ALPE Winter 2015/2016 EN

Winter 2015/16

ALPE Alpe di Siusi Magazine

CASTELROTTO · SIUSI ALLO SCILIAR · FIÈ ALLO SCILIAR · ALPE DI SIUSI · TIRES AL CATINACCIO

Gamekeepers At the service of nature

Denise Karbon A ski racer in luck

The Fearless Vampire Killers A cult movie turns 50

South Tyrol welcomes you

www.suedtirol.info

Photo: Helmuth Rier

Editorial & Contents

Dear guests!

Page 4

Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi Page 6

At the service of nature Page 12

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inter time and Christmas magic, culture and culinary delights: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, paragliding over the Dolomites and ice-skating at the Lake Laghetto di Fiè, huts charm and alpine wellness – Alpe di Siusi is the place of unlimited incantation. Whatever you decide to do, you will forget the everyday life in any case for the duration of your holiday. Perhaps some of the following articles may stimulate you to try out something out of the ordinary that will really excite you.

This edition once more offers exciting topics for gourmet devotees, outdoor enthusiasts and all those who want to find out more about the customs and traditions of the holiday area.

The spotlight of this edition falls on a breathtakingly beautiful walk over the Alpe di Siusi. 50 years ago its snow-blanketed countryside became the setting for Roman Polanski’s cult film “The Fearless Vampire Killers”, and some rather intriguing accounts of the event abound to this day. And talking of history: in days gone by, the farming folk passed down their sagas and legends around the homely warmth of a farmer’s stove.

Come along with gamekeepers Andreas Gasslitter and Georg Antholzer as they make their rounds at the service of nature, and meet six people who, like so many others, came to South Tyrol in search of work and have made their homes here. Share in Denise Karbon’s joy at becoming a mother and join in the dance as the Alpe di Siusi holiday area becomes one colossal concert stage!

ALPE wishes to be your daily guide through your holidays. Apart from important information regarding public services and interesting events, it gives much advice regarding the best restaurants, inns and clubs as well as many attractive shopping possibilities in the villages of the plateau and its surrounding areas. This magazine also contains the highlights in our events calendar. Should you decide to participate, your holiday album will be full of unforgettable happy moments.

We wish you a happy and relaxing holiday of wellness und unforgettable moments.

Crossing the Alpe di Siusi Page 18

Home from home Page 26

The delight of Denise Page 30

Vampires on the Alpe di Siusi Page 34

Swing on Snow Winter Music Festival Page 38

A welcome warmth – Farmers’ stove Page 43

Mulled wine fills the air Page 44

The top 10 winter activities Page 46

Winter preview ‘15/16 Page 48

Summer preview ‘16 Page 50

Around & about

Eduard Tröbinger Scherlin President for Alpe di Siusi Marketing and the Tourist Offices of Castelrotto, Siusi allo Sciliar, Fiè allo Sciliar, Alpe di Siusi and Tires al Catinaccio.

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South Tyrol Moonlight Classic Seiser Alm The Alpe di Siusi under a wintry moon is an unrivalled spectacle of nature. And the full moon night is more memorable still when combined with an out-of-the-ordinary sporting event. At the “South Tyrol Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi�, cross-country skiers can choose to put themselves to the test on a classic diagonal style race of either 30 km or the somewhat easier variant of 15 km. The moonlit cross-coun-

Text: Elisabeth Augustin Photo: Armin Mayr

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try race starts at 8pm and takes participants around a loop-route beginning in Compatsch and leading over the far-reaching tracks and trails of the Alpe di Siusi back to destination at the starting line. This winter, the Alto Adige Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on Friday 22nd January. www.moonlightclassic.info

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Green region: around a quarter of the territory in South Tyrol is made up of either nature reserves or national parks. The vital importance of this land as a natural habitat for both people and animals earned its designation as protected area.

At the Service of Nature Andreas Gasslitter and Georg Antholzer are the gamekeepers for the Alpe di Siusi holiday area.

Andreas Gasslitter manages the game reserve of Castelrotto, while Georg Antholzer oversees the Tires-Fiè reserve.

T The two men know the area like the backs of their hands, and spend their every day in the woods and mountains. Together with their trusty friends, Baverian mountain hounds Laika and Bill, they look after both the game and other animals of the lands, survey the fauna and safeguard their habitats. Their office is mixed woodland of predominantly spruce and larch, together with some pine, fir, ash and birch. At an altitude of around 1,800 m, there are also some Arolla pines. Georg Antholzer’s beat of Tires-Fiè covers around 8,500 hectares, roughly two thirds of which are part of the nature reserve. The Castelrotto land covers about 12,000 hectares, around a quarter of which is nature reserve terrain, and is under the watchmanship of Andreas Gasslitter.

Text: Katja Sanin Photo: Helmuth Rier

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Hunting in South Tyrol is regulated by national legislation, and one of the jobs of the gamekeepers is to ensure that these laws are upheld. Every local resident over the age of 18 who fulfils the requirements – that is to say, has passed their hunting test and holds a valid shotgun certificate – can shoot in the area. On the Tires-Fiè land, there are currently 48 licensed hunters, 72 in Castelrotto. They pay their hunting permits annually and the money goes to pay the keepers, who are not employed by

the state. For the gamekeeper it is fundamental to work in unison with hunters, farmers and foresters. In spring, together with the hunters, they carry out a count of the animals in the area and set out an exact shooting plan, which must be approved by the local shooting commission.

If there are any diseases in the area, such as, for example, the current outbreak of Sarcoptic mange in the chamois, the keepers monitor it closely with a powerful telescope. Sarcoptic mange is a parasitic skin disease for which no cure exists, comparable to rabies. This plague has been raging in the Dolomites since 2000 and has killed around 80% of the chamois population in the area. In the Alpe di Siusi holiday area, the first case broke out two years ago.

Habitat Protection. At the beginning of the 1970’s, the first nature protection measures of the Alpe di Siusi were set out in land management plans. Under strong protest, traffic and farming was curtailed, and the area, still unpolluted, came under the protection of the South Tyrol Nature Reserve. The farmers feared for their existence with these menacing limitations, the hunters feared for their game, tourism saw all plans for cable-car »

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Both gamekeepers, Andreas Gasslitter and Georg Antholzer, foster the vital teamwork between hunters, farmers and foresters.

expansion and hotel-building thwarted, and tourists disappearing before their very eyes. Just a few years later, however, the area of Tires al Catinaccio and Fiè allo Sciliar applied to extend the reaches of the park. In addition to the Sciliar-Catinaccio area, in the Dolomites today there are six further nature reserves, the Stelvio National Park, and 175 natural biotopes.

The Sciliar-Catinaccio nature reserve was founded in 1974, covers an area of 7,291 hectares and stretches over the districts of Tires, Fiè and Castelrotto. It is home to a large biodiversity and provides a habitat for protected species such as the eagle, tawny, Tengmalm’s and pygmy owls, capercaillie, grouse, falcons, hawks and buzzards. There is also a pair of eagles in the nature reserve. “Eagle chicks are born in spring, mostly just one chick, rarely two. They start to fly in summer and stay in the nest till winter, when they have to find their own home. In 2015, the eagles didn’t nest”, says Georg Antholzer. “Predatory songbirds, nocturnal and diurnal raptors are also under protection and cannot be hunted. Another rare bird that we have here in the Sciliar area is the three-toed woodpecker”, he adds.

