5 minute read
On the Slopes
ZILLERTAL Where movement is a way of life
GRAPHICS Andreas Posselt
180
Gondolas and state-of-the-art lifts
Guaranteed enjoyment skiing, plus mountain panorama 11
Funlines
8
Snow and Funparks
542
kilometres of perfectly groomed pistes
... from 630 m to 3,250 m
171 km easy 269 km intermediate 56 km difficult 36 km of ski routes 10 park tours
1a
365
days per year of skiing guaranteed on the Hintertux Glacier, Austria's only year-round ski hill
7
SkiMovie Routes
Speed-Check Routes
10 Photopoints
80 catered huts in the skiing area
7
25
Ski schools teaching in 17 languages
For the little ones
28 Facilities with childcare services
Zillertal Superskipass The All-in-one Ticket for the entire valley
35
Skibus lines
Explore all ski hills in the valley – free with the Zillertal Superskipass
GLIDING BOLDLY INTO culinary delight
14 international culinary arts in 14 huts. The Ski Food Festival in Hochzillertal-Kaltenbach and at the Spieljoch in Fügen guarantees an unforgettable culinary experience.
TEXT Michael Hufnagl PHOTOS Mirco Taliercio
There are some ideas that are ahead of their time. That tempt your senses with an amazing confidence. And that put quality before quantity out of conviction. Thus, five years ago the idea was born to take hut cuisine in Fügen-Kaltenbach to a new level and combine it with the pleasure of skiing in a unique way. Thought, done. The Ski Food Festival was born, and it was blessed with so much enthusiasm right from the very first powder turns and the very first fine morsels of food, it was as though it had always been part of the magic of winter.
Every Bite an Experience "The nice thing is that all the hut owners join in", says managing director and initiator Martha Schultz. "During this period we are able to offer our guests exquisite cuisine in a special style across fourteen different huts in Hochzillertal and Spieljoch." The special feature is the well thought-out idea to combine regionality and internationality into a sort of culinary rendezvous, with the
Select delicacies such as some fine sushi as a symbol of the interplay between skiing and culinary art. Fine dining on the lift and in the hut – when ambition turns into reality.
1. Dinner's served: when mountains and cauliflower (Brussels sprouts) form an appetising symbiosis. 2. Precision work to achieve the right salmon experience in terms of culinary quality. 3. Speck, cheese and a lot of love – that's what true hut enchantment looks like. 4. Feeling good with a view. With a special ice cream dessert to round it all off. 1
2 3 4
Initiator Martha Schultz
possibility to turn from one delicacy to the next. And so this year on 11 and 12 December, for the fourth time in the mountains, the food will be cooked up so that every bite will be an unforgettable experience and every stop at the hut a promise.
The amuse-gueules should play a decisive role in this. As tastings will be served at the lower stations of the lifts. What an experience! Glide up the mountain with an exquisite selection of finger food, with Danish or Italian, Croatian or French and of course Austrian snacks – an assortment that is certainly more than just a pleasure to eat. Especially since it doesn't involve you having to dig around for money, because all the goodies are free of charge.
Once at the top, the cuisine from 14 different nations brings to life a diversity that is unrivalled in the Alps. From Scandinavia to Israel, from Asia to the USA, there are truly no limits to creativity on this culinary journey through the Zillertal mountains. Every hut a country, every dish a message, this could easily be the motto. In an eternal cycle: swish to a halt, have a taste
Gourmet culinary rendezvous. Where there's a Ski Food Festival, there's a seductively prepared steak.
- and keep going. To the next piste, to the next culinary delight. And so in the interest of the idea and in order to keep the cheerful, hungry crowd to a manageable size, we ask that you make reservations for each hut in advance as there are limited places available.
A three-course menu, prepared in front of everyone by award-winning chefs in the 14 huts and served against the magnificent backdrop of the mountain panorama, costs 30 euros. Martha Schultz: "This festival guarantees a delightful gathering with beautiful symbolism."
Sure to Thrill And for those who are still looking for the appropriate end of the evening atmosphere, a world of many delights is planned for Saturday in the inner courtyard of Fügen Castle: All of the restaurateurs and chefs will be presenting their specialities in stands so that visitors will have the chance to taste and perhaps also buy some of the natural and international gastronomy products here and there. Which is sure to thrill not only the guests, but also the locals, who come to look, marvel and chat. "Anyone who has ever experienced this market atmosphere", says Martha Schultz and laughs, "will certainly have an … appetite for more."
Hochzillertal and Spieljoch Ski Food Festival
Austria's most tasteful opening day for skiers will take place on 11 and 12 December 2021.
14 COUNTRIES, 14 HUTS The Netherlands, Israel, Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Croatia, the USA, Asia (as a mix of nations) … and Austria: As varied as the specialities of these countries are, so too are the huts where they are served: rustic, stylish, cool, cosy. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2021 9–11 a.m.: Delicious free samples at the lifts.
From 11 a.m.: National menus and dishes at the huts. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021 9–11 a.m.: Delicious free samples at the lifts.
From 11 a.m.: National menus and dishes at the huts.
