Austria – Oetztal – Kühtai
Kühtai is a pure hotel settlement at an altitude of 2017 meters. Kühtai lies on the watershed between Sellraintal and Ötztal. You can reach Kühtai from Ötz via the small village of Ochsengarten. In the winter months, it is high season here, as Kühtai is a popular winter sports resort.
In the winter months, if there are enough snow conditions, the trip to Kühtai is an idyllic affair. The path leads past a small torrent, over which narrow wooden bridges lead from time to time.
We caught a good winter with enough snow. Thanks to the climbing power of our Landy, however, we have no problem climbing the narrow and steep turns. In contrast to most normal cars, which can only manage this route with sufficient winter equipment. The journey goes past snow-covered alpine huts.
Often only a beaten path leads to the huts, if they are inhabited. If a small plume of smoke comes out of the chimney, this is the case. The landscape looks like a winter fairy tale. Untouched and quiet except for the occasional cries of a buzzard in the air. Until we reach the village of Kühtai. The bear is already loose in the Dorfstadl. Masses of ski tourists populate the rustic alpine hut, which belongs to our friend Kurti from Ötz.
That’s not our idea of winter magic. So we quickly leave this place of commercialization of nature. After a last look at the bulging ski slopes, we reach the exit of Kühtai.
Only a few kilometers further on, the world we love so much welcomes us again. Lonely alpine farms and a nature that only needs itself and is not dependent on tourism. With this certainty, we drive through the snow-covered landscape towards the valley. We notice that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places where you can relax and find yourself in untouched nature.