The infamy of the hunter. The shooting of game is permitted from May 1st to December 15th in the South Tyrol. In the early Stone Age, hunting provided a supply of food and, alongside the meat, all the valuable by-products of the animal, including bones for tools, or pelt for clothing. Today, hunting serves as a form of pest control as, when too many of a particular species live in one area, they cause fraying, peeling and bite damage. When we talk of hunters today we automatically think of the shooting aspect, but hunters have long been doing so much more than that: at the beginning of summer, for example, when the roe deer, a protected species in the area, give birth to their fawns in the long grass, the farmer and gamekeeper work together; as this is the exact time when the haymaking starts, the animal is in mortal peril. In the bestcase scenario, the farmers let the keepers know when they’re going to be cutting the hay. They then pace the fields and, together with the hunters, set up visual and acoustic “scarecrows” which encourage the doe to retreat into the woods to give birth. “This difficult job has now been eased somewhat by drones with thermal imaging cameras, which fly over the fields and show us the exact spot where a fawn is” says Andreas Gasslitter. »

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“What animals need more than anything is peace, especially in winter”. The relationship between nature conservation and tourism is one of complex interaction. On one hand, they are in fundamental conflict: the protection of precious natural habitats is at odds with tourism, which endangers it or renders it completely unfeasible. On the other hand, the development of a tourism region is based on an uncontaminated landscape and protected areas. They also provide homes and a local economy, as well as the purity of the countryside

and limited exploitation of tourism that makes them such a superb destination for a relaxing retreat.

“What animals need more than anything is peace, especially in winter”, explain the keepers. In the nature reserve, there are excellent winter habitats in sunny spots with very little snow, where the animals are well-sheltered. It’s all very different on the Alpe di Siusi, where the animals retreat to their

winter hideouts during the cold months and, given the lack of food supply, move around as little as possible to conserve energy.

Nature and environmental conservation are part of an ongoing debate, regarding which the Alpe di Siusi holiday area, amongst others, is of one mind: protected areas are important for sustainable regional development, and quality of life cannot be measured merely on the basis of economic indicators such as GDP. These areas, with their

multi-functional countryside, take on a number of tasks which are essential to the livelihood and wellbeing of the people who live there. It is thanks to the nature protection regulations at the beginning of the 1970’s that South Tyrol is classed as the “greenest” region in Italy: 60% percent of the land area lies at above 1,600m a.s.l., 42% is woodland and a quarter of the region’s lands are designated as either a nature reserve or a national park. «

Nature reserves are important for sustainable regional development.

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Crossing the Alpe di Siusi

Nature as far as the eye can see: The best way to discover the Alpe di Siusi is on foot.

The Alpe di Siusi is a hiker’s heaven in the winter months as well as in the summer: one particularly beautiful walk through the snow takes you from the mountain station of the Alpe di Siusi cable car to the Molignon hut and on to Saltria.

W With thirty kilometres of snow-cleared, perfectly primed winter walking paths, the Alpe di Siusi is a pure heaven for snow-walkers. And for people who know how to live life to the fullest. The incredible views over the snow-blanketed Dolomites, the slopes glistening in the midday sun, the snow crunching under boot-clad foot, the rest-stops in the Alpine huts and restaurants: walking simply frees the soul of stress, worries and the burdens of everyday life.

Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher Photo: Helmuth Rier

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If you want to really get to know the Alpe di Siusi, the best route is the one leading from the foot of the Denti di Terrarossa mountain to the Mol-

ignon hut, a true classic. It’s not particularly difficult, takes around three hours and leads you gently uphill and down (383m elevation gain, total length 9.7 km) along the south-east slopes of the Alpe di Siusi, with breathtaking views over the Alps and the surrounding mountain peaks.

Long-distance views guaranteed. Setting off from the mountain station of the Alpe di Siusi cable car, our first destination is the Panorama hotel. Just below the hotel, we leave the road and follow the signposts leading to the Molignon hut, and then cross the snow-blanketed slopes until we reach a fork in the road below the Hotel Gold- »

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A winter dream dressed in white: Europe’s largest high mountain plateau.

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knopf. You have to cross some ski slopes here, so keep your eyes open and your wits about you!

Now might be a good time to treat yourself to a breather and take a look back… you won’t regret it. The view over the imposing and powerful Scilliar massif from here is exactly as we know it from postcards. When you get back to your walk again, the Dolomite mountains are in view everywhere you look: on your right-hand side, the magnificent snow-covered slopes at the foot of the jagged Denti di Terrarossa, straight ahead of you the Sasso Piatto and the Sasso Lungo, and, in the background, the heart of the Dolomites, the Sella massif and the

Countless mountain huts and restaurants are waiting to welcome you on the Alpe di Siusi.

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this eatery, as the young landlady’s skills in the culinary arts are famed throughout the area. Alternatively, you could also continue along the path, gently uphill and down, until you get to the beautiful Molignon hut. Whatever way, with views like this, you have no choice but to pencil in a rest stop.

At this point of the walk, you can opt to hire a sledge and glide your way back downhill. Or you could even walk it, along the wide sledging trail snaking its way through the woods and meadows down towards the upper Saltria valley. At the hotels in the large hollow in Saltria, you’ll run into a fever-pitch of sporting goings-on with a throng of

peaks of the Cir. Over to the east, the Odle peaks tower over the Funes Valley, where mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner grew up.

skiers, sledgers and hikers. And who knows, after the solitude of the mountains, all that bustle might take on a whole new appeal.

At the foot of the Denti di Terrarossa. Your next stop might be the Rosa Alpina hut, a traditional Alpine hut in the valley between the Goldknopf and the Molignon. A lot of locals frequent

And all that remains now is the return journey to our set-off point, either with one of the regular buses or – for the untiring – on foot back to Compatsch. «

photo: Helmuth Rier

The fascinating mountain scenery of the Dolomites: bizarre rock formations and unique colours.

The Myth of the Dolomites In South Tyrolean extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner‘s words, they are “the most beautiful mountains in the world“. The incomparable beauty of the Dolomites is widely renowned and for many they are synonymous with excellence in winter holidays.

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he mountains of the Dolomites can be thought of as a fossilised coral reef arching up into the sky in spectacular fashion. Thanks to their monumental beauty as well as their geological and geomorphologic significance, the so-called Pale Mountains were awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2009. Divided into nine areas among which the Sciliar-Catinaccio Nature Park, the Dolomites are considered one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world.

Sciliar-Catinaccio Nature Park: South Tyrol’s oldest natural reserve, a 7,291-hectare park, is situated in the western Dolomites and was founded in 1974. The Sciliar is an impressive mountain range whose emblematic outline, that includes the Santner and Euringer peaks, stands out as one of the signature landmarks of South Tyrol. The Catinaccio massif, with its numerous peaks, is also known far beyond the country’s borders. The most striking part of the massif is the Catinaccio D’Antermoia peak, which stands at a height of 3,002 metres. The natural park also includes the mountain forests around Siusi, Fiè and Tires, and the Ciamin valley. «

Bruneck Brunico

Südtirol

Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage 1

5 St. Ulrich

Bozen Bolzano

3 Pale San Martino, San Lucano Dolomiti Bellunesi, Vette Feltrine

Auronzo Corvara

Cortina d’Ampezzo

7

Canazei

2

8

Alleghe

Pieve di Cadore

1

Agordo

3

Longarone

Cimolais

Pordenone Fiera di Primiero

9 Trento

Belluno

Udine

Belluno Feltre

Trentino

Ampezzo

4

Zoldo

Madonna di Campiglio

7 Sciliar Catinaccio, Latemar 9 Brenta Dolomites

Tiers/Tires

Cavalese

4 Friulian and d’Oltre Piave Dolomites

8 Bletterbach

6

Fiè allo Sciliar

2 Marmolada

6 Puez-Odle

St. Vigil S. Vigilio

Kastelruth Ortisei Castelrotto Seis am Schlern Seiser Alm Siusi allo Sciliar Alpe di Siusi Völs am Schlern

Pelmo, Croda da Lago

5 Northern Dolomites

Brixen Bressanone

Meran Merano

Lienz Toblach Dobbiaco

Pordenone

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Home from Home

Jit Singh, Rezarta Gagani and Saida Ben Marzouga have one thing in common: they all came to South Tyrol to look for work, and have stayed on. ALPE meets six people who are going about their lives far from their native lands.

