ski slope covering for a dress, for example, and had her model pose with a panoramic map on her body. At times, the designer “doesn’t feel brave enough yet.” Zillertal, on the other hand, can move mountains in this respect.

Cautiously, Larissa places one stone on top of the other. The student has already spent ve summers as a volunteer on the alpine pastures in the Zillertal Alps, helping with projects such as the reconstruction of the old stone wall. “I nd it relaxing,” she says. And: “It makes me proud to take part in such a beautiful, important project.” She then looks around for the next stone and positions it perfectly. The wall must be slightly tilted from the outside to the inside, and there shouldn’t be too many gaps. However, if they do appear, then Larissa lls them up with small stones and soil. “There’s a wise saying,” says Willi Seifert, managing director of the Nature Park Zillertal Alps, which pushed the project in cooperation with the Alpenverein. “If you turn a stone around four times, it will t in anywhere.”

Hansi Hinterseer’s amazement The Loschbodenalm, where the stone wall is, is located on the Tuxer Hauptkamm at an altitude of between 1,700 and 2,000 metres. It is a historical document and, as Seifert estimates, at least 150 years old. At that time it was only possible to build walls and buildings on alpine pastures by stone layering. Cement or slaked lime were expensive and the mountain pastures dif cult to reach.

Over the years, however, wind and weather have made the stone wall look older than it actually is. That’ s why its restoration was part of a three-year conservation plan starting in 2018. Even Hansi Hinterseer was here in Zillertal with a lm crew to capture the quiet beauty for TV. “Quite remarkable,” he said, congratulating Seifert on the project.

“There’s something monumental

The stone wall winds through the landscape for about one kilometer and can be seen wonderfully from above from the “Flach”, the highest point in the vicinity at 2,248 metres.

Masonry

THE CONSERVATION PLAN:

Between 2018 and 2021, the old stone wall was renovated on the initiative of the Nature Park Zillertal Alps and the Alpenverein. Countless volunteers pitched in to implement the three-year conservation plan. Without them, the alpine pastures would become overgrown and cultural heritage sites such as the stone wall would increasingly deteriorate.

THE MONUMENT:

The age of the stone wall is estimated to be at least 150 years. It is 60 centimeters high and about one kilometre long. Hikers can walk and explore two-thirds of the way along the wall.

THE HABITAT:

The wall still serves as a natural border between Loschbodenalm and Elsalm. It is considered a cultural heritage and provides the perfect habitat for rare plants and animals such as lizards and insects.

Without the team spirit of the volunteers, reconstruction and maintenance of the wall would not be possible. The work strengthens the team spirit and instills pride.

It’s all in the right position. Not too many gaps should appear when constructing the wall. The stones are carefully arranged, the wall also being an important habitat for animals.

A true paradise for hikers. Not only the fabulous view of the Zillertal mountains, but also the beauty of the seas of flowers beckon above the Loschbodenalm.

about this wall,” he says, looking proudly over the structure, which is about 60 centimeters high but imposing nonetheless. It winds through the landscape for about one kilometre and can be seen wonderfully from above from the “Flach”, the highest point in the vicinity at 2,248 meters. It is one of the longest dry stone walls in the Eastern Alps and separates the Loschbodenalm from the Elsalm.

Its original purpose was to delineate a natural border between the alpine pastures of di erent owners. So the cows would know where their home was. And so it remains to this day. But hikers can nd three narrow passages, and if you pause for a moment, you will discover a small world of its own. "Here it’s teeming,” Seifert says. Small rodents inhabit the wall along with various species of lizards. “We’ve even spotted Alpine newts, too.” On nice days, you can watch the reptiles sunbathing, and plants like sedum and houseleek also love the warm, dry spot. Spiders and other insects make themselves at home inside, where wonderfully cool shady spots can be found.

The sound of bells and Kaiserschmarrn Seifert is pleased. “It’s a great feeling when you can preserve threatened habitats with a project.” And hikers don’t come up short on their tours either, when they walk along the stone wall on their way from the Höllensteinhütte to the Tettensjoch. The hut of the Erler family lies 400 meters below. Here, brothers Thomas and Michael prepare delicious Zillertal delicacies and serve their famous Kaiserschmarrn, which is available with fresh blueberries in summer. And when you spend the night at the hut, you’ll wake up the next morning with the gentle sounds of more than a hundred cow bells. The hut and the cows mean a lot of work for the brothers. They are all the more grateful to the volunteers who not only renovate the stone wall, but also de-stone pastures and clear them with loppers. “Otherwise, the pasture would become overgrown,” says Michael Erler. “We couldn’t manage to do this alone.”

So it was only a matter of course for them to serve the helpers ample portions of Kaiserschmarrn – with fresh blueberries, of course.