The Hintertux glacier

The Hintertux glacier closes the head of the Tuxertal, about twenty minutes' drive up the side valley from Mayrhofen, and it is the only year-round ski area in Austria. Three stages of lift take you from 1,500 metres to about 3,250, and there is snow on the ground at the top on every day of the year — which means a winter picture in the middle of August, with the valley beneath still green.

The top station opens onto a broad snowfield with the Zillertal Alps and the Italian border ridge around it. It is bright, white and completely open, so it flattens badly at midday and comes alive with side light early and late. Inside the glacier, a walk-in ice palace at around 3,250 metres gives blue-lit chambers and crevasse walls — a different set of pictures entirely, and one that never depends on the weather outside.

At that altitude the sun is fierce and the air is thin. Sunglasses, sunscreen and warm layers are needed even in July, and the cold is real: it can be around freezing at the top on a hot summer day.

Lifts, opening hours and glacier access change with conditions and maintenance, and the ice palace has its own opening times. Check all of it before planning, and allow time — the ride up alone takes the better part of an hour.