Alpe di Siusi Magazine

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
W
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.
Winter | ALPE 3
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
4 ALPE | Winter
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
Winter | ALPE 5
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
6 ALPE | Winter
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 »
Winter | ALPE 7
8 ALPE | Winter
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. »
Winter | ALPE 9
10 ALPE | Winter
“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.
Winter | ALPE 11
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
12 ALPE | Winter
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- »
Winter | ALPE 13
14 ALPE | Winter
A winter dream dressed in white:
Europe’s largest high mountain plateau.
Winter | ALPE 15
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.
16 ALPE | Winter
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.
T
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
Winter | ALPE 17
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
18 ALPE | Winter
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.
Winter | ALPE 19
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
20 ALPE | Winter
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
Kopřivnice, 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 Kopřivnice 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.
Winter | ALPE 21
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.
22 ALPE | Winter
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.
Winter | ALPE 23
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.
24 ALPE | Winter
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.
26 ALPE | Winter
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
Winter | ALPE 27
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
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of
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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
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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.
th
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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