Snow getter
too, running on locally produced hydropower. The water used in its chemicalfree snow-making is of drinking quality, from local rivers and lakes, where it melts back in the spring.
And the world’s first solar-powered lift was installed in the area in 2008.
I checked in to the stylish Hohe Salve Sportresort hotel, which has a magnificent heated indoor/outdoor pool and luxurious spa with saunas that are very inviting after a day on the slopes. Even better, the hotel is just across from the ski hire shop and lifts, so I dropped off my bags and hit the slopes right away.
Two high-speed gondolas had me at the top of the Hohe Salve in minutes.
The easiest way to see the sights is to follow either the orange or green SkiWelt Tour signs at the top of every lift.
These will send you on a magical journey taking in runs above all eight mountain villages – including Söll and Westendorf.
The latter was the prettiest, with its myriad reds a pleasure to navigate. The Bergrestaurant Talkaser on the slopes there is a great spot for lunch, with its traditional Tyrolean fare.
Try the Käsespätzle, an Austrian version of mac and cheese; Gröstl, fried potatoes and bacon with a fried egg on top; and Kaspressknödel, Tyrolean cheese dumplings. They do serve salad, to cut through all the meat, cheese and carbs.
For dessert, go for Kaiserschmarrn – cut-up sugared pancakes with hot apple sauce.
The best spot for this sweet treat is Aualm in Söll.
The village has a section of floodlit pistes that open again at 6.30pm from Wednesdays to Saturdays, after they have been groomed.
Ripping up fresh corduroy under a clear, crisp night sky was almost as intoxicating as a shot of the local schnapps.
These can be had at the end of the evening at the Moonlight Bar, at the bottom of Söll’s floodlit runs. It is the place to go in the village, and only a five-minute taxi from my hotel in Hopfgarten, for a spot of Austria’s legendary apres ski. There, they serve schnapps with a bit of local pear in the glass.
The schnapps, along with an excellent day and evening of skiing, certainly had me dancing in the moonlight...
Alpen Express from Amsterdam to Austria starts at £76 one-way. railtravelshop.com Eurostar tickets from London St Pancras to Amsterdam start at £35 one-way. eurostar.com
Hohe Salve Sportresort from £135 pppn. hohesalve.at/en A 4-day lift pass costs from around £137.
See skiwelt.at/en and austria.info/en