Tag Archives: Austria

Berchtesgadener Alps, continued…

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So Thursday night of the 12th July saw Anna and I making a rapid ascent up from the Königsee towards the Funtensee, a lake perched at about 1,700m in the Berchtesgadener Alps, right on the border of Germany and Austria. Our planned destination was the Karlingerhaus, a mountain hut where we had planned to spend the night.

Having set out late at almost 5pm for what was signposted as a 5hr journey, we wondered whether we would make it, especially at it was raining hard. This made conditions underfoot, on what was a very steep ascent, harder going, and also meant the light was fading quickly.

In the end we needn’t have worried, as we made the climb to the hut in exactly three hours, arriving a little before 8pm. The hut was a very welcome sight nonetheless, and it was nice to hang up wet waterproofs, get the boots off, and step into what proved to be a very cosy and welcoming hut.

The Karlingerhaus, by the Funtensee, Bavaria

The lake by the Karlingerhaus, the Funtensee, has a particular record attached to it. It has recorded Germany’s lowest ever temperature, at a staggering -46.9 degrees C, just ten years ago. Caused by its North Easterly position in the mountains, it gets practically no sun for six months of the year, and it also sits in a depression. Due then to the fact that cold air is heavier than warm, when the cold air comes down from the mountains above, it has nowhere to go, and just sits there.

There was however no cold to be seen this night, despite the rain, as the hut was packed with people, and each of the dining rooms (three rooms in total) was full of revelry. In fact it was so loud you could hardly hear yourself think! I have never been in a hut and seen so much alcohol consumed! Having eaten some delicious potato soup with sausages, and had a couple of very welcome German beers, we ended up sat in the middle of what became a schnapps-fuelled signing contest between German and Dutch climbers. We ended up having two choices – which was to sit in a corner and watch, or to join in, so we chose the latter. It was about as raucous a night as you will see or hear in a typical rugby club on a Saturday night post-match – awesome entertainment is all I’ll say!
Waking the next morning with a fuzzy head was soon eclipsed by the feeling of waking up in the mountains. There is something so absolutely wonderful about it for me. It is the antithesis of any time you wake up on a normal Monday morning and think “oh bugger I have to go to work today”, and such a tonic. Even when I stay in the highest alpine huts and have to get up at 5am it is still that same “let me get at it” sort of feeling.

So today’s trek would take us from the Karlingerhaus into Austria (the border is within a mile of the Karlingerhaus) across the so called Steinernes Meer, which translates as ‘stony sea’. It is a vast expanse of ‘karst’ type geology – here is a link to it for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinernes_Meer

The bleak landscape of the stony sea was exacerbated even more by the weather that faced us. It started with rain, and then just basically got wetter.

Setting out from the Karlingerhaus before the weather got bad….

but entering the Stony Sea it sooned turned cold and wet.

The Stony Sea was hard work in the weather. The rain lashed down, visibility was low, and the wind blew hard. I hadn’t expected to be decked out in full waterproofs, including gloves, and still be cold, in July, but that’s the mountains for you, and shows you that you always need to be prepared.

Some of the paths were still covered in deep snow, and with the cold and wet air it made some of the conditions underfoot a bit heart in mouth at times.

Heading up a snowy gully in the Steinernes Meer

We had originally hoped that once in the Snowy Sea area that we would be able to do a couple of the peaks that are around there. There are around 50 peaks with a prominence (i.e. above the base of the area, which all sits at over 2,000m) of over 50 metres within the area, and a total of around 20 above 2,500m. Two of the best known are the Breithorn and the Schönfeldspitze, both around 2,600m. Sadly we couldn’t even see them due to the conditions, and so we ended up just heads down and heading for some cover at the next destination, the Reimannhaus hut.

The walk up to the Riemannhaus (2,177m) ultimately took about three hours from the Funtensee, and we were very glad to just arrive. Here is a picture of it in sunnier times below:

The Riemannhaus in sunnier times, not quite the view that we got.

I did not even get my camera out so hard was the wind and rain as we approached. I also ended up with the contents of my rucksack soaked through, as the wind had (unbeknown to me at the time) ripped off my rucksack raincover somewhere on the way there. I have almost never been so glad to get inside a building as at that time.

The hospitality in the hut, once we had squeezed the water out of gloves and my rucksack contents, was wonderful. We also had what I can only describe as the best Goulash that I have ever had. It was absolutely delicious, and washed down with a steaming mug of black tea it made for one of the most memorable meals I have ever had.

We sat in the Riemannhaus for probably an hour and a half, dried out, drank more black tea, and contemplated next steps. Our proposed destination that night was another hut called the Ingolstaedterhaus, which would involve another three or four hour climb through the wet and wind, and on snowy ground. Alternatively we could stay where we were, in the warm, and be safe. It was not an easy decision…………

Karwendel Alps Final Day

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The final day in the mountains saw us waking up in the Pfeishutte in Austria, which is almost due north of Innsbruck. The Pfieshutte sits at about 2,000m, and was very busy. We were in the uppermost dormitory, in a room meant for (I think) 10, and I reckon there were probably 14 in there, which made it a little cosy. Thankfully I had what approximates to a single bed, the only one I have ever seen in any mountain hut, and since I was waking up with my leg strapped up from yesterday’s fall, I was very grateful to be in it.

