Bad Gastein: Skiing in the hideaway of the aristocracy is written by Peter Christiansen.
Photos are from Gastein Tourismus, Max Steinbauer, Christof Oberschneider and Konny Christiansen.
Bad Gastein – skiing and enjoyment in the first class
Austrian Bad Gastein flourished in the latter half of the 1800th century, when Europe's aristocracy and wealthy upper class went on spa holidays in the beautiful surroundings. 100 years later, the skiers moved in, but the fashionable setting is still intact and the skiing is first-class.
The morning offered three black pistes, a single crash and an early après-ski atmosphere at a couple of the bars in the terrain. But the moment I open the massive wooden door to the hotel lobby, I step into an oasis of calm. Large crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, the windows are partially covered by rich velvet curtains, and calm background music fills the room.
In the lounge, an elderly couple sit and talk quietly over a glass of sparkling wine, while the staff – from receptionist to bellboy – are dressed in matching uniforms. I order a drink, am led to the fireplace where the fire crackles, and feel like a guest in a fashionable hotel of the last century.
The Monte Carlo of the Alps
The traditional winter holiday in Austria usually associated with plenty of well-groomed pistes, festive and noisy après-ski and cozy wooden cabins, where waitresses in dirndl dresses serve Kaiserschmarrn og hunter tea.
But in the Gastein area you experience a different Austria; an Austria characterized by 'belle epoque' mansions, thermal baths and gourmet restaurants, and to such an extent that the main city, Bad Gastein, is referred to as the Monte Carlo of the Alps.
Of course, you can also get your 'kaiserschmarrn', and both slopes and après ski maintain a high standard, but the atmosphere in Bad Gastein exudes style and elegance. It is not here that you experience small farms sandwiched between ski hotels and bars, and it is also not here that tractors mix with the rest of the city traffic.
Little Tibet
I take the lift to the top of the mountain Hohe Scharte and jump off. Countless jagged, snow-capped mountain peaks rise on the horizon, eight kilometers of pistes await in front of me, and far below me – precisely 1.461 altitude meters further down – lies the valley station in Bad Hofgastein.
At the top, well over the two kilometers, the piste is well above the tree line, so the snow is good, the view undisturbed, and I enjoy the first turns. Further down, the piste becomes wider, so that it leads to large carving turns, and below the tree line I drive through a beautiful piece of forest.
I pass a small wooden cabin where skiers sit on the terrace with cold white wine, and at the very bottom, where I drive into Bad Hofgastein, hotels, bars and restaurants appear. The eight kilometers have offered everything from skiing in a bare rocky landscape to a trip through the valley's après-ski area.
And you can actually start your descent even higher than on the top of the Hohe Scharte, which lies at an altitude of 2.300 metres. If you go to the neighboring area of Sportgastein, Kreuzkogel offers ski starts at an altitude of 2.686 metres, and on a clear day the view is so beautiful that the locals call the area Little Tibet.
In total, you will find four areas in the Gasteinerdalen. Not everything is connected, but the areas are close and the ski bus runs frequently. The largest contiguous area covers Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein, and here you will find 84 kilometers of pistes and a summit height of 2.304 meters on the aforementioned Hohe Scharte.
At Sportgastein, 26 kilometers of snow-sure and high-altitude pistes await, and in Graukogel, 14 kilometers of pistes in pure natural snow await. Finally, there is Dorfgastein, which entices with 73 kilometers of pistes and a ski start just over the two kilometers.
For most people, this is enough for a week's skiing holiday, but if you want to explore further, the area is connected to one of the world's largest ski areas, Ski Amadé, which tempts with 760 kilometers of pistes, and with one lift pass you have access to it all.
If you are up for the ultimate skiing adventure, you can fly by helicopter to the top of Schareck, which is over three kilometers high. From here, some of Austria's best off-piste awaits.
Sleigh ride, torchlight walk and Bad Gastein's local gastronomy
Apart from a faint creak every time the boots set off in the freshly fallen snow, not a sound is heard, and we move at goose-step along a small forest path that leads to the first stop of the tour, the Himmelwandhütte. Darkness has long since fallen, so the light from our torches bathes the path and the nearest trees in a yellowish glow. In terms of ambiance, even Disney would have fallen short.
We are a group of about 10 people who have signed up for a culinary experience tour in the Kötschachtal, and when we arrive at the Himmelwandhütte, we head indoors. The host presents us with small delicacies that he has made himself, and while the bowl of mulled wine is passed around, the conversation goes merrily.
But the small wooden cabin is just the first stop on the tour, so after half an hour we continue towards Alpenhaus Prossau, which is further inside the Kötschachtal, which is part of Austria's largest national park, High Tauern. In horse-drawn sleighs we drive gently through the valley, and in the places where the forest is not quite dense, we catch a glimpse of the moonlit mountainsides high above us.
