Harakiri- a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide through self-disembowelment by samurai. In hindsight, I’m glad I found out what Harakari meant after I skied down the slope named after this painful form of suicide.
Standing at the top of this notorious black run, a very welcoming German sign greeted us “Hau di runter” which means “Throw yourself down”, as well as an English sign “only for well-trained skiers”. It was at this point I realised how unprepared I was but I was too stubborn to turn back now.
Located in the ski resort of Mayrhofen Ski Zillertal 3000, Harakari is the steepest groomed ski slope in Austria. With an incline of up to 78%, a length of 1500 metres and a vertical drop of 375 metres, if you successfully complete this run, you’re silently accepted into the Harakiri Club. Former Olympic Skiier Graham Bell said “it’s quite unusual because Mayrhofen is actually a resort suited for recreational/intermediate skiers”.
It is February half-term so lots of families are around but not so much snow. Given the constantly changing climate, most of the snow machines were on overnight so we had a good dusting of snow for the mornings.
Ascending on the Knorren chairlift, I watch what looks like a very experienced snowboarder at the start, slide down on his back side for the entirety of the run. In my head I have pictures of me rolling down the piste into one big snowball, just like the cartoons. I’d be lying if I said the nerves hadn’t already started to kick in.
We make it to the top of the run where a crowd of people are stood deliberating whether they should put themselves through the torture of Harakiri or take the easy red run back down to the restaurants. The second option is beginning to sound rather tempting. This is up until a group of children no older than 13/14 years old came storming past us and without any hesitation, went down the black run… suddenly I feel like I have something to prove.
A quick swig of liquid courage and we are off. Dare I say, the first few turns feel pretty good, almost as if it should be rated a red run. I am taking perfectly long parallel turns across the piste until all of a sudden, the slope drops off and I come to an immediate halt. The confidence I just gained from the jaeger mister quickly dissipated once I come face to face with the challenge ahead of me.
Heart racing, palms sweating and legs suddenly feeling like jelly, I look around and it seems like a lot of people took the advice of the sign at the start by “throwing themselves down” the slope. All I can hear is the scraping of skis on ice and the occasional yelp of someone falling. Bell commented that “if you fall on this, you’re probably not going to stop until you get to the bottom” because the gradient is that steep. The weather isn’t even too bad but it is the afternoon so all the fresh powder from the morning has been overturned into piles exposing the hard, icy patches. A man and what looks like his son are waiting like me so we exchange a casual “good luck” attempting to hide the intimidation of the sheer drop off we are both feeling.
“3,2,1” I say to myself before putting in my first turn. My approach is to take it one turn at a time except my first turn takes me sliding down the mountain until I can get the outside of my ski to grip the snow. All those hours spent in Ski Schule and experience I had skiing has completely vanished. I am barely half way down the slope and all I can remember was “Hau di runter” so I go with that. My new approach is to just commit. Skiing purely on adrenaline, a small bit of fear and absolutely no technique whatsoever, I keep putting in my quick, sharp turns until I feel the slope level out.
Heart still racing, palms still sweating and legs still very much feeling like jelly, I have successfully made it to the bottom of the slope. I turn around to take in what I had just accomplished. Now I can say I have completed Harakiri, I will not be in a rush to do it again.
It’s funny what we’re willing to put ourselves through just to say we’ve done something. The whole experience lasted no longer than 10 minutes yet I have never felt so many emotions in such a small space of time. It felt like a combination of excitement, loss of control, freedom, exhilaration and fear but the pride and relief I felt when looking back up the slope is something I’ll never forget.
Experiencing Après Ski:
During my time in Mayrhofen, I felt compelled to experience part of Austria’s culture known as Après Ski. Situated perfectly at the bottom of the gondola, the Ice Bar is usually packed with skiers from 4pm onwards. It’s lively atmosphere and remixed dance songs complete a long, exciting day on the slopes. However, if you are craving a well-deserved cocktail or a quieter scene to unbuckle your ski boots, I would recommend BrasserieQ. They have an extensive cocktail menu and a cosy outdoor seating area to catch the last of the afternoon rays. El Toro Steak and Tapas is a short walk from the Penkenbahn lift. Taking a twist to the typical Austrian cuisine, their menu offers excellent steaks and Spanish tapas, a perfect evening meal after a day jam-packed ofskiing.
Getting there: From Innsbruck Airport, it takes 1-hour 20mins by car or train. Crystal Ski Holidays do a package through TUI which will arrange transfers to and from the airport by coach, visit https://www.crystalski.co.uk
Flights: With TUI, flights go out of London once a week priced around £315pp for 1 week
Staying there: In Mayrohfen, Hotel Strolz, a quiet location on the edge of the resort right by a bus stop, has an indoor spa and wellness facilities, £750pp for 7 nights including flights and transfer through Crystal SkiSki lessons and hire: If you are an inexperienced skier/snowboarder, it is well worth investing in some lessons. Prices are on https://www.mayrhofen3000.at/en/prices-specials/prices/. They start at 67 euros a day. There are multiple ski hire shops in the town such as Brundl Sports Mayrhofen Zentrum, https://www.bruendl.at/de/rent