Gallery: For Middle Eastern Tourists, Only One Austrian Ski Town Will Do

  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Overcoat Coat Outdoors and Nature
    Marieke van der Velden
    01

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN6

    Maryan, 21, is from Dubai, where she notes things are much different. “We have camels instead of sleighs,” she laughs.
  • Image may contain Human Person Sunglasses Accessories Accessory Bottle and Finger
    Marieke van der Velden
    02

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN5

    Fouzia is a financial accountant from Oman. She’s on vacation with her husband Hatam. While other tourists are enjoying a beer, the couple are drinking hot chocolate topped with whipped cream.
  • Image may contain Human Person Outdoors Nature Snow Sport Sports Piste Clothing Apparel and Mountain
    Marieke van der Velden
    03

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN7

    Ahma and Mona are 20-year-old lawyers from Kuwait. They came to the town for their honeymoon. “This place is very famous! Everyone wants to come here!” they say.
  • Image may contain Human Person Vehicle Transportation Cable Car Aircraft Helicopter and Saleh Al Maghamsi
    Marieke van der Velden
    04

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN16

    A family rides a ski lift to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.
  • Image may contain Human Person People Family Clothing Footwear Apparel and Shoe
    Marieke van der Velden
    05

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN2

    Khaled, his wife Mariam and their four children are from Dubai. The temperatures are an adjustment for some members of the family. “The children keep crying that their hands are cold,” Mariam laughs.
  • Image may contain Human Person Outdoors Nature Snow Sport Sports and Piste
    Marieke van der Velden
    06

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN17

    A mother and son make a snowman at the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.
  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person and Path
    Marieke van der Velden
    07

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN20

    A woman from Dubai stands at an overlook at the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.
  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Sunglasses Accessories Accessory Human Person and Scarf
    Marieke van der Velden
    08

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN15

    A girl sports some brightly colored glasses on the slopes.
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Apparel Transportation Vehicle Automobile Car Long Sleeve and Sleeve
    Marieke van der Velden
    09

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN1

    This family comes from Saudi Arabia. The older daughter is wearing a wolf cap her mother bought on eBay for the trip.
  • Image may contain Human Person Sitting Transportation Vehicle and Bus
    Marieke van der Velden
    10

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN18

    A family on their way to the highest point of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.
  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Outdoors Nature Mountain and Sleeve
    Marieke van der Velden
    11

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN4

    Mai and Mohammed are from Kuwait. She teaches at a daycare center and he is studying for his masters in Islamic history. The pair are on a three-week trip.
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Apparel Pants Arm Tattoo and Skin
    Marieke van der Velden
    12

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN10

    Mariam is not bothered by the cold and proudly shows her arms which have been decorated with henna.
  • Image may contain Human Person Clothing Shoe Footwear Apparel and Stroller
    Marieke van der Velden
    13

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN8

    Ali and Samira are from Saudi Arabia. They are having their photo taken with local residents during the traditional feast Zell Edelweisen. “We love it here because it’s so nice and cool and there is no traffic in the city center,” they say.
  • Image may contain Human Person Musical Instrument Flugelhorn Brass Section Marco Tumminello Horn and Footwear
    Marieke van der Velden
    14

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN12

    The weekly Zell Edelweisen feast is where residents come together to dance and show their traditional costumes and music to tourists.
  • Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Bastian Steger Hat and Sun Hat
    Marieke van der Velden
    15

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN9

    26-year-old Turki is from Saudi Arabia and just won second place in a yodeling contest. He and his wife are celebrating their fourth anniversary. It’s their first time going on vacation together.
  • Image may contain Outdoors Nature River Water Human Person Waterfall and Rubble
    Marieke van der Velden
    16

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN14

    Maryam and her husband Saleh stand at the base of a waterfall. They are in town for a week and then plan to head to Salzburg. “Everyone talks about this place,” she says. “For us, it is paradise.”
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Water Ocean Sea Land Shoreline Human Person Lake Transportation and Vehicle
    Marieke van der Velden
    17

    MARIEKEVANDERVELDEN11

    Boating on the Zell am See lake is a popular activity.
Read More
The Best Water Filter Pitchers for PFAS- and Lead-Free Living
Water filters promise the moon—but only some back up their claims. Here are the best filtered-water pitchers for those who prefer their water free of heavy metals and forever chemicals.
Matthew Korfhage
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
Kate Knibbs
The Dumbest Hack of the Year Exposed a Very Real Problem
Last April, a hacker hijacked crosswalk announcements to mimic Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Records obtained by WIRED reveal how unprepared local authorities were.
Paresh Dave
AI Agents Are Coming for Your Dating Life
The developers of Pixel Societies are using AI agents to simulate social interactions. It's an attempt optimize the process of choosing new colleagues, friends, and even romantic partners.
Joel Khalili
The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For
AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.
Miles Klee
A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why
Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.
Stephanie Pearson
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend
Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.
Luke Larsen
There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home
Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.
Jeremy White
The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Miles Klee
Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good
This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.
Christopher Null
The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App
The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.
Matthew Korfhage
Crimson Desert Is a Cat Dad Simulator
Step into the shoes of the strongest, goodest boy in a game that is beautiful, baffling, and impossible to put down.