It is cold, and the frost bites our throats, but the coachman has wrapped us in blankets and skins, so that we keep warm. Culinarily, the evening offers traditional Austrian gastronomy, and the host has found locally produced wines, which he pours into the glasses.
The country's major wine scandal in the mid-1980s, when some producers tried to sweeten the white wines by pouring in coolant, paradoxically turned out to be a long-term gain for Austrian wine production.
One of the world's strictest wine laws was subsequently adopted, and today Austrian wine is at a much higher level than it was 35 years ago. Where some of the guests prefer a cool grüner veltliner, others enjoy a glass of tempered zweigelt red wine.
Intimate and challenging
On days with 'kaiserwetter' there can be crowded on Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein's wide and south-facing pistes, but if you look for the small area at Graukogel, there is usually plenty of room.
Usually, families with children and beginners settle on the small and manageable areas, but this is not the case in Graukogel, because apart from a single blue family slope, the rest of the piste network is red and black. There is something old school above Graukogel.
The covered chairlifts run at a controlled pace, and you don't have snow cannons, because everything is prepared with natural snow. But the skiing certainly doesn't fail. I sit down to check out the former world cup piste and not many seconds pass before the speed is so high that I have to edge the skis to gain control.
The piste is long and wide, the view is fantastic, and many locals have Graukogel as their little secret favorite spot.
At a design hotel
With the skis over my shoulder, I set off in the afternoon for my hotel – Miramonte – in Bad Gastein. I pass the city's famous spa, Felsentherme, and walk past the large waterfall, which drops 34 meters via three steps.
I continue past a few of the majestic hotels as well as several bars, from which the après-ski atmosphere flows loudly into the street.
It was in this setting that the actor Nicolas Cage came riding in full armor when he starred in a knight movie, and it was here in 1987 that a bunch of young people raised their guitars in a bar and started playing uninvited. They were quickly stopped by the host, who did not like the noise. But he couldn't have known that it was U2 who were in town to celebrate the recording of a new album.
Ten minutes' walk from the center and a short distance from the graukogel lift is Hotel Miramonte, which at the same time fits in well, but also stands out. The four-star hotel offers all the comfort you can expect from a stay in Bad Gastein.
The view is panoramic, the food good and the service top notch. But architecturally, Hotel Miramonte differs from the classic spa hotels, because the functionalist-inspired white building from the 1950s was taken over by an architect who decorated the place as a design hotel.
It took place under the inspiration of international names, and today the hotel is filled with a mixture of avant-garde and classic furniture art. I choose one of the deep, soft armchairs and sink into it with a glass of bubbly in hand.
See much more about traveling on a ski holiday here
Did you know: Here are the top-7 best nature destinations in Asia according to Booking.com's millions of users!
7: Pai in northern Thailand
6: Kota Kinabalu on Borneo in Malaysia
Get numbers 1-5 immediately by signing up for the newsletter, and look in the welcome email:
Three things worth trying in Bad Gastein
Felsentherme: The Gastein area is known for its many thermal baths, and the best known is Felsentherme, located in the center of Bad Gastein. You bathe in mineral-rich and health-giving water, which - with a temperature of 32 degrees - comes up from the rock subsoil.
Felsentherme offers pools, sauna, steam bath, spa, massage, separate children's area, restaurant and outdoor pool, from which there is an unobstructed panoramic view of the mountains.
Haeggblom's Bar: If you miss a counterpoint to the classic atmosphere, the mansions, spas and gourmet restaurants, you can try a trip to Haeggblom's Bar. Here, the fine sensations are dismantled the moment you walk in the door, because the place is famous – some would say infamous – for its theme nights.
Haeggbloms has previously organized 'Ibiza Party', 'Fuck Off Party' and 'Pimps and Prostitutes Party', and one of the place's most legendary singers is the Norwegian Lars Penis, who strips while singing with a bottle of Jack Daniels taped to it the upper arm.
At full speed across town: Daredevils will enjoy a trip with Flying Waters. A 300-metre-long steel wire is strung across the valley, which divides the city in two, and at a height of 90 metres, a beautiful gliding awaits you in a scenery that includes, among other things, the city's famous waterfall, the historic buildings and the white-clad mountains in the background.
See much more about traveling in Austria all year round here
Bad Gastein just has so much to offer and the city possesses an indefinable charm. Regardless of whether you come for the skiing, maggots, the wellness or the atmosphere, Bad Gastein is something all its own.
Did you know: Here are 7 overlooked food experiences you must try in Austria
7: Gourmet at an altitude of 3,000 meters at the Ice Q restaurant in Tyrol
6: Eat cheese on the cheese street in Bregenzerwald near Vorarlberg
Get numbers 1-5 immediately by signing up for the newsletter, and look in the welcome email:
Add comment