Our Perfect Girls’ Day Out

My 12-year-old daughter Anna has so much fun skiing but despite this we have decided to have a girls’ day out away from the piste.

So we have decided to have a tobogganing party while “our men”, my husband Erwin and my two sons, hit the pistes. Finally some mother-daughter time and who knows how often we will have this chance.

No pain, no gain

The weather for our hike and tobogganing just couldn’t be better – the air is fresh but it is not too cold and the sun shines through between the trees. From the car park in Heutal we set off in the direction of Hochalm at the signpost. I have never had a problem encouraging Anna to do sport of any kind. At 12 years old, I can always motivate her to go for a hike, summer or winter. Of course, her interests change, that is clear. As I know from our host that the hike to the refreshment stop takes around 1.5 hours, we walk leisurely through the forest. We do not need to drag toboggans up with us as we can hire them directly at the hut. We gradually start sweating but we all know – no pain no gain – and I can already smell the cheese dumpling soup. That is definitely our motivation. Anna also looks forward to this classic hut dish every winter holiday.

The path leads us through the forest

Once my daughter ceases to talk about school, her friends and everything else that concerns her, I enjoy the silence. After exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes, Anna shouts joyfully, “We are there – there is the Hochalm, we’ve made it.” After a high-five with my “little one” we conquer the last few metres and stand in front of the hut with glowing cheeks. With this view, I am even more delighted by our super idea to go for a girls’ day out and now I recall that Anna hasn’t complained once. Okay, she did ask two or three times when we would finally be here – but that is no problem. The prospect of the refreshments at the hut and the tobogganing were incentive enough.

The refreshment stop without skis

We sit down at a table and let the sun shine in our faces. The scent from inside is already delicious. We are greeted warmly by Margot, the good soul of the hut. We order cheese dumpling soup and a hearty snack. A lot of time in the fresh air makes every child hungry and that’s how it is: we polish off everything in record time.

Braking forbidden

After our meal, we sit in the sun for a while and enjoy the view and the fresh air. Even though my daughter is already entering puberty and some things are “uncool”, she is a child again today and can barely wait any longer: tobogganing is a highlight at any age. So we pull on our jackets and take one of the toboggans each. Of course, Anna makes a bet with me as to who will get to the bottom first. She knows that I am more careful and she will beat me easily. Today I plan not to brake too much because there is enough snow and the track is free of ice. After just a few metres downhill, she breaks out into continuous laughter. This is so infectious that I also grin and laugh the whole way down. The bends are great fun because I can catch up a little time and my daughter’s competitive spirit is awakened. At the car park my daughter beams: “I’d love to ride down again straightaway. It was so cool.” The rest of the family are certain to be waiting for us. Happy after the exercise and the fresh air, the delicious meal and the tobogganing party, we set off home. I decide to set aside a girls’ day out with my daughter in the future – she is growing up so fast…… You can find more information at hochalm-unken.at

FACT BOX:

Hochalm natural toboggan run

Walking time: ca. 1.5 hours Height difference: 415 metres Length of toboggan run: 3.5 km Length of path: 3.5 km Starting point: Car Park 1 (fee payable) at the beginning of Heutal, 990 m Difficulty: easy, family-friendly natural toboggan run or winter hiking trail Refreshments: Jausenstation Hochalm at 1405 m You can find more tours at lofer.com/touren