Wilder Kaiser is normally associated with skiing holidays – but it's equally as spectacular when the snow has melted, writes FRANCIS BRADLEY
IF YOU ARE AS old as I am you may remember that chocolate boxes – the name Urneys springs to mind – were once decorated with the most fantastic images, either hand-drawn or painted, or spectacular photographic exercises. These boxes were treasured long after their contents were scoffed, principally because of the “chocolate box” images.
The Wilder Kaiser is a series of these images – jaw-dropping landscapes both during its more famous winters and equally after it casts off its snowy cover. I arrived when the snow had receded to the highest peaks and the ski slopes were displaying their verdant green undercoat. The purpose of the exercise was to briefly experience what was available to the outdoor tourist after the ski set had hibernated and, as with a box of chocolates, it is only when you take the lid off that you get to the best parts.
I was bowled over by the spectacle of the valley, with the impressive principal ski area of the SkiWelt on one side and the rugged rocky peaks of the Kaisergebirge on the other. The villages that populate this area are Going, Ellmau (location of the main tourist office), Scheffau and Söll, each with a more than adequate selection of accommodation even though many premises close when the ski season ends – but this is changing. Our base was in Söll in the very comfortable Postwirt Hotel, located in the centre of this picturesque village and to say that we were surrounded by a dizzying choice of holiday diversions is not an understatement.
Part of the package was free, guided walks from the tourist office in Ellmau. These are available throughout the summer season and usually take little longer than half a day. The guides maintain a very gentle pace to suit all abilities and the trails are well established and clearly marked.
For our first walk the group was led out by Peter Moser, a local legend with a winning demeanour. Usually, the guided walks will meander past a mountainside restaurant where you will find a good choice of reasonably priced food. That evening we dined in the Stanglwirt Hotel in Going as guests of Wilder Kaiser Tourism. The Stanglwirt is a five-star bio-hotel and wellness centre and is the last word in luxury. Many professional sports personalities use the hotel facilities prior to important events. The world boxing champion brothers, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, have based their training camps here, citing that the Stanglwirt provides the ideal training conditions.
Each year more of the ski lifts stay open during the summer season, meaning quick access to the higher reaches of the mountains is available for the independent walker. As already mentioned the organised walks are gentle and for the most part short, but it is possible to set up your own itinerary and use the Kaiser Bus, which links the four villages in the Wilder Kaiser.
There are also six family theme parks in the area among which there is the Hexenwasser, based on the legend of two local witches, where there are rides and attractions for children including a 1.5km “witches’ walk” with 24 surreal carved figures. For adults there is a 27-hole golf course and any number of spas in which to relax, including a Kneipp Experience village in Scheffau.
On our second day we were brought for a walk near the village of Scheffau. On the way up to the Winterum we witnessed a film crew shooting what may well have been a scene for the popular TV series Der Bergdoktorin which the Wilder Kaiser features regularly. Our walk brought us around the shore of the beautiful Lake Hintersteiner to lunch in the the Seestüberl, again one of those strategically located bar/restaur- ants. While this walk was longer than the first, it was still very manageable and again, on excellent trails.
There might be a desire for the more seasoned walker to break away from the controlled environment of these organised walks. To cater for this Wilder Kaiser Tourism has introduced a 3D hiking facility on its website. With this you can view all the hiking routes in the area on high resolution maps which can be viewed in 3D and there is a utility with which you can follow your route in the “flight of an eagle” as well as being able to download the route onto a GPS or printing it out. Also, it is possible to hire guides – the tourist office will provide you with information – and it makes a lot of sense if you are unfamiliar with the area, notwithstanding your experience.
During the summer season there is a full programme of evening activities with live music, arts and crafts markets and displays of traditional Tyrolean culture and way of life. The traditional dress style is almost always in evidence and particularly when the local people are going to church.
On its own, the Wilder Kaiser is a winning location and with the tourism infrastructure that already exists it shouldn’t be long before more people are enjoying Söll without the snow.
* Francis Bradley was a guest of TopFlight and the Wilder Kaiser Tourist Board
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Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) flies to Munich from Dublin, Belfast and Cork.
The height of luxury
* Accommodation was at the four-star Postwirt Hotel in Söll (00-43-53333-5081, www.hotel-postwirt-soell.at), a traditional Tyrolean-style establishment with an excellent restaurant in the pedestrianised village centre.
*Holidays can be tailor-made for either individuals or groups, according to requirements, but expect to pay around €750pps for one week’s half-board at the hotel, using scheduled flights, shared transfer and four-star accommodation. Midweek travel is often cheaper when organising an itinerary with Topflight.
* The local tourist boards provide guided walks during the summer season. Other activities include mountain biking, ballooning, paragliding, and health and spa therapies.