5 Ways to Fill the Gap Between Ski Seasons

If you have tried mountain biking, hiking, and swimming but summer sports just aren’t your thing, you may find your thoughts wandering towards the next ski chalet Obergurgl season. The only problem with that is it is only July and you have almost another half year to fill before your next moment gliding down powdery slopes!

Because so many of us can’t find the same excitement in summer sports compared to skiing, we have compiled a list of our top 5 ways to fill the gap between ski seasons. Read on for our top tips.

Buy Your Gear Now

In the spring and summer, ski gear from last season is at its lowest prices. Most of the top ski outlets will discount their equipment, jackets, pants, gloves, and gadgets to make room for the upcoming season’s new stuff. If you’re not fussy about having the latest model of everything, now is the perfect time to stock up on anything you need for the season ahead. The only thing you shouldn’t buy this time of year is ski boots. Stocks are notoriously low at the end of the season and quite often there isn’t much availability in sizes so better wait until closer to the season if you need boots.

Book Your Next Ski Holiday

Take advantage of early booking specials and book now. During the summer there are tons of early-booking discounts and perks for those willing to commit to their next ski holiday. In addition, there is an advantage to booking ahead in terms of availability; this is important If you’re planning to travel during peak season. Book ahead and get the best possible deal and the ability to travel when you want.

Start your Fitness Plan

Fitness is one of the major inhibitors when it comes to improving your skills. You can remedy this by creating good habits early and create a fitness plan that slowly accelerates as you move closer to the season. Join a gym, go for a few jogs a week or pick up a summer sport. All these things will help improve your overall level of stamina and strength, making your days on the slopes really count.

Get Your Own Training Machine

If you don’t have time to create a fitness plan and you want to splash outlook into getting a Skier’s Edge. This machine was developed by the US ski team to simulate the action of skiing and is now used as part of the British team’s fitness program. There are some ski shops and private gyms that will allow you to try before you buy. For example, Skiplex in Reading and Chiswick both run courses combining slope technique with a session on the Skier’s Edge.

Go to a Glacier

You don’t actually need to wait for the ski season to start in Chalet Obergurgl, or travel all the way to the southern hemisphere to ski now. There are several nearby glaciers that are open during the summer! Keep in mind that glacier skiing is very different from skiing the slopes of Obergurgl – you wake up very early, apply a lot of sun cream and by the time the afternoon rolls around, the conditions make it impossible to continue. Having said that, if you need a quick ski fix before the season officially starts, glaciers are a great option.

Original Source: 5 Ways to Fill the Gap Between Ski Seasons

Well Pisted Slopes Make for Great Skiing!

Such a good start to the season in Chalet Obergurgl with tons of snow which makes all the locals walk around with a big smile!

Muscles, however, are getting bigger! Yes, the more snow there is, the more we have to shovel it out the way. So, think Pop Eye and tell the locals they have great biceps and we are all happy.

Did you know that each year Obergurgl’s piste bashers groom 110km of snow to make your day on the piste super smooth? So, as you head down the slopes to enjoy the après ski with a hot gluhwein or schnapps, cast a thought to the night workers whose work driving the red piste bashers is just beginning. Often going up the mountain in threes, each slope is groomed to get rid of unwanted bumps and crust. It’s an all-night affair with the talented driving team returning in the small hours to ensure that Obergurgl’s guests have the best possible experience on skis.

First thing in the morning, the avalanche monitoring team also takes to the helicopter to check the pistes for dangerous snow accumulations and where necessary detonate the snow overhangs to ensure guest safety. Obergurgl’s unsung heroes have a monumental job to ensure that we can all ski care-free.

Safety, however, is also down to the individual skier. The resort might make the pistes available to you in pristine condition but if your body or skill set isn’t as good as it should be you should proceed with caution. Remember every skier has a duty to ensure the safety of himself and others on the piste. Ski safe, ski sober, and ski within the limits of your own ability. For a great time skiing check out the advice from the team at The Ski Chalet Obergurgl, at 11º East.

Original Source: Well pisted slopes make for great skiing!

