Winter 2018/19 ALPE Alpe di Siusi Magazine CASTELROTTO · SIUSI ALLO SCILIAR · FIÈ ALLO SCILIAR · ALPE DI SIUSI · TIRES AL CATINACCIO Memory A path for Hans and Paula Steger Ascent 80 years ski resort Ice Climbing during winter zallinger.com Has time come to a standstill here? OR ARE WE JUST A STEP AHEAD? ZALLINGER MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYS AND RESTAURANT Original cuisine and fabulous sun terrace with breathtaking views. Alpe di Siusi, 2,054 m – We can't wait to see you! com, Foto: BP. - Benno Prenn BP. Foto: com, ARKENFEE. © www.M Florian lift SLOPE NO. 34 or TRAIL NO. 9 (6 mins) HOW DO I GET THERE? Saltria 74 Hotel Tirler – TRAIL NO. 9 (1 hr and 15 mins.) Editorial & Contents Photo: Helmuth Rier Helmuth Photo: Dear guests! Winter wonderland and Christ- along a very special winter hiking to important information on pub- Page 4 mas magic, culture and cuisine, trail on the Alpe di Siusi and the lic and private services and hand- 80 years moving to the top: the sledge-lift “Slittovia” skiing and snowboarding, snow- fascinating world of ice climbing craft companies, we also offer a Page 6 shoeing, cross-country skiing, will certainly surprise you. number of valuable tips on the A trip back over the past romantic horse-drawn sleigh best restaurants, inns and meet- 80 years: Motorised ascent rides, winter paragliding and ice The story of Dr. Eduard Egarter ing places and the many and var- Page 10 skating, mountain magic and al- Vigl, famed around the world as ied shopping opportunities in the In memory of love pine wellness - the Alpe di Siusi Ötzi’s “personal physician,” il- villages. The magazine also fea- Page 14 holiday region brings you all the lustrates just why Prösels Castle tures a detailed program of end- Green energy for a sparkling magic of winter! is considered to be the cultural less range of events: Unmissable white: skiing in any case centre of our holiday region. cultural, sociable occasions that Page 20 Our holiday region offers prac- are guaranteed to please. Interview with the german tically endless opportunities for Have you ever wondered how biathlete Laura Dahlmeier an active, enjoyable holiday. We to make the perfect farmhouse We hope that you, too, join in Page 24 Mobile freedom: and have fun. hope that the following pages roast? Paola, the farmer’s wife, camping in winter will be a source of inspiration at the Zemmerhof farm and pas- Page 30 for you and stir your spirits for sionate cook, reveals the mouth- We wish you a wonderful, unfor- Ice cold passion: a holiday free from the cares of watering secret. gettable stay, and the very best climbing in winter everyday life. of well-being and relaxation. Page 36 Last but not least, feel the magic The Lord of the Castle: Dr. Eduard Egarter Vigl The theme of this winter season of the unique Christmas atmos- Page 40 th is the 80 anniversary of the Alpe phere in our holiday region on Christmas at the foot di Siusi ski resort, and the follow- a trip to the small but beauti- of the Sciliar ing pages provide a fascinating ful Christmas markets in the vil- Page 44 glimpse into the evolution of the lages, or enjoy the hush of na- Paula Prossliner cooks a “Farmhouse Roast” Alpe di Siusi into a winter sports ture in our entrancing winter Eduard Tröbinger Scherlin Page 46 area. Please have a look also at landscape. President for Alpe di Siusi Winter highlights 2018/19 our magazine ALPE SPECIAL. Marketing and the Tourist Page 48 ALPE magazine would like to be Offices of Castelrotto, Siusi Summer preview 2019 The “Hans & Paula Steger Trail” your companion during your hol- allo Sciliar, Fiè allo Sciliar, Alpe Page 50 is a tale of romance, leading you iday in Alpe di Siusi: In addition di Siusi and Tires al Catinaccio Around and about Winter | ALPE 3 4 ALPE | Winter The “Slittovia” In winter of 1938/1939, the inauguration of the “Slittovia Panorama Joch” sledge lift set the wheels in motion for the unstoppable journey to success for the Alpe di Siusi ski resort. 