Austria – Kuehtai
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 town Ochsengarten. In the winter months is high season, as Kühtai is a popular winter sports resort.
In the winter months, the trip to Kühtai is an idyllic affair in sufficient snow conditions. The path leads past a small torrent, over which occasionally narrow wooden bridges lead.
We have a good winter with enough snow. Thanks to the climbing power of our Landy we have no problem climbing the narrow and steep turns. In contrast to most normal cars that only manage this route with sufficient winter equipment. The ride goes past the snow-covered alpine huts.
Often only a trail leads to the huts, if they are inhabited. Pulling a small plume of smoke out of the chimney, this is the case. The landscape looks like a winter wonderland. Unaffected and silent except for the occasional scream of a buzzard in the air. Until we reach the place Kühtai. In Dorfstadl the bear is already going on. Masses of ski tourists populate the rustic alpine hut owned by our friend Kurti from Ötz.
This is not our idea of winter magic. So we quickly leave this place of naturalization. After a last look at the bulging ski slopes we reach the exit of Kühtai.
Only a few miles further on, the world that we love so much welcomes us again. Lonely alpine farms and a nature that only needs itself and is not dependent on tourism. In this certainty we drive through the snow-covered landscape towards the valley. We find that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places to relax and unwind in untouched nature.