and 51 Alta Badia Ski runs at Alta Badia reach 2,778m above ski level. Every in year the men’s December Cup giant World slalom happens on the challenging Gran Risa run. raining. It’s miserable. raining. It’s SOUTH TYROL SOUTH After a 20-year hiatus from the white After a 20-year hiatus t’s winter. It’s It’s winter. t’s the mountains, then. to hit Time something stuff, I’ve recently enjoyed thanks to an of a skiing renaissance girlfriend enthusiastic ski instructor But while I love the luxury of Austria’s of Austria’s But while I love the luxury of Italy by some Pointed in the direction First stop is snow-capped Even through the snowy wake trailed by history and you’ll Cast back to the area’s spend the morning exploring a small We Up early to the Experiences crank into action. No worries – a quick call and soon Florian is powering uphill on his skidoo, towing us behind on our skis as we laugh maniacally. snowmobile, I notice something Fabian’s region that keeps about the South Tyrol coming back to me: an interesting cultural mix (rather than divide) is everywhere. find a tough story of post-war conflict, of a deal struck between Germany and Italy that served a wider purpose but not necessarily the inhabitants it affected. The German influence on the Italian majority may not sit perfectly with the locals, but from an point of view it fits the stereotype outsider’s of functionality and flair. 1,200km of skiable slice of Alta Badia’s slopes, carved into the extraordinary Dolomite Mountains. The area was once a primordial sea, and the charismatic and peaks originally craggy 200-million-year-old formed atolls cresting not far above and some opportune mountain jollies. and some opportune of the French finest resorts, the hedonism and the open, empty Alps at their Gallic best I was in search of slopes of Scandinavia, and a little different. something quick, easy we soon found knowledgeable friends, ourselves heading out of Innsbruck Airport on a spectacular two-hour trundle through the idyllic Dolomites towards the curious region that straddles the South Tyrolean Italian-Austrian border. the grand old dame Rosa Alpina hotel. This is proper old world mountain stuff: roaring fires, well-worn furniture and a patina of grandiosity impossible to mimic in a modern build. Rooms are oddly shaped and quirky; impossibly warm and inviting, glamorous even, in a timeless but faded way. sight of fresh snow falling, we meet local guide Florian and find ourselves on the lower slopes with the sun rising, well before the lifts I

On the slopes of South Tyrol, Duncan Madden flair Italian finds and Austrian efficiency an mix intoxicating

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PATROL BORDER 50 Photograph by ### ) and Back at Innsbruck e rosalpina.it and eccentric and idiosyncrasy, charismatic locals with a rich history and a desire to share it. airport I bump into an old school friend ) hotels. For snowshoe SOUTH TYROL SOUTH gmx.net feldmilla.com neumier@ St Hubertus is the patron saint of the hunters, which explains the The antler. deer restaurant replaced pizzeria the hotel’s and snared its first 2000. in Michelin star It’s a fitting end to a fun few days a fitting end to a fun few It’s Over lunch we chat to local action man we chat to local action Over lunch brand of Instantly sold on his unique a world It’s My first snowshoe summit. Experiences that delivered everything I’d asked of them: that delivered everything I’d asked of them: great snow and spectacular scenery far from the madding crowds, functional simplicity I’ve not seen for more than 20 years. He asks what I’ve been up to and in the time we have I describe my adventures of the to the a regular previous few days. He’s mountains around Innsbruck, but has never before – something I visited South Tyrol think is about to change. Markus Neumier. All wraparound sunglasses All wraparound sunglasses Markus Neumier. with he regales us and long floating hair, terrifying stories of conquered summits, life lived at 110mph. helicopter rides and a took a real shine to lunacy (my girlfriend think why), before I know it him – can’t and hiking to we’re strapping on snowshoes Speikboden Mountain. the top of the 2,517m allows me time to away from skiing and views, which really suck in the surrounding I watch paragliders are simply astonishing. ride invisible currents of air over craggy peaks, see jet planes criss-cross cotton trails and smoke a across the endless blue sky, ciggie in celebration of our all-conquering achievement. Markus seems impressed enough but keener to get back for afternoon wine and storytelling. Back down we go. Duncan flew to Innsbruck with EasyJet and stayed at the Rosa Alpina ( Feldmilla ( hikes with mountain man Markus Neumier, email The family-run Feldmilla design Sunset skiing in South Tyrol’s Seiser Sunset skiing in South Tyrol’s BELOW: We’re equally taken by the Pop Art on We’re A strangely alluring hybrid of winding As the sun breaks in a new day we find it is the Family run and eco-friendly, ABOVE: Alm. first ‘clean air room’ hotel features Italy’s dinosaur zone), Klausberg is a close- quarters adventure playground unlike any ski run I’ve seen, and all the better for it. emissions. That’s not to say they’ve skimped emissions. That’s with a huge spa area and indoor on luxury, to outdoor pool that takes in some serious views of the mountains on every side. the walls and the sleek, cleverly designed bedroom-bathroom-balcony combo. But not long before twitchy feet have us it’s reaching for the skis and we’re skimming the action-packed slopes of Klausberg. woodland tracks and long, fast open runs overflowing with all manner of distraction (from snowboard jump park to giant plastic in. Not our finest hour, but we do a runner but in. Not our finest hour, and stick to pizza for the rest of the trip. ourselves winding through spectacular mountain passes to the region around something a Keen to try Campo Tures. world away from the faded grandeur of the Rosa Alpina, we check into the funky Feldmilla – a ‘designhotel’. first carbon-neutral hotel in the region and bears its workings with pride. A biomass heating system and hydro electrics provide while investment in a Guatemalan power, eco project balances any unavoidable CO2 Norbert Niederkofler. Over two hours Over Norbert Niederkofler. endless courses are served, from simple but delicious truffle risotto to marshmallows and candyfloss balanced on a deer antler. we admit overwhelming and eventually It’s defeat, insisting we can eat no more. The waitress responds by bringing us a cake slightly longer than the skis I’d ridden that day and watches expectantly for us to tuck , the St Hubertus

We’d been invited to We’d We take lunch late at the batshit crazy We It’s busy but never frantic. We weave busy but never frantic. We It’s

52 the ocean surface, but now service an the so-mad-you-couldn’t-make-it-up chef the so-mad-you-couldn’t-make-it-up owner, then cruise back to the Rosa Alpina owner, forget. for a promised dinner we won’t two-Michelin-star restaurant, by Rosa’s Las Vegas Lodge and down Willies (a staple Lodge and down Willies Las Vegas Austrian schnapps – firewater with chunks of pear in, pronounced ‘villy’) with the past within a hair’s width, and clusters of past within a hair’s teens worry more about how they look than how tight their turns are. through the usual stereotypes. Rows of ski schools snowplough their way down simpler runs, seemingly out of control Italians fly intricate web of ski runs catering to all skills. THAT DAY THAT THE SKIS THE SKIS I’D RIDDEN LONGER THAN LONGER THAN CAKE SLIGHTLY SLIGHTLY CAKE BRINGS US A THE WAITRESS THE WAITRESS