N Norma Sandy de la Cadena Anaya loves the Dolomites, the countryside, the food and the traditions, and she knows she’s where she wants to be. Ali Mohamed Marzougui is immensely proud of the fact that he’s made more canederli dumplings than most of the locals. And as he takes you up to speed with the village news and waves at the passing cars, Lukas Vanek could be taken for a local through and through.

Text: Elisabeth Augustin, Barbara Pichler Photo: Helmuth Rier

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Immigrant workers are playing an ever-increasing role in the economy of South Tyrol. In an area of just 530,000 inhabitants, there are around 28,000 non-natives at the time of writing, half of whom officially reside in South Tyrol. Workers from Slovakia, Poland, Albania and Germany have come to the area, and a study from autumn 2015 reveals that many business concerns in South Tyrol employ workers from outwith the national borders. 62% of the companies who participated in the study at the end of 2013 employed non-native workers, and in the hospitality sector, the percentage soared to all of 87%. 46% of these companies employ staff hailing from various corners of the European Union (including Switzerland), and 42% personnel from beyond the EU confines. One

sector in which a workforce without non-nationals is now inconceivable is that of tourism, particularly in South Tyrol where tourism provides practically full time employment and where, in many sectors, personnel is in short supply.

As Swiss author Max Frisch said, “We called for workers, and it was people who came”. The six workers ALPE met, representative of so many others, confirm that they feel they are seen as people, not mere workers, in South Tyrol, and that they feel like part of the family in their various workplaces. They are part of the South Tyrol scene and are – like everybody – in search of happiness and security. Like Saida, countless people have made their home in the Alpe di Siusi holiday area and value the fact that they have found employment here. A 2012 study carried out by Astat, the Regional Institute for Statistics, showed that the vast majority of the incoming population in South Tyrol (83%) is happy here and would like to stay in the area in the long-term; two thirds of the people interviewed see their future in South Tyrol for the next five years. They, and their children, have become a part of the local community. »

Jit Singh Punjab, India Kitchen assistant Jit works as a kitchen assistant at the Cyprianerhof Hotel in Tires al Catinaccio since 2002 and speaks Punjabi, although he has also learnt a little South Tyrolean dialect and Italian since he came here. He came to South Tyrol with his family to earn a living.

Jit’s 25 year-old son works as a cook in Meran, while his 27 year-old daughter, who worked in Tires for a long time, has recently moved to Germany.

The 53 year-old Jit Singh is a member of the Sikh religious community. The name Singh means “lion”, and is used by all male Sikhs to underline the Sikh connection and the sense of egalitarianism within the Sikh community. Jit, from India, uses his holidays to visit his wider family back home but likes it here and would like to stay on in South Tyrol. He has a good network of fellow countrymen in Bolzano and northern Italy, and a very good relationship with the hotelier’s family and his colleagues.

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Rezarta Gagani Gjirokastra, Albania Beautician

32 year-old Rezarta has been living in South Tyrol for 5 years.

Resi, as she prefers to be called, studied languages in her home country of Albania and speaks Albanian, English, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Portuguese. For a short time, she worked in Albania as a teacher, and left home because she wanted to see a bit

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of the world, gain some experience and meet new people. “You have to take a few risks in life”, she says.

Together with a few other women who have immigrated to the area, Resi attended a yearlong beauty therapist course in Bolzano, and for the last three

years she has been working enthusiastically as a beautician at the Enzian hotel in Siusi allo Sciliar. Her open approach to the world and the fact that she is so well-travelled is of great advantage in her work life; the young woman is happy to chat to guests and is interested in them. She likes the countryside

of South Tyrol, the people, and the fact that the people in this area are so environmentally conscious. Resi is well-known in the village; people stop to say hello, and she feels welcome and supported. Rezarta would love to return to Albania one day, although as yet she’s not sure when.

Lukas Vanek Kopˇrivnice, Czech Republic Waiter

When Lukas goes home on holiday it’s generally not for long, as he feels homesick for South Tyrol. The 34 year-old from the province of Kopˇrivnice has been living in the Sciliar area since 2002 and has been serving guests at the Heubad hotel in Fiè allo Sciliar for six years. Son of a hotelier, he has catering in his veins and attended a Hotel Management school in his home country. His dream was to go to university, but life took a different turn when he failed the entrance exam; his sister Pauline, who also lives in Fiè, persuaded him to fly the family nest and get out into the world and make something of his life. “Out into the world” for Lukas was South Tyrol, and when you listen to him speak you’d think he’d been born and brought up here.

The guests appreciate Lukas’ professionalism and his friendliness.

He shines with good humour and is always ready for a laugh. Lukas knows everybody in the village, and everybody knows him. The young man, who can chat away easily in both German and Italian, is grateful for the hearty welcome he’s received in the Heubad hotel. He doesn’t know what the future will bring, but he still hasn’t given up on his dream of working as a translator in the Czech Republic.

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Ali Mohamed Marzougui Zaghouan, Tunisia Bar manager Ali Mohamed chats away effortlessly in South Tyrolean dialect. He’s been living in the Sciliar area since 1998 and has earned his wings in a number of restaurants and hotels in the Castelrotto area, including seven years at the Tuff Alm Hut in Fiè.

For the last three years, he has been running the Peterbühl café and pizzeria in Fiè allo Sciliar. Tunisian by birth, he worked as a waiter in his home country after having studied Land Economy there for three years.

Ali came to South Tyrol at the age of 19 after his sister Saida had assured him that he would find work here. Of ten brothers and sisters, five are currently living in South Tyrol. Ali Mohammed, positive to the core, has worked his way up from dishwasher to kitchen assistant (“I’ve made thousands of dumplings”, he smiles), to a busy independent businessman, and has always strived to learn more. The most important thing for him, he says, was to learn the language quickly. A few years ago, Ali married a woman from Tunisia and they now have a daughter together. The young family has no doubt that South Tyrol is where they want to stay.

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Norma Sandy de la Cadena Anaya Obkircher Ica, Peru Chambermaid In 1889 around 200 Tyroleans settled in Oxapampa, a mountain village near Inca, bringing their traditions along with them. It’s no surprise, then, that Norma Sandy wants to be photographed in a dirndl.

She’s brought a piece of Tyrol over with her, so to speak, and feels very much at home in Fiè. The 49 year-old has

been living in South Tyrol since 2000, and just last summer she married a joiner from Aica di Fiè.

After she finished her studies in languages and literature at the San Luis Gonzaga University in Ica, the Peruvian woman married, had a son in 1989 and trained as a care as-

sistant for the elderly. She came here with her husband, who had found work in South Tyrol. Unlike Norma Sandy, who likes the mountains of South Tyrol, the food and the traditions, her husband was not happy here and they went their separate ways. Now, Norma would like to stay in South Tyrol forever with her

husband Norbert. Having a job is of the utmost importance to the 49 year-old woman, even though it’s not always easy to find the right job. She has been working at the Turm hotel in Fiè allo Sciliar as chambermaid for two years, and values the family atmosphere which she has found there.

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Saida Ben Marzouga Zaghouan, Tunisia Cleaning lady The happy Saida knows practically everybody in Castelrotto. 48 years old, she speaks Arabic, German and a little Italian, and is a divorced mother of two children. Although life hasn’t always been kind to her, the petite woman radiates happiness and optimism. Tunisian by birth, she only attended school for three years, and left home at the age of twelve to work as cleaning lady for a family and support her own family financially. And she’s still doing it. She has been working as a cleaning lady in Castelrotto for twelve years now, and is extremely happy. Her children are very well integrated, of the utmost importance for their proud mother.

Saida herself enjoys the company of her brothers and sisters, four of whom are now living in South Tyrol, and the other women in the village who lend her a hand if she needs it. The Tunisian woman would definitely like to stay in Castelrotto. “It’s the best thing for myself and for my children”, explains Saida.