The Pfeishutte, on the morning of our final day

We set out after a very nice breakfast of the usual mountain fare, and headed for a pass which would ultimately take us down a steep scree path, from about 2,250m to the valley floor just outside Innsbruck at around 700m or so.

The top of the pass on the Goetheweg trail.

Reaching the top of the pass was pretty easy going, despite the heat. We had heard that the weather forecast for Innsbruck was 37C (99F), which is much hotter than I think they ever get in that part of the world. Although we were considerably higher than Innsbruck itself, the temperature was still brutally warm to be doing any kind of physical exercise.

At the top of the pass immediately before the descent to Innsbruck.

We then came to the start of the descent. The path was essentially just scree, and very steep. It was hard not to slide on almost every step, which made the heat seem even worse. It was also hard not to look at the view of Innsbruck and the Alps south of there, which totally dominated every view.

The beginning of the descent, Innsbruck in the valley far below

After a while of sort of stumbling down the hill and wondering how long it would take, we were passed at great speed by a couple who were scree-skiing. The penny then dropped that this was really about the only way to get down, and certainly quicker, and probably just as safe, so we went for it.

Scree-skiing down the mountain….

…..which brought Innsbruck ever closer…….

….even if I sometimes ended up……

…….sitting on my backside!

When we got down to about 1,200m or so, there was a very welcome hut called the Rumer Alm, where we stopped for lunch and a drink. the temperature by now was really hot, even in the shade, but the break was very welcome nonethless.

The walk down from the hut to Rum itself (a suburb of northern Innsbruck) was about a further hour, and was basically a beautiful walk through a stunning pine forest.

The walk down to Rum from Rumer Alm

By the time we reached the very bottom, where we would get a bus back to Absam (where we had parked the car three days before), we could see back up the mountain to the top of where we had descended from:

The view back up to the Goetheweg (far distance) from Rum, Innsbruck

From here after the bus we returned to Achensee on the way back (and the World Cup final in an Italian Bar full of very miserable Italians by the end of the night!) before returning to Munich for the flight back to the UK.

The Karwendel Alps had been great. Considering I had never even heard of the region itself only a week before going, it had been a real surprise in terms of what it had to offer, including the diversity (and difficulty) of terrain, the beauty of the mountains themselves, and the hospitality and friendliness of the Austrian people. Blessed also with wonderful weather, great company, fine food, and some very fine mountain huts, it made the trip hugely enjoyable. I resolved that it should not be long before I returned to the region, something that as it turned out would be a lot more prophetic, and indeed imminent, than it first appeared……..

Karwendel Alps – Day Two

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Waking up in strange surroundings I should get used to, but somehow I never do. Today was certainly no exception. We (Verena, Susanne and I) were in the Klingler Hotel in Maurach, Austria, and I woke to find rain and wind and also feeling quite disorientated.

We had expected the weather to be outstanding this morning. In fact the forecast for Innsbruck, the nearest place to where we were headed, was for cloudless skies and 33 C. The rain (and it was tanking it down) therefore was rather unwelcome to say the least. It was also distinctly chilly.

Breakfast was however wonderful, and afterwards we set out with rather mixed feelings about what the day would bring. We needn’t have worried however, and within about 10 minutes of setting off for our destination (only 30 minutes away), we were in bright and beautiful sunshine.

Then however after arriving in Absam, just east of Innsbruck, we hit our first snag. We were looking to park, nicely mapped out by Verena, at a place called St Magdalena, at about 1,300m. This would let us get to our planned destination (and accommodation for the night) the Bettelwurfhutte. The Bettelwurfhutte was at about 2,100m, and would allow us hopefully to a scale a peak or two after lunch.

However, upon coming to a dead end half way to St Magdalena and enquiring of a very helpful local lady (in fact everyone in Austria throughout was just so friendly and helpful) she told us that this was the furthest we could go. This was not good, as we were barely at 700m, leaving us with the thought of 1,400m of ascent before lunch, which was a tall order at best.

The Karwandel Alps – the trail would start here

We then thought we should ring the Bettelwurfhutte to tell them of our arrival and to book our accommodation in case things were busy. Susanne looked somewhat shocked to be told that there was nothing at all to be had. The place was literally crammed full.

Ringing ahead to hopefully get us some beds for the night.

We then spent a further 30 minutes or so (rightfully) trying to contact other huts to see if we could get other accommodation. The long and short of it was that everywhere seemed to be either full or on an answer machine.

In the end we just decided to go for it. There was another hut apparently a further two hours or so from where we planned to head, although we couldn’t reach that one by phone either, but to delay the trip further (it was already 10.30am with perhaps six or more hours walking ahead of us) would have wasted too much time.

