A dream come true - The Salewa Women’s Day winner tells us her story

How it all began...
In Spring 2019, my friend and I were browsing in the Salewa store in Bergheim, Austria. Now this is how you shop: with expert advice and a Women's Day discount on my entire purchase, which left me grinning from ear to ear. At the till, the sales advisor persuaded me to take part in their "Women in the Mountain" competition: I had never won anything before, but I thought the competition was a great idea - any chance I get, I'm out and about in the mountains with my friends.

Then it was back to my daily routine and I didn't think anything more of the competition. In fact, I almost missed the email from Salewa Customer Care when it came through in April. "You have won! RE: Women in the Mountain - Congratulations!"

I couldn't believe it! I had actually won: A friend and I had been given the chance to experience a mountain tour with guide Stephanie Marcher. Unbelievable!! Me, someone who had never won a single prize - not even once at the funfair. Of course, I wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and plan something extra special. My dream: A natural wonder - discovery in the South Tyrolean mountains. So Steffi suggested a "Three Peaks walking tour" in the Sexten Dolomites. I had always wanted to go there!

The Sexten Dolomites is the northernmost mountain range of the Italian Dolomites. We wanted to do a small crossing with views across the northern side of the Three Peaks. They're located to the very east of South Tyrol. Steffi booked a convenient and cosy hotel for us in Aufkirchen, Toblach.

On 16th August, my friend Renate and I set off on our journey from Upper Austria to South Tyrol. As we arrived in Mittersill, we were greeted with breakfast and Prosecco to get us in the mood for the incredible days ahead of us. 

After reaching Aufkirchen and checking into our accommodation, we spent the day following a path of meditation to the chapel. We then enjoyed the midday sun with ice creams and espressos in Toblach - now this is what you call a holiday!

In the meantime, Steffi phoned us to tell us what we would be getting up to the following day: Start on Saturday: 6:15am - Ferdi, the hotel manager, would drive us three "Mädels" up the toll road. The tour would be too long for us without his help.

The evening meal was fantastic. The perfect fuel to give us energy for the tour ahead. After a restful night, we awoke at 5:45am, surprised to find a full breakfast buffet prepared especially for us.

Saturday, 17/08/2019 – 6:15am
Steffi picked us up on schedule. Our mountain guide - a phenomenal woman - would be with us for the entire day to guide us on this tour. Salewa had put a real mountain angel at our side so that Renate and I, as Austrians, could find our bearings in the South Tyrolean mountains.

Auronzo - the Three Peaks: Our tour begins.
I was in complete awe of the aura surrounding the mountains in the morning. We were practically the only ones at the foot of the Three Peaks. Immersing myself in this scenery, I was overcome with feelings of freedom, gratitude and wonder. Our track led us past the Langalm, over the Dolomites Trail and to the Locatelli hut (trail 101). We soon caught a glimpse of the Büllelejoch hut where we planned to stop by later - but first, we had to reach the summit! We made our way up the Oberbachernspitz. However, we were only able to really conquer the summit after a large group of walkers cleared the last few metres to the cross. This throng of people felt somewhat strange to us as, up to that point, we had hardly encountered another soul. Steffi had thankfully organised our tour so that we didn't meet any large crowds in the region. Finally, we made it and we could even see the Großglockner - the highest mountain in Austria. We could also make out the breathtaking Geiss, turning shades of red and yellow in the sun. There were just a few clouds in the sky - the perfect weather for our tour!
After we had taken a few photos, we headed towards the hut, where hearty South Tyrolean grub was waiting for us. The fascinating mountain landscape around us really recharged our batteries and we had the opportunity to experience the unique nature of South Tyrol in a truly picturesque setting. And so we braced ourselves for another descent. Past the Zigmondy hut with llamas grazing at the side of the track. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to stop and stroke them as we still had a fair way to go down into the valley.

From the Talschluss hut to the Fischleinboden hut and still we continued downhill. At around 3:30pm, we finally caught sight of the bus stop. We had been walking for over six hours! I could hardly believe it. The bus took us back to Toblach. Fortunately, Steffi had parked her car there. She drove us back to the hotel - what a relief that we didn't have to walk any further! Although we felt wonderfully relaxed after a day in the fresh mountain air, the altitude had worn us out. We treated ourselves to some well-earned relaxation time in the hotel sauna and our delicious dinner brought us back to life, ready for our Sunday adventures.

Sunday, 18/08/2019
After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed towards Lake Braies. A top tip from Steffi: "You simply have to go there! But get to the car park before 10am!" The hike around the lake was heavenly. The crystal clear lake is surrounded by awe-inspiring mountain scenery which words fail to describe, making the daily routine seem like a distant memory. After spending some time sunbathing on the banks of the lake, more people gradually started to arrive and, with regret, we set off on our way back home.
During these two days, we had the chance to discover a genuinely stunning region and meet some wonderful people who gave us an insight into their home of South Tyrol. I would like to say thank you to Salewa for this incredible surprise. I am definitely going to take part in competitions more often now.