The spring sun is beginning to warm up and the winter drifts are slowly melting. It is high time to set off and enjoy some natural powder while it lasts, or finally to wake the bike from its winter sleep and get pedalling. And how about both? If your heart beats for bikes but you also love skis on your feet, head for the alpine glaciers. This is where you can ski superbly even once the mountain valleys are green with grass and tempting the first cycling enthusiasts outdoors.
Adrenaline on the glacier, ease in the valley. That is Kitzsteinhorn and Zell am See-Kaprun.
The first place that spares you a Sophie’s choice between skis and bike is the Austrian glacier Kitzsteinhorn. It lies in the very heart of Salzburg, on the edge of the Hohe Tauern National Park, and the ski resort that grew up on its northern side is one of the oldest glacier resorts in Austria. That means the people who run it know what they are doing, and you will see it in full in the experience you take home from Kitzsteinhorn, as the glacier is called.
You can head up as soon as you have unpacked at your accommodation on the shore of the Zeller See, or in one of the cosy apartments or hotels in the village of Kaprun. The glacier is part of the celebrated Zell am See-Kaprun holiday region, where you can count on the highest quality of service. The ultra-modern cable car that takes you from the centre of Kaprun to the very top of the glacier is proof of that.
At 3,000 metres above sea level snow is waiting for you with complete certainty, and with it ideal conditions for skiing of every kind. The freeride routes here are especially well known, but the local snowpark is well worth trying too: it delights every freestyle fan, whether they have skis or a snowboard on their feet.
On Kitzsteinhorn, though, you can just as easily put cross-country skis on your feet. While they would be of little use down in the valley, an altitude of 2,900 metres above sea level means you can still get a cross-country session in here, on a track three kilometres long. And there is somewhere to rest as well: besides plenty of mountain huts, the ones to visit are the viewing terrace and the Gipfelwelt 3000 restaurant. One look at the dozens of three-thousand-metre peaks around you and you will feel as if you are on the roof of the world.
And from there, jump straight back down into the valley. The bright white of the snow becomes the lush green of the pastures, and instead of snow and ice the sound around you is water, racing down the mountain torrents to the lake alongside beautifully thawed cycle routes. So skis into the ski store, get the bike and helmet out and set off across the valley. Easy-going cycle touring is one of the region’s strong points, and in spring you can enjoy it here to the full.
Ideally set off around the Zeller See on the well-known Tauern Cycle Path and head at a gentle pace to the viewpoint at Europe’s most beautiful waterfalls in Krimml. You will have the company of wonderful views over the surrounding high-mountain landscape, and plenty of mountain huts and restaurants where you can refresh yourself along the way with a wheat beer, perhaps, and excellent cheese noodles with bacon. A warning in advance: the local cooking is so good that you risk not stopping at one dish, and sitting there a little longer than planned.
If you go the other way, you reach Saalfelden, which is literally a cyclists’ paradise with excellent infrastructure. And if you have enough strength in your legs, you can make it as far as Salzburg. That is certainly worth a visit. Trekking bikes will serve you well, but for the longer route you can just as easily use an e-bike, which people here are very keen on, and you will have no trouble hiring one at a local rental shop. On one you can reach not only Salzburg without getting out of breath, but also manage a harder climb up to the mountain huts nearby.
Even on an e-bike you may have had enough by the evening and want a little hot relaxation. In the Zell am See-Kaprun area they have thought of that, and it is no accident that one of Austria’s most modern wellness centres, TAUERN SPA Kaprun, was built right here. Immerse yourself in the steam, swim in warm water, rest wrapped in a soft bathrobe. Your body certainly deserves a bit of extra care.