Austria

By Jules Older I got a lot of surprises in Austria: The enormity of the ski resorts. The state-of-the-art lifts and hyper-powerful snow cannons. The sheer beauty of horizon-to-horizon snow-white peaks. But the biggest surprise came off-piste — in fact, off-mountain. The biggest surprise was a factory tour. After I

By William C. Triplett Whenever I think of Austria, the first thing that comes to mind is an alpine country full of passionate, world-class skiers. I’ve long believed skiing is simply part of national DNA, and that each Austrian is required to be born in a downhill starting gate. It

By Everett Potter It’s a rare treat when you can stay in the boyhood home of one of the greatest figures in the world of alpine skiing. That’s what’s on offer in Haus Hannes Schneider, the childhood home of Hannes Schneider, the “father of modern skiing” … continue reading  

By William Triplett In some ways, “The Sound of Music” did a disservice to Salzburg. Yes, the movie was shot on location and was faithful to the surrounding hills, which are extraordinarily beautiful and very much alive with, well, you know. But there’s so much more to this special city,

By Everett Potter Why on earth would anyone fly across the Atlantic in midwinter to ski in Europe when the Rockies await, closer than the Alps and covered with snow? The simple reason is that a European ski trip offers the opportunity to ski where the sport was born, in

By Everett Potter Images courtesy of Kitzbühel Museum The Austrian ski town of Kitzbühel may be best known in skiing circles for challenges like the men’s World Cup downhill on the Hahnenkamm, one of the most dramatic courses in the sport. But those two minutes aside, it also happens to be

by Bobbie Leigh Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart changed the world. He still “owns”  the Austrian city of  Salzburg where he was born, lived, and performed.  Mozart Week  in January as well as the Salzburg Festival  are  like Wagner’s  Bayreuth, a must on any music lover’s  list.   The  Hollywood film, “Sound of

By Richard West After 27 years as a traveling writer I have concluded that the best way to experience a country–its landscapes, history, cuisine, quirks, people, glimpses of daily life– is via foot, drumming the place into the brain pan on a walking holiday. No one plans and executes it

Vienna is a city on the move, experiencing rapid growth in tourism, and for good reasons. Now it has a new flagship luxury hotel that immediately leapfrogs most of the competition, thanks to an unparalleled location coupled with first-rate rooms and service. It’s the new Park Hyatt property, in a