It all starts at Café Happy End opposite the Penkenbahn cable car. Thomas "Beckna" Eberharter is sipping his morning coffee there as we stumble in the door. Thomas is modest and reserved. However, this impression is deceptive, as a living snowboarding legend is sitting at the bar stool in front of us.
Born in Mayrhofen, he played a decisive role in shaping the beginnings of the snowboard scene in Austria and was one of the first Austrian snowboard professionals to compete internationally. His snowboard trips have taken him around the world and back to the Zillertal. He still snowboards there almost every day when he is not taking his children to school, being booked as a photographer or welcoming guests to his parents' hotel and inn. Despite his busy schedule, Thomas is taking a day out today to show us his Mayrhofen.
Where else can you meet Thomas early in the morning? After Thomas has taken his children to school in the morning, he likes to have a coffee at the Kostner bakery in the centre of Mayrhofen. The bakery has been remodelled and is now a veritable coffee house with excellent cakes and great service. But why does everyone actually call him "Beckna"? Because his grandfather and uncle were bakers - which gave rise to the nickname "Beckna" among snowboarding friends. How fitting.
In less than ten minutes, the brand new Penkenbahn cable car takes us from the centre of Mayrhofen up to the ski area. A short chairlift ride later, we are at the start of the steepest ski slope here, the Harakiri. We take it with us on the way to the snow park. Thomas glides down the steep slope with the ease of a beginner's piste.
We take the Sun-Jet up to the starting point of the snow park. When Thomas talks about the Penken Park, he does so with the kind of matter-of-factness with which others talk about their living room equipment. Thomas started snowboarding at the end of the 80s. He and his friends laid the foundations for today's snowpark. "We spent a week digging a halfpipe and building small jumps ourselves with a shovel and ten of us. Who would have dreamed back then that the sport would become so established and that there would now be a ski lift specifically for the fun park?"
Not least because of this snow park, Mayrhofen is today in the snowboard and freeski scene what Kitzbühel is for alpine skiers: world-famous. There are certainly bigger and longer parks elsewhere, says Thomas, but thanks to the lift, snowboarders and freeskiers can have much more extensive "sessions" here than anywhere else.
Many sports fans from the snow park and onlookers stop off at the Grillhofalm right next door. Thomas shows us the elegant Schneekarhütte, which offers everything from classic hut rooms to elegant suites. He likes to eat here with his wife and two children, and his culinary tip is the tarte flambée. Incidentally, many of the ingredients on the menu come from the hotel's own organic mountain farm, and the coffee for our after-dinner cappuccino is fairly traded. The prices are accordingly: Upscale, but fair.
Other tips from Thomas include Christa's Skialm on the Penkenjoch and the Gschösswandhaus on a perky rocky outcrop with a view over the Zillertal. When it comes to culinary delights, he also recommends the Ahornhütte on the opposite side of the valley.
Seen from here, the Schneekarhütte is blurred by high fog. On a cloudless day, the Schneekar is a beautiful vantage point, says Thomas: "Because you have a 270-degree panorama of the Zillertal main ridge. Across the Penkenjoch, you can look directly at the Tristner, the Grünberg, the Zsigmondyspitze and you can simply see the Zillertal Alps in all their splendour. The view is really spectacular, I have to say. Even though I grew up here: On a really good weather day, when the snow is glistening and the sun is shining, it still makes my heart beat faster." You can also sense this enthusiasm when browsing through his Instagram page becknaphoto - where Thomas posts new, incredibly beautiful landscape photos from the Zillertal every few days.
"The Hörhager family with the Mountain Shop on the main road are also absolutely competent in everything to do with alpinism. They themselves are passionate athletes at the highest amateur level," says Thomas. Junior boss Patrick Hörhager has taken part in and won several extreme relay competitions such as the Dolomitenmann in East Tyrol or RISE&FALL in Mayrhofen with his paraglider. "So they know what they're talking about and don't sell you any rubbish," adds Thomas, "I think that's authentic and that's how it should be done." Thomas also bought his new rucksack here. Patrick shows him how the avalanche rucksack system works in an emergency. Customers can also find the (almost) indestructible sunglasses from a Tyrolean company here.
Later, we meet one of Thomas Eberharter's snowboarding colleagues: Wolfgang "Wolle" Nyvelt has developed a kind of surfboard for the snow, which he and his colleagues build here in Mayrhofen and sell worldwide. There is hardly anything comparable in the whole of Austria and Wolle enthusiastically explains the intricacies of his so-called Äsmo Pow-Surfer, with which you can literally surf in deep snow - provided you have the right riding skills.
Anyone looking for accommodation in Mayrhofen will find everything here - from bed and breakfasts to luxury hotels. Thomas' accommodation tip for discerning guests is the four-star Elisabeth Hotel run by the Moigg family. "Because I think it has made the leap from tradition to modernity, has remained authentic and is not too expensive. It comes at a price, but it's definitely worth it," says Thomas.
We end the day in Mayrhofen with Thomas' parents - in the restaurant of the cosy 3-star Hotel Landhaus Carla directly opposite the terminus of the historic Zillertal Railway.
Thomas is also happy to give personal tips to guests staying here: "What makes us Zillertaler special is simply this extra service for our guests. There is certainly a lot of tourism. But we still look at the personality of our guests and cater to their individual needs. In the morning, depending on the weather, I can give them my tips. And I think people really like that." Typical Thomas, pure understatement.