How To Make a Good Gin and Tonic

It used to be so simple; 50 cl of Gordons, ice, and Schweppes tonic water.

Now the world over is embracing the rising popularity of regionally created and distilled botanical gin and it’s no longer a matter of just reaching for the Gordons!

The team at The Ski Chalet Obergurgl enjoyed a tour around the Salcombe Gin Distillery and saw the gin being made first hand from a range of thirteen botanicals including Macedonian juniper, fresh lemon, lime, and red grapefruit peels, cardamom, liquorice, cinnamon bark, chamomile, coriander seeds, and cubeb.

This year The Chalet at 11º East Obergurgl includes the following Gins for our guests to enjoy:

Salcombe Gin – serve with tonic and a slice of grapefruit

Hendricks Gin – serve with a long sliver of cucumber, distilled in Scotland.

What gives Hendricks its very different distinctive flavour is the infusion of rose petals and cucumber that are added to the traditional list of botanicals including juniper berries etc.

Bombay Gin – serve with a slice of lemon or lime

Bombay Sapphire’s recipe is based on 10 botanicals which include juniper berries, citrus, angelica, and orris root. To these are added coriander, liquorice, cassia bark, almonds, cubeb berries, and West African grains of paradise.

Silent Pool Gin – distilled in Albury Surrey, a tiny village near Guildford, this gin has no less than 24 botanicals!

Coupled with the beautifully pure spring water from the Silent pool – a tranquil beauty spot between Shere, famous for the film “ The Holiday “ starring Kate Winslet, and Albury and again we find a highly distinctive flavoured gin.

For an interesting twist on a traditionally made gin and tonic, spray the inside of a large wine goblet with Silent Pool “mist” made with Bergamot.

Gin Mare – a Spanish gin from the Costa Dorada, best served with a sprig of rosemary.

Gin Mare is distinctively different from the English gins that the team at The Chalet Obergurgl tasted and has an evocative Mediterranean aroma to it. Gin Mare is infused with basil from Italy, thyme from Greece, rosemary from Turkey, and citrus fruits from Spain. The key ingredient that makes it so different, however, is Arbequibna olives. None of the other gins that we tried had Olives or Rosemary in their ingredients.

No better way to enjoy the Alps than with a short slurp overlooking the slopes!

Original Source: How To Make a Good Gin and Tonic

Amazing Snowfall Bodes Well for 2021 Skiing in Obergurgl!

Amazing snowfall bodes well for 2021 skiing in Chalet Obergurgl! What’s not to look forward to compared to 2020?

Massive snowfall across the Tyrol causes road closures, school closures, and avalanches.

In the eastern part of Tyrol, the avalanche danger rose to the highest level- 5 following exceptionally heavy snow throughout the week and the weekend. There are power cuts, landslides, and roadblocks everywhere.

In East Tyrol, the avalanche danger rose to the highest level 5 after the heavy snowfall on the weekend. In North Tyrol, too, snow and rain have a firm grip on some regions. Power cuts, mudslides, and roadblocks followed as a result. Schools in East Tyrol and in Ötztal will be closed on Monday.

Also On Monday, a Black Hawk helicopter from the German Armed Forces will carry out “downwash work” on snow-laden trees to free the snow load as well as reconnaissance flights. Many roofs are also laden with snow which is becoming problematic.

Just look at some of the records that are being clocked up!

In Umhausen in the Ötztal – on the way up from Innsbruck to Obergurgl

•  (1030 meters above sea level) it snowed around 80 centimetres from Saturday to Sunday, the record for 24 hours there were 45 centimetres from October 2013. Measurements have been made here since 1956.
• On the Brenner (1400 meters) it snowed around 90 centimetres from Saturday to Sunday (record: 100 centimetres, measured in March 1975).
• In St. Jakob / Defereggen (East Tyrol, 1,283 meters) there was a snow cover of 110 centimetres on Sunday morning, and in Sillian (East Tyrol, 1081 meters) of 89 centimetres.

So once this settles down, which it will, it bodes well for the most fantastic skiing throughout 2021.

