- Hello Tirol and welcome! You must be getting on a bit now, hope you don’t mind us asking, but how old are you?
AT: Well I think I’m looking pretty good for 730-years-old! I was previously called the “Land in the Mountains”, and it wasn’t until the end of the 12th century that things changed when just four families were competing with each other for domination – the Ultens, Eppans, Andechs and Tirols. By 1284, it was Count Albert of Tirol who prevailed and unified the Land in the Mountains. Over the years I’ve gone through quite a few changes, from coming under the rule of the Habsburg Empire, to Innsbruck enjoying its glory days and, most recently, South Tyrol passing to the Italians after WWI.
- Let’s get this straight where exactly are Tirol’s borders now?
AT: To cut a long story short, I cover the majority of western Austria, from St Johann in the east to St Anton in the west. I’ve got Germany’s Bavaria to the north, Italy’s South Tyrol to the south, and my sister Salzburgerland to the east, which means I couldn’t be in a better position for Innsbruck, Munich and Salzburg airports. There’s often confusion around St Anton am Arlberg, which is one of my most famous resorts that also borders the province of Vorarlberg, home to the well-known resorts of Lech and Zürs. Often people mistake Lech as being part of Tirol, or even Vorarlberg as being part of the Tirol region! I don’t mind, of course. But to clarify I’ve put together this interactive map so you can see where all my top resorts are located: visittirol.co.uk/map.
- Why choose resorts in the Austria Tirol over France or Switzerland?
AT: Now this is an easy question for me to answer. Of course, I am biased, but where else can you find genuine, hearty hospitality blended with true mountain charm that has been nurtured for centuries? The pistes are well-groomed and maintained ready for first tracks in the morning, then add to the mix high-quality accommodation at affordable prices and you are onto a winner! And whilst I am blowing my own (Alpine) horn, Tirol has some of the best après-ski in the Alps!
- Ah yes the après-ski … I’ve heard many Austrians proclaim they invented après-ski, so why use a French word?
AT: Apparently the phrase was coined by the French around the time of the Chamonix Winter Olympics in 1924, from where shortly afterwards it started to travel eastwards. St Anton was the first resort to adopt the expression and, thus, became the birthplace for Austrian après-ski as we know it. Linguistically I got my own back with the multisyllabic word Gemütlichkeit, which can be used in English and is best used to describe the cheerful welcome you’ll receive in my region. And you can’t get great après-ski without a good dose of Gemütlichkeit! As times and lifestyles have changed, après-ski has adapted and can be used to describe everything from dancing on the table in ski boots, to sipping cocktails beside a roaring log fire, as well as the vast array of non-ski activities offered, which are all part of the après-ski scene.
- Is Tirol best suited for beginners or experts?
AT: You know me I try to make everybody happy, so I’ve made sure there is a resort to suit all. There are wonderful beginner slopes in St Johann and Seefeld, intermediates will thrive on the slopes of the SkiWelt in the Wilder Kaiser region, whilst advanced skiers won’t be disappointed by the off-piste in Kitzbühel or St Anton. Families succeed on the slopes of Alpbach or Obergurgl, whilst groups enjoy the social scene in Mayrhofen or Söll, and boarders love the parks in Sölden and Westendorf.
- So are there any ski in/out resorts in Tirol?
AT: Just because I don’t have any purpose-built resorts, and our resorts have grown-up from mountain villages, it doesn’t mean we don’t have any ski in/out resorts. You only have to look at the high-altitude resorts of Obergurgl and Kühtai to see how convenient doorstep skiing can be, and if you choose the right hotel in Ischgl or Kitzbühel then you can almost ski into the hotel’s lobby!
- Thanks for being interviewed, and just one more thing … if Tirol could go skiing anywhere else in the world where would you go?
AT: Why would I go anywhere else? I have it all here in the Heart of the Alps!
For the latest winter offers from the Austrian Tirol go to visittirol.co.uk/offers.