Kühtai

Kühtai lies at the heart of what is Austria's highest wintersports resort. It is accessible from either the Ötztal Valley or from the Sellraintal Valley, a popular base for hikers and mountaineers thanks to its many high mountains. The village itself is made up almost entirely of hotels – but don't let that put you off. If you look at little closer then  there are plenty of little jewels to discover in this place which has existed since the Schwaighof Chutay (Kuhalm) settlement was established in the 13th century. It is this ancient collection of farmsteads which gives the village its name. The ski resort has snowsure pistes stretching all the way up to 2,500 metres above sea level. In summer one of the cable cars – the Drei-Seen-Bahn – remains open and transports hikers up into the high mountains. There is also an interesting themed trail with information boards telling walkers about the long history of mining in the region. Visitors at the end of August can cheer on the participants in the Ötztal Bike Marathon, which climbs up from the Ötztal Valley and then leads down to Innsbruck, over the border to Italy and finally over the Timmelsjoch pass back to the starting point in Sölden at the end of the Ötztal Valley.