KATY DARTFORD found that ‘skinning up’ had a whole new meaning when she visited SalzburgerLand in Austria
I’m sweating out what I’m sure is pure Austrian schnapps. But just a few more meters and I’ll be rewarded with views across Salzburgerland’s Grossarl Valley and – of course – lunch on the summit of the Filzmooshörndl at 2,189 meters, followed by a mouthwatering untracked descent.
I’d covered over five and a half kilometres on my lightweight touring skis, through a beautiful winding pine forest path and along a wind swept mountain ridge, climbing about 800 meters before a final boot pack to the summit. But after a few schnapps fuelled days racing round the pistes of Gastein and Grossarl, I needed some peace and tranquility, to get away from crowds and frankly sweat it out… so a ski tour in the ‘valley of the mountain huts’ was just the thing.
Barely an hour’s drive from Salzburg the region boasts huge snow covered Alpine pastures and countless peaks, with elevations ranging from 2,000m to just under 3,000m and is home to three ski areas; Bad Gastein/Bad Hofgastein, Sportgastein and Dorfgastein/Grossarl, which are all only a few minutes apart by free bus and offer over 200km of pistes, suitable for all ski levels, as well as endless off-piste and exceptionally long top-to-bottom runs where you can get around 10km of uninterrupted skiing.
But as well as this, in Grossarl, ski touring, with state-approved mountain guides, is on offer for free, five days a week, when staying at any of the 100 hotels or private accommodation in the resort that are part of the ‘berg-gesund’ programme. Alongside the guided tours, you will be taught touring skills and avalanche awareness. The courses are adapted to suit the ability of the group and high-altitude ski touring is also on offer for experienced ski tourers. Just rent your touring skis and boots, (about £25) and you’re all set for a day in the back country.
That morning I’m collected from my hotel, the Grossarler Hof, by Alex from Alpine Guides Gastein. I had a Groggy head after spending the previous night schnapps tasting 15 different locally produced varieties, such as apricot, pear, and my favourites, the holler and vogelbeeve.
Earlier I’d spent the day racing across Dorfgastein, a quieter resort located near the Gastein valley’s entrance, over to the Grossarl valley, and finishing up in the Zapfenbar for a boot stomping session to the ‘heli heli helikopter’. Dorfgastein itself tops 2,000m and offers great views in each direction. You can easily ski either way, with gondolas back up. The pistes are smooth and broad with some fantastic reds, and lots of little paths through trees.
But the fun had begun even before that. The previous day started with a ‘Bond style’ breakfast in the former ski station at Sportgastein. Located right at the end of the valley its smaller, with no town just a lone, more dramatic ski area and the valley’s highest pistes.
After catching an early lift, I made a quick hike to the summit of the Kreuzkogel at 2,686km, with its breathtaking 360-degree views across Sportgastein’s amazing freeride area, including Austria’s highest mountain, the 3,798 metre Grossglockner. I then skidded down the slope on the heels of my ski boots to the ‘Kuppel’ – a dome like structure, converted for hosting breakfast before the lifts open.
Resembling the villain aliens from the 1980’s sci fi drama, ‘The Tripods’, we clambered up its stairs into a metal dodecahedron, wrapped ourselves in sheep skins and tucked into meats, cheeses and bucks fizz as well as smoked salmon, bircher muesli and sweet breads. All this before our host whipped up some creamy scrambled eggs. An unforgettable treat before attacking those pistes across the bridge at Stubnerkogel.
That day was topped off by more schnapps quaffing at the at the Bellevue Alm accompanied by men in leather shorts play fighting and knee-slapping, in time to the accordion, followed by a rickety toboggan ride down the mountain….not forgetting arriving the night before in the classic spa town of Bad Gastein for dinner at Ginger and Gin…. with its 99+ varieties of … you guessed it – gin.
So it was with relief when we were welcomed by Alex at the Grossarler Hof and driven off down the Ellmaubach – the largest side valley of Grossarltal – to the start of our tour in Grund.
In the car park we geared up in our special ski touring kit. First we put on our skins – pieces of grippy material attached to the underside of a ski, so that it has more traction when going uphill, rather than sliding back down the slope after each step. Ski touring is rather like a combination of Nordic and alpine ski techniques, with the heel of the skier free from the ski to tour on flat ground or uphill, with just the toe-piece attached at the binding.
