Tourism in Tirol has a history dating back almost 200 years and is regarded as one of the leading ski destinations in the Alps.
And this winter season there is a special adventure on offer for every skier visiting Tirol: The Ski Challenge Tirol Competition.
Taking part in the competition is easy. Download the Skiline app via the skiline.cc platform and enrolled in the Ski Challenge. Anyone who completes at least five of the ten chosen "Ski Challenges" will be honored as a true Tirolean skier, and will have the chance to win a five-night stay in East Tirol for two people, including half-board and ski passes (the exact location will be revealed when the winner is announced) including two VIP tickets for the TirolBerg area at the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, taking place from 9 to 21 February 2021.
Participants will also have the chance to win a pair of award-winning Salomon S/Force 11 skis.
The competition started on 1 October 2019 and closes at 12:00 midday CET on 15 April 2020.
The winner will be drawn at random from all eligible entries received by the competition closing date and will be notified via e-mail.
Here are 10 challenges you have to conquer this winter if you want to call yourself a true Tirolean skier.
1.- Skiing at over 3,000 meters
A high alpine challenge that every "true" Tirolean skier must have experienced is to make some turns on one of Tirol's 5 glaciers.
Tirol's glaciers ski resorts offer snowsure slopes throughout the season and well into spring.
2.-Coffee and cake in Tirol's highest café
Speaking of altitude: Café 3.440 on the Pitztal Glacier is the highest coffee house in Austria and offers its visitors a unique view. Enjoying a cup of coffee while skiing here may not be a challenge, but it is definitely a wonderful experience.
3.- First Tracks on the Slopes with Early Bird Skiing
Rise and shine and off to the slopes! While most people are still fast asleep, true skiers are up with the lark and ready to carve first tracks on the freshly prepared pistes as the sun appears on the horizon. The resort of Fieberbrunn in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn is one of several places offering early-bird skiing.
4.- Night skiing instead of early nights
Instead of slipping on your pyjamas and settling down with a cup of cocoa, it's time to pull on your boots again and head back out into the cold night air for a little floodlit skiing! The resort of Söll in the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental region is home to Austria's largest night skiing area, comprising ten kilometres of pistes open from 18:30 until 22:30.
5.- Compete in the parallel slalom
Boasting 214 kilometres of pistes, the resort of Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in the west of Tirol has dozens of runs. It is very popular with families thanks to the child-friendly infrastructure in all three villages. Budding stars can take on the Ski Movie Run, a parallel slalom course with a video camera installed to film all the action from top to bottom.
6.-Ride on the highest cable car: Kitz3S
The Kitzbühel-Kirchberg ski resort is home to Europe's highest free-standing cable car, a challenge even for "true" winter sports enthusiasts. It connects the villages of Kitzbühel and Kirchberg and is an incredible feat of engineering. The cable car, with a length of 2.5 kilometers, hang the cabins from three steel ropes without any support pylons in the middle. To float 400 meters above the ground and look down through the glass floor is simply breathtaking.
7.- Eat a typical Tirolean meal at a ski hut
Kaiserschmarrn, seasoned Kaspressknödel, hearty Tiroler Gröstl or rather Käsespätzle? Whether savoury or sweet: true skiers and snowboarders have to have tried Tirolean cuisine. This "challenge" will probably be quite easy to complete. Among the best places to sample the taste of Tirol is the Adler Lounge in the resort of Kals am Großglockner in East Tirol.
8.- Conquer the longest piste in Tirol
Sölden, in the Ötztal Valley, offers a challenge for endurance athletes: the famous "Schwarzen Schneid" goes from the Rettenbach Glacier down to the Gaislachkogelbahn lift, covering over 15 kilometres and 1,970 metres of altitude difference. Even experienced skiers will feel it in their muscles as they conquer the longest piste in Austria. In addition, the ski area is known for its excellently groomed slopes and reliable snow.
9.- Share your ski experiences with friends from around the World
After a fun day on the slopes, what better way to relax than with a few drinks sharing your ski experiences with friends new and old at one of Tirol's many après-ski bars? Known as the birthplace of alpine skiing, St. Anton am Arlberg is also famed for its international flair and huge range of huts, restaurants and après-ski bars close to the slopes.
10.- Go across borders
Season after season the village of Ischgl is transformed into a sparkling star of the Tirolean ski scene. First-class pistes and plenty of events and activities away from the slopes such as the famous Top of the Mountain concerts draw visitors from all over the world.
Where coffee and tobacco was once smuggled, true Tirolean winter sports enthusiasts can now ski over the border and make a detour to Samnaun in Switzerland. In the Silvretta Skiarena, a single ski pass covers a whopping 238 kilometers of piste.
