Bid on a piece of ski history

The Hohe Mut single chairs at the Tyrolean resort of Obergurgl – a hugely popular resort with British skiers – have been dismantled and replaced with a gleaming new gondola.

Because this chairlift was always such a favourite, the Austrian National Tourist Office, in conjunction with the Ski Club and Inghams (the UK tour operator with the strongest links with Obergurgl) has rescued one of them and will raise funds for the Starlight Children's Foundation through a sealed-bid email auction.

Starlight is a charity that grants wishes of a lifetime to seriously and terminally ill children all over the UK, giving children the chance to live their dreams (and their families happy memories to share together, whatever the future holds).

This is a wonderful opportunity to own a classic item of skiing memorabilia – and help a child realise a dream of visiting the snows of Lapland or the Austrian Alps at the same time.

Says Oskar Hinteregger, Director of the Austrian National Tourist Office, UK & Ireland:

“Thousands of Brits enjoy a skiing holiday in Obergurgl every year, and the stories they tell about their experiences in tackling, or at least trying to tackle the ‘Hohe Mut’ slope – a black run that’s never pisted and was accessed by this infamous chairlift for more than half a century – are legendary. Imagine how many tens of thousands of miles these chairs have travelled during half a century of service – and imagine displaying one in your garden or conservatory!”

HOW TO PLACE YOUR BID

Inghams has set up a special e-mail address obergurglchairlift@inghams.co.uk to accept bids between November 14 and December 12, 2007.

include the amount of your bid in the subject line (ie. ‘I bid £XXX’). Contact details including phone number and email address should be provided in the body of the email. Owner of the winning bid will be contacted after the auction closes. A minimum bid of £300 applies.

Good luck to all!