But we'll explore everything at the hotel bit by bit. After renting our ski equipment right next door at Sport Jug, we set off on foot. Finally, my moon boots are getting some use again! You can choose from various routes on groomed hiking trails: a short loop with a walking time of 20 minutes, a medium loop with a walking time of one hour (which we take), and a long loop with a walking time of two and a half hours to Körbersee and back, which we unfortunately don't have time for, and it's already starting to get dark. So we march from the Jägeralpe to the Hochtannberg Pass and back around the Simmel. It's a beautiful trail, and cross-country skiers are also out on the trail here. It's nice to walk through the snow like this, but at the same time our legs are tingling and we're looking forward more and more to our first day of skiing tomorrow.

Have you ever been moon biking? We haven't, and we have to admit that we didn't even know what the term meant before today. But that's about to change. At 5 p.m., we take our seats on electric moon bikes in the neighboring Moon Bike Park, just a five-minute walk through the snow from the Hotel Jägeralpe. Riding the moon bikes actually looks quite easy, but don't be fooled! They are pretty fast (up to just over 40 km/h!) and steering in deep snow is not easy at all! It's definitely fun to race through the deep snow, but you have to learn how to handle the bikes first. That's why they are only suitable for young people aged 14 and over.

The Warth-Schröcken ski resort is huge and offers a wide variety of slopes. For us intermediate skiers, there are countless red and blue slopes, and for more professional skiers looking for even more of a challenge, there are also a few black slopes. The slopes are covered with snow using state-of-the-art technology, but there is also enough natural snow. This guarantees snow from December to April. The perfect north-facing location further increases the snow reliability. And if Warth-Schröcken, with its 15 mountain railways and lifts and 62 kilometers of slopes, is still not enough for you and you want even more variety, since 2013 you can ski throughout the entire Ski Arlberg area, Austria's largest contiguous ski resort. Ski Arlberg is an association of the three ski areas Warth-Schröcken, St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben, as well as Lech/Oberlech/Zürs, with a total of 300 kilometers of ski runs and 85 mountain railways and lifts.

On average, 9 meters of snow falls here each season in the border triangle between Vorarlberg, Tyrol, and Allgäu. There is currently a lot of snow for us, but from a local perspective, not much. We all agree that the temperatures are freezing (down to minus 23 degrees Celsius). The only thing that helps is skiing!

The ski resort also offers a host of other highlights that are sure to delight all skiers.

Sporting highlights such as the famous Run of Fame, an 85-kilometer ski circuit through the entire Arlberg region, offer an unforgettable experience for endurance winter sports enthusiasts. The Skimovie trail, where your own descent is recorded on video, and the Speed Check, which measures your maximum speed and displays it on a scoreboard, provide action and a personal analysis of your own performance. Families and children are also well catered for: while Pauli's Kinderland in Warth is the ideal place for children to take their first turns, the spacious Salober Kinderland in Schröcken offers everything young skiers need for a fun start. Finally, the perfect day of skiing is rounded off with a visit to the Panorama Photopoint, where you can have your photo taken against the impressive backdrop of the mountains and take the memory home with you in digital form.

On our first day of skiing, we don't explore the Warth-Schröcken ski resort alone, but with ski guide Hubert from the Warth Ski School, who, as we gradually discover over the course of the day, is not only a local legend but also an international celebrity. He didn't tell us this himself, but we found out for ourselves: a professional skier smiles at us from the gondola of a mountain railway. “I know him!” says Andi. “That's my son,” replies Hubert. Johannes Strolz, a ski racer specializing in slalom and giant slalom and triple medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, is one of the three biggest celebrities to come out of the small town of Warth. In the next gondola, unmistakable, albeit a little younger: Hubert himself! “Did you win any medals too?” we ask him. He did! And now it dawns on us where his successful son inherited his talent from. Hubert also won many prizes as a professional ski racer. One of his greatest successes was certainly his Olympic victory in Calgary in 1988.

We really enjoy spending the day with Hubert on the slopes. He tells us all about the ski resort and the region, for example, how ski tourism has developed since his childhood. Hubert really knows everyone here, and everyone knows him. And they love this friendly and down-to-earth man, who is not only an Olympian and ski instructor, but also works on the family farm as a farmer and host for vacationers.

On the second day of skiing, we have to manage without Hubert. This is not a problem, as he has shown us everything we need to know. We find our way around easily and keep combining different trails, lifts, and runs, so that even after several days of skiing, we never get bored. Hubert also showed us where to stop for lunch to warm up with something hot and thaw out a little (which is really necessary when it's more than 20 degrees below zero!), for example at the Berggasthof Körbersee. The hut (hotel and inn) cannot be reached by road, only on foot or by ski.

Every day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Saturdays), you can learn about the traditions and history of Warth, which was first mentioned in documents in 1412, in an original Walser house. The area was settled many centuries ago by people from the Swiss canton of Valais. The Walser houses, named after them, were all built in the same style. The Kultur Stuba Lädele is owned by the municipality of Warth and is located directly opposite the church in the center of the village. Here you can not only learn how people lived and farmed here in the past, but you can also purchase attractive regional specialties for yourself or as souvenirs. Right next door is the small ski museum. Here, of course, we meet Hubert and Johannes Strolz again. And now we also find out who the third Warth celebrity is: Wiltrud Drexel, who won the bronze medal in giant slalom at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. All the medals are on display here.

What else can you do on an active family vacation in Warth?

The Dorfbahn in Warth offers much more than mountain views and altitude. It is an ideal starting point for winter walks and fun tobogganing adventures. The 8-seater gondola takes you up to the top, where well-groomed winter hiking trails start and a toboggan run leads directly back to the village. Those who prefer a more active approach can also walk uphill. The entrance to the winter hiking trail is opposite the Wäldermetzge in Warth. Sleds can be easily rented at the Dorfbahn valley station or in local sports shops.

A real highlight is the weekly tobogganing evening. A tractor takes everyone safely and comfortably to the starting point before they speed downhill – through curves, over fast straights and relaxed to the finish. At the end, mulled wine awaits the adults and children's punch for the little tobogganers.

In Schröcken, too, weekly evening tobogganing awaits young and old alike: the 2 km long, illuminated toboggan run takes you from the Nesslegg district down to Heimboden. Want to go again? Then hop on the toboggan bus and head back to the start!

In the village of Warth, you can also go ice skating in the afternoon on the frozen and cleared village lake. We'll try that next time!