by It’s the end of the day, the light is flat and my carving turns have transformed into controlled slides. Mentally, my lifeless body is already collapsed on a fluffy towel in a steam sauna. I skid abruptly and stop next to my husband, the brilliant one who suggested “just one more run.”
“Snow is better near the edge of the slope,” he chirps. “Why do you keep skiing down the middle?”
“Oh, well, more advice,” I think.
Sounds familiar?
Whether you’re a blue-run couple or heli-ski veterans like us, taking a ski trip means different things to different people. The reality of skiing à deux (it sparked arguments against it) is almost always a balancing act. A minefield of unparalleled speeds and strengths, map reading failures, and various desires to resist DJ Otzi for longer than you can hold your breath. In addition to canoeing and ballroom dancing, skiing together may require more patience than landing on the surface of Mars. So why do it?
Because this story will end happily.
It’s a ski holiday, but it’s not just about skiing. A vacation is certainly spiritual territory: an opportunity to learn new things, create shared memories, and make each other happy. By making it a package holiday (part ski, part city), you’re guaranteed a dose of high-altitude excitement along with a dose of cultural enrichment. Live the difference with this four-step plan for success and just one extra change of clothes.
Step one: choose the right resort
For us, the Austrian province of Salzburg ticked all the boxes. Culturally, its capital, Salzburg, is a jewel dotted with baroque cathedrals and cafes of Mitteleuropa.
Mozart is a mini-industry here and each year his birthday, January 27, is celebrated with a week of about 60 events attended by 25,000 music lovers (about a tenth of its summer festival equivalent, which makes make winter even more attractive). Eager to join them last winter, we booked tickets to the magnificent Vienna Philharmonic, which we both agreed would be a welcome change to an alpine blast of oompah-pah Schlager music. The visit to Salzburg was also an opportunity for my husband to explore the city where his father was born in 1928.
Next was finding the perfect ski resort to combine with our end in the city; Fortunately, the province has 66 to choose from. Including Bad Gastein, which is only 90 minutes by direct train from the capital. Sold for its Belle Époque beauty, there would be no cramped commutes or fights over who was driving.
Step Two: Don’t be Afraid to Call the Experts
“Men want to play with their toys, their cars, their skis. They just want to go fast,” explains Werner Scancin, our ski guide. The Gastein Valley’s 200 km of pistes in several areas (Bad Gastein, Hofgastein, Dorgastein and Sportgastein) make it an easy choice for the modern visitor, and there’s more.
Since 18th century, has attracted people like Goethe and Kaiser Wilhelm to drink its hot springs and breathe the clear alpine air. As expected, Werner and my husband were far ahead of me breathing deeply, but I didn’t care. With stunning views all the way to Grossglockner and the Black Forest, I embraced my inner free-spirited Empress Sisi and happily soaked in her.
As the Schlossalmbahn lift took us to the top of the 10.5km Hohe Scharte, the region’s longest piste, Werner paused to share his advice on marital harmony. “Men may age, but they are still children. If the man is too good only in his own opinion, tell him you want to hire a guide.”
Sensible (if a little selfish) words. I have taken many solo lessons over the years, including some excellent women’s only clinics, with great benefits. As Werner added: “Men overestimate their abilities, while women tend to underestimate them, and men are often reluctant to hire an instructor.” There’s no doubt that a few hours away from your partner with a trained professional boosts confidence, sharpens skills, and is just a lot of fun. After all, who needs pressure except on the edges of the ski?
Step three: accept each other’s plans
From our sun-drenched loungers at the Angerblick hut, we squint at the timeless postcard of the Austrian Alps. For me, this storybook position was a destiny in itself. For him it was a nice distraction after a day of go-go skiing. We split the difference as the midday clouds began to gather, planning an afternoon of aquatic wellness at the hotel. (Okay, I planned and, as per our agreement, he agreed.)
Austria’s centuries-old wellness culture is alive and well in the Gastein Valley. Unlike most accommodations, our Das Goldberg hotel had direct access to the ski slopes, as well as being a paradise with a spa, an activity that the Austrians have elevated to an art. Whatever discomfort there may have been on the slopes was resolved in the Gold Mine sauna, with little light and 46ºC. Built from 420,000kg of rock quarried from the nearby massif, it is a cocoon of heat and humidity.
Step Four: Be Flexible
Après ski: literally anything after skiing – is an opportunity to a) try something unusual and b) try something that at least one of you is interested in. Our afternoon forest bathing began at the mouth of the Angertal (Anger Valley in English). Led by local hiking guide Theresa Sommerbichler, she shared her encyclopedic knowledge of all things flora, including walking among terpenes, substances released by trees that are believed to activate the immune system and prevent various diseases. “It’s a waste without the dog,” my husband muttered as we set off. After an hour of stress-reducing tree action, I had inhaled the essential oils and drank the Kool-aid (nettle tea, in this case) and was ready for my next assault: a romantic sleigh ride.
After three days of skiing, it was time to shift gears. Just an hour from Bad Gastein, Salzburg’s annual Mozart Week was in full swing and there was plenty of time for a walking tour. There’s the strudel tour, the Stube tour, the church tour and there are even beer tours planned.
Local guide Sissy Schur brought to life the trials and triumphs of the child prodigy on our Mozart tour, adding new dimensions to the upcoming concert. Frau Schur even agreed to our search for the grave of my husband’s ancestors, duly discovered in one of the ornate, snow-covered archways of St. Peter’s Cemetery, in the shadow of Salzburg’s massive 11th-century Hohensalzburg fortress.
The story is complicated, but our last night was simple, pure pleasure. An early dinner at Gasthof Goldgasse (fried chicken soaked in milk since 1719 and a light, airy Salzburger Nockerl for pudding) concluded just in time for the big moment in the Great Festival Hall. Conductor Robin Ticciati and pianist Maria João Pires wove Mozartian magic with the interlude music of Thamos, King of Egypt, and the Linz Symphony.
Nothing can beat that in terms of harmony. Except, perhaps, one more race with my beloved.
How to do it
The next Mozart Week will take place from January 25 to February 4, 2024. The Das Goldberg hotel in Badhofgastein offers double rooms from €195 (£168) per person per night, full board. The Hotel Stein in Salzburg offers double rooms from €150 (£130) per person per night, B&B. Fly from London Gatwick to Salzburg with British Airways from £45 each way, based on a return fare, valid until January 2024.
Bus operator between Salzburg Airport and main station every 20 minutes, daily, from less than €5 (4.30) per adult. Book a train transfer between Salzburg and Gastein via Austrian Railways one-way from €38 (£33) per person.
Leslie Woit and her husband were guests of Salzburg Land, gastein, Salzburg citythe Das Goldberg hotel in Badhofgastein and the Stein hotel in Salzburg.
