I paid a visit to Seefeld in Tyrol last winter and found a lovely landscape complete dressed in white, wonderful winter sports and an idyllic alpine town – where visitors feel very welcome.
What a change from when my college Arnold was here in the summer of 2017 (see the article Family fun in Seefeld). One of the snowiest winters in Austria in a long time had laid a thick white blanket over Seefeld and the entire Tyrol. It did not take long to get off the train from Innsbruck until I was with skis on snow. Unpacking my luggage in the hotel room just had to wait.
My first-time cross-country skiing
I had been looking forward to this – my first time on cross-country skis. Nonetheless, let me explain why this is a cross-country mecca. Just outside Seefeld, you find 256 kilometres of cross-country trails. Starting at the old ski stadium (the new ski stadium has moved 300 meters further away) where the FIS Nordic Ski World Championship took place in 1985. Seefeld is simply a mecca for cross-country enthusiasts. This is not just for the pros, as visitors can have a go at this fascinating sport with the help of professional instructors. My instructor was none other than the Norwegian cross-country Olympic medallist Anette Bøe. I consider myself a pretty good alpine skier, but skiing on flat ground, in tracks, was more difficult than I thought. Nonetheless, Anette taught me the basics, and I went into the forest. Maybe not with style, but at least with persuasion.
< Click on the images to enlarge >
Winter sports in all forms and shapes
Beyond skiing, you can, of course, go ice skating. You find a vast ice-skating rink at the sports and congress centre, next to Seekirchl. Furthermore, as winter hiking is becoming increasingly popular, you will find many marked hiking trails around Seefeld. It is also possible to hike in the terrain using snowshoes on their own and on guided tours. Family-friendly Seefeld in Tyrol also has several toboggan runs where you can rent a sledge and speed downhill. Another way to slide down a snow-covered mountain is snow tubing. This involves sitting on a giant inflatable rubber tyre and whizzing down a specially-prepared track with barriers on both sides.
Furthermore, if you are up to multitasking while doing winter sports, you should try biathlon, a combination of cross-country skiing and target shooting. Instructors will help you handle the small-calibre rifles and try to hit a tiny target with a high pulse. Not for my wobble cross-country skill. Thus, I headed up to the mountains for some downhill skiing instead.
Advertisement
Rosshütte Ski Area
Although Seefeld is primarily a Nordic ski resort, you will find a couple of alpine slopes in the area. On the eastern side of the town, you see the Rosshütte ski area, which offers 20 kilometres of slopes. Skiers and anyone can go up to Rosshütte by a funicular train. You travel comfortably from the valley station at 1200 m and up to 1762 m in a few minutes with Rosshütte Bergbahnen. Rosshütte is not precisely a “mountain cottage” anymore but a proper full-service mountain resort. Here you will find several eateries, ski hire and most of your needs for a day on the slopes.
Furthermore, you can choose between 14 lifts that take you to different slopes from 1200 to 2064 m. You will also find a smaller ski area on the west side of Seefeld, Gschwandtkopf / Seewald, with slopes running from 1200 to 1500 metres above sea level. I also used the opportunity to go night skiing. It’s great to be up on the mountain enjoying a beautiful sunset before heading down the lit slopes. It has an entirely different atmosphere than during the day, so don’t miss this!
The winter sports region Seefeld
Seefeld and its surroundings are precisely the “postcard pretty” Austria you have in mind. The small town Seefeld with 3000 inhabitants, is Tyrol at its best — an idyllic alpine village surrounded by high mountains and spectacular scenery. Moreover, Seefeld has a cosy and relaxed atmosphere. There are plenty of after-ski bars, but it’s not as hectic as other ski resorts. You will find a good selection of eateries, offering everything from Wienerschnitzel and knödel to pizza. If you want even more laid-back, try the villages Leutasch, Mösern-Buchen, Reith and Scharnitz, near Seefeld, where you can find various accommodations and activities. In addition to good road connections with the rest of Tyrol and Germany just a few kilometres further north, you can easily reach Seefeld by train. The train station in the city centre is within walking distance of many hotels. I arrived by express train from Vienna to Innsbruck, where I changed to the regional train to Seefeld. The region hosted part of the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976. Although Innsbruck was the organizer city, the Nordic ski events were held in Seefeld. The town is still an essential stop-over on the FIS Nordic Ski World Cup tour and also hosted the 2019 FIS Nordic Ski World Championship.
For more info, check out Region Seefeld
-
Tirol is probably what first comes into most people’s minds when considering skiing in Austria. However, the fact is that all the states, except Burgenland in the far east, have ski resorts. Not a surprise, as the Alps dominate the Austrian landscape. Factors that make Austria a true winter sports paradise are the wide variety […]
-
Posted in:
Snow much fun in Zillertal
The first train stop on my winter tour through Austria was Zillertal, Tyrol. After a few days in fantastic Vienna, I was looking forward to hitting the slopes. Moreover, the winter had taken a firm hold on the Austrian Alps in late February, and there was abundant snow. Chilly but great fun The skiing conditions […]
-
The day before I arrived, 30 cm of fresh snow had wrapped the Kleinwalsertal in a beautiful white winter blanket. Not only that, the sun shone from a bright blue sky that also offered a comfortable 5-6 degrees Celcius, even in January. Most people know what Austria stands for when it comes to alpine skiing. […]
-
Embarking on a winter hike at the Gottesacker Plateau in Vorarlberg is an experience like no other. I did not have to venture many meters from the lift station and out onto the Gottesacker Plateau before an adventurous winter landscape opened in front of me. Then, almost in a hurry, I embarked on the 5 […]
-
Arriving at the cable car valley station the first day to plan my runs was demanding. I could choose between a whopping 88 cable cars and lifts to take me to more than 300 km of prepared slopes and 200 km’s off-piste runs. For beginners or first-time visitors, it can be a bit overwhelming. Choosing […]
-
For years this part of Austria has been a somewhat sleepy backwater valley. However, Brandnertal in Vorarlberg has slowly worked its way onto the winter vacation circuit. Not by building spectacular adrenalin-pumping halfpipes or downhill runs, but by offering visitors affordable accommodation and facilities. The winter wonderland Moreover, the village Brand and the hamlet Bürseberg […]