Week of delights on the slopes at Rauris
This month, a sudden dump of snow turned 2012’s mediocre ski season into a winter wonderland – and for the first time in my life, I could well imagine how exciting it must have been for passionate skiers to hear the news.
Last year, I travelled to Rauris in Austria to find out whether I could become the kind of dedicated skier for whom mountain weather conditions are a matter of grave importance.
Although I’d been skiing once, I still couldn’t confess to being a bona fide addict, and so had decided to give it another try.
With its laid-back atmosphere, wide variety of blue runs and reasonably-priced instructors, on paper Rauris seemed like the ideal place for me to brush up on my skills.
Just an hour’s drive from Salzburg airport, the town is situated in a valley in the heart of the beautiful Hohe Tauern National Park, which boasts the highest range of mountains in the Austrian Alps. But even the highest peak (Mount Schwarzwand, 2193m) is suitable for beginners, as blue runs come down from its summit.
On the first day, after leaving my friends to ski off in another direction, I booked lessons with the Karl Maier ski school, and was soon kitted out in all my gear (including the all-important helmet).
Although I was slightly concerned that 11 people in a class would be too many, my fears were quickly dispelled.
As we tried with varying success to copy our instructor Sebastian’s techniques, the sense of camaraderie was fantastic and I was glad of the many helping hands that were offered any time I needed help getting up after falling down.
With the basic techniques mastered, we graduated from the nursery slopes to the proper pistes further up in the mountains. And once higher up, I had to keep reminding myself not to look down at my skis all the time, but to enjoy the outstanding views of my surroundings.
Luckily, Rauris is a nice, quiet resort, popular with families and older skiers, so hopping on and off the lifts (always a bit nerve-wracking for beginners) was a piece of cake. Plus the slopes were dominated by groups of learners, so I never felt intimidated by other skiers.
Each day, once my lessons were over, I’d meet up with friends and give my legs a rest in one of the mountain’s restaurants.
Die Heimalm, which is 1,480m up, has a bar where I quickly became a regular – pulling off my tight ski boots became much more appealing with the prospect of a hot mug of gluhwein on the horizon.
In the evening after dinner at the four-star Rauriserhof hotel, where we were staying, we’d often enjoy a wander around Rauris, a pretty Alpine town littered with charming wooden chalets, Medieval stone buildings and a beautiful church.
If you’re looking for cool apres-ski, this resort town is not really the place to go, with only a few small bars to choose from – although Shake’s Beer attracts a younger crowd and has pool tables and quiz nights.
But to be honest, most of the time we found that skiing had made us so exhausted, we were quite happy to relax in our hotel’s cosy bar after dinner, swapping embarrassing tales of falling over with our fellow guests, many of whom were using the same ski school. One group called themselves the Rauris gang, having been returning to the resort for the past 11 years!
On our final day, having conquered the slopes, we decided to give our ski legs a rest and try something different.
Away from the piste, the area has a range of other activities on offer, such as sleigh rides, tobogganing and snow-shoe walking. I was keen to try the latter, and pleased to discover the footwear proved to be a fair bit more sophisticated than the tennis racquet image I had imagined.
The howling wind that blew wet snow onto our faces combined with the sub-zero temperature did not get our trek off to the most enjoyable start, but our expert guide swiftly directed us to a more sheltered valley where we marvelled at the contrasting peace and stillness.
Our walk into the wilderness took us into a protected area of forest that seemed untouched by humans, and as I gazed around at the idyllic winter landscape, I half expected to see a character from Narnia appear from behind a tree.
Instead, as I squinted through my binoculars, I was lucky enough to see a herd of red deer feeding on a far-off hillside. It was the perfect end to a week of delights.
Jennifer Cockerell travelled to Rauris (www.raurisertal.at) with Crystal Ski and stayed at the four-star Hotel Rauriserhof, where a weekly activities programme is offered to guests, and joined to a beginner’s ski school with Skischule Karl Maier (www.ski-maier.at). Direct flights into Salzburg are available from Stansted (£9); Manchester/Birmingham/Newcastle/East Midlands (£29); and Edinburgh/Glasgow (£39).
For more information about the area, visit SalzburgerLand Tourist Board www.salzburgerland.com
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Weather for Northampton
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
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