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Brummell • Travel This page, from top The weather station on Mount Zugspitze, overlooking Iglu-Dorf; the vertiginous Olympic ski-jump, in the same arena where the 1948 Games were held
Club. Three hundred quid has bought them privacy, zip-together sleeping bags and – be still, my beating heart – their own en-suite loo. ‘Happy anniversary, darling. I’ve booked a -1°C room with a chemical toilet. Why the long face?’ I’m still nervous. My igloo is a swinger’s dream. I’m sharing with two young German couples I’ve known for less than an hour and already we’ve a communal waterbed, sheepskin rug and moody lighting. Add in the impending fondue and it can’t get much more Mike Leigh circa 1977. Iglu-Dorf originated in Switzerland 20 years ago, when an ambitious snowboarder, desperate to be first onto virgin piste, built a remote igloo and soon found himself swamped with curious guests. It still employs young mountain addicts. They’re multitaskers, doing everything from serving in the al fresco ice bar with its astonishing views, to leading evening hikes. After the refuelling on gloopy fondue, Michael shepherds us uphill through increasingly deep snow to Windlöche, a viewpoint and a border. Just a few more inches and there’s a sheer 600m drop into Austria. ‘It’s a thin rail,’ he explains, relapsing into another X-rated warning. ‘If you slip, that’s it.’ No one slips, but most people plunge. The on-site hot tub – offering a warming dip in the -15°C air under a blizzard of stars – is the final ingredient in a recipe that ensures a good night’s kip. We’re woken with tea, to watch the moon burning a hole in the dark purple dawn: a chance to catch the cable car for a private breakfast in the summit’s panoramic restaurant. Next door, the extraordinary cylindrical research station is ignited in a gold and pink wash of rising sun. It’s the perfect finale, and – take note, 007 – it’s been expecting you. ● Iglu-Dorf Zugspitze is now open for a limited period, from £87pp a night; iglu-dorf.com