Travel & Hotspots
On the slopes in South Tyrol
When I say ‘Tyrol’, you probably quickly say ‘Anton’. As in: Anton aus Tirol, that bloody annoying song that suddenly was heard all the time everywhere a few years ago. And that association is understandable, but the silly thing is that it is also always made with South Tyrol, which is in a completely different country. Tyrol is in Austria and South Tyrol is in Italy. We have immediately cleared up that misunderstanding.
South Tyrol is the northernmost province in Italy, about a two-hour drive from Venice Airport. In a van, we are taken along long highways and then winding mountain roads to Corvara, where we will sleep in Hotel Sassongher for the next few nights. A wonderfully warm, cozy typical winter sports hotel, with decorations everywhere and wooden furniture. The South Tyroleans are quite fond of good food, but that is to be expected when you are in Italy. Did you know that there are the most Michelin-starred restaurants in relation to the number of inhabitants in all of Italy? 23 stars to be exact, and that is a lot for an area where 500,000 people live.
On the first evening, we immediately start well with a dinner in the wine cellar of Hotel Ciasa Salares. Among the hundreds of bottles of wine, there are small tables where waiters silently walk around and keep the glasses always well filled. On the table, a traditional meat fondue, from which I, of course, eat way too much so that I eventually roll into my bed.
The next morning we rent our gear and go for a jog to the slopes. It has been a good nine years since I last went skiing, so to be honest, I must say that I am a bit nervous. But luckily, snowboarding (and skiing) is like riding a bike: you never forget it. The first turns feel a bit awkward, but soon I am completely in love with the snow, my board, and the mountain again. We have lunch in the full sun with full glasses of bubbles and boards with delicious cheeses and cold cuts. This is why winter sports are so nice.
For years I went to Les Gets, a ski area in the French Porte Soleil. I have great memories there, don't get me wrong, but once you've been to South Tyrol, you start to wonder why on earth people would still go to France. South Tyrol is surrounded by the Dolomites, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. You have almost 360° views of those mountains, and when you glide past them as a small person, you feel so intensely humble. How has humanity ever managed to create a livable situation amidst all that wild natural violence?
”South Tyrol is surrounded by the Dolomites, which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site”
Sunday is probably my favorite day of the trip because we do a Wine Ski Safari. Various huts have dozens of regional bottles of wine ready for you to taste. A small sip here, another one there, and then back down the mountain to the next place. And how fun that is. Those South Tyroleans know what a good life is, you know. This safari happens only once a year, so we hit the jackpot. We end the day at a hut called Las Vegas, where a fantastic 70s band is singing and dancing like crazy. I have rarely experienced so much joy together. The only downside is that after the glasses of wine and beers, we still have to go down that mountain, but luckily that goes surprisingly well.
Then Monday. It starts at 07:00 when we are picked up in a kind of snow truck that pulls us up the mountain to be the first at the top before dawn. We have a little breakfast, then I go play with my drone and after a few more descents, it's already time to pack our bags and head to the airport.
If you don't have a destination for your next winter sports trip yet, look no further. You simply won't find anything more beautiful than South Tyrol, and add the Burgundian lifestyle to that, and you really have gold in your hands. So I wish you a lot of fun, and who knows, we might run into each other next year while posing with wine somewhere there.
