Back from a trip to Mayrhofen, I feel the need to disclose what I find one of the biggest scams of the alpine world.
Mayrhofen in Austria is a well-known town among the ski-loving crowd. Having hosted numerous world cup down hill skiing races the resort is really well equipped with a pretty modern and effective infrastructure on the mountains around. But beware. The huge area of 640 kms of prepped slopes can only be accessed by one lift from the town center. A 45-minute wait to get on the lift is not uncommon in the morning. And it gets even worse. Having mastered that hurdle, you realize that the area is not interconnected. To get from one mountain to the other, there’s no way to go by ski. Instead you’ll have to go all the way down back into town. (By lift the last leg – as there’s no skiable access). Then you have to hop on a bus or a train to go to the other mountains. Not cool.
However, once on the slopes, you’ll find a very well maintained area with plenty of markers and indicators in order not to get lost. Although the sun wasn’t shining every day, the skiing itself was really nice. Mayrhofen might not be the option for thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies, but in all a nice experience. That goes for the lunches too. The slopes are dotted with plenty of eateries and watering holes – all of them relatively inexpensive, and many of them very good. Our favorite turned out to be the ’Schneekar Hütte’. There’s copious drinking going on during lunch break, so one needs to keep ones eyes peeled to not get hit by some stray drunken skier in the afternoon. Perhaps the drinking habits in general are due to the fact that in my book, Mayrhofen might as well be called Russia’s western-most enclave. Never before, have I heard so much Russian spoken in one place outside Russia as in Mayrhofen.
After a few days of hard skiing, the thighs might want to rest a little. We opted to finish early a couple of times, and instead of going back to the hotel, we went to ’Funky’s’ – a bar with friendly service and a delicious burger. Funky’s also has free Internet access for those in need of that.
Apparently, Austria has joined most European countries in making smoking prohibited in public areas. At least in Mayrhofen, the law is not enforced very strictly. People are smoking everywhere, so beware!
Mayrohofen, Austria
www.mayrhofen.at