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HOTEL VILLA MADONNA restaurant

...and enjoy your meals!

gluten & lactose-free products available

Via Ibsen 29 39040 Siusi allo Sciliar (Bz) tel. +39 0471 70 88 60 info@villamadonna.it www.villamadonna.it

h o t e l v i l l a madonna restaurant & bar

After 15 years as a world-class skier, Denise Karbon is enjoying motherhood.

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The Delight of Denise “When somebody is happy, they glow”, says Denise Karbon.

The successful ski racer has swapped her skis for a pram and is now an overjoyed mother, delighted as ever to embrace a new challenge.

T The pink stork outside the house announces the good news: Pia has arrived! The baby girl was in a bit of a rush, and arrived a month early. “She’s like her mum and dad, she was going for a PB” smiles Denise Karbon. The former ski racer from Castelrotto is enjoying all the happiness of being a mother. At the end of her skiing career last year, she fulfilled her lifelong wish with her soulmate, professional mountain biker Franz Hofer from the Sarentino Valley: a family. Denise holds the baby, just a few days old, in her arms, and can barely believe it. “Until now, everything has revolved around me, and now this little miracle is showing me how things really are”. The 35 year-old has set up home in a cosy little house in San Costantino (Fiè allo Sciliar), and is enjoying the endless peace which surrounds her. She can’t imagine a better place to bring up baby Pia and, hopefully, a little brother or sister. “In the past, I was a part-time godmother”, jokes Denise, who in the little free time she had in years gone by devoted herself happily to her 6 godchildren. And now, with partner Franz and daughter Pia, she’s moved on to the next phase of life.

Denise Karbon is the oldest of Arnold and Rosmarie Karbon’s three children, and skiing is in her DNA. Father Arnold was an athlete himself in years gone by, and her two brothers, Pirmin and Martin, share both her joy in skiing and the drive and technique to be better and faster than the rest. “My family was always focused on skiing” says Denise,

as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The woman from Castelrotto was eventually one of the few who made the leap to the higher levels of the skiing scene. And doing it took immense willpower and effort, together with the proverbial stroke of good luck.

Her brother Martin, two years younger, also skied for the Italian team, but never quite made it to the peak of international levels. “He was always proud of his sister, though” says Denise happily. In hindsight, she feels lucky to have grown up in a skiing family. The unremitting commitment has brought her much satisfaction and success. Denise looks back in wonder: “Yes, it was fifteen years on the crest of the wave, with a lot of highs and lows.”

And she doesn’t want to pine for all that she’s lived through, explaining that her immersion into the world of skiing was slow but sure. And once you’re in it, you never really leave. Being on the road, the contacts and the friendships with other athletes was a constant joy for her, while at the same time she always had a solid home life and the support of her family. “Whatever my father said was sacrosanct,” says Denise. “We were a good team right up till the end.”

Where did she find the strength to overcome all those injuries? “Every injury was also a challenge”, she says. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could get over it”. And even at the most difficult times of »

Text: Elisabeth Augustin Photo: Helmuth Rier

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Denise Karbon in top form: “I’ve always wanted to get the best out of myself”.

her life, she never considered abandoning the sport. “It was my whole life, and I knew it was the life for me. I never allowed my injuries to hold me back. And I didn’t want to win to “be somebody”. Every race I’ve ever skied has been for myself, and what I wanted was to get the very best out of myself at the highest of levels. Getting fourth place at the giant slalom in Garmisch, for instance, was like getting the gold. And all the highs and lows were just part and parcel of the life”. When she looks back, Denise now marvels at her former self: “All or nothing, as long as it’s 100%.” And when she decided to leave the world of skiing, she had no doubt that it was the right decision.

Skiing will continue to play an important part in Denise’s life in the future, however, and just last year she trained as a ski instructor.

After her career came to an end she needed a break from skiing, but plans to pass on her experience to others as a ski instructor or a children’s trainer. Her people-skills and friendly nature will certainly come in useful, then. “I got my sociable personality from my mother”, she says, “and the skiers’ legs from my father.”

This winter Denni, as fellow skiers call her, plans to stay home in her cosy living room in Fiè, wish her former teammates and friends the best of luck, and cheer them on as she watches the races on TV. “I’m on the edge of my seat before the races, but I enjoy them when they start. I do look at them with a technical eye, of course, but the perspective is different now. Skiing will always be the best sport”, says the ex-ski racer.

On Denise Karbon’s website, there is a large photo of a radiant Denise in a traditional Castelrotto outfit, saying goodbye to the spectators as she leaves the slopes. And if she hadn’t done so beforehand, it was on this date, her last official race as participant at the World Cup Races on the Lenzerheide on the 16th March 2014, that Denise won the hearts of skiing fans forever. «

28 ALPE | Winter

Denise Karbon Denise Karbon is one of South Tyrol’s most successful ski racers. In the course of her career she has won the Junior World Championship in her specialist discipline, the giant slalom, 2 World Championship medals, 6 World Cup races and the GS season title.

at the 1999 World Junior Championships in Pra Loup (France), where she won the gold medal for the giant slalom. This was the official beginning of a highly promising ski career.

In October 2007 after a break to her femur, she celebrated a successful comeback with a victory at the Sölden World Cup, followed by similar victories at her next three giant slaloms.

And after five successive season wins, there was no doubt that Karbon was already the giant slalom World Champion.

2011/12 and 2012/13, she appeared sporadically among the top ten. At the 2013 World Cup final in Lenzerheide (last race of the season), she straddled a gate on the second run of the giant slalom, fracturing her ankle. Despite the injury she held out for another season, and her last World Cup race was on 16th March 2014, once more at Lenzerheide.

Denise began skiing at the age of three at the Guns ski lift slopes in Castelrotto, and skied in her first race at the age of seven. At 14, she was a member of the Sciliar training centre, with her father Arnold as trainer.

Once her talent was recognised she was invited to join the South Tyrol team. She went on to join the national team at the age of just 19, gaining her fist success

In December 2002, Denise was placed third in the giant slalom in Semmering, Austria, her first podium at World Cup level. On December 13th 2003 at the Gran Risa (Alta Badia), she celebrated her first World Cup victory in the giant slalom. On 13th February 2003 at the World Championship race in St Moritz, she was runner-up in the giant slalom, while at the 2007 World Cup in Åre, again on the 13th February, she won the bronze in her specialist sport.

Olympic Games

World Championships

World Cups

Other successes

2002 Salt Lake City 14th place, giant slalom

2001 St. Anton failed to finish

2007/08 1st place giant slalom world cup

2006 Turin failed to finish

2003 St. Moritz 2nd place giant slalom, 27th place slalom

2003/04 2nd place giant slalom world cup

4 times Italian champion (Giant slalom 2000, 2008 and 2012; Slalom 2002)

2010 Vancouver 18th place, slalom, 23rd place, giant slalom 2014 Sochi failed to finish

2007 Åre 3rd place giant slalom 2009 Val-d’Isère 4th place giant slalom, 4th place slalom 2011 Garmisch-Partenkirchen: 4th place giant slalom 2013 Schladming failed to finish

At the 2009 World Championships in Val-d’Isère , Karbon just missed out on a medal twice, and took fourth place at the giant slalom World Championship in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

At World Cup level, she never made it back to her series of successes in the 2007/2008 season, but won a number of podiums nevertheless. In

16 podium positions, 6 as winner Junior World Championships 1998 Megève: 9th place giant slalom 1999 Pra-Loup: 1st place giant slalom, 7th place slalom

Denise Karbon’s career was marked by injury and she rarely had the chance to prepare for a season free of injury. Nevertheless, despite six serious knee injuries, she always managed to work her way back to the peaks of World Cup levels.