Ski Chalet Obergurgl opens itself to tourists this year on January 7th, 2021 after a lockdown that hopefully sees off the virus. And if you are over 90 years old, you may even have been vaccinated by then! What’s not to look forward to?

This solid base will not go away until spring at the earliest and the ski season in Obergurgl carries on all the way through April, so book your flights or Eurotunnel whilst you can! We drove from the UK to Obergurgl in about 14 hours, but a stop off after about 8 hours at Baden Baden is a very nice town for an overnight break. Stay at Roomers hotel and book into their Japanese restaurant which serves food that’s as good as Nobu!

Do remember if you decide to drive, you must, by law, have snow tyres fitted before you enter Germany or Austria. If you are not familiar with snow tyres, try Black Circles for a very wide range of snow tyres at competitive prices. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1, Michelin Alpin 5 & Vredestein Wintrac Pro, all rank very highly in the independent Car Magazine assessment

Original Source: Amazing snowfall bodes well for 2021 skiing in Obergurgl!

Diamond of the Alps

Known by many as the “Diamond of the Alps”, Obergurgl is a stunning traditional Austrian mountain resort. As a very snowsure resort with a huge variety of runs as well as an abundance of things to do other than ski, Ski Chalet Obergurgl will satisfy the non-skiers as well as every standard of skier, making it the perfect destination for luxury catered ski holiday.

The snow this year is simply amazing, deep powder to a level we have not had in many years. See the pictures at the bottom of this blog- Need we say more?

The Chalet at 11º east is Obergurgl’s first and only boutique chalet, nestled right on the nursery piste with stunning views. The unrivaled service, alongside the luxurious interior that captures the flavor of a traditional Austrian Chalet Obergurgl, will ensure that your time off the mountain will be every bit as enjoyable as that spent skiing! Obergurgl has something for everyone; the beginner slopes are right outside The Chalet at 11 º East’s window and the main lift is just a minutes’ walk away. Because it is more of a family resort, the slopes are a pleasure to be on. They are beautifully groomed, wide, and interesting with great views, plenty of blues, reds, and some blacks. Several allow for a lovely long ski from the very top to the valley without stopping.

The layout of the resort, being twinned with Hochgurgl, means you never get bored and can ski different areas in the morning and afternoon. The resort is also known for its challenging off-piste but it’s best to book in with a local ski guide. The lift pass now covers Obergurgl, Hochgurgl, and nearby Solden, which offers a completely different experience and is well worth the trip if you are looking for more of an adventure during your week in Obergurgl. The 4 fun parks should also keep most trendy skiers and boarders happy boarders happy!

Original Source: Diamond of the Alps

Work Remotely from the Austrian Alps

Superfast broadband ensures you can operate just as easily from Obergurgl as from your home in the UK.

If you don’t need to work in the office, why not rent a luxury ski chalet for a few weeks and work from the Austrian alps?

This is somewhat better than WFH! With a laptop and good Wi-Fi, your staff doesn’t even need to know that you have swapped your English WFH for a luxury Austrian retreat!

Working from home has had its advantages as we have all found out, not least thanks to a virtual rain-free, and generally hot and sunny spring and summer.

But with autumn rapidly descending on us, and winter all too near, working from home may not be quite as nice as the summer proved to be.

Here’s where The Chalet, at 11º East, Obergurgl steps in. With remote working having been proved to be every bit as successful as the office, why not rent our luxury catered ski chalet for a week or more, and work from there?

Superfast broadband ensures you can operate just as easily from Obergurgl as from your home in the UK, and you can swap your daily run or bike ride for a few hours of skiing!

Moreover, should the office or your clients suddenly want to abandon Covid WFH & instigate a face to face meeting, we are just 90 minutes’ drive to Innsbruck airport and then 1.5 hours by plane to London Gatwick. BA and Easy jet both fly daily, so a quick trip back is no harder and maybe not much longer than returning from your country cottage.

