Page 58 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2019 PORTUGAL

Take, for example Helmut Kreidenhuber,
who has been a ski instructor for 42 years
and who is also a part-time lumberjack and
snowshoe hiking guide. “Every afternoon, I
have to spend about one hour in the office,
and that’s enough for me. Out here, I know
every mole hill”, he laughs as we’re travers‐
ing the freshly fallen snow at 5495 feet alti‐
tude at the St. Johann Alpendorf.
We pass by Obergaßalm (traditional
Alpine hut) which is more than 200 years
old. In summer, it accommodates cattle un‐
til mid-September and is a welcome stop for
hikers for homemade regional delicacies,
such as cheese and bread and oven-fresh
pastries. Kreidenhuber spent a whole sum‐
mer up here in the solitude of the moun‐
tains. “It’s a tough job. You must get up at
3am to milk the cows, then the bread needs
baking and meat platters need to be laid
out for guests. But finally, in the evenings
when the cable car is closed and the day
trippers are gone, the quietness is heav‐
enly.”
Only twenty minutes north by car, my
winter adventure continues as I have an ap‐
pointment in Werfenweng with Alois
Schwarzenberger, who was once the world
ski instructing champion, for my first ever
skiing lesson. At the ripe old age of 40+, I
won’t ever participate in a world cup, but
sliding down the beginners slope is so much
fun. After an hour, I’m ready to tackle a
steeper run but I manage to fall off the lift
on the way up. Lying like a helpless beetle
on my back, skis poking sideways and look‐
ing up to a cloudless blue sky above, I spot
a dozen or more gliders catching the ther‐
mals. As well as being a skiing and snow‐
boarding area Werfenweng is also a near-
perfect location for paragliding.

Top: Snow-shoe hiking guide Helmut
Kreidenhuber
Left: A chalet at Wood Ridge (Selina Flasch
Photography)
Right: A group of cross country skiers

58 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2024