Next, we had to check our avalanche safety equipment, – shovel, probe and transceiver – were working. And then there’s the questions of layers. Start cold is the best advice, as it won’t be long before you’re stripping off. Alex suggested taking a wind breaker and puffa for the descent – and the real winner- a breathable dry shirt to change into on summit. Nothing worse than cold sweat. Then consider thin gloves and a head band for climbing and thick gloves and a hat (or helmet) for descending.
Sensibly kitted out we shuffled off, slow and rhythmically in the dappled sunlight through the ancient forest, with barely a soul about other than mountain goats and Ibex. Lost in a meditative daze, the increased blood flow and heart rate from climbing at altitude gave me a bit of a natural physical high – the physical challenge, erasing the ‘sins’ of the last few days.
However, the odd moment of stress interjected the calm when those pesky skins occasionally wouldn’t stick or you get on an edge and tumble to the ground on a steep section. Alex instructs us to ‘slide the skis and not to lift the legs at all’.
We practiced various ski touring skills until we reached the Filzmoosalm hut after about an hour of ‘skinning up.’ Although it’s not managed in winter, it’s a good place to stop, refuel and admire the snow covered meadows on one side and the limestone mountains of Draugstein and Grosser Schneibenstein on the other and to contemplate if you mean to go on!
With the summit of the Filzmooshörndl looking tantalisingly close, I opt to continue. After more light pine forest and some flat terrain, the last push to the summit, topped with a cross, becomes a little steeper. It seemed further away than it appeared, but finally after three hours, I sat down on the small plateau of the Filzmooshörndl and breathed in the mountain air, knowing no further detox was required.
Offering views across the Hohe Tauern mountain range, I could see the peaks of the Hochkönig, Tennengebirge and Hagengebirge – as well as occasionally the Dachsteingebirge. Slowly I ate my lunch (all part of the deal from the hotel) and pondered the beauty of the twin valleys.
Alex tells me during the winter he normally guides ski touring trips three times a week, whilst studying timber construction. But some days they also offer other activities like snowshoeing, ice climbing, hiking, yoga fitness, climbing, via ferrata, and glacier trekking – all also part of the deal with the hotels.
Grossarl, he tells me, is a very good ski touring area and there are at least 20 other tours, with many easier ones beginning in the Ellmau valley.
As I finished my lunch, I realised that ski touring is really no longer the domain of ‘old beardy’ mountaineer types with the main aim being the climb to the summit. The pleasure is as much in the ups as the thrill of the downs and in getting away from crowds and into nature, finding fresh tracks outside the boundaries of a ski resort.
As a chill begins to set in, I layer up, strip my skis of their skins and flick the bindings to downhill mode. There are plenty of descent possibilities from the Filzmooshörndl and as we picked a line towards the hut and drop off the plateau I realised the buzz of being ‘alone’ in the mountains had been the perfect cure for my schnapps head.
TRAVEL FACTS
Katy Dartford travelled to the Gastein and Grossarl Valleys (www.gastein.com and www.grossarltal.info) as a guest of the SalzburgerLand Tourist Office (www.salzburgerland.com).
In Gastein, she stayed at 4* Hotel Ősterreichischer Hof (www.oehof.at) in Bad Hofgastein. In Grossarl – linked to the Gastein Valley via Dorf Gastein – she stayed at 4* superior Grossarler Hof (www.grossarlerhof.at).
A 3-night ski-touring break is priced from €543 per person, based on two sharing for three nights in a double room (valid Mon-Thurs to 30 March 2019) on a ¾-board (breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner). The price includes ski tours with a qualified mountain guide, flask of hot tea and snacks, ski touring folder and insider tips/advice from Alpine ski-touring expert and hotel host Markus Andexer.
One night’s accommodation in a double room based on two sharing ½-board + substantial afternoon tea is from €123 per person per night and valid 10 March to 22 April 2019.
During the stay in Grossarl guests have the opportunity to enter the Big Bottle treasure hunt in Grossarl to find the location of and to win an Audi A1 Sportback.
Categories: Austria