At my high school, there was multiple study abroad programs, many that my friends attended! I should’ve taken advantage of the travel programs, but I chose to live vicariously through my friends.
A really good friend of mine who was on my volleyball team studied German, thus sparked her desire to study in Germany! She wasn’t much of a skier, but she decided to take the chance to ski in Austria when her group visited. And, she ended up visiting one of the best ski mountains in the world: Kitzbuhel, Austria!
Kitzbühel looks like a travel poster for Alpine ski towns, with its fresco-painted buildings and mountain chalets. While it’s smart boutiques and luxury hotels may give it the aura of a chic Swiss resort, Kitzbühel has a cozy warmth and accommodations that welcome families on a budget, too. Charming as it is, Kitzbühel is more than just a pretty face to look at, you should take advantage of the powder it has to offer!
For serious skiers looking for white-knuckle descents, there’s the legendary 85 percent vertical, where skiers compete annually in the Hahnenkamm, the most challenging of all downhill races. But, beware, for this really IS for serious skiers. I remember a story my friend Sophie told me about after her trip, where one of her classmates actually broke their leg on this mountain! So, for less skilled skiers, there are gentle slopes and long, wide cruisers. The small Bichlalm area is especially designed for riders and freestylers.
If Kitzbühel’s 170 kilometers of skiable pistes and slopes aren’t enough, take the short bus ride to the SkiWelt for 280 more kilometers of trails. Both the domains of Kitzbühel and SkiWelt are included among the nine areas covered by the Kitzbühel Alps AllStarCard, which can be used as a ski pass in Kitzbühel, Reith, Aurach and Jochberg. All of these towns are known to be Austria’s number one holiday region year after year.
So, with the combined research and stories from Sophie, Kitzbühel has come to be near the top of my list. But, at this point, I am not sure there really is a favorite! A visit to any of these mountains I have blogged about would exceed my expectations, but for now, Kitzbühel has taken my breath away.
Wow this place looks like it’s right from a fairytale or something. I could see why you’d definitely want to visit here! Hopefully you can get there some day, and someone can live vicariously through you!
It sounds lovely! I hope you get the chance to study abroad at some point during your college years! I think it’s a great way to explore outside of your comfort zone, and for you, you can look for new mountains to ski 🙂
That literally looks like a picture out of a catalog or something that is beautiful I am jealous. Especially being stuck in the house makes me miss traveling and how I took it for granted.
85% vertical?! That’s insane and the pictures look so gorgeous. I hope someday when all this pandemic stuff is behind us, you get the chance to travel and ski here!
That looks so pretty, and as you said a quintessential alpine town… the picture I had in my head of what they looked like is practically the same. That 85% vertical sounds absolutely insane!! But, it also sounds like they have beginner-friendly slopes which is nice. I hope you get the chance to go to all these mountains one day!