A perfect day of skiing on the schmitten
Maximum comfort and convenience, zero stress. The Bründl Sports network on the Schmitten makes it possible.
What does an ideal day of skiing look like? What do you need, other than sunshine and great pistes, to raise a day to perfection? In mid-December, Katharina Wildenhof and Max Bründl enjoyed an extraordinary day of skiing on the Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See, and in the process, thoroughly checked out the Bründl Sports network including ski rentals, ski service and equipment exchange on the mountain, along with the ski depot. What they experienced and what benefits the Bründl Sports rental network has to offer can be read below.
We set out early in the morning, at sunrise, so we could be some of the first skiers to hit the freshly groomed pistes on the Schmittenhöhe. We began by going to Viehhofen and the newly opened zellamseeXpress, in order to rent out all the gear we needed for a full day of skiing. The Bründl Sports shop is right there at the valley station. The selection is enormous, which meant we quickly found perfect boots and skis. At that point, we made a beeline from the Bründl Sports shop straight to the zellamseeXpress, which took us less than a minute. To get that early-morning tiredness out of our heads, we chose the Jukeboxx Gondola. This gondola features an integrated multimedia sound system, which Max was able to log into using the free Wi-Fi. His music selection left a little to be desired, but it certainly cleared the cobwebs from between our ears. Awaiting us at the top was a freshly groomed, almost virgin piste. The amazingly beautiful mountain scenery in the background was impossible to overlook as well. Needless to say, if you want to enjoy those untouched pistes, you have to be quick. As for us, now it was time for us to get the most out of those magical, snow-covered winter landscapes. Perfect edges on our alpine skis took the entire skiing experience to a whole new level!
To keep your bearings and provide you with a clear overview of all available services, Bründl Sports provides you with a rental folder. A map shows you the entire Bründl Sports rental network in Zell am See, Kaprun and Saalbach, boasting a total of 15 shops in the valley and up on the mountain. The great news is, you can return, exchange or have your equipment serviced at any of the Bründl Sports shops. For example, in the unlikely event that your skis or boots don’t fit, or if you’d simply like to give some other skis a “test drive”, you have the opportunity to take advantage of Bründl’s full menu of services right there on the mountain. The Drive-In Shop at the Areit III mountain terminal makes it easy for customers to switch skis or get the necessary service, not least because you can ride your skis right into the shop itself. No sooner said than done. Because, in your quest for the perfect set-up, you can exchange your model of ski at the mountain shop several times a day at no additional charge, after 2 hours of fun on the slopes I decided to go with a different brand of alpine ski by Atomic. And if, after renting equipment, you decide you would actually like to buy it, Bründl Sports will refund up to two days of rental charges.
After an extended session of skiing, we both noticed our tummies beginning to grumble. Which meant it was time for a break at the “Franzl”, the nearby mountain restaurant. We were also able to give our vitamin D levels a boost thanks to their gigantic, comfy terrace with modern picture windows that treat you to the full surrounding Alpine panorama. With the help of cheesy spätzle noodles, saddle of venison steak, soda water with lemon and abundant sunshine, we were able to spend a long time happily gazing out from this magical terrace. Because we wanted to be perfectly prepared for our next day of skiing and avoid having to lug our gear between the hotel and the piste for no reason, we used the ski depot in Viehhofen at the zellamseeXpress, where they have storage lockers you can rent. Due to the convenient location of the depot, you are never far from the bottom of the day’s final run, plus, on the following day, you’ll be one of the first at the lift waiting for the first ride of the day back up the mountain. Incidentally, all of the Bründl Sport shops located at valley stations on the Schmitten also offer ski depots.
