Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE HARAKIRI
With a 78% gradient, the Harakiri is Austria's steepest piste. This is half diving, half carving; a heart-stopping,
hell-for-leather descent that leaves even accomplished skiers quaking in their ski boots. Only superfit, experien-
ced skiers with perfect (think Bond) body control should consider tackling this monster of a run. Test out slope
17 first to see if you're able, and check piste conditions before heading out as ice renders the slope treacherous.
For bragging rights in the après-ski bars, you can pick up 'survivor' souvenirs in the shop at the base of the
Ahornbahn.
Summer Activities
Walking
is the big deal in Mayrhofen in summer, particularly in the glorious alpine country
of the Naturpark Zillertaler Alpen (
Click here
)
. The tourist office website,
www.mayrhofen.at
,
has excellent information on walks, maps and GPS downloads. From
the village itself, two
cable cars
(one way/ return €11.30/17.80) give walkers a head start to
Ahorn (1965m) and Penken (1800m). If you know your karabiner from your crampons,
Mayrhofen also has some prime rock climbing and via ferrate on its doorstep.
The
Run & Walk Park
challenges Nordic walkers and joggers. Spanning a total of 130km,
the 18 different routes, colour coded according to difficulty - blue is easy, red moderate,
black difficult - include the Harakiri, only slightly easier to run than it is to ski! The tour-
ist office has a route map.
Penken
(day pass €25)
Downhill mountain bikers are in heaven on Penken. The tourist office can
point you in the direction of bike rental, routes and hotels, as can its website,
www.mayrhofen.at
,
which has a virtual bike map.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Sennerei Zillertal
(
www.sennerei-zillertal.at
; Hollenzen 116; admission with/without tasting €11.90/5.80; 10am-3pm)
For a fly-
on-the-wall tour of a working dairy, head to the Sennerei Zillertal, where a 30-minute
tour guides you through the cheese-making processes, from culturing in copper vats to
mould ripening. The final products are huge wheels of Tilsiter, Bergkäse and Graukäse, a
grey cheese that is virtually fat free. A tasting lets you try seven different cheeses. In
summer this is accompanied by live Tyrolean music at 3pm every Friday.
SHOW DAIRY
Action Club Zillertal
ADVENTURE SPORTS
