Paid first tracks are nothing new. Resorts have been offering pre-opening runs for an extra charge for years at this point. First tracks like those at Hochfügen, in the Ziller Valley in Austria, though, are a little hard to come by.
Rather than early access to a chairlift, Hochfügen offers a sort of on-resort cat skiing experience. The groomer takes you near the top of the resort, and a short, guided hike takes you even further up. From there, before anyone else has made their way onto the mountain, you drop into some beautiful, endless Austrian Alp’s powder, all for you (and the six other people you happen to be with).
Okay, early morning cat ski laps is, also, not entirely unheard of. The cool part of Hochfügen’s cat ski lap is, well, the cat itself. Rather than sitting inside a cabin in the back, guests sit in a bubble lift-like seating arrangement attached to the front of the vehicle, where the plow would normally be.
My only complaint about cat skiing adventures (and this is super minimal, cat skiing is incredibly cool all around) is the claustrophobia created by the seating arrangement. With this bubble attachment, I can only imagine how gorgeous the early morning cat ride would be.
Operations this year are running on Saturdays between January 6 and March 16, starting at 7:30am. The cost of the adventure, not counting ski passes, is €389 (~$420 USD as of writing) for the entire group. It doesn’t matter how many people are with you, the cost is fixed, but a maximum of six guests can be taken on each ride.
I’ve truly never seen a groomer set up like this. Imagine sipping some hot coffee, watching the sun rise over the mountain in this bad boy. Pretty darn cool concept all around.
Related: World’s Longest Detachable Quad Chairlift Opens For The Season
Image Credit: Hochfügen im Zillertal via YouTube
