I visited the ‘secret’ European ski resort that Brits often overlook with empty slopes and perfect snow

I HAVE, on occasion, eaten so much, I’ve wished I could simply roll back home.

After a cosy evening of dumplings, kaiserschmarrn – a traditional Austrian dessert of chopped pancakes – and locally made schnapps, I am told that tonight is my lucky night.

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The Ski Amade region is still relatively undiscovered by Brits[/caption]

The only way down from our restaurant near the Hochkönig mountain in Salzburgerland is the wooden toboggan I have been handed.

We had hiked up the 1.5km snowy trail under clear skies with views of the moonlit village and church.

As I stare down at the sled in my hands, I’m suddenly grateful for the schnapps-tasting session we’d enjoyed beforehand — a little Dutch courage never goes amiss.

Our guide, Johannes Rainer, is 25 but already a seasoned pro, having worked in his family’s schnapps distillery since the age of 15.

Each batch uses about 100 tonnes of fruit, usually apricots, and is fermented for four weeks before being distilled on-site to 80 per cent proof.

It is then mixed with fresh mountain water to make the — still lethal — 40 per cent schnapps, which we try in their picturesque lodge in Grünegg Alm.

Their stock ranges from those infused with carrots, celery, hay, and pine needles, to the slightly more palatable raspberry and lemon strudel flavours.

“In Austria, when we feel ill we don’t go to the chemist, we go to schnapps,” Johannes tells me.

The celery variety did taste slightly medicinal and I did feel more optimistic about the toboggan ride home afterwards, so maybe there is something to it.

Back outside in the -10C wintery night, I carry my wooden sledge down to the start of the run, which is lit with floodlights.

With no brakes or steering mechanism beyond my own two feet, I shuffle hesitantly forward before gravity takes over.

The next thing I know I’m hurtling downhill.

To avoid flying off into a tree as I approach the first corner, I slow down and manoeuvre round, rather than attempting to take it at full pace.

This is nothing like the slushy, half-hearted sledging of my childhood back in the UK, where melting snow and gentle hills often cut the fun short.

Here, the perfectly groomed run allows me to pick up pace as I weave through the trees and swerve around sharp corners. I thankfully made it back down to the bottom in one piece.

My toboggan adventure had followed a great day of skiing in the Ski Amade region, made up of a hefty 760km of slopes.

The zone in the Austrian alps is named after the country’s most famous export, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Despite being only around a one hour, 15 minute drive from Salzburg, Amade is still relatively undiscovered by Brits.

Early in January we never have to queue for a lift and the runs are quiet, ahead of the busiest weeks in February half-term and the Easter holidays.

Only around three per cent of skiers and snowboarders here are from the UK, with most people I meet coming from Austria or Germany.

I was mainly skiing near Hochkönig (meaning High King), the mountain which soars over the three villages of Maria Alm, Dienten and Mühlbach.

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Johannes Rainer has worked in his family’s schnapps distillery since the age of 15[/caption]

For an intermediate skier like me the slopes were perfect with lots of steep but wide reds and a few black runs I could test my skills on.

There are also lots of gentle nursery slopes for beginners and more challenging off-piste sections for anyone looking for something more adventurous.

The 760km of slopes are spread across five regions and you can drive between them or take the ski bus if you want to explore.

Traditional ski huts are dotted across the slopes with menus including wiener schnitzel with lingonberry jam, and tiroler gröstl – a rustic dish of fried potatoes, onions, and diced bacon often topped with a fried egg.

Exhilarated after a day’s skiing we head back to our hotel, the Hotel Der Almhof in Hinterthal.

After a great couple of days skiing, my legs are aching but I am thankfully uninjured.

And, should I have taken a tumble, there’s always medicinal celery schnapps waiting in the wings.