Ode to Seiser Alm Spring Skiing
Raphi exploring the Sella Ronda on Alpine skis
Lumi Experiences trip leader Raphi Bechtiger from Innsbruck, Austria took time to share his favorite season in Seiser Alm. Read on for Raphi's Seiser Alm secrets.
If you'd like to experience Seiser Alm yourself -- with a local trip leader like Raphi, reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com by May 30 to secure your spot (and $200 off!) this special trip. No Loppets or racing, just stunning skiing in the Alps.
From Lumi Trip Leader Raphi Bechtiger:
Aw, spring! It might be my favorite time of year. You know that spring has arrived in Innsbruck when you see skiers in snow pants, carrying their boards, crossing paths with tourists in sundresses, enjoying the first gelato of the season; when the smoky scent of a fired-up BBQ grill greets you after you return from an early bird ski tour before heading out for an afternoon mountain bike. There’s no better time to combine my favorite sports of skiing and biking on the same day. And that’s how I usually spend my annual week off around Easter.
This year, though, because of some ongoing health issues, I was done with winter and was longing for some quality down time, preferably at the beach. My girlfriend and I were looking at exotic places to rest our heads for a few days, fantasizing over the color of our first drink – in a coconut, with fancy straws and everything, of course. But excellent late-season ski conditions inspired us to choose crusty snow over white sand beaches. Plus, the weather was supposed to be stunning all Easter weekend.
Late-April crust in Seiser Alm
If you haven’t been to Seiser Alm yet, don’t feel bad. It took stories from an American friend, Garrott Kuzzy, for me to find out about this magical plateau, not even two hours driving from where I live. Ever since he showed me a couple of years ago, I’ve been coming back at every possible opportunity, because the area is ideal, regardless of the season. But when there’s snow, the Nordic skiing there is out of this world, especially in spring.
Born and raised outside of Innsbruck, Austria, I studied and ski raced for two years at Michigan Tech in college. Before I moved to the States, I had never heard the word Nordic skiing before. The term they teach you in Austrian English class for what I love to do on our skinny skis is cross-country skiing. And while I see why Nordic skiing is also fitting (originating in the Nordic countries) – just look at one of Garrott’s last blog posts about the World Cup weekend at Holmenkollen – the best word for describing what we did in Seiser Alm is cross-country skiing.
The cold nights and warm days created a perfect crust, on which we cruised to wherever we wanted to go: Up the hills and into bowls, through the trees and between little wooden huts; the entire plateau was our playground. Crust cruising is the epitome of cross-country skiing. As long as there was snow, we’d ski it, literally skiing ‘cross country. It's the purest form of skiing, out of the simple desire to play on skis and enjoy the feeling of pure happiness doing so.
Lumi trip leader Krissi crust cruising in Seiser Alm, Italy
On this particular day, Krissi and I were joined by my mom and a family friend. The bowls above Seiser Alm rang with the laughter and cheers of four kids: two in their early thirties and two in their late fifties. My intentions to take it easy and be careful due to my health issues were brushed aside by the sun, the glistening snow and the rush I felt tele-skiing on cross country skis down untouched faces beneath the Dolomite peaks. It was the best I’d felt on skis all winter and the Aperol Spritz back at the balcony of our hotel room was also the most delicious of the year.
The Schlern in Seiser Alm at Sunset
The next day, we decided to trade in our skinny skis for alpine boards to ski the Sella Ronda, a 60-kilometer lift-assisted loop that takes you around the Sella mountain range in one spectacular day. We caught the first chair up – with the lift right next to our hotel by the way – and skied until they closed. On the second-to-last slope we hit a somewhat darker slope. It confused me for a second, until I realized that it had been the first time that day that we had gone into the shade. Words can’t really describe the Sella Ronda sight-skiing tour through the Italian Alps. Photos don’t do it justice either, but here are a few impressions.
Slalom turns through the huts
We celebrated our luck over the past days with a final “Einkehrschwung” – an après-ski stop at our favorite hut, where the owner served us a plate of his homemade cheeses and “Kaiserschmarr’n” for dessert – and promised ourselves and the Seiser Alm to come back. Soon! I drove back to Innsbruck with a renewed confidence in my body’s abilities and health, as if this trip had not just been the end of winter season but also the end of my month-long health struggles and the spring of something new and exciting. So, if you haven’t been to Seiser Alm yet, then go! Maybe even on next winter’s Lumi trip to Seefeld & Seiser Alm. As one of your trip leaders, I’d love to show you my favorite Seiser Alm secrets.
If you're interested in experiencing Seiser Alm yourself -- with a local trip leader like Raphi, reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com by May 30 for to secure your spot (and $200 off!) this special trip. No Loppets or racing, just stunning skiing in the Alps.
See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com