The Spieß family ...

The Spieß family has been resident in Mayrhofen and active in the tourism industry since 1954.

After their wedding in 1954 the famous ski racer Erika „Riki“ Mahringer and the successful ski racer Ernst Spieß founded the Mayrhofen Ski School, and in 1955 Riki’s Skikindergarten, the first all day supervision Ski school for children in the world.

Ernst Spieß, authorised mountain and ski guide, built in the 50’s and 60’s a mountain tour programme based in Mayrhofen employing upto 12 mountain guides.

In the early 80’s the Ski school grew o employ over 170 ski instructors and was especially fort he children’s Ski school, world famous.

The children (Nicola and Uli Spieß) were both active in the Ski school after their internatonal ski racing careers. Uli took over the leadership in 1987 until the Ski school was closed in 1999.

In addition tot the Ski school the Spieß family opened a ski rental shop in 1954, which also was taken over by Uli in 1987 and developed to a high quality business offering ski hire, service, storage and shop with 3 locations. which was managed by Uli’s and Renate’s son Florian from 2004 until it was closed when the Penkenbahn was renewed, in 2015.

Uli and his wife Renate entered the restaurant trade in 1987 with Ski hut on the Ahorn mountain which became the cosy mountain restaurant „Ahornhütte“. Since 2014 it is owned and run by their daughter Maria.

In February 2000 Uli and Renate altered the former Ski school office into the „happy end“ Bar-Cafe, the popular meeting point directly opposite the Penken cable car station in the high street.