6 minute read
Tips for Children
Kids Fun
Action-packed experiences, impressive moments in nature, extraordinary experiences thanks to the countless possibilities for excursions. When thinking of family fun, all you have to say is Zillertal. Where the most enjoyable adventures are guaranteed for children of all ages. Climbing? Sure! Tobogganing? Of course! Piste adventures with turns, rolls and tunnels? Let‘s go! The offer for young and old just keeps growing and growing. And in the end you‘ll only be thinking one thing: We definitely have to come back! www.zillertal.at/kids/en
Kabooom Special Experiences
Fügen-Kaltenbach. Everything under one roof: The AIRPARC with its trampoline course, skate and freestyle area is by far the largest of its kind and is one of the many highlights in the new recreation centre in Kaltenbach. Skating rink, bouldering wall, bowling alley, squash hall, dance studio and a bistro offer a variety of special experiences.
JUZI Line Steep Curves and a Dwarf
Fügen-Kaltenbach. It all depends on the mixture. The JUZI Line at the Hochfügen ski hill contains elements of piste, cross and snowpark. The course goes over steep curves, rollers, hills or crazy snow lines. A dwarf, who sings the songs of the Jungen Zillertalern, adds to the atmosphere. A lot of fun for the entire family.
Pistenbock Please Hold On
Mayrhofen-Hippach. On your bucks, get set, go! For those who don’t like putting on their skis or board, there is also the possibility to grab a toboggan with steering on the Genießerberg Ahorn. This is where the Pistenbocks are waiting to be tamed on a special track. Regardless of if you’re on a single or double seater, only one thing is important: hold on tight!
Kinderland & Karl Kraxler Fun on the Magic Carpet
Mayrhofen-Hippach. Off to Actionberg Penken! Where the mascot Karl Kraxler guides the kids on the cheerful downhill run on piste 25. Fun is also guaranteed at Kinderland Horberg: A 69 metre long magic carpet is waiting for little adventurers. For those who prefer not to ski, flying saucers are available to slide around on.
Snowtubing & Tobogganing Tubing Duel
Zell-Gerlos. In the Gerlosstein am Hainzenberg ski hill, the big party turns into a fun programme: Two snowtubing tracks can be flown down on large tyres - and that free of charge. Additionally, the longest toboggan run in Zillertal (7 km) offers tobogganing fun for the whole family. The best part: The toboggan run stays lit up until one o’clock at night.
Natural Toboggan Runs Trio infernale
Tux-Finkenberg. One! Two! Or three! If you’re going tobogganing, you should do it right. You can race with your toboggan down into the valley on three natural tracks from Bichlalm, Grieralm and Höllensteinhütte. You can first enjoy a pleasant dinner at the hut and then take advantage of the illuminated routes to get an exhilarating feeling.
Arena Champions Tour A Happy Adventure
Zell-Gerlos. Having fun all the time, that’s what the Zillertal Arena is all about. Here 5 ski film tracks, 4 speed check tracks and 5 photo points invite you to participate in an exciting challenge. Those who manage to complete at least 6 of the 14 stations get to call themselves Arena Champion and receive a digital photo album as a reminder.
Kidsslope Rastkogel Fun with Fleas
Tux-Finkenberg. There’s nothing like an exciting rendezvous with Luis the glacier flea. He is always a cheerful and loyal companion when it comes to conquering the unforgettable Kidsslope in the Ski and Glacier World Zillertal 3000. The terrain is flat, but you are guaranteed some steep fun in the ice tunnel and on the snow waves.
A SNOWBALL with a beak
The ptarmigan is an almost invisible bird that causes surprise high up in the Alps and to which Zillertal is dedicating its own research project.
TEXT Wolfgang M. Gran
It is not easy when you are looking for something that can make itself almost invisible. But if you get the timing right, it can work out. In this case, the right time means: Anyone who wants to admire the Alpine ptarmigan with their own eyes must not only get up early, but also wait until the ptarmigan gets spring fever. When the bird's mating instinct takes over in April, we ask that you keep your distance.
Master of Disguise In any case, it is definitely worth trying, because the ptarmigan is a fascinating animal. It has mastered its life above the tree line in many ways. For example, it is a master of disguise who can adapt its feathers to the environment during the seasons: In its white winter outfit, it is almost impossible to distinguish this fantastic bird from the snow, in spring, with its brown spotted spring robe, it merges visually with the rugged rocks over which it moves. It is not easy to see a ptarmigan. But some hikers may have heard it already – without knowing it. Because the call of the ptarmigan is reminiscent of the soft croaking of a frog.
The ptarmigan is also a master in energy management. It lives very calmly and on low flame in winter. This is also necessary. Because in winter, when there is hardly any food, extreme energy management is essential. This characteristic can easily shock many ski tourers. Because the bird, which is almost invisible in the snow, often flutters away
Facts
CHARACTERISTICS:
The rock ptarmigan can grow up to 40 centimetres long and weigh 750 grams.
HABITAT:
In alpine high altitudes above 1,800 metres, in open terrain and above the tree line.
WAY OF LIVING:
Ptarmigans hibernate in groups, but they disperse at the beginning of mating season (April). As a master of disguise, the ptarmigan almost completely blends in with its surroundings.
from someone approaching only at the last moment when its peace is disturbed. And when it gets particularly inhospitable in the depths of winter, the ptarmigans dig a tunnel in the snow and wait in a kind of alpine igloo for more favourable conditions.
The Slow-Motion Bird Of the four species of grouse found in Tyrol, the ptarmigan lives on the top floor of the Alps – it aims high. Because it has to. Because if it gets too warm, this bird will become stressed. Its colleagues in the grouse family, namely the wood grouse, black grouse and hazel grouse, prefer to live in lower-lying regions on the other hand. Why does the German name for grouse (Raufußhühner) translate to 'raw foot chickens'? Because their feet are feathered right up to their toes.
When the ptarmigan goes in search of food in spring once it comes out of its winter rest, it calmly explores the surroundings. However, this is not out of laziness, but caution. Because its enemies are birds of prey from the air as well as foxes and martens on the ground. Moving around in camouflaged feathers in almost slow motion increases its chances of survival considerably.
In Japan and Mongolia, ptarmigans are revered as a symbol of the sacred mountain world. In Zillertal, these fascinating survival artists have not yet been canonised, but they are respected and protected as an invaluable part of the picturesque mountain scenery.
Ptarmigans in Zillertal
Like almost no other bird species, the ptarmigan stands for the rugged high mountains of the Zillertal. A research project seeks to find out more about their living habits and distribution in Tyrol by using feathers and droppings, among other things. The movements of the Zillertal ptarmigan population will be systematically monitored and recorded over a period of two years in the High Alps Nature Park Zillertaler Alps.
No sooner does spring appear than the feathers of the rock ptarmigan change.
Even in flight the ptarmigan is difficult to spot in the winter sky.
With feathers up to their claws, ptarmigans are real "snowshoe hikers".