Gold medal in the giant slalom at the Military World Winter Games 2010 Military and police force world champion in the giant slalom 2002, silver 2003 and 2004 5 European Cup podium positions 10 FIS victories (8 giant slalom, 2 slalom)

2000 Québec: 4th place slalom, 36th place super-G Winter | ALPE 29

A picture for posterity: Roman Polanski immortalizes the Alpe di Siusi in his film with Sharon Tate.

Vampires on the Alpe di Siusi Fifty years ago, Roman Polanski filmed the cult movie “The Fearless Vampire Killers” on the Alpe di Siusi. And to this day, some rather intriguing tales of their sojourn endure…

T Towards the end of 1966, the arrival of a somewhat unusual entourage arrived in Ortisei, the capital of the Gardena Valley, bringing a whirl of commotion to what was at that time a rather sedately bourgeois town. Rumours had, in fact, been making the rounds of an American-English film crew who were intending to shoot a horror film on the Alpe di Siusi; at that point, however, nobody had ever heard of the director, Roman Polanski, or of the other main actors in the film, Polanski’s future wife Sharon Tate and Jack McGowran.

Their arrival in Gardena was purely down to chance as the film, ostensibly set in the Carpathian mountains, was originally to have been filmed in the snowy countryside of St. Anton am Arlberg (Austria). An unexpected warm wind put paid to the plans, however, and director Polanski, 33 years young at the time, whisked the film team off without further ado to the next snow-blessed winter resort down, namely Ortisei. As the locals still recall to this day, it took every single rental car from Bressanone and Bolzano to get the troupe and all their equipment from the train station in Chiusa to Ortisei.

Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher

30 ALPE | Winter

Village chronicles. All heads turned when the beautiful young Sharon Tate stepped out of her taxi. The

menfolk of Ortisei had turned out en masse and when they stepped back to make way, they could barely take their eyes off the mini skirt that revealed a pair of seemingly endless legs. A mini skirt!

The likes had never before been seen in Ortisei, and it was the talk of the town right from the outset.

“And from that moment on, it was just pandemonium”, recalls one of the older Gardena residents.

As he spoke English, he was chartered in to help the film crew on-site, get in supplies, find extras, take them to the best locations and generally tend to their every need. “Polanski wasn’t particularly good looking himself, but there was no doubt that he was involved with Tate”, he speculates. Much to his dismay at the time, he admits with a smile, as he was quite taken with the beautiful actress himself.

However, he concedes Polanski superlative skills as both an actor and a director. “He was practically obsessed with detail and would, for instance, get the farmers to explain in minutiae how the horsedrawn carts worked”, he recalls.

Wild nights. Not all the team seem to have been quite so zealous. “In the evenings, their hotels became a hive of night-life, and getting them up in the mornings was all but impossible”. They partied the nights away in the pubs and clubs of the town, and the rivers of beer, whisky and cham- »

Winter | ALPE 31

A gory feast: where elsewhere peace and harmony prevaile, the vampires take the reins.

pagne flowed freely along with, so they say, other substances. And so it went that fights broke out all too easily and didn’t let up until the police were called in to put a stop to things. And on the day after, as one might expect, barely a soul turned up on time to the meeting point, between the mountain station of the Ortisei cable car to the Alpe di Siusi and Saltria.

This all slowed up the shooting of the film considerably, and the original two weeks stretched out into more than six. The snow held out superbly, at any rate, and filming of the winter scenes went smoothly.

Local doubles. It wasn’t long before the madcap scenes filmed on the Alpe di Siusi were shown to audiences half the world over. Millions of people would laugh themselves to tears as the scat-

32 ALPE | Winter

ter-brained professor (Jack MacGowran) and his ham-fisted assistant (Roman Polanski) made their way from one calamity to the next in pursuit of the infamous vampire, Count von Krolock. One particularly memorable scene starred Count von Krolock’s loyal servant shooting over the snowy slopes in an open coffin-come-sledge! For this legendary scene, as for others, Polanski enlisted ski instructors, mountain guides and coach drivers as doubles. Numerous locals were called into service for all manner of jobs, from technicians to logistics experts, handymen and advisors on the local area.

This boost to the economy alone established the event firmly in the collective memory of the valley!

A monster-hit comedy-horror, “The Fearless Vampire Killers” first appeared in the cinemas a few years later, went on to achieve cult-film status, brought fame to Polanski and Sharon Tate and wrote film history. «

sh Fre s uct d o pr ur

o from al loc rs e farm

“Local, unique, authentic ...”

The new supermarket Coop in the heart of Castelrotto offers you a wide range of first quality products. In the specialities‘ corner you will find unique culinary delights from local farmers, from biological origin and from fair trade. At the selling desk there is the famous butcher Heinz of the renowned Butcher Shop Silbernagl offering you typical Speck from Castelrotto and Helga, the soul of the Bakery and Confectionery Shop Burgauner, who will contribute with the “Schüttelbrot”. Why don‘t you come around?

Burgauner BAKERY · CONFECTIONERY

MARKT

silbernagl butcher’s

Food - Butcher - Bakery - Confectionery - Hardware - Gardening - Agriculture articles Famiglia Cooperativa di Castelrotto · via Panider, 24 · phone 0471 706 330 · www.konsummarkt.com Opening hours: From Monday to Saturday from 7.30 to 12.30 a.m. and from 3.00 to 7.00 p.m.

Swing on Snow

Swinging Alpine Sounds

Sunshine and happy faces: what more could the heart desire?

And for the eleventh time, the Alpe di Siusi holiday area is all set to double up as a concert stage. In the last week of March, the sounds of Swing on Snow will be filling the slopes, huts and restaurants at the foot of the Sasso Lungo, Sasso Piatto, Sciliar and the Catinaccio mountains in a kaleidoscope of sound and vision.

T Text: Hartwig Mumelter Photo: Helmuth Rier

34 ALPE | Winter

The keys of the tenor sax have frozen up again.

An unfazed Charly Schmid fingers them with dexterity; the professional musician from Linz knows the Alpe di Siusi like the back of his hand after all these years and struggles on serenely regardless of the temperature. After all, more often than not the sun shines down on the mountain plateau, and he’s played more than one January concert wearing just a t-shirt, Charly Schmid has been wowing the Alpine public since the festival began in one line-up or another, sometimes playing on skis, sometimes even on the chairlifts.

An extravaganza of experimental folk music in all its forms, Swing on Snow is one of the longest-standing festivals in the whole of the Alpine region. The concept is simple: during the day, the bands play on the slopes or terraces of restaurants or Alpine huts. In the evenings, they divide up their talents between the small concert rooms of Castelrotto, Siusi, Fiè allo Sciliar and Tires al Catinaccio. And entrance is always free!

And if Europe’s largest mountain pasture acts as a magnet to the throngs of winter sport fans who »

Winter | ALPE 35

A musical extravaganza in perfect harmony with fun in the snow.

make their way here from all corners of the earth, the Swing on Snow event is sure testimony to the fact that the language of music knows no borders.

The organisers have taken a step away from the predictable entertainment so typical of mountain huts, showcasing musicians - generally 10-15 bands - who provide that perfect balance between solid entertainment and outstanding performance.

Swing on Snow has also acted as patron over the years: many musicians who first came to the mountain plateau as unknown artists are now well-established acts. Artists who have débuted here on the Alpe di Siusi range from new bands on the scene like Federspiel or Alma to the frontman of all frontmen, Herbert Pixner.

