Deer And Mouse - The New Culinary Flagship Opens At The Gastein Castle Alpine Pasture
With the "Hirsch und Maus" mountain restaurant, the Gastein mountain lifts have set another milestone in the qualitative development of the Gastein ski and tourism destination. Named after the Hirschkar and Mauskar peaks, this new establishment at the Schlossalm cable car mountain station has become another hallmark of Gastein's culinary culture.
The concept for Hirsch und Maus was developed by Julian Scharfetter, the gastronomic director of Scharfetter Betriebe GmbH, and his team. Verena Maier, a young Gastein native, has been brought on board as the restaurant manager and host. The Scharfetter family also runs the two-Michelin-starred Weitmoser Schlössl, among other restaurants.
Space for nature and enjoyment at over 2,000 meters
The new mountain restaurant on the Schlossalm was commissioned by Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG and completed in just a few months, combining spacious architecture with functional multi-use. The building offers seating for approximately 660 guests both indoors and outdoors, and its expansive glass facades open up to the surrounding mountains. This creates a panoramic experience that conveys to visitors both the vastness of the Hohe Tauern mountains and the feeling of traditional Alpine hospitality.
In addition to the restaurant, the multi-purpose building houses offices, workshops, storage rooms, and infrastructure for ski patrol. A digital museum and experience center will be completed by winter 2026, making the Gastein Valley and the Hohe Tauern National Park interactive. Both the Schlossalm cable car mountain station and the adjacent restaurant are wheelchair accessible, ensuring comfortable use for a wide range of visitors.
The total investment amounts to approximately 12 million euros. “In line with our sustainability strategy, a significant portion of this money is being invested in a future-oriented energy supply. Photovoltaic modules with a total area of around 1,200 square meters on the roof and facades generate electricity, while heat pumps provide energy-efficient heating. Furthermore, operating in two seasons creates secure year-round jobs and reduces dependence on weather and seasonal fluctuations,” emphasizes Andreas Innerhofer, CEO of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG.
Culinary delights from short distances: Regional Alpine cuisine from the Scharfetter family
The cable car company has entrusted the management of the Hirsch und Maus mountain restaurant to the experienced Scharfetter family, who have been synonymous with the highest culinary standards in Bad Hofgastein for many years. Their award-winning establishments, such as the Weitmoser Schlössl, the Weitmoser Schlossalm, and the Weitmoserin, are emblematic of regional cuisine at a top-tier level. Julian Scharfetter, who has been working in the family business for ten years and previously gained experience in top kitchens abroad, will assume culinary responsibility on the mountain. " We want to create a restaurant that combines alpine modernity with genuine hospitality ," says Julian Scharfetter. " Our kitchen team, led by Stefan Viehauser, the head chef of our restaurants, places the utmost importance on the quality of our ingredients. We try to source as much as possible from our own farm and partner farms in the Gastein Valley. What we can't source ourselves, we obtain in the highest quality from select top suppliers. "
The tenant places particular emphasis on "culinary delights sourced locally." In addition to their tourism businesses, the Scharfetter family runs a farm with organic cattle breeding – a clear alignment with the sustainability focus of the Gastein mountain lifts. At the Schlossalm, the menu will combine regional classics with modern interpretations of dishes, appealing equally to locals, day-trippers, and international winter sports enthusiasts. " With Hirsch und Maus, we are creating a place where architecture, cuisine, and sustainable operations form a harmonious whole ," Andreas Innerhofer aptly observes.
Optimal symbiosis of building architecture and mountain landscape
The architectural component was the work of Sebastian Kroesen, managing partner of HASENAUER.ARCHITEKTEN. He seamlessly integrated the new multifunctional building into the Pongau mountain landscape – only one level is consciously perceptible to arriving cable car passengers. With two small towers connecting the restaurant to an outdoor playground, he incorporated the theme of "castle" or "castle mountain pasture" into his project.
“It was important to me to combine an attractive appearance that blends with the surrounding landscape with high functionality. Furthermore, we share a commitment to sustainability criteria with the Gastein mountain railways. Besides the use of environmentally friendly building materials, this is also reflected in the fact that some of the demolition material from the old mountain restaurant was reused in the new building,” explains Sebastian Kroesen, who previously designed, among other things, the mountain station of the Bavarian Zugspitze railway.
After a successful start to the season, more highlights await.
Winter operations in Gastein began at the end of November, with the musical season opening "Gastein Sounds" taking place on December 12th and 13th. Besides the Hirsch und Maus (a local festival) and the "Lighthouse Festival" (January 25th-29th, 2026), another top event, the popular ski resort continues to attract visitors with its piste highlights. The "Infinity" run connects the Stubnerkogel and Schlossalm mountains, creating a complete experience with a vertical drop of 4,400 meters. The "Nord" run, with a vertical drop of 1,440 meters and a length of approximately ten kilometers, remains the longest valley run in the Salzburg region.
The slope conditions are good considering the circumstances, and bookings over Christmas and New Year's are promising. Guests can secure their lift tickets online and take advantage of dynamic pricing with discounts of up to 15 percent. Maximum flexibility is guaranteed with the "5 in 7" ski pass, while the new Ski & Spa Experience Ticket, which includes a day ski pass and a four-hour visit to the thermal baths, offers the perfect combination of sport and relaxation. Flexible tickets for winter hikers and nature enthusiasts (e.g., the Almorama Cards 3-in-7 and 6-in-21) complete the attractive offerings of the Gastein mountain lifts.
“Overall, we are looking forward to a successful winter. With the new Hirsch und Maus mountain restaurant, we have created another extremely attractive offering and are convinced that this will already have an impact in the 2025/2026 season,” emphasizes Andreas Innerhofer. The wide range of options at Hirsch und Maus is designed to appeal to a broad audience: The selection ranges from a quick snack to a stylish dinner – and there is also a separate area available for small company celebrations.
Sustainable tourism at all levels
The opening of the Hirsch und Maus hotel coincides with a period of dynamic development throughout the valley. In addition to the hotel infrastructure, travel to the Gastein Valley is also being modernized. Since 2024, the train stations in Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, and Dorfgastein have been made accessible and transformed into modern mobility hubs. With the timetable change on December 14, 2025, Bad Gastein is now reachable from Graz in just over two hours. ICE connections are available from Vienna, Dortmund, and Munich. Thanks to the direct connection to the Stubnerkogel valley station, the motto at Bad Gastein station is "Train in – Ski out".
Public transport thus becomes a key pillar of Gastein's sustainability concept. The Gastein mountain lifts support environmentally friendly travel with an ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) combination ticket that combines train journey and ski pass. Further measures include operating all snow groomers with HVO fuel, the continuous expansion of photovoltaic capacity, and intelligent snowmaking based on GPS-controlled snow depth measurement.
“ We have set ourselves the ambitious goal of making our tourism region sustainable and, despite this – or perhaps because of it – even more successful. We are currently well on our way ,” concludes Andreas Innerhofer, CEO of the cable car company.
