Piste and quiet in the Austrian Alps
THE Austrian resort of Maria Alm is little known by British skiers — although perhaps not for much longer.
During last season, the Natrunbahn, a smooth, silent, ten-person gondola, opened around the corner from the church, whose spire is the tallest in the area, its roof one of Austria’s pointiest.
The lift cuts out a bus ride and links Maria Alm directly to the glorious 75-mile Hochkonig area which takes in half a dozen small peaks, all with panoramic views up to the long ridge of 10,000 ft High King mountain.
Hotel Sepp, which has 40 rooms, looks like part of the historic townscape but was built from the ground up by hotelier and architect Sepp Schwaiger. I’d call it cowshed chic — and it’s the height of comfort.
On the roof, a gleaming
Airstream caravan has been converted into a sauna with windows. It juts way out over the street, three floors up, and the huge words ‘DON’T PANIC’ in white paint on the underside do little to soothe passers-by. The steaming infinity pool, with views of the slopes, is just as dizzying.
The skiing is terrific. Tiny villages such as Hinterthal and Dienten come and go before reaching Muhlbach, then you turn round and do it all in reverse, facing the bright afternoon sun.
Maria Alm is a mix of modern style and traditional charm and the good living continues on the slopes with restaurants such as Steinbockalm, two rustic huts linked by a bar, which specialises in local produce.
But the place to be is Tom Almhutte, at the top of the Natrunbahn. It’s a traditional hut that inside transforms into a two- storey delight, with a retractable glass roof and ancient chairlift seats dangling from the ceiling as bar stools.
Yet, for all this, it’s the up-close views of High King that make this a resort ready to join the ranks of ski royalty.
TRAVEL FACTS
HOTEL Sepp offers doubles from £170 B&B ( dersepp.com). EasyJet ( easyjet.com) flies Gatwick to Salzburg five days a week, plus from Luton, Liverpool, Bristol and Belfast. More at hochkonig.at