While the organisers were aware from the outset that the public would mainly consist of skiers who weren’t necessarily there to see the concerts, a new trend began to emerge after just three or four years: more and more guests started to book their holidays to coincide with the week of the festival. The two hours of great music don’t spoil the skiers fun – quite the reverse, it would seem. Swing on Snow has something of an exotic status for most visitors, captivated by the array of unfamiliar sounds and instruments: the cittern, the Hanottere neck cittern from the Emmental, the hurdy gurdy and the ukulele-style Krienser neck cittern. These are all emblematic instruments of the Alps, played by musicians who blend the inspiration of age-old tradition with a contemporary twist, creating a sublime union between ancient Alpine horn and electric guitar or the groove of a sax. The entire scene is in perfect synchronicity with the Alpe di Siusi itself, home to state-of-the-art ski lifts in a landscape which was formed millions of years ago by the remains of coral reef deposits from long-forgotten seas.

And, for all the joy it takes in experimenting, Swing on Snow remains, for the most part, decidedly downto-earth and self-sufficient. The Alpe di Siusi is the only car-free ski resort in South Tyrol, a peculiarity which the performers at the event have taken in their stride.

Since 2015, Swing on Snow has been moved from January to March. A great option for all sun-starved guests, and not least for the musicians and their instruments. Charly Schmid won’t have to de-ice his sax any more, and we can all get ready for some scorching sounds… Let’s swing 2016. « 36 ALPE | Winter

r i a P e a v i s n i u l W c x e e h t of usi

i S i d e ! p i k Al S s d i K

Design Ski: Federico Perruccio · Foto: SAM/Elena Ruina · Komma Graphik

Swing on Snow has something of an exotic status for most visitors, captivated by sounds and instruments never before seen or heard of: the cittern, the Hanottere neck cittern from the Emmental, the hurdy gurdy and the ukulele-style Krienser neck cittern. These are all emblematic instruments of the Alps, played by musicians who blend the inspiration of age-old tradition with a contemporary twist, creating a perfect unison between ancient Alpine horn and electric guitar or the groove of a sax. The entire scene is in perfect synchronicity with the Alpe di Siusi itself, home to state-ofthe-art ski lifts in a landscape which was formed millions of years ago by the coral reef from ancient seas. .«

D

Participa tion until 03/04/2 016 Taking part is a child’s play…

Verband der Inhaber der Liftanlagen Gröden/Seiser Alm

Answer the questions and with a bit of luck you can soon whip on the slopes of the largest mountain plateau in Europe with the new Kids Ski!

Which animals can yo u i k S s id K e h t n o d n i F At the end of the winter season, we will raffle three pairs of skis. www.seiseralm.it/play

?

Consorzio Esercenti Impianti a Fune Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi

38 ALPE | Winter

A Welcome Warmth Farmers’ stoves are the ultimate multi-taskers; they warm the living room, dry the washing and make a first-rate bed…

The heart: generations of families have gathered around the warmth of the stove.

A A Stube living room South-Tyrolean style is no Stube at all if it’s not heated by a proper farmers’ stove. And a proper farmers’ stove is made from stone and wood; stone for the stove itself, and wood for the seating frame which surrounds it.

Farmers’ stoves are still produced today, but they

are mostly made of fire-resistant, prefabricated chamotte bricks, also known as firesand. “We didn’t have such a thing in the past” explains our expert Hans, a customs and traditions hobbyist. In days gone by, stove-makers had to procure stone which retained the heat well, and lead-slate was excavated from a number of sites specifically for this purpose. »

Text: Rosa Maria Erlacher Photo: Helmuth Rier

Winter | ALPE 39

40 ALPE | Winter

Farmers’ stoves are an architectural masterpiece of bygone days.

The stove-maker’s art lay in joining the slate seamlessly into the form of a barrel-vault, which was fitted with a flue and ideally proportioned for optimal heat distribution. It was then sealed with clay and whitewashed.

A place to relax. Heating was provided through a stokehole in the kitchen, continues Hans. The kitchen was the only place where fires could be lit, and all the smoke from the stove and the range, originally just an open fireplace, was pulled into the flue.

“This flue could also be blocked for a while to ‘dam’ the smoke”, explains Hans. This meant that it could also be used to smoke meat, which was hung inside the chimney on wooden poles. It goes without saying that the soot-blackened kitchen was not a par-

ticularly pleasant spot to relax; the Stube was so much more agreeable.

All that needed to be done in the morning was to throw a bundle of kindling and enough dry woodchips into the stokehole to last a while. The blazing heat inside the stove radiated out through the stonework, providing comforting warmth to the folk who gathered around the stove throughout the day.

And Hans is convinced: “Bringing people together is the primary role of the farmers’ stove”. And indeed, to provide a cosy, warm, place to lie down, a wide bench was built around the walls of the oven, and a sleeping platform above it. On cold winter days when people huddled together to keep warm, close physical contact and communication simply happened spontaneously. “How else can you ex- »

Winter | ALPE 41

Hale and hearty: farmers’ bread, staple diet for centuries, is at its best when served fresh from the oven.

plain the fact that sagas and legends have been passed down to the present day without ever having been put down on paper?” the folklorist wonders.

Bread oven. In addition to the Stube stove, the larger of the farms also boasted a bread oven, generally built onto a side wall of the building and covered with a roof. One must remember that in days gone by a lot of people lived on a farm, and with all the children, servants and farmhands, there were a lot of mouths to feed. And one of the staple foods was bread, baked in massive quantities and left out to dry in the attic. The bread oven was built on the same principles as the main oven, in the shape of a barrel-vault. The incredible amount of

42 ALPE | Winter

work that bread-baking days entailed was brought home to me by Hans’ account of the events; it was the men’s job, he tells me, to knead the dough in enormous vats and shape it into the loaves which were shunted into the glowing heat of the oven on long boards.

Today we have air-conditioning and central heating to guarantee a constant temperature year-round.

Practical, smoke-free, no hauling of wood and no soot. And yet, one of humanity’s deepest-seated instincts remains the need to be near the source of heat, to feel the warmth around a campfire, an open fire, a tiled stove, the light of the sun…or even a farmers’ stove. A welcome warmth that brings harmony to the body and to the soul. «

Mulled Wine Fills the Air… Recipe · 1/4 litre red or white wine (dry) · 1 stick cinnamon · A few cloves · Star anise · Lemon peel · 4 dessert spoons sugar Heat everything up together and serve.

Do not bring to the boil.

Recipe taken from “La Cucina nelle Dolomiti”

by Anneliese Kompatscher.

The scent of cinnamon and cloves wafts through the air as we warm up our hands around a hot mug. In the Yuletide season, there’s nothing more Christmassy than wrapping up in a warm coat and enjoying a mulled wine with friends.

Mulled wine is a drink with tradition. In times gone by it was made by mixing hot wine with exotic herbs and honey, while today we generally enjoy it with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon or orange peel.

Vanilla, ginger and cardamom also provide a distinctive flavour, but there are no limits to creativity and taste. The chief thing to remember is that mulled wine should not be heated above 78 celcius, as the alcohol will evaporate and the herbs will take on a bitter taste.

Christmas in the mountains in Castelrotto Appointments 5 - 8 December 2015 11 - 13 December 2015 18 - 20 December 2015 24 - 27 December 2015

Christmas market of Fiè allo Sciliar Appointments 6 - 8 December 2015 12 - 13 December 2015 19 - 20 December 2015

Winter | ALPE 43

The top 10 winter activities in the Alpe di Siusi holiday area Taking a hay bath Whether in traditional or modern surroundings, a hay bath will do you good, providing energy and revitalising the body. The hay bath has evolved from the old peasant custom of lying in the hay to become a highly popular Alpine wellness offer. The body heat of the “bather” releases the many different active substances and essential oils in the hay, which also contains numerous medicinal herbs such as thyme, arnica, cinquefoil and gentian, to produce beneficial effects for the skin and the breathing.

Ice skating on the Laghetto di Fiè lake Swap your skis or snowboard for ice skates for a few hours and try out a few pirouettes: young and old alike can glide over the ice on the frozen Laghetto di Fiè in winter, either as a first attempt or to show off their skills. Ice-skating means fun for all, whether beginner or expert, especially against the spectacular backdrop of the Sciliar massif!

