Culinary Tips

Culinary Art

Everyone knows that feeling when, after an amazing day in the snow, something very demanding emerges – hunger. So it‘s a good thing that the gastronomy in Zillertal has always cultivated high standards when it comes to reinterpreting tradition using regional products in a new and contemporary way. Whether in pubs with the „Tiroler Wirtshaus“ seal of approval or in one of the many restaurants awarded toques by Gault&Millau – a refined culinary culture is the kind of welcome that you won‘t soon forget. www.zillertal.at/culinary

Brugger’s Lanersbacher Hof Creative and Artistic

Tux-Finkenberg. Using high-quality ingredients sourced directly from the region, the chefs working under Toni Fercher in Tux-Lanersbach create culinary specialities with a harmonious creativity. And they do this every day. Every dish at the gourmet hotel is artfully arranged on the plate and appeals equally to the mind and sense of taste.

Ma~ nana’s Nice and Fresh

Zell-Gerlos. Sophisticated enjoyment and refinement are the culinary motto at Mañana‘s, the restaurant in Hotel Kristall in Gerlos. Whether it‘s steaks, carpaccio, tartare or fish specialities, Franz and Gudrun Stöckl rely on high-quality and fresh ingredients. This standard is complemented by a wine list, whose diversity is astonishing.

Hotel Persal Really Good

Tux-Finkenberg. In the Zillertaler Wirtshaus everything simply tastes great. Here in Finkenberg, the motto „Really Good“ covers a wide range of regional specialities, game specialities from the Finkenberg hunting area and international specialities. The manager personally creates and guarantees: Quality and comfort.

Hotel Bräu Traditional Recipes

Zell-Gerlos. The culinary arts in Zell are always a temptation, and the historic Bräu Stüberl is considered a wonderful place to taste and enjoy traditional Tyrolean dishes. Our own alpine pasture farming and fishing waters provide ideal conditions for old, traditional recipes to flourish. Our motto: unadulterated delicacies.

Landgasthof Linde Charming Hospitality

Fügen-Kaltenbach. Whether it‘s in the rustic lounges or in the wedding hall, in one of the oldest inns in Tyrol, you will find charming hospitality and an excellent kitchen in Stumm. The enchanting fruit and vegetable garden is worth a look, cooking with natural regional products goes without saying.

Restaurant Sieghard Highest Terms

Mayrhofen-Hippach. Small hotel, big kitchen, that‘s the message. And the gourmet guides convey it in the highest possible terms. Curiosity and an awareness of nature‘s gifts are what the Eder family uses to create their amazing menus in Hippach. For a flavour experience that you will not easily forget.

Gasthof Post Wine, Very Fine

Fügen-Kaltenbach. It was built about 200 years ago; tradition is very important in Strass. Even in the restaurant. Most of the ingredients come from our own farm, the spices from the herb garden behind the house. In addition to fine cuisine, wine also plays an important part. In the cellar here at Post, there are exquisite vintages for connoisseurs.

Restaurant ZweiEnder At the Edge of the Forest

Mayrhofen-Hippach. Who can resist that? Top-quality culinary delicacies, like those prepared in Mayrhofen on the grill at the edge of the forest, are a temptation that you will be only too happy to follow. From veal fillets to lobster, the fire of passion burns here. And even if you prefer to enjoy fondue or oysters – come on in!

POWDER &

Paradise

Discover the most beautiful lines in Zillertal during the Ride & Shoot Days together with professional snowboarder Werni Stock and photographer Tom Klocker at the Hintertux Glacier. The adventure begins where the pistes end …

TEXT Simon Schöpf PHOTOS Tom Klocker & Simon Schöpf

Panorama & Pose: cool action shots in powder. A photo shoot that all adventurers can check out …

Would you like some Zwebm?", asks Werni with his eternal grin on his face. As he hands us a handful of raisins. Learned something new, linguistically at least. We're sitting at a snack area with a five-star panorama, beyond the 3,000-metre mark; behind us lies a short but sweaty muscle-powered ascent, in front of us: a magnificent view of the giant Zillertal glaciers, from the Großer Möseler to the Olperer. And one of those "Never End" type untracked powder slopes, with a lake at the very bottom, whose grace could easily make it a Norwegian fjord. "We won't be out of the mountains so quickly", comments Werni dryly on the scene, but not without a hint of pride in his voice. It doesn't get any more Zillertal than this – neither the panorama nor the people.

We're travelling together with Werni Stock, professional snowboarder from Tux. Along with him is another who knows the area inside out: Tom Klocker from Mayrhofen, a professional photographer and Instagram legend with a following that exceeds the population of Austria's capital. With the first gondola, we're off to the top.

