Where in Austria, Chrissi? We went to Europe several summers when I was growing up, and Ehrwald and Hallstatt were two places we came back to often. I think it's true that the combination of topography and climate makes the mountains of Alberta and Austria kin. That scene with the horses in the deep moss which Proulx said was not really true to Wyoming, could also have been shot in the Salzkammergut, don't you think? In the sun-dappled larch forests I remember walking between house-sized boulders on mattresses of moss.
Aspach in the Innviertel. Not far from the Bavarian border. The area is still on the foothills of the Alps, more hills than impressive mountain ranges there. But of course, it's not far to the "real" mountains.
Geologically, the Rockies and the Alps are similar, they're both relatively young and massive fold mountains. Climate is also similar. But the human settlements make a huge, huge difference. Compared with Alberta, Austria seems completely overcrowded.
This is to me the most alluring difference between Europe and North America in general. I've seen "empty"/isolated/natural landscapes in Europe, too. And they're beautiful, no question. But compared with the vastness of North America, those landscapes in Europe seem like small islands in oceans of settlements.