On the first Sunday of the year, we set off early in the morning. In just over an hour from Kitzbühel, we reached the small village of Kals, 1300 metres above sea level and well hidden in a side valley behind the Grossglockner. Compared to the Gamsstadt, the village of Großdorf in Kals was almost eerily quiet. All the better for a freeride exploration tour. As there were still thick clouds on the Kals side, we decided to spend the morning on the Matrei side of the Großglockner Resort, as the resort created by the merger is officially called. So we took the new gondola lift straight up to Cimaross, which at 2621 metres is the highest point in the ski resort. Even during the gondola ride, the northern flank of the 2702 metre-high Gorner was incredibly attractive to me. It was just too bad that it hadn't snowed for 10 days. Later in the season, this flank must allow for some real dream lines.
Matrei - sun and powder
Sunshine and the odd powder slope awaited us on the Matrei side. We climbed to the summit of the Gorner in around thirty minutes. The Matrei west-south-west slopes are less exposed than the Kals flank, but they were just right for the snow situation on Sunday.
While wide slopes above the tree line in Matrei are generally ideal for speed lines, treeskiing is particularly popular to the right and left of the Cimaross chairlift. The sparse larch forest was almost reminiscent of the French Maritime Alps.
On Monday, the weather finally allowed us to take a closer look at the Kals side. Unfortunately, it must have been extremely windy here in the previous days, so we couldn't even come close to utilising the freeride potential of the area. But the possible variations alone, which we were able to see without delving deeper into the terrain, awakened our wildest fantasies.
To the right and left of the Cimaross gondola, there are wide open slopes right next to the pistes, which are also ideal for freeride beginners. Treeski freaks can let off steam for days on end, especially between the two sub-areas of Bauspitze and Cimaross. And if I had to find a nickname for Kals, it would certainly be "Pillow-Line-Village". Rarely before have I seen so many pillow lines in a single area right next to lifts or pistes as on the sunny side of the Grossglockner.
So there are plenty of reasons to head to Kals when the news reports say: "Lots of fresh snow in East Tyrol!"