Innsbruck private airport can accommodate you if you want to take a private jet. Fresh mountain air must be something to savor this winter rather than a rainy journey on some tube or train and skiing is an excellent way to exercise and have fun. For those that don’t want to fly, we are just 11 hours drive from Calais and offer private parking right outside our door.

The Chalet, at 11º East, provides luxury accommodation for up to 10 guests at a time in 5 beautiful modern en suite rooms. We only rent The Ski Chalet Obergurgl to one family or group of friends at a time, so you get the whole place exclusively to yourselves, and need not have any concerns about where you make business telephone or conference calls within The Chalet. You also have no contamination possibilities and you can therefore rest assured knowing you will be arriving into the safety and security of your own mountain home.

With a large sitting room, dining and bar area, home cinema & gym, there are numerous places to work from as well as your bedroom. And talking of Gym’s if you don’t find the Covid rules attractive to using a public gym in the UK, in The Chalet Obergurgl, at 11º East, your gym is exclusive to yourselves!

Breakfast, tea, and dinner are all prepared using the freshest best quality ingredients ensuring your “WFH” in the alps is truly memorable.

With three staff to look after your party, we will always be on hand throughout your day, to top you up with tea, coffee, or something a little stronger!

Original Source: Work Remotely from the Austrian Alps

Obergurgl August Snow!

It’s snowing in Obergurgl and it’s only August!

This bodes well for the 2020/21 ski season! Book the luxurious The Chalet, at 11º East Obergurgl for a fully catered ski chalet Obergurgl, right on the slopes and in the village centre!

August 4th 2020. The summer lifts that run in Obergurgl are shut today due to excessive snowfall!

Whilst we all hope Obergurglers get a bit more of the summer ahead of the 2020/21 ski season, we have to say, that whilst snow in August does happen quite often, we don’t normally get so much as to shut the lifts!

It may bode well for a great winter season, and The Chalet Obergurgl is only 11 .5 hours drive from Eurotunnel or a 90-minute flight from Gatwick to Innsbruck. So why not have something to look forward to and reserve your own exclusive bit of unashamed luxury for a week?

We offer 5 beautiful luxurious en-suite rooms sleeping 10 in total, on an exclusive basis- i.e. you get the whole place to yourselves with full catering and a superbly well-stocked bar.

After a day of fresh mountain air and healthy exercise, sit by the log fire and sip champagne- Veuve Clicquot- or a cocktail, as you prefer. Our two chalet hosts will take good care of you before serving an excellent dinner!

Obergurgl offers fantastic skiing and has an excellent snow record. From Mid-December through to the end of April all lifts are open.

Ski Runs & Mountain Lifts 

The total length of 112 km (Hochgurgl Ski Area: approx. 56 km, Obergurgl Ski Area: approx. 56 km), divided in:

• 36 km of easy runs (blue)
• 56 km of intermediate runs (red)
• 20 km of difficult runs (black)

All slopes are freshly prepared in full length and width every day. Almost all ski runs lead right down into the village centre, offering deluxe ski-in & ski-out to your hotel’s doorstep.

25 Mountain Lifts

9 mountain gondolas

9 chairlifts

4 T-bar lifts

2 button lifts

1 rope lift

The “Top Express” 8-person gondola lift connects the ski areas of Obergurgl and Hochgurgl on a direct route. The 50 gondola cabins with a total hourly capacity of up to 1200 people take winter sportspeople on a 3.6 km long panoramic route across scenic Königstal and Ferwalltal side valleys in only 9 minutes.

The Chalet, at 11º East, is right on the slopes, and just two minutes walk to the main lifts.

We also have ample free parking for guests, immediately outside The Chalet, should you decide to drive.

Driving allows you to remain in control of your journey and avoid delays and cancellations. If you rather fly, BA and Easyjet both fly from Heathrow and Gatwick to Innsbruck and we will gladly arrange a private transfer from Innsbruck to Obergurgl on your behalf- it’s just 75 minutes which is a remarkably short transfer for a resort that is so high up -Obergurgl base level is 1950 metres and rises to over 3000 metres at the top.

