The best sun terraces along the 12 Peaks Trophy

Attentive readers of our blog are experts by now on what the ”12 Peaks Trophy“ is exactly and how beautiful this adventure on skis or snowboard can be. Today I would like to take you along the 12 Peaks Trophy again. This time, however, it's all about pure sunshine and culinary delights. What do you mean, stopping off at a mountain hut during the 12 Peaks Trophy? You thought the goal of the 12 Peaks Trophy was to conquer all 12 peaks and 5 valleys as quickly as possible. You're right to a certain extent, of course, but it's also possible to take it easy. After all, if we complete the 12 Peaks Trophy in two days, we get the "red trophy", and if we need three or more days, we get the "blue trophy" :). But now let's stop the theory and get down to practice.

Now I'm also looking forward to wonderful ski days consisting of fun on the slopes and relaxing sunny stops. I have enjoyed a selection of the most beautiful sun terraces along the 12 Peaks Trophy for you. Of course, all the huts in our ski areas are special and worth a visit in any case. So, here we go. We'll see where I enjoy which delicacy and how tanned my face really is after these sunny ski days ;).

St. Johann Gernkogel - Buchauhütte

I start early in the morning with the first stop at the Buchauhütte on the Gernkogel in St. Johann im Pongau. In keeping with Ski Amadé's "sweet temptation" pleasure ski route, instead of a dessert today I enjoy the sweet traditions at the Buchauhütte for breakfast, such as an apple strudel, a curd cheese strudel or the classic Kaiserschmarrn we all know. The local sweet desserts are definitely part of a wonderfully sunny ski day. Here you can get even more inspiration on where to find delicious desserts for your ski day along the "sweet temptation".After the wonderful morning stop at the Buchauhütte in St. Johann Alpendorf, it's back on skis and on along the 12 Peaks Trophy. The wonderful pistes make my heart beat faster. What a perfect day’s skiing. After the first peak, the Gernkogel, I carve further along the piste to the Hirschkogel, to the Sonntagskogel and then to the Spathkogel.From Spathkogel I can already see the beautiful and perfect pistes that await me on Grafenberg. Simply great, pure sunshine.Arriving at the Grafenberg in Wagrain, I now really feel like a bit of "race training". The Ski movie in Wagrain offers the perfect diversion from the piste. Gate after gate, I race down the slope and across the finish line.So, after this action-packed ski movie, I've earned a short break.

Wagrain Grafenberg - Starchenstadl

After the ski movie, I ski down towards the Grafenberg Express. Before I get there, I treat myself to a break on the sun terrace at Starchenstadl. This hut is also part of the "sweet temptation" route. The cosy lounge furniture alongside the hut wall and the beautiful view are simply part of a perfect sunny ski day. So, after a quick drink stop, it's back into the bindings and down to the valley station of the Grafenberg Express II and at the same time the starting point of the G-Link gondola.

After a 10-minute ride in the spectacular G-Link gondola, I arrive at the middle station of the new Flying Mozart gondola lift. The new Flying Mozart gondola really does offer every comfort and lets me float comfortably up to the Griessenkar. After the Flying Mozart, I take the Topliner up to the Topliner mountain and then my stomach starts to rumble. After the Topliner, I take the Kogelalm cable car. This takes me directly to the Gipfelstadl, where I have a late lunch and a cosy end to the first day of the 12 Peaks Trophy.

Flachau Griessenkar - Gipfelstadl

I enjoy a delicious snack with regional delicacies on the wind-protected sun terrace. Mmm, what a treat. In the late afternoon I start thinking about heading back towards Alpendorf, my starting point for today's top ski day. A little tip: at the Gipfelstadl you can enjoy the sun on the mountain until the end and experience a wonderful sunset.

