Channel 4’s hit celebrity skiing show, The Jump, will be back on the screens in the new year, and, like the first series last winter, it will be filmed in Kühtai.

This year’s line-up

The line-up for the new series has now been announced in full. The competitors are:

• Mike Tindall, former England rugby captain and husband of Zara Phillips
• Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons
• JB Gill, singer with JLS
• Heather Mills, ex-model, formerly married to Paul McCartney
• Phil Tufnell, former England test cricketer
• Louise Hazel, Commonwealth gold medallist for the heptathlon
• Jon-Allan Butterworth, Paralympian cyclist
• Ola Jordan, from Strictly Come Dancing
• Dom Parker, from the TV show Gogglebox
• Ashley Roberts, former member of the Pussycat Dolls
• Joey Essex, from the reality show The Only Way Is Essex
• Stacey Solomon, contestant on The X Factor
• Steve-O, from Jackass
• Louise Thompson, from Made in Chelsea
• Louie Spence, dancer
• Lady Victoria Hervey, socialite

Davina McCall, who hosted the first series, will return for the second.

The contest

The Jump consists of a series of challenges between the contestants, using winter sports including ski cross, giant slalom, skeleton, bobsleigh and speed skating, with new events rumoured for this year. The two competitors with the slowest times or speeds on each event must go head-to-head on a ski jump, with the loser eliminated.

The contestants train hard, but the challenges are by no means safe. On the last series, Henry Conway, Melinda Messenger, Sir Steve Redgrave and Marcus Brigstocke were all forced to withdraw with injury — though, thankfully, none of them serious. The overall winner was singer Joe McElderry, who had joined the line-up as a replacement for Conway.

The venue

The various challenges are held in different locations around Austria, but the show’s home is Kühtai, the highest resort in Austria and arguably the most spectacular. Only 35 minutes from Innsbruck, Kühtai lies in a huge snow bowl in the middle of spectacular alpine scenery, with an impressive range of pistes on offer. The mixture of convenience, the quality of the slopes, the scenery — and, of course, the kind of après-ski that only Austria can offer — make it a favourite with everyone from families to professional skiers.

You never know. If you’re holidaying in Kühtai this winter, you might bump into one of The Jump’s celebrities, whether on the slopes or in après-ski. That would be something to make a great holiday even more memorable.

Early & late season skiing

Some Austrian resorts are high enough to make early season skiing well worth while. Kühtai and Sölden are perhaps the best of these, Kühtai being one of the highest resorts in Europe. Although early and late seasons don’t offer as full a range of skiing as the height of the winter season, it’s far less crowded, and the experience of hurtling down glaciers and high alpine tracks under blue summer skies is not to be missed.

Certainly, with the nearest winter slopes in the southern hemisphere, die-hard skiers flock from as far afield as Moscow to enjoy these locations. Kühtai is 2020 metres up, with slopes towering above the village, making it ideal for out-of-season skiing, and properties for sale in Kühtai are in great demand. Many athletes, such as Bode Miller and Lindsay Vonn, use it for high-altitude training all year-round.

Testing the skis

It’s to these resorts the industry turns to test the equipment they’re planning to sell for the following winter. This year, for instance, Kühtai hosted the Snowsport Industries of Great Britain ski test, while Sölden is popular for events held by individual companies including the Salomon Station on the Rettenbach glacier.

Testing carries on from the tail-end of the winter through to the summer and autumn months, going from determining which designs will be worth selling to familiarising employees with the strengths and quirks of each pair of skis. Typically, testers will be given the chance to try out equipment on the glacier and then fill in a report card, scoring the skis on criteria such as agility, ease of use and stability.

Completely new ski designs are rare, of course, and most of the new products are refinements or improvements of existing models and construction techniques. Manufacturers constantly test their products, so the skis are always evolving, though every so often a ski is produced that remains popular year after year, needing little change.

Different sidecuts, cambers and rockers suit different kinds of skiers and slope conditions. An intermediate who wants to turn more easily won’t want the same design as the dedicated off-piste skier who wants to float in deeper snow, though some models are made to be versatile.

Whatever the specifications, Europe’s leading ski manufacturers have the perfect setting to make sure their improvements work on Austria’s high alpine resorts found in Tirol.

As Kühtai gets ready for the opening of the season on Friday 28 November, there’s already a good covering of snow.

We took a few photos of the awe-inspiring aspects from the 2020 Kühtai​ apartments which are situated right in the middle of the resort.

Most of the sunbathed apartments will have views towards the South and the lifts around the Graf Ferdinandhaus hut on the slopes of the Zwölferkogel.

2020 Kühtai​ apartments view towards the Zwölferkogel

And towards the South West which is essentially the view down the main road and across to the peaks in the distance.

2020 Kühtai​ apartments South West view

You can keep an eye on the pistes and the snow as more of it falls thanks to http://www.bergfex.at/kuehtai/webcams/

The highest ski resort in Austria (sometimes claimed to be the highest in the world), Kühtai has beautiful scenery, excellent slopes and a quiet, laid-back atmosphere that belies the fact its close proximity to Innsbruck.

Kühtai offers wonderful skiing and snowboarding all winter and spectacular mountain hiking in the summer. There are also special events to enjoy during the winter, both in Kühtai itself and in nearby villages.

SAAC Basic Camps

On the 6th and 7th December, the SAAC offers a free two-day avalanche camp offering advice and practice for skiers and snowboarders wanting to go off-piste. Enthusiasts over 14 can learn how to be safe on the slopes and enjoy a day on the mountain with expert trainers.

MARMOT Women’s Winter Camp

From the 15th to the 18th January, MARMOT runs a winter camp for women only. This event caters for anyone from complete beginners to experienced skiers wanting to expand their skills. Besides practice on the mountain with expert guides, the camp offers training on a range of safety issues, from avalanches to nutrition.

Children’s Snow-Festival

Just a few miles up the road from Kühtai, Hochoetz holds a snow-festival for children on the 6th February. The day will be packed with colourful carnival events, fun on the slopes and snow animation, to thrill children of all ages.

Guest Ski Competition with Snow-Festival

Even closer than Hochoetz, Ochsengarten offers guest ski competitions on both 27th February and 20th March. Each race starts at 2pm and is followed by an evening snow-festival, featuring the awards ceremony, live music and fireworks.

One to Watch For

In January and February this year, Channel 4’s celebrity ski show The Jump was filmed in the Innsbruck area, with several events held in Kühtai. It was announced last month that Channel 4 has commissioned a second series for this winter. Although no details have yet been given, there could well be a return to Kühtai, allowing visitors to watch celebrities compete and perhaps even meet them. Watch this space for more information.