We operate Sunday to Sunday enabling guests to have a virtual resort empty last days skiing on Saturday when most hotels are changing over.

Original Source: Obergurgl August Snow!

Driving to Obergurgl Ski Resort

Why not drive to Obergurgl and save the hassle and concerns of flying that are becoming so apparent this year?

Desperate for crisp clean mountain air and a skiing holiday?

Concerned how flying this year might turn out to be a disaster?

One of the many advantages of staying at The Chalet, at 11º East Obergurgl, is that you can easily drive there.

It’s a bit over 11 hours from Calais so if 4 adults are in the car – less than 3 hours each.

Driving to the Alps allows you to be in control of your journey and given the waiting times at airports- before delays- , it’s not as long as you may have thought.

• no worrying about who you are sitting next to.
• no concerns over flights being cancelled.
• no need to get to the airport hours ahead of departure.
• no cancellation fears! – Eurotunnel is pretty reliable.
• lots of nice places to stop off overnight if you want to break the journey.
• an easy drive, mainly on the motorway
• no hassle with luggage – just load the boot up and off you go!
• Free private parking immediately outside ski chalet obergurgl at 11 º East when you arrive, and we have plenty of space for four cars.
• Driving to the alps will always be better than flying if you want to be in control of your journey,

And of course, when you arrive, The Chalet, at 11 º East is exclusively yours for the week, so again absolutely no need to worry about who is sitting at the table next to you at dinner or at the bar!

We normally break the journey at Baden-Baden which is a delightful upmarket town with several good quality hotels to choose from. Its only about 15 minutes from the motorway so not a huge detour from your journey.

The Chalet Obergurgl, at 11º East is available for exclusive hire to one family or group of friends at a time. It sleeps just 10 guests in beautiful, luxurious surroundings in 5 en-suite rooms. Breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner are all served to you using the freshest and nicest ingredients. We have a full bar and excellent selection of Italian, French, Austrian or New Zealand wines, and typically get the evening going with a glass of Veuve Clicquot or a Mojito!

We are physically on the slopes, ski in ski out, and just two minutes to the main lifts and village centre.

Original Source: Driving to Obergurgl Ski Resort

What do Guests Want When Eating Out or Going on a Ski Holiday in the New COVID Era?

The Chalet, at 11ºEast Obergurgl offers exclusive luxurious catered holidays. You rent The Chalet all to yourselves, so you know exactly who you are sitting next to!

Whilst COVID 19 seems to be abating, a private exclusive ski chalets Obergurgl is clearly the best option .

Interesting article, reprinted from the Caterer, about client expectations post-Covid 19.

The Chalet, at 11º East, Obergurgl concurs with the findings. The Chalet Obergurgl, has always upheld the highest of standards in hygiene, but will of course, be taking even stronger procedures going forward.

All our staff is HACCP qualified to ensure they are fully conversant with the most up to date hygiene regulations.

Marcus Wareing’s survey finds guests have an appetite for dining out with precautions, but not face masks

While consumers do have widespread concerns about returning to restaurants, the majority do not want to be served by teams in gloves and face masks, a survey conducted by Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing has found.

The survey, which was completed by 8,970 people, showed an appetite to dine out once again. Encouragingly, 54% of respondents said they would spend the same amount of money on dining out as they did before the government ordered a lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19, while 11% said they would spend more.

Wareing, behind London restaurants including the Michelin-starred Marcus at the Berkeley in Knightsbridge, the Gilbert Scott at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London, and Tredwells in Covent Garden, said: “It was really nice to see that people are willing to come out and eat but there need to be some rules in place and a level of understanding.

“I think we’re going to be in a difficult position to meet everybody’s concerns and I think what we will need to do is look at the key points of the survey and put into place what we believe works for our individual restaurant or restaurants.”

Diners were asked how concerned they were about dining out when lockdown is lifted on a scale of 1 to 10. Answers were spread relatively evenly across the scale with 44% of people selecting numbers one to five inclusively, however seven and eight were narrowly the most selected numbers at 14% and 15% respectively.