80 years later, 21 modern, automated lifts offer winter sport enthusiasts and mountain lovers a comfortable, safe ascent to the largest mountain plateau in Europe. With its wide, sunny slopes, the Alpe di Siusi is long-established as a ski resort for connoisseurs. Winter | ALPE 5 Inimitable and unmistakeable: The endless white and gentle slopes of the Alpe di Siusi, backed by the distinctive rocky formations of the Dolomites 6 ALPE | Winter Motorised ascent The first ski lifts heralded the development of Alpe di Siusi as a winter sports area; A trip back over the past 80 years. T The Alpe di Siusi, largest alpine pasture in Europe, clubs and schools and organise ski races, and the is not only a wonderful hiking area in the summer; trendy winter sport was the hot news of the press with its 21 lifts, 60 kilometres of ski slopes, 80 kilo- across the whole of Europe. metres of cross-country ski trails and outstanding snow park, it is now one of the most famed and fre- Development of the Alpe di Siusi. On the Alpe quented ski resorts in the Alps. This evolution all di Siusi, which was used as farm land only in sum- began in the early days of the 20th century. At the mer, the first skiers climbed up on foot in win- time, pioneers in the Alpine region, particularly in ter, stayed overnight in a hay barn and then skied Switzerland and Germany, were working on ways through the deep snow back into the valley. The of powering motorised lifts for enthusiastic fans of Alpe di Siusi was to become a great deal more ac- the “new” style of skiing, the great novelty of the cessible in the years to follow: There had been a Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher moment. People had already begun to found ski train line from Brennero to Verona since 1867. At » Photo: Helmuth Rier Winter | ALPE 7 Over the last 50 years the Alpe di Siusi has evolved into a magnificent ski resort that draws skiers of all ages. the time of the First World War a narrow-gauge ter guests to spend their holidays. Ski porters with local train to Val Gardena was constructed, where baskets strapped onto their backs brought food a cable car was built in 1935, followed by a road supplies and all the necessary accoutrements to from Siusi/Castelrotto to the Alpe di Siusi 1938. the shelters. Guests came to the Alpe di Siusi ei- This road alone made it possible to transport all ther by cable car or in a chauffeured rental car, and that was required for the construction of the first walked the last stretch to their hostel. sledge lift, the “Joch-Panorama” on the Alpe di Si- usi which began running in the winter of 1938/39, From ski to telemix. The Second World War put followed a year later by the “Mezdì” ski lift. an end to the tourist development, but on return- ing from the war the men they immediately put At that time there were already a few B&Bs, moun- their money back into the tourism sector, an aus- tain huts and shelters on the Alpe di Siusi for win- picious source of income. In 1946, the “Leo Demetz 8 ALPE | Winter DE | IT | E Special ski lift” was the first of the new lifts, followed by ALPE a ski lift on the Bullaccia/Puflatsch. For two win- ters, until it was buried by an avalanche, a ski lift even ran up to the Forcella dei Denti di Terrarossa. All these lifts were low-cable, and were followed by high-cable lifts later; with their columns, they were more expensive to build but safer to use as Jubiläumsausgabe 80 Jahre Skigebiet Seiser Alm platter pulls or t-bars. In later years, around 1970, Edizione speciale 80 anni area sciistica Alpe di Siusi Anniversary edition technology had advanced sufficiently to build the 80 years ski area Alpe di Siusi first chairlift on the Bullaccia. Given their higher capacity, drag tows were gradually replaced by multi-seater chairlifts, or - innovative for the time - basket lifts, such as the one on the Florian slope in Saltria. These have all long been consigned to the past: Today, the Alpe di Siusi boasts the very lat- est in high-tech trends, from the detachable mul- Winter 2018/19 ti-seater chairlift with weather protection bubble 80 years of the and automatic child safety lock to the hybrid chair- lift-gondola concept of the Telemix cable car. Alpe di Siusi ski resort Economic boom. In the 1960s the skiing industry on the Alpe di Siusi was so well established that, It was exactly 80 years ago, in the winter of 1938/39, that the alongside the hotels, large holiday apartment com- “Slittovia Joch-Panorama” sledge lift first opened. The first ski lift plexes were built. The ski school which had been on the Alpe di Siusi was to be the foundation stone for the ski founded in 1956 was no longer able to meet the resort on Europe’s largest mountain pasture. The 80th jubilee will be celebrated in style with an array of special events: rising demand for courses and, in the 1970s, ad- ditional training courses were organised for ski The Road Show, which will be making its way to the locations of instructors. Hotels employed their own ski in- Castelrotto, Siusi allo Sciliar, Fiè allo Sciliar, Tires al Catinaccio structors to accompany their guests; Alpine huts and the Alpe di Siusi, will be illustrating the 80 years of develop- ment in the skiing area with a spectacular array of original pho- became guest houses, guest houses became ho- tos from days gone by.