Carinthia, the southernmost federal state of Austria, has long established itself in skiing circles for its combination of well-prepared pistes, thermal springs and fine Carinthian wines. The largest ski resorts, Bad Kleinkirchheim and Nassfeld, occupy an honorable place in Austrian winter tourism on a par with the popular resorts of Salzburgerland and Tyrol.
It takes less than 2 hours to get to Bad Kleinkirchheim on the A10 Tauern Autobahn from Salzburg Airport - just a stone's throw away. The first tourists probably spent much more time on this - they came to Bad Kleinkirchheim "on the waters" back in the 11th century. The resort was already a well-known holiday destination, although the Roman Empire knew about it even earlier. In 1492 thermal springs were discovered and the first chapel was built nearby. Later, around 1670, water began to flow through wooden conduits into specially equipped baths, called the Baths of St. Catherine. The chapel was rebuilt and has survived to this day.
Of course, now the main magnet for tourists who come to Bad Kleinkirchheim in winter are not only the thermal baths, but also 103 km of prepared trails and 25 modern lifts. The highest point of the entire region is Mount Kaiserburg (2055 m), from here the trails lead to the center of the town and finish almost in the outdoor pool of the Römerbad thermal complex. By the way, the slogan of Bad Kleinkirchheim sounds like this: "Ski or thermal baths? You always have a choice." However, what choice can there be if the local skiing region impresses with its descents of 3-4 thousand meters with an elevation difference of more than 800 meters, and most of the tracks - 77 km - are "red", that is, medium difficulty?
However, there are also trails for beginners - their length is 18 km, they are mainly located in the area of the Pridref mountain (1963 m), but there are also "black" slopes - in the upper part of the Kaiserburg, as well as the Franz Klammer trail, named after Olympic champion in 1976.
In addition to the breathtaking slopes and bathing in the thermal baths, Bad Kleinkirchheim offers all known winter activities: cross-country skiing, hiking trails, tobogganing on the Rodelbahn track, horseback riding and dog sledding, and after-skiing in numerous mountain restaurants and bars, etc. One of these "catering points" is the Rossalmhütte restaurant, located right on one of the routes from Kaiserburg. Here, as in many other places, they serve a traditional dish called Frigga - fried potatoes with bacon, drenched in egg and cheese. At the end of a day of intense and productive skiing, Frigga perfectly satisfies your hunger. However, not a single dish of Austrian cuisine will satisfy the thirst for skiing from the mountains - recipes for this have not yet been invented.
A rather exotic novelty awaits the guests of the resort this season - the Thermen Cube sauna, located right on one of the ski slopes in the ski area of St. Oswald. Externally, the sauna looks like a glazed cube, inside there is an infrared cabin with an air aromatizer. From the cabin, there will be a direct connection with a specialist at one of the two thermal baths in Bad Kleinkirchheim, who will be able to give some valuable advice or sign up for a massage.
In addition, for those who do not want to wait for a visit to the massage room in the valley, a cabin with two massage chairs will be installed on one of the slopes of the Pridröf mountain. As conceived by the administration of the resort, such a "trick" will help to quickly recuperate those who are tired of the constant "plowing" on the ski slopes. In addition to the sauna, four snow-lounges will appear in the local skiing region, installed in the best observation points of the entire region.
The owners of the local hotels keep up with the owners of the Bad Kleinkirchheim pistes. For example, the hotel "Kirchheimer Hof" spent 1.2 million. Euro for new family suites, where children will get their own sleeping area called Murmelbau (Groundhog mink). Each of these suites will have its own name - after the name of the mountain or ski slope. The suites are decorated with cedar wood, which, according to the latest research, has a beneficial effect on the heart during sleep. In addition to the family suites, the hotel will also have a "themed" hotel room "All About Franz Klammer", which will be equipped with original accessories in the form of photographs, real Kaiser Franz skis and casts of his palms. This room will appeal to fans of the ski idol.
If we are talking about the legends of alpine skiing, then it is impossible not to mention the great sport that Bad Kleinkirchheim will visit on January 10-11, 2015. It was at this time that the races of one of the stages of the Alpine Skiing World Cup will be held here - women will compete for a set of awards in downhill and super-giant competitions. As always, within the framework of the stage, guests of the resort will enjoy discos, performances of local pop stars and a sea of hot gluwein.
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And the tour operator TezTour will help you to spend the post-New Year holidays in this wonderful place. Moreover, with a direct flight from Moscow to Salzburg, from where the resorts are just a stone's throw away. Departure dates - 2015-03-01 and 2015-10-01.
