Schruns-Tschagguns

Author Ernest Hemingway spent many winters at the Schruns-Tschagguns skiing area in the Montafon Valley. Today neither of the towns—sited across the Ill River from each other—is as fashionable as the resorts on the Arlberg, but the views over the Ferwall Alps to the east and the mighty Rätikon on the western side of the valley are unsurpassed anywhere in Austria. In winter the powdery snow provides wonderful skiing. Thanks to an integrated system of ski passes and lifts, the Montafon Valley is considered a "ski stadium" by skiers in the know. They love to head for Hochjoch-Zamang—the main peak at Schruns—to have lunch on the spectacularly sited sun terrace of the Kapell restaurant. Then it's on to Grabs-Golm over the river in Tschagguns. Others prefer the Silvretta-Nova run at Gaschurn and St. Gallenkirch. In summer, the heights are given over to climbers and hikers, the mountain streams to trout fishermen, and the lowlands to tennis players.