The Perrier-Jouet gondola experience

Here’s to a White Christmas at The Chalet at 11º East with a very different way to celebrate,

The Perrier-Jouet gondola experience.

Enjoy the fantastic 360° view from the Kirchenkarbahn while sipping a glass of Perrier-Jouët Champagne and some delightful finger-food in a heated gondola!

Not all ski areas can guarantee good skiing over Christmas – but Obergurgl-Hochgurgl must be just about the best bet in the Alps! After all, by this coming Christmas, the twin resorts will have been up and running for well over a month. No anxious peering into the heavens, no hoping for the best!

Thanks to its altitude, Obergurgl-Hochgurgl is one of the first regions in Austria to open. And with a more-than-generous array of 25 lifts serving no fewer than 112 beautifully groomed kilometres (70 miles) of runs for skiing, snowboarding and freeriding the early snow has plenty of places to decorate! What’s more – and no, this isn’t an early April Fool’s joke – the season here continues right through April!

Hochgurgl’s newest lift, the Kirchenkarbahn II, whisks skiers up to the 2,839m top station. The10-person gondola, with heated seats, accesses a new blue run (Number 43) which runs from the top station all the way down to the Top Mountain Crosspoint base station. The new run offers an exhilaratingly long and languid descent that spans 675m, curling its way down the mountainside and intersected by one or two more challenging reds to add more challenging diversity options.

As one writer said recently: “ On the 75-minute transfer from Innsbruck we’d looked aghast at the exceedingly green valley – but, at 2,150m, Hochgurgl sneered at such woes…we cruised on feather-soft slopes, delighted to find that early season skiing doesn’t have to mean ice, patches of grass and relentless snow cannons.”

A long-standing favourite with British skiers, the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski area – with its fast, modern lift system – is one of Austria’s most famous, and best-loved offers resorts.. The ‘Top Express’ gondola make it simple to cross to and fro at convenient mid-station level between Obergurgl’s own village slopes and the heights of the Hochgurgl area.

The attractive Tyrolean village centre, set high at the end of the picturesque Ötz Valley – indeed the highest village in the whole country – benefits from having no through traffic at all, and retains its appealing, traditionally relaxed charm and a cosy, intimate feel. Yet it’s big enough to offer an ample range of facilities, and a friendly “Gemütlichkeit” après-ski atmosphere.

The ski area’s three main parts – Hochgurgl, Festkogl and Hohe Mut – combine to offer an excellent choice of red and blue runs, with the occasional black if you feel like a challenge. In all there are some half-a-dozen black runs and excellent off-piste possibilities, to be explored in the company of a local instructor or guide, while the top half of the Hohe Mut red run is renowned for its challenging moguls.

At the other end of the skiing spectrum, there’s an ideal beginners’ area just behind the village centre – not far from the region’s idyllic accommodation at The Chalet at 11º East. This swish yet homely chalet tucked is away right next to a children’s ski area, almost in the heart of the resort, is close to the baby lift and the Madstuhl area – and only a short trek to the nearest “grown-up” lifts at the bottom of the Gaisberg, thus linking up with the extensive skiing in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl.

From this season, there’s a new Ötztal Super Ski Pass covering 356km of pistes across six ski areas in the region: Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Sölden, Hochoetz-Kühtai, Niederthai, Gries and Vent.
Nice to know, but truly, there’s no need to venture so far afield when there’s everything you could possibly wish for right here in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl!

Not just skiing and snowboarding, but Ice-skating, curling, snowshoe walks, cleared winter walks, guests’ ski races, and weekly night-skiing. And the big plus for all boarders, particularly those less experienced, is the wealth of gondolas and chairlifts, which enable them to cover pretty much the entire area avoiding drag-lifts altogether.

And for the ultimate culinary ski experience, you could even try the Perrier-Jouet gondola experience. Starting at the TOP Mountain Crosspoint at Hochgurgl, you can enjoy the fantastic 360° view from the Kirchenkarbahn while sipping a glass of Perrier-Jouët Champagne and some delightful finger-food: steak tartare, smoked salmon, cured meats, olives, tomatoes and bread. Reservations for up to five people can be made at the Crosspoint restaurant.