Paragliding over Siusi Paragliding over the Dolomite summits is possible in winter as well as summer. Visibility is particularly good in winter and a padded suit will protect you against the cold. The tandem flights start from Spitzbühl: from here pilot and passenger glide down to San Valentino and view the village of Siusi from above.

The Witches’ Round Seven stations, seven legends around the Alpe di Siusi, with lots of fun to be had on skis: the Witches’ Round is a ski tour that takes adults and children on a journey of discovery around the Alpe di Siusi. You ski the pistes via the Panorama, Goldknopf and Bullaccia hills through the realm of the witches who used to haunt the Sciliar massif. The circuit is suitable even for little ones, who will discover that skiing is a magical adventure.

Hill climb and the historic centre of Castelrotto The Kofel or hill known as the “Calvary of Castelrotto” is a popular destination for leisurely winter hikes, affording views of the Santner spire, the Sciliar massif, the Bullaccia hill and of course the village centre of Castelrotto with its Baroque bell tower, neo-classical parish church and painted houses.

Take your time, pause awhile and enjoy the peace and quiet!

44 ALPE | Winter

Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiers all agree that the Alpe di Siusi ranks among the top cross-country skiing areas. That’s why it attracts teams from Norway, Canada, Italy and the USA each year for training on Europe’s largest high pasture. You can emulate Petter Northug, Marit Bjørgen and the rest on the 80 kilometres of trails on the Alpe di Siusi. Cross-country skiing also allows you to appreciate the landscape with a sensation of well-being.

Tobogganing by moonlight on the Alpe di Siusi Moonlight on the toboggan runs on the Alpe di Siusi is the perfect time to go tobogganing with friends, family or just together as a couple.

The starting point for the fun is at one of the many huts offering hearty traditional South Tyrolean fare before you venture out into the night.

Horse-drawn sleigh rides on Europe’s largest high plateau Wrapped in warm blankets, lovers can enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the white winter landscape with its views of the Dolomites.

The leisurely rhythm of the hooves on the freshly fallen snow is the perfect accompaniment to the magnificent natural panorama.

Snowshoeing in the Ciamin Valley San Cipriano is the starting point for snowshoe excursions through the wild, romantic and snow-covered Ciamin Valley: over the Dosswiesen meadows to the Schwarzn Lettn, then follow the river course to the Rechter Leger, a magnificent vantage point with views of the Cime del Principe and the Ciamin peaks.

Winter walks on the Bullaccia hill With its 360° panorama, the Engelrast (an angel atop a pole) up on the Bullaccia hill is one of the best viewpoints on the Alpe di Siusi, with a panorama stretching from the Dolomites to the Ortles region.

The Bullaccia tour not only offers unique views but also magical places to visit: from the Engelrast the trail continues via the Filln Cross, the “Witches’ Seats” and the Goller Cross back to the starting point in Compatsch.

Winter | ALPE 45

Winter Preview 2015/16

> December 2015

> 5 December 2015

> 10 January 2016

> 22 January 2016

Mountain Christmas in Castelrotto

Children’s Winter Festival with Nix the Witch

Traditional country wedding of Castelrotto

South Tyrol Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi

In December, the inhabitants of Castelrotto will unveil the secrets of their Christmas traditions and allow others to participate in them. Beside the little Christmas market, local farmers’ wives will offer their cookies, Christmas logs, pastries, and other authentic goodies for sale. On 11 and 12 December, the well-known “Kastelruther Spatzen” folks music group will present songs and tunes in keeping with the “Feast of Love”.

The 2015-16 winter season will be getting off to a sparkling start with the first ever Kids’ Winter Festival on the Alpe di Siusi with Nix the Witch.

Nix is calling all kids to join in the party, and will be transforming them into witches and wizards for the occasion. It will be an entire day of entertainment, games and winter fun, where children can also ski or learn to ski in a playful manner.

The Country Wedding in Castelrotto has already become a tradition. It’s the authentic reproduction of a historical farmer’s wedding like those celebrated since time immemorial at the foot of the Alpe di Siusi. The throngs of participants wear their traditional garments with great pride – one of the reasons why the event has developed into one of South Tyrol’s most spectacular pageants.

The moon will be astounded when it peeks over the Dolomites. Because that’s when the starting pistol will fire for a cross-country marathon of a most unusual kind. At 8 p.m., namely, several hundred cross-country skiers will shove off from Compaccio and glide on their narrow skis in the light of their forehead-mounted lamps through the luminescent night-time winter landscape. They’ll follow the route for 15 or 30 kilometers, finally returning to their starting point. But the “South Tyrol Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi” is a fantastic experience not only for the participants, but for the spectators, too!

Appointments 5 to 8 December 2015 11 to 13 December 2015 18 to 20 December 2015 24 to 27 December 2015

46 ALPE | Winter

> 12 December 2015

Krampus in Castelrotto Krampus: who are them and what are they doing in Castelrotto? The Krampus is a mythical creature recognized in alpine countries. According to legend, the Krampus accompanies St. Nicholas during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children. On 12 December some Krampus’ teams from Italy, Germany and Austria will walk through the streets of Castelrotto, wearing hand-crafted masks and dresses and ringing bells.

www.moonlightclassic.info

Photo: Helmuth Rier

> 24 January 2016

> 13 March 2016

> 20 to 27 March 2016

> 28 to 29 March 2016

Alpe di Siusi Winter Golf Tournament

Dolovino on Snow Alpe di Siusi

Swing on Snow Winter Music Festival

Children’s Winter Festival with Nix the Witch

Play golf on snow and enjoy a wonderful winter landscape: for the 8th time in a row, the winter golf tournament is held on the Alpe di Siusi. It is played over 9 holes, from 61 to 1150 m long. On skis or snowboard the participants move from hole to hole. The fairways are white instead of green, the greens whites and the golf balls stand out thanks to their bright colours. Food and music along the golf course will be provided.

Dolovino on Snow invites you to celebrate the theme of “Top Alto Adige wines at the foot of the Dolomites” on a wine-tour across the Alpe di Siusi. South Tyrol is not just a paradise for skiers and hikers, but also an internationally renowned wine-growing area. Connoisseurs can sample outstanding wines from the local area in numerous bars and restaurants around the area, while the Alpine huts on the Alpe di Siusi will be serving culinary delights to round off the event to mouth-watering perfection.

Eight days of music on the Alpe di Siusi, the huts and in the villages at the foot of the Sciliar mountain, sweet melodies and dynamic rhythms, groups from the entire Alpine region, and above all a great atmosphere: this is Swing on Snow 2016. For the 11th year in a row the Alpe di Siusi Winter Music Festival offers a mix of traditional folk music with jazz, soul, pop and classical music.

At Easter, Nix the Witch is calling all kids to join in the party, and will be transforming them into witches and wizards for the occasion. The festival is guaranteed to be fun: games, an arts and crafts corner, a treasure hunt, good music and masses of surprises to bring a shine to the eyes of every child. And, of course, the chance to learn how to ski or improve your technique. Nix the Witch also has a whole lot of tricks to teach for safety on the snow.

www.swingonsnow.com

Winter | ALPE 47

Summer Highlights 2016

> 10 to 12 June 2016

> 3 July 2016

> 5 to 25 July 2016

> Summer 2016

34 Oswald von Wolkenstein Riding Tournament

Alpe di Siusi Half Marathon

Schlern International Music Festival

Hikes for Flower Lovers

Galloping into the Middle Ages: in June, the villages surrounding the Alpe di Siusi are dedicated to the biggest horseback riding festival in South Tyrol. A total of 36 teams face the challenging competition games of the Oswald von Wolkenstein Riding Tournament.

21 kilometres, 601 metres of elevation gain and 700 participants: these are the characteristic numbers of the 4th Alpe di Siusi Half Marathon on 3 July 2016. Surrounded by the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage, the Alpe di Siusi Half Marathon is a unique experience and sporting challenge for both professional and amateur athletes.

