Skiing at sunrise
Freshly groomed slopes, a breathtaking sunrise and a delicious breakfast - the perfect ingredients for an unforgettable day's skiing.
For skiers, there is probably nothing better than making their first tracks undisturbed on the freshly groomed slopes. And when this is accompanied by an impressive sunrise, happiness is perfect.
The best thing about it? You just have to get up early. True to the motto "the early bird catches... the grooves", Silvretta Montafon offers you the opportunity to strap on your skis before the official start of the cable cars and enjoy this unforgettable experience at 2,000m above sea level. As if the experience on the slopes wasn't enough, getting up early is then rewarded with a hearty mountain breakfast.
Gondola romance on the Valisera cable car
It's 5 a.m. on a Friday morning, not really my time to get up. But at the thought of the silence of the mountains and the sun rising over the peaks, I'm out of bed faster than the alarm clock can ring. The first Nova Exclusive of the season is coming up. That means letting the edges glide over the grooves and making the first turns on the empty slopes before the lift officially opens.
It is still dark when we arrive at the meeting point at the Valisera valley station in St. Gallenkirch at 7.30 am. Everything is still quiet here. The eerie silence in the morning is only broken by the familiar clacking of ski boots on the ground. Slowly, more early risers come together to form a small group. Our guides from the Silvretta Montafon ski school greet us, still a little sleepy, but with a warm smile. After a short briefing on the procedure, we're off. Skis over our shoulders and into the gondola up to the Nova.
It is slowly getting dark in the valley, my gaze wanders over the panorama and I listen to the words of the guide next to me as I sip the warming tea. I already know many of the peaks here, but I'm always learning something new. I notice how my attention slowly turns to something else and the words fade more and more into the background. I am too distracted by the sight. I can hardly believe my luck. The sky is getting more and more colorful and above us lies a sea of yellow-orange clouds. I can hardly get enough of it. And the others feel the same way. It's not just the skiing that unites us, now it's also the broad smiles on our faces and the sparkle in our eyes.
Piste happiness on freshly groomed slopes
And then it's finally time to get out of the gondola and onto the skis. We split up into small groups, tailored to our skiing ability - so that everyone can keep up at their own comfortable speed. And to make sure we ski the slopes safely - after all, the slopes are actually still closed - each group is led by a guide. A short warm-up exercise and then we're off.
The feeling of having the slopes all to yourself and letting your skis glide over the ruts is hard to put into words. It is a unique mixture of peace, freedom and enjoyment. And while each of us has enough space on the wide slopes, I stop every now and then to enjoy the panorama. The sun slowly creeps over the peaks opposite and makes the snow glisten in front of me.
Joint mountain breakfast in the Nova Stoba
Time has passed far too quickly and the slopes are slowly filling up. The first lifts have now officially opened. This calls for a well-deserved break. It's a good thing that a mountain breakfast is included in the sunrise rides. A sumptuous breakfast buffet with a wide selection of regional products awaits us in the Nova Stoba. Eggs, muesli, yogurt, Kaiserschmarrn, ... everything your heart desires. And a cup of coffee, which tastes even better with a mountain view.
And then it's black time. Freshly fortified for the Black Scorpions, we head back to the ski area. I love black slopes and now I want to ski them as well as several other kilometers of slopes.
As the saying goes: "the last will be first and the first will be last". With this in mind, we really enjoyed the day in the Silvretta Montafon ski area and made the most of it right up to the last minute.
An unforgettable experience that I can hardly describe in this article. You simply have to experience it for yourself.
The most important facts about sunrise cruises at a glance
On which days do the sunrise rides in the Silvretta Montafon take place?
Sunrise rides take place three times a week from the end of December to the end of March.
- Nova Exklusiv: Every Friday
- Hochjoch Totale: Every Wednesday
- Ländle Früah Sport: Every Saturday
