How to fall in love with the Austrian Alps

This year I got to experience its raw beauty from the icy tips of Mӧlltaler and the stormy tops of Mallnitz to the incredible variants of Matrei. Austria offered me so much more than an amazing skiing experience, but let’s start from the very beginning:

How long

I haven’t skied for 9 years now and had finally had enough. So, when my friend said they were going to Austria, I was immediately on board. An 8-day trip, with a great ski instructor that organized the whole thing.

We left Romania, by car, on the 19^th of February with a one night stop in Hungary, reaching Mallnitz on the late night of the 20^th.

The 3 skiing resorts

The first thing we did was buy a weekly ski pass. Believe me, if you want to be worriless, this type of pass is the way to go. You can find here more information on the ski passes in the area and how much they would be both in peak and low season. The one we took was the 5 day ski pass and after a 48 hour car trip it was finally time to put on our ski boots and get on piste:

Ankogel – Mallnitz

The first and last day we went to Mallnitz. Truth be told, you need to be aware of the weather around the clock when on the mountain, so when we had a hunch that the clouds might prevent us from having a full experience, we chose Mallnitz.

This is a good place to begin with.  You get the beginner’s slope at the bottom for a run or two to jumpstart your thirst for what’s coming if you haven’t skied in a while. You can take the cabin up top and kick it into full gear. Be it a black, red or blue, you will definitely get a kick out of it. The only thing about Mallnitz is that it has fewer options than the other resorts. However, it compensates with a pretty friendly experience at the food & coffee hut hidden right at the top, a turn away from the first cabin.

Mӧlltaler Gletscher

Now, this is definitely a place you’ll never forget. If you take the first Gletscher Express in the morning up to Mӧlltaler, from Flattach you get to the gondola which offers you a breathtaking ride up to the base of the glacier slope.

And here…here is where the magic begins. A friendly piece of advice: go to the glacier on a sunny day. If not, you’ll be missing out on the absolutely amazing views that take your breath away with each turn you take.

Why go in the morning? If you’re a fan of packed powder snow, or of not having many people around when you do your first descent, then this is the time for you. If you want to begin the day with an amazing feeling, don’t miss the Bellevue point on the very top of the mountain peak next to the glacier. At a height of about 3.122m, the pictures can’t possibly do it justice.

Großglockner Resort Kals-Matrei

Here you definitely can get a great view for your morning coffee. The possibilities here are endless. You have more faces than you can count with just as many variants and probably the best one of them is the one that goes through the forest. The variant is pretty narrow, but it’s lean so you can take a relaxed approach and enjoy the beautiful ride through the trees all the way to the bottom.

Here, at the bottom of the mountain awaits a whole complex of restaurants that can cater to every hungry skier’s need.

So where does my heart lie?

Definitely in Mӧlltaler. The snow is perfect, the scenery is breathtaking and the coffee is just right. Maybe I’m biased or maybe I need to see more. You tell me. But for now, this is where I fell in love with the Austrian Alps.

Photo credits: Adela Păun

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