More Kitzbühel lifts and runs open

Posted by John Barr 30th November 2010

John Barr has been busy in resort as the season kicks off, trying out the slopes that are open and enjoying the fabulous views with his favourite winter warmer.

 

Here is his latest report and some great photos to really whet your appetite for the coming season....

Austria is postcard pretty under the latest snowfall. It’s been cold for a week and the snowmaking machines have been working day and night, putting down a solid base. We’ve had 40cm of fresh snow in the valley, more in the mountains, the temperature is minus 10 degrees in the car park and the sun is shining. Most resorts won’t be open for another week or so, but the Fleckalmbahn gondola between Kitzbühel and Kirchberg is operating, along with a pair of chairlifts between the Ehrenbachhöhe and Steinbergkogel. Officially, two blue runs are open, but a short red and several sections of black runs are easily accessible, and the fresh powder is skied out by mid-day – helped by snakes of 10-year-old wannabe Franz Klammers, who slalom past me while doing exercises with their poles as if I’m standing still.

We stop at the Schutzhütte Steinbergkogel for refreshments. Waitress service, a large dose of Austrian Gemütlichkeit, great views and one of the best mugs of hot chocolate (with rum) that we have tasted in the area all help us to relax. This is one of several restaurants above Kitzbühel that serves English-style bacon and eggs, despite the fact that I can’t find anything similar to “proper” bacon in the local shops. The views of mountain ranges here are truly spectacular – “even more impressive than Everest” according to my wife, who saw in the new millennium from base camp.

About the author

My first skiing experience was in Glenshee, which I enjoyed so much that I quit for 15 years - until friends dragged me to Meribel. Skiing on the continent was somewhat different to Scotland, and I’ve been catching up ever since. I moved to St Johann in Tirol in 2009 - with Kitzbühel, the SkiWelt, and several smaller resorts just a short drive away. I’m a computer technology analyst by day, which I can luckily do anywhere as long as I’m on-line

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