Austria Trip: Kitzbuhel (and the easiest trail at Kitzski)

Sunday, January 19, 2020

On the way to Salzburg, we stopped by Kitzbuhel for some skiing. Best known for its incredibly dangerous Hahnenkamm Race (Streif), we stopped by for more schnitzel and some puttering around on skis.

I prefer to do "Lazy River Skiing", in which I just pleasantly meander down a mountainside without much effort. This was difficult to find at the Kitzski Resort. We never even got to the backside of the mountain as that would've taken an hour or more (and required some challenging trails). But eventually we found it, the closest trail loop to a North American green trail that could be found. I drew it all out on this map, because I could not find this information anywhere. The blue trails at Kitzbuhel are like tricky blue trails in our local ski resort. I would say this 18-16 loop is the closest thing Kitzski has to a green trail.

Almost every lift was accompanied by a cafe selling drinks, snacks, or more substantial food. Which was convenient because my rental boot hit a pressure point on my calf, and I could stop for a drink to regain feeling in my foot. (Note to self: Bring your own ski boots!)
Once J found the lazy river trail, I was able to enjoy the scenery around me. As I got more tired, I started doing the very easy, very short 18-C4 loop, and that let me just enjoy the mountains even more (lotsa time sitting on a lift).


The town of Kitzbuhel was also very cute, nestled in the alps with lots of wood architectural accents on the buildings. We took some time to go to the Sportpark and learn how to curl on ice.