Ski touring week in Val Pusteria
“The sun is shining all over the world – cheers”
Throughout the winter, the feedback from Ignaz and Regula’s local colleagues was always the same: “No snow, hardly any tours possible”. We were not discouraged and were rewarded with plenty of white in the Southern Alps shortly before our departure. Our alternative program on the wide ski slopes was at least secured. During our touring week, the focus was on relaxation and well-being. Every day we had the opportunity to take part in a ski tour. Thanks to the fun and humor on offer, we were magically drawn to the idyllic alpine huts after every tour. However, there was also room for individual program planning and participants were able to opt out according to their own needs. Ski tours, shopping, skiing, fine dining and relaxing – we really got our money’s worth. The Hotel Lanerhof came up trumps every evening with an incredibly wide buffet. Fortunately, we were able to work off our gourmet dinners the next day on the tours! Throughout the week, the avalanche service confronted us with danger level 3. Our local tour guides planned everything as cautiously as possible and we were able to entrust ourselves to their guidance without any worries.
Monday 07.03.2016 / Gornerhorn (Henne) 2474m
Due to the large amounts of fresh snow and the increased risk of avalanches, our local guide decided to split our group and climb the 2474-metre-high Gornerhorn (Henne) in the Weissenbachtal valley from two different directions. It was a very varied ski tour peppered with passages through the snow-covered forest, short descents, untouched slopes, pre-summits and a fantastic descent in powder snow and through forest clearings. Even a creek hop was included. Roman’s faithful avalanche dog did her best. She was always at the front on the ascent. On the descent, she bravely tried to keep up with us and fought her way admirably through the powder snow. Happy to have undertaken such a beautiful tour, we stopped off at a rustic mountain hut and enjoyed a hot soup and a glass of Swiss stone pine schnapps. It was great fun.
Tuesday 08.03.16 / Terner Jöchl 2405m
After a hearty breakfast, we set off in the direction of the Pertingeralm parking lot. We climbed in single file through the snow-covered fir forest in the sunshine. Soon the trees became fewer and the view swept across the wide open spaces to the higher mountains in the distance. After about 2 hours we reached our destination, the beautiful summit cross on the Terner Jöchl. The skins were quickly removed & after a small sip of schnapps from Daniel’s rucksack, we enjoyed the powder snow descent over wide slopes. Unfortunately, the hut we were aiming for was closed, so after a short rest we headed down into the valley. We rounded off the 2nd day of touring with a glass of sports water.
Wednesday 09.03.16 / Rotlahner 2744m
We set off at half past seven in the morning towards Gsiestal. The start was in St. Magdalenen and the destination was the Rotlahner. We were led by Roland and Daniel’s place was taken by his wife Katja Mohr. In the snow-covered forest, the ascent got steeper and steeper and everyone was able to practise some hairpin bends. :roll: In the morning the visibility was still good, but the higher we got, the flatter the light and the slopes were difficult to judge. At Stieresboden it was decided that it was better to turn back. The ride down was great and with all the powder snow in the forest, there was no stopping us. ⛷ :-P
Thursday 10.03.16 / Plan de Corones and saddle of the Schüttalkopf 2774m
Michaela, André and Ignaz were skiing on the Kronplatz today. The rest of us went to Ahrntal. The ascent was accompanied by a strong wind that blew cold around our ears. Otherwise, a steel-blue sky and a beautiful mountain backdrop. At the back of the valley, the Dreiherrenspitze looks proudly down into the valley. Daniel was our ski tour guide again today, Dominic took the lead and controlled the situation from behind. So we were wonderfully guided and looked after. We hesitated briefly on the way to ascend further, as Dominic observed a slab fall nearby. After the first refugio, however, it flattened out and we decided to continue. Instead of heading for the summit, we aimed for the wind-protected saddle, which offered a cozy spot for a picnic. It would be cozy and Daniel had even brought a bottle of red wine. But I had almost thrown him off balance because he had stupidly grabbed onto my knee to get out of place. My outcry caused him to reflexively squeeze even harder and I almost maneuvered him into the valley. Poor Daniel didn’t deserve that after all.
