Kühtai Saddle () (el. ) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

in the '' Bundesland'' of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

. It connects the Ötz river valley from

Oetz Oetz is a municipality in the Imst district of Tyrol, Austria, located 11.7 km (7.3 mi) southeast of Imst at the lower course of the Ötztaler Ache in the outer Ötztal valley at the foot of Acherkogel mountain (3 008 m, 9 ...

with

Gries im Sellrain Gries im Sellrain is a municipality in the Sellrain Valley in the western district of Innsbruck-Land. The village lies in the valley, and the Melach River flows through it. Population Geography Gries is situated in the middle Sellrain valley, ...

. The road from Oetz is 16 km and has a maximum grade of 16 percent. This side is closed to trucking. The road from Gries im Sellrain is 17 km long and also has a maximum grade of 16 percent.

Kühtai

The

winter sports resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North A ...

Kühtai Kühtai is a winter sports village in the Stubai Alps on the Kühtai Saddle between the Nedertal valley in the west and the Sellrain valley in the east. It is part of the municipality of Silz, in the district of Imst, in the Austrian state of ...

is situated in the saddle. A small village, it is part of the municipality Silz. Population numbers and economic activity in Kühtai are highly seasonal. As of 2001, the number of permanent year-round residents was only 29, but due to the many tourists and seasonal workers, the population is much higher over the winter months.

Etymology

The name "Kühtai" is derived from the ''Chutay'' (literally: cow alp), an

alpine pasture Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German language, German ' from the term for "seasonal mount ...

farm first attested in 1288.

History

A road leading up to Kühtai was first completed in 1628, whereupon the alp farm was converted to a hunting castle/lodge. Holidaymakers first arrived in the eighteen-thirties, and towards the end of the nineteenth century, the hunting castle was converted to a hotel. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Kühtai was developed into a winter sports resort.

Energy

The Längental, Kühtai and Finstertal

pumped storage Pumping may refer to: * The operation of a pump, for moving a liquid from one location to another **The use of a breast pump A breast pump is a mechanical device that Lactation, lactating women use to milking, extract milk from their breasts. They ...

facilities A facility is a place for doing something, or a place that facilitates an activity. Types of facility include: * A commercial or institutional building, such as a hotel, resort, school, office complex, sports arena, or convention center * Med ...

are located in the valley, at different altitudes.

External links

* Website of the Kühtai tourism office
summer versionwinter version
* Kuhtai Information and Review
Kuhtai on Mountago

References