The 14th edition of the Schlern International Music Festival – like the previous ones – provides a unique opportunity to experience concerts by many well-known and famous musicians in the Alpe di Siusi holiday area.

Approximately 790 flowering plants and ferns of highly varied appearance and origin can be seen around Sciliar mountain over the course of the year. Typical Alpine flowers but also botanical rarities flourish on the alp mats, in meadows and wheelbarrows. The nature reserve authorities organize about 30 guided hikes every year in cooperation with the tourism associations of the nature reserve communities with experienced nature reserve hiking guide Riccardo Insam.

th

The traditional riding spectacle starts with celebrations in Castelrotto. On Sunday, the audience draws on foot or by shuttle buses together with the riders from race to race. At the close of the tournament, there will be an awards ceremony at Prösels Castle, with a subsequent festive celebration quite in keeping with medieval traditions. www.ovwritt.com

The starter’s gun for the running event with start and finish in Compatsch is fired at 10.00 am. running.seiseralm.it

On the festival program, besides the international competitions, master classes and workshops, there are about 35 afternoon and evening concerts with renowned music professors and young artists from North and South America, Asia and Europe participating.

All concerts, master classes and workshops are open free of charge for guests and locals. Admission fees apply only for the star concerts. www.schlernmusicfestival.eu

48 ALPE | Winter

Photo: Helmuth Rier

> 11 July to 22 August 2016

> 21 July 2016

> 1 to 31 October 2016

> 7 to 9 October 2016

Summer Classics in Siusi allo Sciliar

Berglertafel in Tires al Catinaccio

39 The Kuchlkastl Culinary Festival in Fiè

“Kastelruther Spatzen” Music Festival

For lovers of classical music, Siusi offers an extraordinary series of concerts. Artists will perform the works of great composers. The “Summer Classics” of Siusi represent a high level of musical talent and have long since become an integral component of our summer cultural program.

Both locals and visitors will be enchanted.

A gourmet menu with a panoramic view! The Berglertafel mountaineers’ dinner is a five-course menu of typical dishes from Tires served in a stunning setting. The venue is Proa, a mountain pasture with a view of the Catinaccio. There is arguably no other vantage point in Tires al Catinaccio from where you can see the famous alpenglow of King Laurin’s famous kingdom ... and all this while enjoying a fabulous gourmet menu.

The table is more than a 100 metre long and can seat 160 gourmets who – in the form of a row – can enjoy a fabulous meal and, at the same time, this unique view of the Catinaccio.

The Kuchlkastl Culinary Festival in Fiè allo Sciliar is a well-kept secret among gourmets and friends of “down home” cooking, alike. Since 1978, the innkeepers and restaurant owners in Fiè have been inviting visitors to partake in the “Gastronomical October”. At the close of the season, the best chef cooks of Fiè will do their utmost to astonish and enchant you with new variations of traditional dishes – dishes prepared with passion and enjoyed with fine appreciation. If you are in search of original dishes (based on time-honoured recipes, but with a modern accent), you ought not to miss this month-long culinary festival in Fiè allo Sciliar.

Celebrating, spending pleasant evenings together, experiencing the “Kastelruther Spatzen” live: the Spatzen-Festival in Castelrotto is a must for every fan. Surrounded by the unique scenery of the Dolomites the seven “Spatzen” enchant all friends of traditional music.

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www.voelserkuchlkastl.com

Winter | ALPE 49

Around & About

Director of Aiut Alpin Dolomites Raffael Kostner has been conferred the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, an accolade awarded for his enormous sense of humanity and many years of dedication to mountain rescue.

Kostner is co-founder of Aiut Alpin Dolomites and has been a member of the Mountain Rescue team since 1968.

Nosedive to Siusi allo Sciliar “The jump was one of the best in the world”, enthuses pro wingsuit jumper Uli Emanuele. In September 2015, the 30 yearold jumped from Monte Castello on the Sciliar mountain and landed in Siusi after a spectacular jump down through the Siusi gorge. Uli is one of the youngest and most talented wingsuit jumpers on the scene, and became a worldwide sensation after his jump through a narrow rock hole in the Swiss Alps.

The Missing Piece Nature and art converge in the Alpe di Siusi holiday area: two sculptures of over 4 metres in height by German artist Georg Friedrich Wolf will be adorning the Bullaccia until the end of the winter season. Part of the series “The Missing Piece”, the monumental steel sculpture “Fingerprints” invites the viewer to look through as it becomes a window to nature, the skies and the lands.

IMPRINT. ALPE: Reg. Court Bolzano / Bolzano, n. 9/2002 R.St. Published by: Alpe di Siusi Marketing, 39050 Fiè allo Sciliar, Via del Paese, 15, Tel. +39 0471 709 600, Fax +39 0471 704 199, info@alpedisiusi.info, www.alpedisiusi.info. Editorial Team: Alex Andreis (Responsible Editor), Elisabeth Augustin, Hartwig Mumelter, Rosa Maria Erlacher, Barbara Pichler Rier, Katja Sanin, Michaela Baur, Daniela Kremer.

Translations: Studio Bonetti & Peroni. Advertising: Sabine Demetz, Christoph Trocker. Graphicdesign: Komma Graphik. Printing: Litopat.

50 ALPE | Winter

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Affordably and conveniently to the winter wonderland With the Combi Card or the Nordic Pass

Benefit card for toboganists, hikers and snow shoe hikers, cross-country skiers.

Combi Card 3 in 7*

37.00 Euro

Combi Card 7*

49.00 Euro

Combi Card 14*

72.00 Euro

In the course of 7 days (after first use)

Valid for 7 days (after first use)

Valid for 14 days (after first use)

> 3 times to the Alpe di Siusi and back, with the Aerial Cableway or the Alpe di Siusi Express (route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

> unrestricted use of Alpe di Siusi Aerial Cableway or the Alpe di Siusi Express (route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

> unrestricted use of Alpe di Siusi Aerial Cableway or the Alpe di Siusi Express (route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

Nordic Pass 3 in 7*

Nordic Pass 7*

Nordic Pass 14*

46.00 Euro

65.00 Euro

100.00 Euro

Valid for 7 days (after first use)

Valid for 7 days (after first use)

Valid for 14 days (after first use)

> on 3 days in each case a roundtrip with the Aerial Cableway or the Alpe di Siusi Express (route 10), on the same 3 days unrestricted use of using the Cross-Country Ski Courses Alpe di Siusi/Val Gardena > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

> unrestricted use of using the Cross-Country Ski Courses Alpe di Siusi/Val Gardena, of the Alpe di Siusi Aerial Cableway and the Alpe di Siusi Express (Bus Route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

> unrestricted use of using the Cross-Country Ski Courses Alpe di Siusi/Val Gardena, of the Alpe di Siusi Aerial Cableway and the Alpe di Siusi Express (Bus Route 10) > unrestricted use of the Shuttle Bus Service (Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 5) around the Alpe di Siusi and the Almbus (route 11)

Children (born after 28.11.2007) and persons on wheelchair ride free of charge. Junior (born after 28.11.2009) pays only half fare. The Combi Card and the Nordic Pass are not transferable and are available at all cash desk of the Alpe di Siusi Aerial Cableway, by Tourist Information offices Fiè and Siusi allo Sciliar, by Alpin Sports Company at Castelrotto and at your accommodation. *The Holiday area Alpe di Siusi Live Card, which is not available for purchase and is issued free of charge to the guests by partecipant accommodation, includes a price reduction for the Combi Card and for the Nordic Pass.

Funivia Siusi - Alpe di Siusi SpA 39040 Siusi allo Sciliar · via Sciliar, 39 Tel. 0471 704 270 · Fax 0471 704 269 www.cabinoviasiusi.it · info@cabinoviasiusi.it

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