Within probably 20 minutes or so of walking up a steep road, just to reach the start of the trail, the heat was really taking its toll. The forecast temperatures for the day would prove to be correct and the sun beat down relentlessly from here on.

The trek started up a steep road at first…

After an hour or so, we reached a path which would lead us to the original destination (the Bettelwurfhutte). There were three paths in total. One of them was labelled ‘Klettersteig’, which was out for us as we did not have harnesses or via ferrata equipment with us. The other two paths looked long, and as we did not think we could get accommodation at this hut anyway, and after Verena and Susanne took the advice of a very helpful local passing shepherd, we decided not to take this route.

The climb up towards the Bettelwurfhutte

We duly marched on headed for the other hut, the Hallerangerhaus., which from our our current position was apparently a further 3 and a half hours. That may have been true for a fit Austrian (for whom the signboards must have been made) on a coolish summers day. This however was sweltering, and I couldn’t walk for more than about 50 paces uphill without stopping to wipe sweat from my brow and catch my breath. It was simply draining.

The walk was however beautiful:

An alpine meadow looking in the direction of the Stempeljoch, which would be tomorrow’s destination.

From alpine meadows with beautiful tiny flowers, to hillsides scattered with Edelweiss, to towering peaks around 2,000m above the valley floor, the Karwandel Alps were certainly proving to be everything I hoped they’d be and more.

Looking south from the approach to the Hallerangerhaus

The walk ultimately took us around 6 and a half hours. This meant that there was no time for other peaks along the way, but this in no way detracted from the day. Ultimately it was too hot anyway for serious hill climbing. Even when we reached our resting place for the day, the Hallerangerhaus hut, the temperature was 28 degrees C, and this at 1800m.

From the top of our ascent for the day, at about 2,200m, looking down towards the Hallerangerhaus in the distance in the valley

And a closer look at the Hallerangerhaus, our destination for the night.

Dinner was a perfectly cooked Vienna Schnitzel (well we were in Austria after all) washed down with a few glasses of Austrian beer. From the terrace of the mountain hut (we literally sat outside all evening it was so warm) we saw an amazingly beautiful sunset, and were entertained by the local hutkeeper and his wife. The hut was completely full, and we were ultimately lucky to get a place for the night at all.

Sunset over the Karwendel

In the morning we would climb back up the hill we had just descended and head to the Pfeishutte. We had seen glimpses of the path we would go on on the way today, and it looked great. This trip was already going too quickly!

Karwendel Alps Day One

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Today is a landmark day. I write that immediately after the end of the day itself, particularly as it has been so wonderful. It is the first day of a five day trip to the Karwendel Alps in the Austrian Tyrol. (As I post this online however it is six days later – the date was the 28th June 2012). It is my first trip to the region, and I have been looking forward to it for so long.

It started so early, with a 5am alarm call, and then a car ride to Heathrow airport which got me there before 7am. But despite tiredness early on, the day just got better and better.

A plane ride to Munich got me into Germany before lunchtime, where I met up with Verena and her friend Susanne, whom I was meeting for the first time. We had only loosely planned the day beforehand, and so upon arrival they suggested that we go and drive to a place called Achensee, where we would stay the night, before heading into the higher mountains the next morning. This was totally fine with me, and so off we went.

The car journey took us almost due South into Austria, and within about an hour and a half we were at a place called Maurach on the edge of the Achensee. I can only describe it as outstandingly beautiful.

Above the Achensee, Austria.

After finding ourselves a place to stay for the evening we then duly plotted the following three days’ events. Verena had been really thorough and bought local maps and pinpointed all of the places we would go to in the mountains.  We planned to head the following morning to Absam (on the outskirts of Innsbruck), then hike up to the Bettelwurfehutte, and then summit the Grosser Bettelwurf (2,726m) the same afternoon. This sounded fantastic, and with everything sorted, we just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Verena and Susanne in front of our hotel in Maurach,

Maurach is at 931m and is characterised by a beautiful lake (the Achensee) which is a stunning shade of green. The temperature being so warm (around 27 degrees C or so) it just seemed entirely appropriate to go and join the locals and swim in the lake, so we did just that. It was wonderful, and the water was actually not as cold as I had expected it to be.

In the evening we went in search of both food and also football! It was the evening of the Euro 2012 football finals, and Germany were playing Italy (who had just conquered England four days before on penalties in the quarter final). After straying into a very fancy looking hotel where I am not sure if they have ever even heard of Euro 2012, we found (of all things) an Italian Bar!

The hospitality (especially considering Verena was fervently and excitedly shouting for Germany) was wonderful. Susanne is not as much of a football fan, but still obviously wanted them to win. After a great meal and a few Aperol Spritzers we settled down to the game, which unfortunately Germany lost 2-1. It made still for an exciting first night in the mountains, and Achensee made for a great base. We resolved at the end of the night to return on our way back on Sunday night.

So with the build up complete, and a long day over, in the morning we would head out to the Karwandel Alps, only about 30 minutes or so away. It was going to be fantastic. Sleep would come so ridiculously easily…..