New day, new ski pleasure

Once again today there are top conditions on the slopes and it is sure to be another beautiful day for sun skiing. Today my ski day starts at the Achterjet in Flachau. Afterwards I take the Starjet 3 right up to the Grießenkar. There I enjoy the sun for a few moments. Next I take the Starjet 3 down to the Panorama link gondola. The name says it all on the Panorama link gondola. What a view, simply fantastic

Lumberjackhütte

After the breathtaking ride on the Panorama link gondola, I enjoy the descent to Kleinarl to the valley station of the Champion Shuttle. One sun terrace follows the next, it will be more than a pleasure again today. After the first kilometres on the slopes today, I treat myself to a fine coffee at the Lumberjack Hut and, as a starter for the first hunger pangs, a cheese dumpling soup with delicious fresh vegetables. If you don't know the new Lumberjackhütte yet, you can find more info about it in a previous blog post.So, after a short morning break, I jet on along the slopes from the shuttle mountain in Flachauwinkl/Kleinarl. The Lumberjack shuttle takes me up towards Mooskopf. Now I ski down to the Powder Shuttle. In between, of course, I keep watching the stylish jumps and slides in the Absolutpark in Kleinarl. Of course, I also want to see the spectacular jumps up close, and for this purpose I take the Absolut Shuttle up to the starting point of the Absolut Park.

Hubertusalm - Flachauwinkl

Now I decide to have lunch at the Hubertusalm in Flachauwinkl, from where I can observe the hustle and bustle of the Absolut Park and enjoy the sun. The very centrally located Hubertusalm then offers me the perfect starting point for the remaining planned summits along the 12 Peaks Trophy. Today I treat myself to an absolute hut classic for lunch, namely "Pongauer Kasnockn". Wow, unbelievable how the delicious cheese melts in my mouth, simply a delicious. After this wonderful lunch, I enjoy the sun for a while before heading down the valley to Flachauwinkl to the Sunshine Shuttle, where the shuttle bus to the Highliner 1 is waiting for me. On the Highliner 1 and the Highliner 2, I now leisurely swing over to the Zauchensee ski area.

There, too, wonderful pistes and the last peaks of the 12 Peaks Trophy await me. From the Rosskopf I have a perfect panoramic view of the entire Zauchensee valley basin and beyond. After the Rosskopf, it's down the slopes to the Zauchensee World Cup Arena. From there I take the Gamskogel 1 and Gamskogel 2 chairlifts up to the Gamskogel, from where I can catch a glimpse of the start of the FIS Women's World Cup downhill. It's incredible what the ladies always achieve there, really spectacular. From the top station of Gamskogel 2, I whizz comfortably down to my next sunny stop, the Gamskogelhütte.

Gamskogelhütte - Zauchensee

So, now it's time for a cool drink at the Gamskogelhütte. The deckchairs with a cosy blanket invite you to linger. Wow, I can really unwind there now. Simply perfect.After the Gamskogelhütte, I set off on my skis in the direction of the Tauernkar cable car, with which I reach the last summit of the 12 Peaks Trophy, the Tauernkar.

Rauchkopfhütte - Zauchensee

An incredible weekend is slowly drawing to a close. Arriving at the mountain with the Tauernkarbahn, we now have a small final zirbenschnaps (pine schnapps) in the Rauchkopfhütte to bring the exciting journey along the 12 Peaks Trophy to a worthy end.After around 46 kilometres of piste, 10,000 metres of altitude and wonderful, cosy hut stops, a wonderful, sunny ski weekend comes to an end. What an experience! This is pure relaxation. Summit number 12 on the Tauernkar is, as mentioned, the final point of the 12 Peaks Trophy. Now it's a leisurely return on skis to today's starting point in Flachau.

This time I took a particularly leisurely approach to the 12 Peaks Trophy on this sunny March weekend. For completing the 12 Peaks Trophy in two days, I get the red pole emblem. After registering for the 12 Peaks Trophy via skiline.cc, I proudly receive the pole emblem at the lift ticket office. What an achievement, just cool :).These are now really perfect ski days for sun skiing. All in all, of course, the region has a lot more mountain hut delicacies and perfect ambience to offer. Come and see for yourself, we look forward to your visit. Show us where you like to enjoy the regional hut delicacies and link us with the #bloghuette #salzburgersportwelt.PS: Those of you who don't know the 12 Peaks Trophy yet can find more information here.

Do you still fancy an unforgettable winter holiday with us in the Salzburger Sportwelt? Click your way in. Here you will find everything about our region and great deals. All huts in the entire Salzburger Sportwelt holiday region can be found here. You can read more about all the Ski Amadé pleasure ski routes in the Salzburg Sport World here.

photo credits: Salzburger Sportwelt, Lorenz Masser, Flachau Tourismus, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Tourismus