First alps among equals - Tyrol's Tannheimer Valley

By Deike Uhtenwoldt Dec 6, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Tannheim, Austria - At last the ascent begins - or at least we are taking a few steps in the right direction. Our guide Elmar Rief has strapped on his snow shoes and is boldly leading the way.

He shows us how to negotiate a two-metre-high snow drift and keep moving in deep snow: 'You have to lift up the shoe right up, move forward and not roll over.' What might look simple is not so easy to emulate. Beginners tend to get their telescopic snow sticks and plate-sized overshoes snarled up. 'Don't think about what you are doing, just keep looking ahead closely and take in Mother Nature on the way,' says Rief.

German-language author Ludwig Steub once described the Tannheimer Valley as 'Europe's most beautiful high valley.' The scenery here is part of the Allgau alps, but it is actually located in Austria. It runs from the upper Lechtal, over the Gaichtpass and the Halden lake up to the Bavarian Oberjoch pass. The local tourist authority tirelessly endorses Steub's view and the motto adorns all the local maps and brochures.

Up here the sparkling white landscape extends as far as the eye can see. It is framed by striking peaks but does not seem as rugged as some other alpine regions. We are already 1,100 metres aloft and the 2,000 m peaks to the east or the remote lookout to the north of Tannheim (1,866 metres) do not seem so far off.

'We are actually the first alps you come across,' said Michael Keller, director of the tourist association. He neglects to mention the fact that this applies only to guests approaching from the north.

The entire valley is in German hands for most of the year. The number of overnight stays in the six touristically-linked districts are almost as fully booked in summer as they are in winter, except that in the winter months there is a steady flow of daytrip skiers from nearby German cities such as Ulm and Augsburg.

Ironically, access to this region is more straightforward for guests from such parts compared to the journey from the Tyrolean capital Innsbruck.

Jungholz, the most westerly of the tourist communities, can only be reached via German territory. 'We used to be regarded as a German economic district under Austrian jurisdiction. The only reminder of that now is our dual postcode, an Austrian one and a German one to go with it,' said Hans Hatt, director of the Jungholz Bergbahnen mountain railways.

Hatt is the inventor of 'Junior Territory,' the name given to 20,000 square metres of fenced-in reserve complete with tepee villages, igloos with underfloor heating, and snow carousels. 'In a playful way we aim to get the kids used to the idea of skiing,' Hatt says.

The ski country around Jungholz is as compact as the village of 300 souls. It boasts 10 kilometres of ski runs, 70 per cent of which are marked as blue - namely as ideal for novices. This appeals little to energetic teenagers, snowboarders and experienced skiers and having identified a lucrative market Hatt decided 10 years ago to target children and families.

The 64-year-old goes skiing himself for two hours a day. He is by no means the oldest person on the piste. It may be something to do with the cost of lift tickets - over 60s pay less and skiers aged over 80 years of age pay nothing at all. It could also be related to the wide range of activities on offer in the valley which include toboggan slopes, an ice climbing tower and a balloon festival.