Boards & Dreams Together we're trying to track down the best powder – sorry, pow! – that can be found on the vast Hintertux Glacier. We leave the inviting pistes to the left behind; for the motivated ladies Lisa and Anna Maria and the author of these lines, "Ride & Shoot" is the only thing on the programme today. Ride for freeride, shoot for photoshoot – Werni is in charge of the former, Tom the latter. Today is all about the turns and the lines, we want the perfect freeride descent, we want the flow. And, in this life, you won't get a better chance at finding an untracked slope than with two local heroes. They practically grew up on the Hintertux Glacier and know every possible variation here. And there are lots of them. Because of the altitude, you can find good powder conditions for most of the season, as long as you know where to look. Something they want to share as of this season, the Ride & Shoot Days are entering their first round. "We want to take people along for the day and show them how much fun we have when we shoot. Because the bigger the fun factor, the better the results – call it my secret formula," Tom says about the idea.

It starts off with constant "Griaß di" and "Servus" as we go through the lower station – of course the guys know every lift operator by name. You can find Werni up here almost every day in winter, and

Airtime for Werni. When the pro takes off into the untouched landscape, the whole dynamic of freeriding is revealed. … and this is how an impressive picture looks like. The freerider group with a breathtaking view down to the Schlegeis reservoir.

Some Freeriding ABCs

SHARKS:

Rocks or stones hiding under a thin layer of snow ready to attack the ski/snowboard surface.

KICKER:

Small to large jump for bold tricks in the mountains.

POW:

Short for powder. The white gold of freeriders.

SHREDDING:

Ploughing joyfully through deep-powder slopes in wide turns and without a care in the world.

LINES:

Freshly made deep-powder tracks.

Spectacular visuals: Anyone who wants to go deeper into the mountains should hire guides.

always with incredible enthusiasm and never-ending good spirits. Ever since he first stood on a snowboard, it was clear to him: This is his world. The really big kickers did it to him, at the legendary Air&Style Contest in Innsbruck he stood on the podium, his freestyle videos are a feast for the eyes. He finished a special one recently, called "Local Surroundings" and was filmed almost exclusively in Zillertal. "When somebody asks me what the highlight of my career has been so far, I have to say: this video. To be able to show the beauty of my homeland is worth more to me than success in a contest. But of course my success at Air&Style was also a very special moment …", he says.

"To be able to show the beauty of my homeland is worth more to me than success in a contest."

Werni Stock

"You have to be able to rely on each other one hundred per cent. When shooting as well as riding."

Tom Klocker

Anna Maria and Lisa, Tom and Werni's girlfriends: A break with a view.

Knowing how and where: If you're in the mountains, you should pay attention to instructions.

Freestyle Werni & Sunrise Tom And freeriding, for Werni and Tom it's not just a pastime, it's their life. Like Werni, Tom used to be a pro rider too, they got to know each other twenty years ago as young snowboarders in what was then a very manageable scene in the valley.

But for the last few years Tom has instead been focusing on the visual: Shooting instead of shredding. On all of his journeys, he always had his camera with him, and he picked up tips along the way from the pros at the worldwide contests. Then he tore his ACL, the forced break from sports finally kickedoff his photography career. "At first we just called him 'Sunrise Tom'. He was a little over-motivated and almost every day at sunrise he was already on some summit for his photo", Werni adds. And then enthusiastically states: "How cool is it that your best friend is also a famous photographer?" On a casual day, they'll come out with two or three shots that would be suitable for a magazine cover or Instagram. The Perfect Turn But in the backcountry, absolute trust in your buddy counts even more than friendship. In addition to the appropriate equipment such as an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe, freeriding requires, above all, considerable know-how. Safety training with a mountain guide is another essential part of the Ride & Shoot Days. "You really have to be able to rely on each other one hundred per cent", says Tom. "When shooting as well as riding."

One key advantage is that Tom carries his years of professional snowboarding knowledge with him just as reliably as his camera backpack and telephoto lens. When it comes time to build an oversized kicker, for example, he knows exactly how to shape it to the terrain. Because he could jump it himself.

We strap into our boards and get ready for the descent. A long descent: Way, way below us, the waters of the Schlegeis reservoir, the goal of our freeride mission, beckon to us with their turquoise glow. With a shout we dive into the big, endless white, and, after the first few turns, it's clear what drives Werni and Tom, why they search for this feeling over and over again: There's simply nothing better than that one, perfect powder turn.

Ride & Shoot Info: Bring your very own @tomklockerphoto home with you: During the Ride & Shoot Days, which take place for the first time in the glacial spring of 2022, you will be able to discover the amazing possibilities for freeriding on the Hintertux Glacier. Three full days, together with Werni Stock, the best pro in Zillertal, and photography superstar Tom Klocker, together with a mountain guide and safety training.