Dear Guests,

Welcome to Chalet Edelweiss in the beautiful Austrian valley of Pinzgau. The Chaletdorf was built in 2014 and consists of 16 chalets which are all owned independently.

We have decorated our chalet with bits and pieces which have meaning for us -  they are mostly gifts, inherited, acquired on travels or up-cycled objects. We have equipped the chalet and provided services so that you feel welcome, and your stay is as comfortable as possible; the tablet in the kitchen has lots of apps installed with local information - the weather, ski areas, Hohe Tauern, Wikiloc etc..  as well as a Spotify account and a detailed info brochure about the workings of the chalet, which can also be found as a hardcopy in the drawer under the coffee machine. There is high speed wi-fi throughout the house which is connected to the Marshall speaker in the living room. And a selection of books in various languages and a wide assortment of games in the cupboard under the TV. You can enjoy a BBQ in the summer on the downstairs terrace. We just ask that if you discover that something doesn’t work or gets broken, please let your contact person know so that it can be repaired before the next guests arrive. If you use the bread delivery service (see leaflet for instructions on how to order/pay) please note that they leave the bread on the windowsill of the reception area.

The chalet itself is located right on the border of Neukirchen am Grossvenediger and Wald im Pinzgau, although you are closer to the centre of Wald than Neukirchen. It’s a short walk down the hill to the supermarket (Spar) in Wald where they have a great selection of organic food and electric car charging facilities in the car park. The bakery (Bäckerij Schroll) is just across the road from the Spar and next door is the Post Office & Tourist Information Centre which has lots of maps and info. about what to do in the area. You can rent all your sports equipment including electric bikes at Sports & More Unterwurzacher just past the church. Don’t miss the fabulous honey you can buy from Magdalena Vorreiter on the way (she works with an honesty box outside her house, just over the bridge). Every Friday evening in the summer there is a little market on the village square. 

Going down the valley the slopes at Kitzbühel/Pass Thurm are easily accessible from the gondola lift in Hollersbach, and up the valley you have access to the Zillertal arena from Krimml or Königsleiten. The Zillertal ski pass gives you free access to the Gerlospass toll road which is the quickest and safest way to get there by car in the winter. For those with younger children the Wildkogel Arena is a super safe place to learn to ski/explore and just 5 minutes down the road in Neukirchen. There is usually all-year-round skiing  (except August & depending on snow conditions) about 40 minutes away on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Kaprun. For the more adventurous skiers, you can arrange tour skiing with Gunter Unterwurzacher and even ski down from the Grossvenediger – usually possible at the end of the season in March/April. The cross-country ski paths are well maintained and easy to follow if you prefer this form of skiing. And Bramberg hosts the longest toboggan run in Europe!

As well as skiing, there is fantastic summer and winter walking in the area. Some of our favourite summer walks are up the back of the chalet to the Steineralm for their delicious food and views out over Grossvenediger. They seem to be one of the few alms still open in October if the weather is still good. In August there are loads of bilberries and chanterelles to be found on the way. Walking up to the top of the Gernkogel you’ll find raspberries in the summer and in Oct./Nov. there are cranberries just below the top. In winter, walking up to the Krimml waterfalls, the highest in Europe, with all the icicles is spectacular.

If you like a hiking challenge, Grossvenediger at 3657m is the highest mountain in the Venediger/Venice Group and is easily accessible from the chalet. The Venediger Group is the most glaciated mountain group in the Hohe Tauern and according to legend, local shepherds first saw the huge, shiny ice mass of these mountains and thought they saw a lake with a city, hence the name Venice. You can ask Gunter Unterwurzacher in Wald to arrange a mountain guide & equipment for you which is necessary to get across the glaciers. There are loads of amazing huts to stay in if you fancy a longer hike – we can highly recommend the Zittauer Hütte which is situated at 2690m on a beautiful lake. And maybe lastly, one of our teenage kids’ favourites is hiking up the Obersulzbachtal with a tent to the Seebachsee and camping in the wild up there – there’s a lovely flat place to erect your tent, right on the edge of the glacial lake which is a refreshing swim after the hike up there or a cold wake-up call in the morning!

If you have any question, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

With love, Tony and Jill