Austria 

Another View of the Region

By Mitch Kaplan

We couldn’t see it, but the snow was magnificent. Austrian ski instructors say you only have to feel it.

Your jaw drops when you are above the tree line and can see it. Vast snowfields spread everywhere. Spectacular peaks fill distant horizons. Turns are made at will, not commanded by the terrain. Skiing beyond marked trails beckons. But, in bad weather, above tree line sliding on snow degenerates into blind creeping on unpredictable, unseen surfaces. Ski poles function like a sightless person's stick. Without trees as reference points and shadows your perspective dissolves into a nightmare.

So it was on our first day on snowfields of Innsbruck. The fog settled thickly. Trail markers were barely visible. Gauging speed proved deceptive. Sometimes, vertigo set in. Disappointed and cranky, I called time out. With two colleagues, I retreated into a classic slopeside Tyrolean inn of rough-hewn wood to sulk over hot chocolate.

Innsbruck is a skiing icon. Twice a Winter Olympic site (1964 and 1976), it holds eight individual ski areas. Tucked into a narrow valley between sharply rising mountain ranges, it’s a sophisticated city, population 128,000, and home to a major university. The Hapsburgs built castles and palaces everywhere in Austria - and there are two magnificent ones here. The old city, rich in Rococo architecture and twisting cobbled streets, preserves vibrant, antique ways. It’s a great place to blend skiing with art, culture, history, traditional folk life, and entertainment.

But, that mollifies little if you can't see where you're skiing.

We skied that first day at Kühtai, an hour's drive from the city. The area, one of Innsbruck’s 25 small, outlying 'holiday villages,' is built in traditional Tyrolean style. Indeed, all the region’s towns – resorts and villages alike – show that style: masonry lower levels, wood-sided upper stories decorated with complex, scrolled woodwork, and peaked roofs. A typical holiday village, Kühtai holds a handful of modest-sized hotels and a few restaurants. Little shopping is found there, but still visitors tend to come for week-long stays. Village vacationers drive into Innsbruck to shop and explore the culture. In-town visitors drive or ride the free busses to the ski areas.

After brooding through lunch, I revisited the slopes. While I rode the chair, the fog lifted. Holy cow. Those vistas? Those pointed peaks? The vast terrain? It all suddenly appeared. With Bernhard Schlecter, Ski/Snowboardschule Innsbruck director, to direct me I skied with renewed energy and excitement. We sped down the groomed. Suddenly, impetuously, we veered into powdery expanses beyond the circle-shaped trail markers. For a thousand vertical feet, and for the remainder of the suddenly too-short day, we floated through knee-deep snow.

(Editor’s note: nice going, Mitch. Was “Holy cow” a lucky interjection, or was it suggested by the full-size cow statue that moos silently in front of the Kühtai tourist office?)

We dodged the fog for three days in the Innsbruck region. Each ski area we visited showed a distinct personality, but all shared the pleasure of sliding above the tree line. We also browsed in the Old Town, visited museums (there are 18), dined atop the dazzling new World Cup ski jump. We ate schnitzel, bratwurst, and other traditional fare, rode trolleys, and watched an amusingly kitschy Tyrolean Night of folk music and dances. And, that barely scratched the non-skiing surface.

Skiing last at Axamer Lizum, we fought variable visibility all morning. As we left our mountaintop lunch, a cloud literally engulfed us. Okay, I thought; one run and done. But a few hundred feet below we emerged into bright sun. With full visual acuity, we followed Bernhard into another powder playland. By day’s end, I was winded and wore a lunatic smile. This was what I'd come to Innsbruck to experience.

POINT OF VIEW
By Phil Johnson

The scenery was wonderful. The hospitality was even better. But the surprise superlative from a recent trip to Innsbruck was its style: notably the architecture and design of public places in and around this beautiful Tyrolean city.

You get an art and history lesson from the carefully preserved buildings in Innsbruck's Altstadt. Led by Ski Europe's local guide extraordinaire Angelika Mair, an Innsbruck native, our small group took a walking tour of the old city. The Baroque and its gussied-up cousin Rococo architectural eras are showcased throughout the centuries-old section, which runs from the Inn River to the University of Innsbruck, which as one might expect, has a highly regarded School of Architecture.

The Goldness Dachl (gold roof) on the Friedrich Strasse is the most famous landmark in the made-for-strolling neighborhood where automobile traffic is limited to certain off peak times of the day. Not to be missed here is the grand 18th century residence of Empress Marie Theresa and the Court Church where the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I is guarded by 28 larger-than-life bronze statues.

Like most Europeans, Innsbruck residents have mastered the art of 'taking a break.' And a walking tour does work up an appetite. In this neighborhood you will find plenty of places for a leisurely pastry, along with coffee or a glass of wine or a "schnappsle" for a true taste of the region.

Classic design is just a part of the Innsbruck story. Modern design in public places is outstanding. One spectacular example of this is the Bergisel, the Olympic ski jump facility that was redesigned in 2001. This is a stunning example of modern architecture and an exciting venue to visit. You take a funicular from the stadium up to the jump tower, where there is an outstanding restaurant and an even grander viewing deck that looks out over Innsbruck and the backdrop of mountains.

A little farther afield is Axamer Lizum ski area, where in 1964 Billy Kidd and Jimmy Heuga captured the first Olympic ski medals ever won by American men. Since skiing is a main reason why people come to Innsbruck in winter, this area half an hour from downtown is one of several great choices for a day on the boards.

Here is arguably the world's most attractive mountain- top restaurant-lodge. Designed by students and faculty at the University of Innsbruck, the layout and design of the building are uniformly appealing, right down to backrests on the dining booths and flatware on tables. But what makes the facility truly remarkable is the solarium which accommodates better than half the indoor seating. On sunny days the glass walls roll up like a huge garage door and the entire facility becomes al fresco.

It is hard to mention design and Innsbruck without including Swarovski in the same sentence. The world famous crystal manufacturer is located in Wattens, a few miles east of the city. Next to the factory, which is closed to visitors, is the Kristallwelten, a unique and visually stunning visitors' center first opened in 1995 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company. Imagine what a company known for its crystal can do when it mounts a standing exhibition of its craft.

There are lots of reasons to come to Innsbruck, a place where skiing and winter sports are a part of the routine of everyday life. But so, too, is style a part of local life, as a visit to the Tyrolian capital will quickly indicate to the first time guest or veteran visitor.