A region reinvents itself

Revival on the Arlberg

Mountain villages around the world are threatened with extinction because the younger generation seeks the distance, while the older generation stays behind. But that’s not the case for the small Walser villages of Warth and Schröcken, located between Bregenzerwald and Arlberg. This is where the creative revival is taking place at the moment.

By Monika Neiheisser

First boutique destination in the Alps

Since the merger of the ski resorts Warth-Schröcken with Lech Zürs and St Anton, the two alpine villages, which together count a population of 400, have awoken from their slumber and are showing themselves to be as down-to-earth as they are creative. The first boutique destination in the Alps is born, with a high-quality and selected range of offers, which conveys a whole new winter feeling, even off the slopes.

Ulrike loves to lead holiday guests on snowshoes through the lonely nature around the Körbersee because she is not only the hotel manager but also an enthusiastic winter hiking guide. 20-year-old Jan tests the fun factor of this trend sport, which was probably a practical way of getting around for people in the Neolithic Age almost six thousand years ago.

Jan and guide Ulrike trudge through the fresh snow on the Hochtannberg Pass with their legs wide apart and crunching loudly. The fresh cheese flatbread snacks lure them to the Berghotel Körbersee, their destination, which lies lonely and deep in snow away from the Warth-Schröcken ski area. Here, the view falls on the striking Biberkopf, the southernmost mountain of the Allgäu and on the 2,649 m high Braunarlspitze, the highest mountain of the Bregenzerwald. The Juppenspitze rests quietly in the half-snow-covered Kalbelesee but Jan's heartbeat is far from peaceful. Using the duckstep, that leaves a herringbone pattern, he climbs steeply uphill. At an altitude of 1,650 m, going further becomes a challenge.

Ulrike points to the camouflage tent peeking between tall spruces, "This is where the black grouse are observed, which have recently been resettled." Clouds of mist envelop the trees and the only wooden house far and wide. The charming path turns into an adventurous terrain and Jan is delighted to have Ulrike by his side as a local guide. She is visibly nostalgic as she reminisces how she walked the route countless times after dark, as a teenager – after partying in Warth. The forty-year-old grew up in the hotel directly on the Körbersee, which was built by her grandfather with the foresight that a connecting road to Lech would be built there. A project that was never realised. Today the corner is a gem, where the only neighbouring house is 300 metres away, a holiday home that was planned as a road warden's house.

With the cargo cable car to school

The handover of the hotel from Fritz and Marianne Schlierenzauer to daughter Ulrike has been a slow gradual process. However, on this day she and Jan are enjoying the cheese flatbread snacks that Mother Marianne has prepared, a shortcrust pastry with a fluffy cheese and onion layer, the house speciality. During the meal, son Raphael raves about his daily trip to school: he takes the cargo cable car down to the valley, and comes back at lunchtime, sometimes bringing a friend with him. Mark van Landeghem's luggage was also brought with the cable car up to the idyllic hotel for more than forty years. He was one of the many regulars there until he permanently relocated from Belgium. Today he hunts with his sled dogs on the winter hiking trails of the Salober. All of them are "difficult" huskies from animal shelters all over Europe.

The dog whisperer gives them a second chance at life and guests can gain their first musher experience under his guidance. This adventure attracts Jan and the next day he is standing on the sled runners on which he whizzes through the white splendour – with a tingling sensation in his stomach. Relaxation is the magic word for a harmonious coexistence between man and animal because the sensitive dogs with the thick fur can feel if the people are agitated. The game of weight shifting, correct handling of the brakes and ground anchoring when stopping needs to be practiced. What is scary at first turns out to be a fun experience with thrills on every turn, because the danger of the sled tipping over is particularly high here, and it’s the biggest challenge for Jan.

To relax, he trudges up the Simmel at sunset, a small mountain on the Hochtannberg Pass whose summit is adorned with one of the few World Peace Crosses. There he enjoys the silence and the play of colours in the sun, which bathes the snowy landscape of the Vorarlberg in a golden light.

Revival of the old Dairy house

After so much activity, the young athlete enjoys hand scraped Kässpätzle (German traditional regional dish which consists of small noodles and cheese) in the newly opened restaurant "Altes Sennhaus" in Warth. The Sojer family, operators of the Lechtal natural cheese dairy in nearby Steeg, have breathed new life into the old dairy building. The 17^th century house had been closed for almost 20 years. Today, after its detailed renovation by the dairy family, it shows the development in Warth from agriculture to tourism like no other building. In the centre of the restaurant is a black lacquered cheese kettle, on which homemade dairy products and regional delicacies are offered for sale. The young generation, Fabian and Madeleine Sojer with partner Pascal, has been running the restaurant and the small salesroom with heart and soul since last winter. Madeleine is beaming, "The biggest motivation is working here in a family business where everyone helps out." Also, while she takes care of the guests, mum Daniela looks after the two children (two and five years old) and dad Kurt stands at the cheese kettle, which processes the milk from the small farmers around Steeg.

From ski racer to organic farmer

Four dairy farmers from Warth also deliver their milk to Kurt Sojer every morning. One of them is Olympic champion Hubert Strolz. He manages the farm, which has been passed down in his family for generations. The former ski racer, who has been on the podium 34 times, starts his day every morning shortly after 5 a.m. by feeding and milking his 10 cows. First the checked shirt, then the ski boots. He spends the rest of the day with the guests, on or off the slopes as a ski instructor and ski guide. After that, it's back to the barn. At 7 p.m. it's closing time. A long day's work but Hubert beams with satisfaction, "I am in a blessed place where I live and work in a harmonious environment. I am at home in paradise." It is important to the well-travelled Olympian to continuously develop what generations before him have built up. As an active ski racer, son Johannes is following in his father's ski footsteps. Will he take over the organic farm one day? The 59-year-old laughs, "If he wants to."