Silvretta Tour

So back in March, we headed to the Austrian Alps to do some skiing.

After a surprisingly relaxing and straightforward drive across Europe, we started the few days of resort skiing with the Ischgl lift system. It was good to get back on the skis, even if we did enthusiastically make an early (read icy) descent of a ski-routen (signed, unpisted and full of lumps). A quick trip over to Samnaun in Switzerland and trying to get an idea of the route and peaks around made for a great day out in good weather – the snow was in better condition than expected, with very little of it melting out.

A further couple of days in resort saw us ski `The White Ring’ connecting Lech, Zürs, Zug and Oberlech, and a day skiing from St Anton, where Jo broke the adjustment thread on her binding. Having fudged it and skied nervously for the rest of the day, attempts to replicate the failure at the apartment where futile, so we saw no use in attempting to show the hire shop. The threat of super gluing the whole binding seemed to be enough and it never troubled her again, but we vowed to buy our own skis as soon as possible.

After these fantastic few days of finding our legs, we then set off on the tour, but only after a half day skiing in Ischgl again, culminating in an attempt to ski off the top to the hut, which was quickly abandoned in the rather Scottish conditions (visibility equivalent to ski length, wind pushes you uphill). The skin up the track was a great alternative that day.

What followed was 4 days of skiing, skiing, booting, waiting behind guided groups (we were particularly unlucky), navigation stresses and successes, sunshine, fresh powder (fallen overnight) and the summits of the Breite Krone, Hinter Jamspitz, Dreilanderspitz and Piz Buin. The huts were great, the first, Heidelberger hütte had private 4 bed rooms and hot water, Jamtalhütte had no slippers, hot dining rooms and waitresses that kept closing windows and the Weissbadner hütte had amazingly enthusiastic staff and a bunk room of disgruntled skiers who forgot the clocks had changed.

So after the amazing skiing we’d managed, it was with regret that we skidded down the icy path (high winds prevented a higher route out), then had a long skate across a frozen lake followed by an even longer skate along (meant to be down…) the valley to Galtur, where the free ski bus took us back to the car.