Similarly, when asked about particular areas of concern, all options listed received some votes, however no single issue made more than 36% of the recipients ‘very concerned’. Respondents were most worried about other guests, with 36% of people ‘very concerned’ and 54% ‘somewhat concerned’.

Restaurant employees elicited a slightly less cautious response with 17% ‘very concerned’ and 58% ‘somewhat concerned’. These feelings were borne out in the survey, where 60% said the option of a private dining room would make the prospect of dining out more attractive.

Guest bathrooms did emerge as a clear area where guests will require reassurance with 33% ‘very concerned’ and 47% ‘somewhat concerned’. However, travelling to a venue and entering and exiting the dining room caused minimal worry with 48% saying they were ‘not concerned at all’ in relation to either.

Additional hygiene measures will be expected when restaurants reopen and 74% of respondents said they would like to see temperature checks for staff at the beginning of each shift. Considerably less enthusiasm was shown for partitions between tables, which 41% said they would like to see, while a requirement for staff to wear gloves or masks was even less well received with 38% and 34% of people respectively saying they would like to see these measures. [This question did not ask about distancing between tables, expecting it to be a necessity under official guidelines.]

The feeling regarding PPE was welcome news to Wareing who added: “Staff wearing face masks and gloves was one thing I was dreading and I don’t think I’ll be expecting my staff to be putting a face mask on, although I think the temperature checks are a good idea.”

Similarly, a large majority of guests said they would be ‘not be comfortable at all’ with being asked to wear gloves or a mask (while not eating), with 65% and 62% opposing the suggestion respectively.

At the other end of the scale 91% were ‘very comfortable’ with being asked to settle their bill via contactless payments and 81% were ‘very comfortable’ with both a more informal style of service – including pouring their own wine – and using hand sanitiser before entering the dining room and throughout the meal.

The chef and restaurateur said that ultimately people will need to make informed decisions. “I think once we get a date to open and a plan for opening the key will be to tell our customers what we are offering and what the guidelines are for eating at the Barkley. I think once they can read that they can make a booking or choose to wait until further down the line.”

Original Source: What do Guests Want When Eating Out or Going on a Ski Holiday in the New COVID Era?

Obergurgl Ski Resort News

Much excitement after the road from Zwieselstein to Obergurgl shuts due to a landslide!

Emergency Helicopter despatched to supply food and medicines to Obergurgl.

Sudden landslides have closed the road between Zwieselstein and Poschach preventing residents from Obergurgl leaving the village.

With no possibility to clear the road likely before 10th June 2020 residents of Obergurgl are starting to run out of supplies.

An emergency helicopter has been despatched to deliver food and other necessities to the Spar Obergurgl, as well as medicines. At the same time, the helicopter will airlift out special need residents who are required to wear a mask for the journey, given that normal 2-metre self-isolating procedures are not possible on the helicopter. The road from Zwieselstein to Vent is also closed.

Ski Chalet Obergurgl is a charming ski resort at the end of the valley, high in the Tirol, near to Solden. One of its attractions to skiers and indeed non-skiers is that because you access it by a single road, and with no through traffic, it remains comparatively quiet even in the height of the season.

Tourists love being able to wander around the streets knowing the only cars are those dropping off or picking up departing guests.

Landslides are not uncommon in the Alps, partly caused by the huge winter snowfalls that make it such an attractive ski area. As they melt in the late spring and summer landslides sometimes occur. Chalet Obergurgl, which lies at the end of the valley is a base level of 1930 metres and rises to 3000 metres. The Village of Obergurgl and indeed all of Austria is now fully open to tourists as are hotels, restaurants and bars. Austria locked down very quickly and efficiently and has had fewer than virtually all other European COVID fatalities, making it a safe place to enjoy the mountain air, walking, hiking and cycling during the summer and the most amazing skiing in winter.

You can drive from the UK – 14 hours non-stop- though we would recommend an overnight stop in Baden-Baden, a beautiful spa town about 6.5 hours from Calais.

Easyjet and British Airways also fly from Heathrow and Gatwick.

Source: Obergurgl Ski Resort News