By Fyllis Hockman

Descending via chairlift into the town of Tulfes after a visit to a mountaintop Alpine garden, we stopped for a sampling of homemade bread and raspberry schnapps made at an onsite still at a local farmers market run by the same family for more than 300 years.

Some 7,500 feet atop Mount Rangger Koepfl our mountain guide likened our hike through the late spring snow to a trek across the Arctic tundra. Following a bike ride across the countryside around Lans, we sought rejuvenation in the town lake that one of the residents described as their "small serene secret."

So many of the 25 "village resorts" around the historic city of Innsbruck in western Austria offer similar diversions during spring and summer that counterbalance the area's well-known appeal as ski country.

Don't be misled. The term "resorts" could not be more of a misnomer. These villages have been around for hundreds of years, with their residents still leading lives in some ways more reminiscent of days gone by than of the modern-day world. With the exception of a few villages, most tourists are just visitors passing through rather than economic staples of the community.

The area is all about outdoor recreation, from hiking, biking and rafting to horseback riding, paragliding and sailing — plus the summer staples of tennis and golf. But mountain hiking is really the backbone of the Tirolean lifestyle. Tying Innsbruck and its village resorts together is a free hiking program unavailable elsewhere in Austria. From May to September professional guides accompany visitors, whether individuals or a group, on hikes of three hours to a full day, based on personal preferences and abilities. There is no better way to experience the country or the countryside.

"Walk slowly and breath easily," was the first bit of advice our guide, Wolfgang, dispensed as we started our 2,300-foot trek up the mountain, followed by, "The slower you go up the mountain, the faster you get there." The thinness of the air, he explained, demands this.

In the United States this would have qualified as a strenuous hike, but I suspect by Austrian standards it was a piece of apple strudel. Although it was spring, the gently falling snow added to the adventure, and I was glad I had followed that perennial packing mantra: Bring layers!

The tradeoff, unfortunately, to climbing through snow was that upon reaching the summit we were surrounded by gray, so the usual glorious view of the valley below was left to our imagination.

All of the Innsbruck villages offer a vast array of outdoor activities, but the glory of traveling from town to town is in the differences between them and the unique contributions each makes to the journey.

The constant throughout the journey, of course, is the mountains, the splendid, spectacular glorious granite rising up in every direction. Suffice it to say, "Scenic Overlook" signs would be redundant; western Austria is, by definition, one huge scenic overlook. Multihued flowers adorning hillsides and valleys and window-box-bedecked chalets are also ubiquitous travel companions.

Seefeld, a typical Tirolean ski town within 20 minutes of Innsbruck, is by far the most commercial of the villages. The many hotels lining the streets delight with their sloped roofs, wraparound wooden porches and delicately etched ornamentation. The village spends the summer just waiting for the next ski season to arrive.

But a drive through the extended Leutasch Valley surrounding Seefeld brought us you into a world that transcends ski season, whose laid-back farming lifestyle was a refreshing antidote to my city-slicker sensibilities. In my hometown they don't have small cupboards on stilts between houses into which neighbors put baskets at night containing their bread orders for the next day.

And then there were the 22 mini-chapels. Each town in the valley sports a tiny, colorful chapel — with no more than two to six narrow pews — named after a designated saint and decorated with religious paintings, trompe l'oeil windows and mini-Baroque-style interiors.

The chapels, which began sprouting up in the mid-1700s during the plague, are just large enough to provide solace to the few families in the immediate community. Though used today primarily for ceremonial occasions, they remain as moving and marvelous in their way as the most elaborate cathedral.

Igls, southeast of Innsbruck and the site of two winter Olympics, is also a typical ski town, though not as touristy as Seefeld. Almost 40 years separate two of the top attractions: a cable car built in 1927 and the bobsled, vintage 1964. The first was built during a tourist boom of the 1920s and '30s, when an emphasis on wellness and clean air was in vogue. Igls capitalized on the trend by promoting the purity of its high mountain air, and what better way to access it than by cable car. Still operating today, it takes visitors to the aforementioned mountaintop Alpine garden.

The appeal of the Olympic bobsled has been capitalized upon, as well, by making the ride also a summer option. The 45-second ride on wheels brings all the thrills of its winter counterpart. Looking at the angle close-up and visualizing the speed, I remembered once again why the carousel is my favorite ride at amusement parks. Although the bobsled races sideways, to the stomach it feels like the most harrowing of roller coasters.

Once upright, I was relieved to again see the mountains that dominate the exterior surroundings. The still-snow-covered peaks met the sky at a point that strained both the neck and the imagination. The rivulets of white-filled grooves streamed down the granite slopes like generous portions of creme-anglaise dripping over mounds of licorice ice cream.

In the one-road town of Lans, don't bother looking for the village center; there isn't any. It's the Lanser See Lake that ties the people together. Fortunately, there aren't a lot of people in Lans, so the water's calm and lakeside serenity are not often disturbed.

Southwest of Innsbruck is Mutter, a haven for children of all ages. Offering a wealth of programs, activities, playgrounds and swim sites that cater to the younger set, it is an ideal family destination. Adding to the appeal are the number of working and converted farmhouses with rooms to rent — and animals to feed — some dating back to the 15th century (the farmhouses, not the animals).

So many villages, so little time: Mosern with its hilltop Peace Bell built in 1972 to highlight the cooperation across the borders of the Alpine region, the Post Office Museum in Patsch that depicts the history of the post office started by Maximilian I in the late 1500s, sleepy Sistrans with houses painted to reflect family history or religious themes of the 15th and 16th centuries. A visit to these ageless villages, unique in their own music, traditions and art, provides an added dimension to a stay in Innsbruck not usually found outside other European cities.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information, visit www.innsbruck.info.

The Lanser See Lake in Lans, Austria, brings locals and visitors together. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

Seefeld, Austria, is a Tirolean ski town where locals spend their summers looking forward to winter. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

Each town in the Leutasch Valley surrounding Seefeld, Austria, has its own small chapel. Photo courtesy of Victor Block.

Fyllis Hockman is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.