eating abroad

Top idea: in Austria’s Stubai you can hit the slopes until May (with restaurant tips)

Stbai eten

I used to go skiing at Christmas sometimes. Hopelessly romantic, but above all freezing cold. I soon discovered that I’m a real fair-weather skier. Zooming down the mountains in the spring sunshine—wonderful! And a place where you can do that very well is Stubai. The four high-altitude ski areas in the Stubai Valley are perfect for ending the winter sports season while enjoying the spring sunshine at the same time. And an extra plus: you can eat very well here, from high-end mountain dishes to the local Hut-Essen (and no, that’s not a type of restaurant, but a very special dish…)

Foto van culinair journalist Sharon van Lokhorst

Stubai Glacier

From October, as soon as the first snow has fallen, the lift at Stubai Glacier opens. It is the highest ski area in the Stubai Valley and one of the most beautiful ski areas in Europe, where you can glide down the slopes until the end of May. The Stubai Valley is no less than 35 kilometers long, surrounded by 80 glaciers and 109 peaks reaching 3,000 meters.
During the day, temperatures range between 8 and 12 degrees, while at night it is cold enough to keep the snow in good condition. Skiing and snowboarding here are truly fantastic. You can easily stay at Stubai Glacier for several days in a row without getting bored for a second, because the runs are challenging and offer plenty of variety.

One of Europe’s highest gourmet panoramic restaurants

And for foodies, there’s an extra reason to visit Stubai Glacier: Schaufelspitz restaurant. Schaufelspitz is located right next to the gondola and was named by Falstaff Restaurantguide as one of Europe’s highest and best gourmet panoramic restaurants. From the outside, you wouldn’t know that you can eat wonderfully here, but reservations are essential. The restaurant is named after the mountain you look out over. At Schaufelspitz, they make their own pasta (we had a dish with pasta, burrata and walnuts—absolutely delicious!) and serve Franciacorta (Italy’s answer to Champagne) in the very best Zalto glassware. The crusty bread comes with various butters—delicious!

The dry-aged beef, matured at 3,000 meters above sea level, is also fantastic, as is the dish with glazed pork belly and the pulled pork burger—with a choice of all kinds of different pepper and salt varieties.

And of course you’ll also find Tyrolean dishes here, such as Wiener schnitzel, Käse Spatleze (cheese dumplings), Speckknödlsuppe and Kaischerschmarrn, a dish made with milk, flour and eggs that is best described as a very thick, torn-apart pancake. The world’s largest Kaiserschmarrn was also made in the Alps. The Tyroleans in the Stubai Valley needed 2,200 eggs and a pan with a diameter of four meters. The final Kaiserschmarrn weighed no less than 309 kilos!

Hut-Essen, huh?

Après-skiing is not particularly popular in Stubai, unlike in places such as Ischgl or Serfaus. But eating delicious food in a relaxed atmosphere is very easy here. For example, at Schallerhof, a typical Tyrolean restaurant where you eat among taxidermied Alpine animals. Schallerhof is the best restaurant for Hut-Essen. And if, like us, you’ve never heard of it before… Hut-Essen is a form of fondue in which fondues shaped like hats are placed on the table. Small pieces of soup vegetables are covered with broth in the brim of the hat. You then hang meat and vegetables from the hat’s hooks. Strange? A little. Tasty? Absolutely! As with fondue, you quickly end up eating too much here. So it’s a great idea to finish with a homemade schnapps made from Williams pears to get your digestion going. And if you’d like to enjoy Hut-Essen at home this Christmas, gemütlich-style!, you can simply order a ‘Tartaren hat’ from Amazon.

Schlick 2000

Another popular ski area in the Stubai Valley is Schlick 2000. And, just as at Stubai Glacier, it’s ideal that you can rent ski equipment next to the lift at Intersport. That saves you a lot of lugging around. It may be a little less polished than Stubai Glacier, but the runs are fantastic here too. The great thing about Schlick 2000 is that you ski among the trees, while at the glacier you ski above the treetops. Although, less polished… Some ski lifts have heated seats. And with your Ski plus City Pass, you can also visit the two other ski areas: Elferbahnen and Serlesbahnen (the latter is best suited to beginners).

Panorama Restaurant Kreuzjoch

You can have a delicious lunch here too, for example at the self-service Panorama Restaurant Kreuzjoch. Goulash with knödl, Wiener schnitzel, soup with bratwurst: you’re in the right place for hearty fare. And with a blue sky, you’ll be treated to panoramic views of the mountain peaks and trees.

 

And for anyone who still wants a little après-ski, you can stop for one last drink at the Kreuzjochbahn gondola in the valley at Schlick 2000.

Convenient all-in-one pass

With the Ski plus City Pass, you can visit all the ski areas, use all ski bus routes and, among other things, get free entry to the Olympic Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck. It is truly impressive to see (and bizarre: the cemetery is directly beneath the jump..) Halfway up the jump there is a restaurant with fantastic panoramic views, and 1809 Restaurant am Bergisel is also a lovely lunch spot. Wherever you sit, be sure to order Rinderkraftbrühe mit Kräuterfrittaten at least once—beef broth with thin strips of pancake in it. And drink tap water; it is minimally purified, comes straight from the mountain and is the most delicious spring water imaginable.

Take some home

In the charming villages in the Stubai Valley, such as Fulpmes, Neustift and Schonberg, you can buy plenty of local products, including typical mountain cheeses, honey, speck and hard-dried sausages. And, of course, homemade schnapps. In summer and winter, there is a farmers’ market in Neustift where you can sample these treats. You can find more lovely shops for buying supplies to take home here.

Sleep in style

Hotel Jagdhof is the only 5-star hotel in Stubai and has an amazing spa, an excellent wine cellar, gourmet restaurants (with local dishes and products) and recently renovated rooms.

Hit the slopes in no time

Would you like to ski for four days for the price of three in spring? Then choose the Sun Skiing 4=3 package. Prefer to ski in Schlick 2000? Then the Schlick 2000 ‘Firn Ski Hit’ package is what you’re looking for, offering two to five nights with breakfast or half board in a holiday apartment, plus a ski pass.

In the winter months, easyJet flies from Schiphol to Innsbruck (the Capital of the Alps) every Thursday in under an hour and a half, and from Innsbruck to Schiphol every Sunday. Prices start at €41 per person. The connection from the airport to the Stubai Valley is excellent; you can be on the slopes just an hour after landing. You can find more information about skiing in Stubai or the current weather conditions here. 

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Images: Andre Schoenherr, Schlick 2000, TVB Stubai Tirol, Stubai Glacier + Sharon van Lokhorst

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