“There is a reason why everything is so authentic and untouched in East Tirol. We have very strict rules and regulations on environmental protection. I think that’s a good thing. What I love about East Tirol is that – and I don’t mean to criticise other regions – that here everything is just that little bit more real. It’s quieter, too. That is something you notice on the pistes.

As a child I learnt to ski on the hill behind our house. That was our playground. As boys we would have a competition to see who had been skiing the most times in each season. ‘I went sixty times this season,’ one would say. ‘I’ve been seventy times,’ another would  claim. My personal record was 64 times in one season, I think.

These days I do a lot of ski touring and freeriding. I have climbed the Großglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, on a few occasions. The best time for me was in winter. Skiing down from the peak is an incredible experience. I have also been up to the summit a few times in summer – the only problem is that it takes so long to walk back down again. It’s much quicker on skis.”

Daniel Ganzer, Hotel manager

As a child, Daniel Ganzer spent as much time as possible skiing. Today the 30 year-old helps manage the Naturhotel Outside in Matrei, a family-run hotel which has received several awards for its innovative concept.