But he was rewarded in the afternoon at the mountain hut. He was allowed to play the devil’s violin and was almost eaten up by the jolly Swiss girls. But we weren’t the Swiss girls, it was a ski tour group from SAC Blüemlisalp who were enjoying the schnapps too much. We had joined the party, danced and sang with the merry group, but had to be very careful to maneuver our men out of there safely. One of them asked if Daniel belonged to a woman in our group. Alexandra gave a very clear answer: “No, but he has a wife and two children”! So Bernese girls, any more questions? Shortly afterwards, we proved that we can also switch from one world to another. After all the booze, we had been good enough to visit a pilgrimage church. Daniel wasn’t just a ski tour guide, he had also introduced us to the culture and told us a legend about the figure of the Savior with the 3 bullet wounds. It was wonderful to linger there in the evening sun and visit a beautiful chapel. Then we had a farewell drink at the hut next door. It was an unforgettable day, we had a lot of laughs and didn’t exactly return home early. I was driving and fortunately had to hold back on drinking. But I didn’t count the other shots. Only the name stayed with me; but I’m not allowed to write it down here now, otherwise I’ll blush.
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Friday, March 11, 2016 / Stellarunde and Putzenhöhe/Grünbachspitze 2438m
While all participants went on the Stella tour (alpine skiing) under the guidance of Roman, Daniel organized a ski tour for Erna and Toni in the surroundings of Bruneck. We were joined by Lena and Roberto, 2 friends of Daniel. Our destination was the Grünbachspitze (2438m). From the Gelenke parking lot (1420m), we first skied through a dense forest in beautiful sunshine, then up to the Kaltwasser-Alm, where we made our first stop. The Lüsnerkamm with the 1st stage, the Putzenhöhe (2245m), stood before us in the most beautiful winter dress. Here we started the 1st descent on the best firn down to Grünbachsee (2112m). From there we then climbed back up, hairpin bend by hairpin bend, to the summit cross of the Grünbachspitze (2438m). Wow… what a view!
To the south, the never-ending row of peaks of the Dolomites with the 3 Peaks, to the north the Zillertal Alps and below us Bruneck with its many small villages. Roberto, an experienced mountaineer, explained the panorama to us. After a little refreshment, we started our descent towards the Moarhof-Alm. The first part was in glorious powder snow and the lower we went, the more slushy the snow became. At the Moarhof-Alm mountain restaurant (1850m), we enjoyed a large wheat beer on the terrace with the South Tyrolean cheers song: “The sun is shining all over the world – cheers!!!” Finally, we took the toboggan run down to the parking lot where we had started in the morning. Daniel, a big thank you. It was a wonderful tour: great weather, 2 ascents and 2 descents, more than 1000 meters of altitude and, last but not least, a good guide. We would also like to thank Roberto for his explanations on the way and partial guidance on the descents.
Saturday 12.03.16 / Pinscharte in the Pragstal 2565m
On the last day, we finally wanted to go ski touring in the Dolomites. As it had been too dangerous the last few days due to the risk of avalanches, we were doubly looking forward to it. Our destination was the Prags Valley. Our mountain guide was Thomas Engl, a young mountain guide from the Ahrntal. He told us right at the start that there would be a lot of people out and about today, as the locals hadn’t been able to go on a ski tour anywhere nearby until this Saturday due to a lack of snow. It was a fantastic day. We walked into the valley and soon came to a hut. I thought Osci was doped up today, he was running away from us. Erna tried to train and tame him, but it didn’t help. He was off and running. It was a shame that the visibility was getting worse and the sky was a bit overcast, because we had a view of the 3 peaks. At the top of the ridge, Thomas wanted us to give him a Swiss cheer. The descent was rewarded with wonderful powder snow. Then we made another small ascent and crossed over to “Plätzwiesen”, a well-known starting point for ski tours and mountain tours in summer. There we enjoyed another schnapps, courtesy of Astrid. Astrid and Dominic didn’t take part in this tour, but Astrid gave me the task of buying a round of schnapps because it was so nice last time.
It’s been a few weeks since we returned to everyday life, but the memories of those great days together linger on. Even though the weather was not so good, it didn’t dampen our spirits. We had a great week! It was an honor to welcome friends and relatives of Ignaz and Regula every evening at dinner. This closeness to the locals enhanced everything with gold. We felt we were in good hands with the tour leader and would like to thank him for his patience, pace and tour selection. And a thought that was confirmed to me again and again – we mountain people are made of the same stuff! We look forward to seeing you again!
