WHAT to do on a winter sports holiday when there’s no snow? Not the sort of thing you want to be thinking about when your flights are booked, your bags are packed, and snow reports are depressingly ho-hum.
It was under such parlous circumstances that, in early January, the good man and I arrived in the delightful Austrian village of Rauris. Having fallen in love with the place on a solo visit some years previously, I was of course anxious to sing its praises, jolly the good man along and dispel his misgivings.
“You won’t be needing those,” I quipped as, with a resigned sigh he unpacked his cache of paperbacks and crosswords. “Sure even if it doesn’t snow there’s a million things to do here.”
As indeed there is. Because as winter, or indeed year-round destinations go, Rauris punches way above its weight.
Just over an hour from Salzburg but a million miles from its city vibe, with its ancient timbered buildings and quaint little streets all dominated by the medieval marvel of its parish church, Rauris is delightfully redolent of bygone days.
Happily, though, there is nothing medieval about its amenities and facilities – perhaps none more so than those of its Hotel Rauriserhof. Located on the edge of the village overlooking the surrounding valley, the four-star Rauriserhof is a veritable oasis of comfort and charm.
Originally the family home of local couple Jakob and Katharina Riesslegger – whose framed, oil-painted images still beam benevolently down from the main landing – over more than half a century the Rauriserhof has grown in tandem with its clientele, developing not just the first indoor swimming pool in the village but also the first bowling alley and tennis court.
Now, four generations on, these facilities have expanded to include a state-of-the-art gymnasium, games room, massage centre and leisure complex featuring Jacuzzis, an infrared cabin, aromatherapy steam baths, spacious indoor and outdoor saunas and a huge relaxation area with heated beds overlooking the secluded gardens.
With snow sadly thin on the ground on our arrival, we thought it prudent to check out the alternative outdoor pursuits on offer. Enter Martin.
We never did get to know Martin’s surname. Like Prince, Madonna, Rihanna et al, a second name was simply superfluous. Martin was just Martin, meeter and greeter extraordinaire, general factotum and all-round good guy.
And Martin was everywhere. Wander out to the reception area of a morning and there you’d find him mustering troupes for his daily hikes around the valley and national park. Trudge in after a heavy evening’s après ski and there he’d be, candle in hand, leading punters on a candlelit tour of the village before plying them with complimentary gluhwein on the hotel terrace.
And there was nothing the fellow didn’t know about the surrounding valley and its history, culture and wildlife.
As the sun set on our first day in Rauris I slipped out on to our balcony, gazed wistfully up at the towering Sonnblick mountain and tried to picture it covered with snow. The following morning it was there for real in all its pristine glory; snow, snow and more snow, enough to open all the mountain runs and crank every ski lift into action.
And so began our week of textbook winter sports weather. At first light, the view from our balcony was like something you’d see on a Christmas card, a frozen landscape of billowing snow clouds pierced by soaring, snowy peaks all shimmering in the sunrise.
After breakfast – a gargantuan hot and cold buffet with a chef in attendance for customised omelettes and sunny-sides-up – we’d usually make the five-minute trek to the slopes ahead of the ski bus to be among the first on the gondola. Going off season to such a relatively low-key resort certainly pays dividends; with gloriously uncluttered pistes and no queues for the lifts, every moment on the slopes can be used to best advantage.
Thus we were free to explore every inch of the resort’s 32 kilometres of groomed pistes.
With blue runs outnumbering black by a ratio of four to one, and over 40 kilometres of cross-country trails, Rauris is ideal for beginners and intermediates – and indeed those like ourselves who view winter sports as a laid-back leisure activity with regular, mandatory pit stops at every accessible mountain restaurant and bar.
With a total of nine lifts, including two super-smooth gondolas, the ski area features 1,261 metres of vertical descent and a huge slalom course. Beginners can take the gondola up to 1,800 metres for their first turns, conveniently located adjacent to one of the resort’s most popular restaurants. The gentle slopes run from here to a gondola station 300 metres below, affording beginners a decent stretch to hone their skills.
Intermediates can take the summit lift up to 2,200 metres with sweeping blue runs to the bottom; while hardcore powder hounds have a choice of two moderately hair-raising black runs down to the village.
Guided ski touring is also popular, with the entire valley criss-crossed with runs through open countryside, all linked by a complimentary ski bus. And should you fancy a change of scene there are no fewer than six ski resorts within a 20-mile radius.
But of course it’s not all about skiing.
Arriving back at the hotel after our first day on the slopes we were met by a champagne reception hosted by the owners. Kitted out in traditional Austrian dress, the charming Reisslegger-Meyr family mingle with their guests every Sunday evening, greeting them like the old friends that so many of them are: with a whopping 80 per cent repeat client rate such lavish hospitality evidently pays dividends.
As does the gourmet extravaganza of lunch and dinner included in its very affordable weekly rates.
And so, in a glorious flurry of snow, our week in Rauris flew by.
“I could get used to this,” quipped the good man as he repacked his entirely redundant cache of paperbacks and crosswords. Couldn’t we all.
FACTFILE
:: Rauris Tourism
Sportstr. 2, A-5661 Rauris?0043 6544 200 22-43?www.raurisertal.at ?www.facebook.com/tourismusverband.rauris
:: Rauriserhof Hotel
www.rauriserhof.at
:: Crystal Ski offers a range of ski packages to Rauris (see typical package deal below).
Depart Dublin Saturday March 5, seven nights, staying in the three-star Gatehaus Winkler, on a B&B basis, from €508pp (2 sharing)
:: To book your holiday or to order a guide call the Crystal Ski Holidays Specialists on 00353 1433 1080 or visit www.crystalski.ie.
