Galtür – about empty slopes and hot widows

“Loosen up,” my cross-country skiing instructor says repeatedly. This, on the other hand, is easier said than done, because these long narrow things feel quite wobbly. I’m at the back of Paznaun on the Silvrettastrasse and try to look elegant and sporty on cross-country skis. Now you might be thinking: Paznaun, where is that? Probably the most famous figurehead of the valley is called Ischgl. The party hotspot of the Alps with the catchy slogan “Relax. If you can” is notorious. Since extravagant après-ski is not one of my favourite disciplines, we are giving Ischgl a wide berth this weekend to get to know the valley from its quiet side. After about an hour’s bus ride from Landeck-Zams, we reach Galtür, the last village before the mighty mountain slopes of the Silvretta massif. Galtür welcomes us at 1,600 m above sea level with a pretty church, spring-like temperatures and impeccable snow conditions – perfect for sun skiing.

My First Time Classic

Galtür not only offers the highest ski area in the Tyrolean Paznaun, but also great cross-country ski trails. Instead of exploring the ski area directly, I take the opportunity to get a taste of cross-country skiing again. I’ve already made my first attempts at skating – but classic is completely new territory for me. From the village square, the ski buses run to both Wirl and Ischgl. Holiday guests in Galtür thus have the opportunity to explore the other ski areas of the valley (See, Kappl, Samnaun, Ischgl) at any time. I take the bus to Wirl and after a 10-minute ride I reach the ski school in Wirl. My ski instructor is shining like the sun. That can be cheerful.

Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. After the first uncertainties, I quickly get a feel for the rhythm. It is explained to me that every skier should actually take a cross-country skiing half-day in between, as this trains the muscles and loosens them at the same time. This looseness is completely missing for me: “Girl, your thighs are way too cramped,” he calls out to me from 100 meters away. Na Bravo! After the first progress on the flat, we start brake training on the slope. One ski is advantageous to stay on the trail, the other is carefully lifted out and tilted. Half a stemming arch, so to speak (which, by the way, is called pizza here). The panic before a fall is written all over my face – “Laugh, you have to l-a-c-h-e-n!” – with this mantra I manage the braking attempt without any crashes and am quite proud. Now I’m ready for the Bielerhöhe. The beautiful cross-country ski trail leads from Wirl through the idyllic village of Kleinvermunt for 9 kilometres steadily uphill to 2,000 m above sea level to the Silvretta reservoir. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm is abruptly dampened after a few meters. Due to the danger of avalanches (the toll of sun skiing), the valley is closed. Some winter hikers and cross-country skiers don’t seem to care about the barrier. But after one of the biggest avalanche disasters in Austria happened in Galtür in 1999 and half the village was buried, I find such an attitude not only negligent, but also absolutely disrespectful.

But Galtür offers other route alternatives and so I can prove what I have learned on the Wirl-Galtür-Wirl route. Towards the end, my feet and arms burn, but my thighs are very loose.

A piste paradise for me alone

After the cross-country skiing adventure, I’m looking forward to a few relaxing hours on the slopes without breaking a sweat before braking. The ski area in Galtür, the Silvapark, is divided into six sectors, which cover everything from the Dwarf World to the Heldenreich. The area is quite clear and not too big with 40 kilometers of slopes. However, we ask ourselves in amazement “where are all these people?”. Despite perfect conditions, we have the slopes almost to ourselves. Of course, that’s not a big deal, because we don’t have to wait at the lifts and on the way we can finally use the entire width of the slope for carving turns. “That’s normal,” I am told when asked. After the carnival holidays, the time of crowded slopes in Galtür is over. We are thrilled.

Käsespätzle, Kaiserschmarrn and fatal drinks

Since we are fast on the road, it is also enough for several culinary stops. In the middle of the Silvapark is the largest piste restaurant in the ski area, the Faulbrunn Alm. Here we stop for lunch. I order cheese spaetzle with the farm’s own cheese (9 euros).

In the late afternoon, we enjoy the last rays of sunshine with an apple spritzer and a portion of Kaiserschmarrn (9.50 euros) on the terrace of the Fluchthorn Alm, which is also easily accessible by winter hiking trail.

You can’t do without après-ski after all. We stop for a bite to eat in Addis Abebar, which is located on the black valley run. The restaurant is already eye-catching from a purely architectural point of view. In contrast to all the alpine pastures, this is a modern building with a large window to the slopes. I order yeast dumplings (as if I hadn’t eaten anything else…). The drinks menu includes interesting creations such as “Hot Grandma” and “Hot Widow”. Should I or shouldn’t I…? Well, it can’t be that I went skiing in Paznaun and didn’t fulfill any of the clichés, right? Death-defying, I order the “Hot Widow”. Psssst, now I know why après-ski always has to end exuberantly. The hot widow is so delicious that I drank it in no time and am seriously thinking about replenishing it. A fatal thought… Suffice it to say that après-ski in Galtür is definitely more stylish than in Ischgl. Cheers!

By the way, Addis Abebar is also an insider tip for lunch, especially for burger lovers.

Info and tips:

• The day ticket for Galtür (Silvapark) costs 35.50 euros in the high season
• You have free travel in five ski areas with the Silvretta ski pass (from 2 days 95 euros)
• A special adventure is offered by the ski safari (cost: 46 euros with ski pass)
• The ski buses are free of charge and run approximately every 20 minutes
• The hotel offer in Galtür is not exhilarating – I would recommend an apartment. Here you can find everything at a glance: Accommodation Galtür
• In case of bad weather, visit the Alpinarium

Note: My stay in Galtür was supported by the Paznaun-Ischgl Tourism Association – thank you very much for this. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.