PEAK PERFORMACES AT OVER 3,000M IN THE ÖTZTAL VALLEY

I had some unfinished business in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl; the last time I had skied at this very resort was in November 2024 during the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Race, where the likes of Mikaela Shiffrin and Dave Ryding were competing on the Kirchenkar race slope. At that time, seated upon a chair lift, Dominik my ski-instructor had pointed his ski-stick towards ‘Top Mountain Star’ and said your goal is to ski down from there.

On that ski trip, I never managed to reach the panoramic glass-walled bar/ restaurant he was indicating; this barely visible dot silhouetted on the Wurmkogel mountain’s rocky, narrow ridgeline high above me at 3,030m, boasting epic 360-degree vistas across the Ötztal Alps and Italian Dolomites, remained just that, a ‘dot’ on the landscape.

Fast-forward 17-months, Shiffrin had taken a gold-medal at Milano-Cortina 2026 and Ryding had retired post-Games leaving behind a distinguished career, but I still had the burning ambition to ski the 5km run from Top Mountain Star’s eye-watering 3,030m elevation, dropping 1,260m all the way down to Top Mountain Crosspoint Restaurant & Museum. Alongside this goal was another ambition, to watch ‘Hannibal Glacier Spectacle’ - a contemporary retelling of Hannibal’s historic crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, performed at 3,000m on the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden.

Sölden’s ode to James Bond 

My preparation on this visit, began on the slopes of Sölden, a little further down the valley from Hochgurgl and basing myself in one of the Alp’s premier hotel and spas - Aqua Dome in Längenfeld – featuring 20,000 sqm of thermal spas, saunas, outdoor and indoor pools, all of which formed part of my training, recovery and rehabilitation to take on the Wurmkogel. 

Sölden has 146km of available slopes, a duo of glacial ski areas and three ski mountains over 3,000m to carve your own path on. One of which – the Gaislachkogl Peak – is now indelibly linked to the James Bond film ‘Spectre’, where several key scenes were filmed. A dramatic sweep of the jagged snow-topped Ötztal Alps are reflected in ICE Q Restaurant's window façade, a striking futuristic masterpiece of glass and steel which served as the ‘Hoffler Klinik’ in the movie.

Beside ICE Q, is the cinematic installation ‘007 Elements’, a lasting legacy and homage to the world's most famous secret agent. Within its bunker-like concrete exhibition spaces are high-tech and interactive displays, bringing the film and unique universe of 007 to life. Both ICE Q and 007 Elements have several viewing platforms offering a symbiotic connection to nature, but also offer an eye-line to the Rettenbach Glacier Road, where the film’s high-intensity and high-speed car chase scene took place.

I was to get even closer to that famous car chase location, as ski-piste no.30 runs, in part, parallel to the road and starts at the Rettenbach Glacier, providing me with a long, sweeping and scenic valley route which spans some 15km in total, down to the Gaislachkogl base station. As I clipped my skis into place to set-off, dancers were practising their moves on the glacier's stepped pyramidal stage, a structure made of ice and snow, the centrepiece to the evenings performance of ‘Hannibal’, which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Hannibal – A Spectacle on Sölden’s Glacier

As evening descended on the glacier, a lone figure stood atop the ziggurat-shaped stage, creating a buzz in the audience. Each tier of this snowy structure was gently lit, giving the sense it was levitating; flakes of snow began to fall on the 6,000 spectators as the unmistakable sound of a helicopter turned heads skyward. Dangling from its belly, a performer moved with serpentine twists and turns, trailing a long ribbon billowing from the draft of rotating blades. The legend of Hannibal and this contemporary re-creation of his trek across the Alps, with his elephants and army of soldiers, was underway.

Rising-up from the dark, the grand crucible of mountains surrounding the stage were illuminated by fireworks and skiers snaking down the mountain-side with torches in-hand, even the cable-cars glowed like night stars. In addition to the helicopter, the production used motorbikes, snow-mobiles, extreme skiers to acrobatically tell each chapter of the story – every part of the ski area came alive in synchronicity. Maybe the highlight was the procession of snow-groomers moving in single-file, reflecting the melodic plod of elephants rising across the alps led by Hannibal to conquer Rome and thus prove to the Romans, that the Alps was not an impassable barrier.

As the last firework burst to life on the highest ridge point and ‘Hannibal’ was carried away by helicopter, the Rettenbach glacier returned to dark, silence and its freezing solitude. This grand production would now hibernate until the next edition.

Conquering the Wurmkogel

Hochgurgl is one of Europe’s highest ski resorts in the Alps, guaranteeing snow even in the latter part of April. On a sunny day, every part of the resort rewards visitors with life-affirming vistas, especially from the Hohe Mut Alm hut on the western side of the ski resort. 

It was Dave Ryding, who recommended taking coffee at this particular hut, a place he ventured in the early morning when he was training or competing in Gurgl. From the hut’s sun terrace at 2,670m, there is a panorama of 21 peaks over 3,000m, sending endorphin levels soaring. 

Criss-crossing the resort from west to east by gondola, and then ascending the Wurmkogel chairlift, Manuel my ski guide traced the zig-zagging path we were about to ski with his finger. Sunlight sliced the crisp alpine air as I pushed off from the Top Mountain Star, heart stuttering between trepidation and thrill; the first kilometre full of tentative turns brought me below the narrow ledges, but now facing the steepest incline marked by moguls, concentration was needed to even carve slow shallow arcs. Beyond this the slope unravelled into a wide open basin with kilometres of terrain ahead, now a shift in speed and the ability to take wide sweeps of the piste allowed me to take-in the majesty of the landscape and freedom of the sport. 

Soon, the wavey roof of Top Mountain Crosspoint, was ahead of me, another architecturally refined building, its outer sinuous lines reflecting the landscape and inside the passion of its owners with one of the world’s great motorcycle museums. The Ötztal Valley holds many surprises, not least that I had made it down safely, and my mission for this ski season was complete.