Sellraintal in Tyrol and its mountaineering villages

Almost at the exit byInnsbruck, about ten kilometers to the west, where the Melach torrent reaches the Inn valley, opens the Sellraintal, in other words the Sellrain Valley. This valley, almost parallel to the Inn Valley, this great artery which crosses the Tyrol, is located in the mountain range of Stubai Alps, but is not oriented along a north-south axis like most of the valleys in South Tyrol. The main effect of this orientation is that in winter it receives little sun and a lot of precipitation. So there is snow, and it stays on the ground. Between the capital of Tyrol, Innsbruck and the pass on which the Kühtai ski resort was built, let's explore this original Sellrain valley.

The Axams plateau, balcony over the Inn valley and antechamber of the Sellraintal

We could have followed the orographic outline of the Sellrain valley and entered it by Kemats and the road which runs along the gorges at the bottom of which flows the Melach torrent to the village of Sellrain. But we would have missed the opportunity to drive through a very beautiful area around Innsbruck. Its upper suburbs, in fact.

Indeed, if Innsbruck lies at the bottom of the Inn Valley at just over 550 metres above sea level, the hillsides to the south form a flat area on which many villages have developed. At an altitude of between 800 and 900 metres above sea level, these hillsides are often spared from the low clouds that cover the Inn Valley in winter. They also benefit from a magnificent landscape on the north chain sunny that shines brightly at sunset when covered in snow. Finally, they have ski areas nearby since these villages were established just after the last mountain foothills.

In order, starting from the wipptal, the axis that leads from Innsbruck to the Brenner, only five kilometers from Innsbruck, we find ourselves at Natters . By Mothers -the two villages touch each other- these two villages are at the outposts of the Innsbruck mountains. On the tram line to Fulpmes and Stubaital., a stone's throw from the motorway toll which takes you to the Brenner and on the edge of the ski area of Motherhood, shared with another village on the plateau, Götzens. You can ski there, from the summit of the Pfriemeskopf at almost 1800 meters on a few slopes in the forest. There is also a long toboggan run on which you can also go down in snook.

It will be noted that Natters the very beautiful church with a very decorated meridian on its bell tower topped with a beautiful bulb. In the village, we wander between individual houses and very large farms, in a very rural atmosphere. In Mutters, the bell tower of the church is pointed, and many houses have their facades decorated with frescoes. The view is clear on the Nordkette, the Patscherkofel, and the beginning of the Wipptal.

Let's continue our journey towards Götzens, another starting point for the ski area of Muterreralm. We find ourselves on a very large plateau with a spectacular view of the Nordkette and the Inn Valley, both to the east and to the west. Here again we find this mixture of individual houses and farms, so typical of Tyrol. Very beautiful wooden balconies, mostly old, adorn the facade of the houses. The church, with an onion-shaped bell tower, this time has a baroque facade decorated with frescoes and pastel-colored panels.

We then cross the village of Birgit, and we arrive at Axams. It is a large town very stretched out on the plateau whose center is tightened around its church with a very pointed bell tower. The view of the Nordkette is always as beautiful, but you can have a beautiful view still by climbing to the top of the ski area ofAxamer Lizum, by a road that crosses a beautiful forest. This ski resort is located at 1560 meters at the bottom of a very wooded valley. With 40 km of slopes it is the largest ski resort in the immediate vicinity of Innsbruck. A funicular and a gondola lift take visitors to the summit of the Hoadl at 2340 metres. The view extends far over the Inn Valley, the Karwendel, whose size can be measured from the foothills of the Nordkette, and the peaks of the Kalkkögel. Just opposite, a chairlift takes you to the summit of the Birgitzköpfl at an altitude of almost 2000 metres.

In summer, it is also possible to climb the two peaks and hike on all the peaks which dominate this vast plateau described in this paragraph.

The last village on the plateau, Grinzens, is already in the axis of the Sellraintal, into which the road plunges, offering the last views of the Inn Valley below.

Five kilometers later, we enter Sellrain, the village that gave its name to the valley.

The mountaineering villages of the Sellraintal

Sellrain, Gray in the rain et St. Sigmund in Sellrain are three villages in the same valley, the Sellraintal, to be part of the very closed circle of “ mountaineering villages ". There are only twenty of them in all of Austria. Mountaineering villages are characterised by the absence of tourist infrastructure far removed from the traditional Alpine way of life in order to keep a mountain soul to these places: peaceful, respectful of nature and the seasons, balanced between human activities and wildlife. There is therefore no mechanized or noisy recreational or sporting activity, such as skiing for example or ski lifts, nor any urban-type festive activity, such as nightclubs. It is the mountain in its purest state. The Sellrain Valley offers them the ideal framework.

So what can you do in the mountaineering villages? Simply discover the mountains, enjoy the silence, admire the ancestral work of the local inhabitants to tame their environment and reap the benefits for their livelihood. But you can also hike, climb, stroll in nature and observe the fauna and flora. In winter, you can discover the joy of winter sports that don't make any noise: snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice climbing, for example.

This is all the more remarkable given that the urban activity of Innsbruck and the Inn Valley are only about twenty minutes away by car or bus, and in winter free ski buses take you back in a quarter of an hour to the very lively and popular ski resort of Kuhtai ! A haven of preserved peace, without taking anything away from the leisure or pastimes of contemporary civilization!

