ALPINE SPORTS
PHOTOGRAPH: OLYMPIAREGION SEEFELD, SKIFELD/JOHANNES GEYER
While most ski resorts across the Alps like to flag how high their lifts go and how many dizzying black runs they can offer, Seefeld is happy to put its gentler gradients front of shop. This village in the Austrian Tyrol doesn’t lack verticals - it’s watched over by 2,000-metre-plus peaks - but its plateau position means that cross-country skiing is the real pride here. There are more than 150 miles of dedicated trails for this full-body winter workout, weaving between five villages in the ‘Olympiaregion’ (it twice hosted events for winter games held in nearby Innsbruck). Snow cover doesn’t put a stop to hiking in the area either, with choices ranging from hour-long jaunts through the forest to multi-day routes made easier by a luggage-forwarding service. Downhill skiing in Seefeld appeals most to beginners and intermediate levels; there’s one black run for something more challenging. And if you’re here in mid-January, you can watch the masters of ski-jumping try to resist the pull of gravity for as long as possible.