What can we say about the landscape of the Sellraintal ? Forests, forests and more forests. They are dense, thick. Fir trees cover the slopes of the mountains whose peaks reach and exceed 2400 meters on both sides of the valley. It is therefore a very steep valley, and we will admire the intelligence of the elders to have succeeded in building the church and the first houses of each village where the sun pokes its nose, between two peaks, even in the heart of winter, when the valley remains in the shade on its north-facing slopes.

Let's talk about the villages now: Sellrain, 900 meters away, Gray in the rain at 1200 meters and St Sigmund in Sellrain at 1500 meters. The two furthest villages are about ten kilometers apart. That's quite a difference in altitude. The valley is steeply rising. In fact, it climbs again after St. Sigmund, up to the pass at Kühtai, at an altitude of 2000 meters. From a rural activity to Sellrain, ultimately very close to the Inn Valley and Innsbruck (only about twenty minutes), little by little we enter a harsher and more austere world dominated by woodworking and livestock farming.

St Sigmund in Sellrain, with its church with a very slender red bell tower, lies in a small valley that is wider than the valley, corresponding to the mouth to the south of a small side valley that gives it access to the sun: that of Gleirschjöchl. A steep valley that leads to the passes and peaks of the Stubai Alps, passing a small chapel on a rocky spur in the middle of the woods, the Rieglkapelle. A lovely walk from St Sigmund. There are only 170 inhabitants in St Sigmund, the air is pure, without pollen, ideal for allergy sufferers and asthmatics. Silence reigns.

Sellrain, the lowest village in altitude is located in a bend in the valley, in a hilly environment where each mountain knoll is covered with forests while its grassy slopes are used for hay. Not far away, on one of these slopes, facing due south, the chapel of St Quirin is a place of pilgrimage. The small peaks or the paths leading to them offer beautiful views both of the peaks of the Stubai Alps and towards the Inn valley, on its portion to the east of Innsbruck.

Between the two, the intermediate village of Gray in the rain. It seems larger because it is more spread out in a vast meadow. At 1200 meters above sea level, surrounded by woods and high peaks, it benefits from the sun that passes through a vast indentation: the Lusenstal valley.

This valley, which stretches southwards into the heart of the Stubai Alps, is one of the wonders of Tyrol.

The beauty of the Lüsenstal, in the heart of the Sellraintal

La Lüsenstal is a valley that runs from Gray in the rain to the hamlet of Lüsens at an altitude of 1600 metres. Beyond that, the trails climb more quickly through meadows and then rocks before reaching the glacier and the peaks at an altitude of 3000 metres. This wooded valley, covered with Swiss pines, is a paradise for Nordic activities. The cross-country ski trails follow the torrent and cross the forests. Forget the dark slopes of the Sellrain Valley, The sun shines permanently on bucolic landscapes where human intervention is limited to taking what is necessary to support his animals. Sun on snow in winter, sun on flowery meadows in summer. A place of peace that reinforces this feeling of well-being that one already feels when traveling the Sellraintal.

Towards the middle of the valley, the small hamlet of Jewish village offers local catering whose agricultural products come from the farm's operations Jewish Alm at an altitude of 2000 metres, just above the hamlet. Between the two, in winter, you can enjoy a 5 km long toboggan run.

Between Juifenau and Lüsens, a diversion allows you to climb one of the mountain slopes to the hamlet of Praxmar. A hotel and a restaurant await you there. Needless to say, the landscape you will discover there, which overlooks the valley from a hundred meters away, is sublime, especially in winter when the sun shines from all sides.

Kühtai, at the top of the Sellraintal, and the descent to the Ötztal

La Sellraintal is a valley of mountaineering villages, but at its summit, at the Col de Kuhtai, where hydroelectric dams have been built, a large, very modern ski resort.

The road climbs almost in a straight line, and it is quite impressive when you take it in the opposite direction! The forests eventually give way to meadows and at the bend in the road, at the pass, you can see the ski resort of Kuhtai.

The residential and hotel buildings are very modern and the contrast with the villages below is striking. Here, at Kuhtai, between Sellrain Valley and Ötztal This is the kingdom of skiing. Treeless, sunny slopes, culminating at 2500 meters above sea level offer fairly difficult ski slopes. Most skiers find black and red slopes here.

In this same valley there are "mountaineering villages" and a modern ski resort. Enough to satisfy all tastes without distorting the atmosphere of the old villages.

The descent towards Ötz is done by a winding road, which first passes along a reservoir, before plunging by a pleasant route into the forest towards the ski resort of Ochsengarten which shares its ski area with that of the village of Ötz.

The rest can be found in the article on the Ötztal, which you will find by clicking on this link.

La Sellraintal is a valley of striking contrasts, where the preserved tranquility of the mountaineering villages and the sporting excitement of Kuhtai. Between deep forests, snow-capped peaks and hamlets nestled on the mountainside, it offers a unique setting for those seeking to immerse themselves in nature, far from the crowds and overcrowded tourist resorts. Whether you follow the silent paths of the Lüsenstal, as we climb towards the glaciers of Stubai Alps or enjoying the pristine powder in Kühtai, every turn reveals an authentic facet of the Tyrolean mountains. A refuge for lovers of hiking, Nordic skiing and unspoiled landscapes, this valley is a haven of peace at the gateway toInnsbruck, where time seems suspended between tradition and grandiose nature.

You might also be interested in these articles: