The ups and downs of Gastein - Gadauner Hochalmen

From Angertal to the Schlossalm via the high alpine pastures



Looking back to Anger

Sitting on the ski lift in Winter I often look up the valley to a high area where there is no skiing and the only signs of human visitation are the mostly snow-buried huts on the hillside. These are the Gadauner Hochalmen. Have always wanted to go up there and today is the day.

Felding Hutte

Took the 09:45 bus to Angertal today so started the walk at 10 am. Headed uphill towards the Gadauner Hochalmen. The path starts just past the winter ski beginners’ area. I headed uphill on a steep path that forms part of the Salzburger Almweg. Not long before the tree-line the path hit a farm road switch-backing its way up the mountain. Once clear of the trees the valley end appeared, a huge sweep of alpine pastures backed by steep rocky mountains.

The Gadauner Hochalmen were scattered around at 1800m offering a choice of stopping points. It was still only 11:30, before the beering hour, so resisted the temptation to visit the Felding Hutte and headed down to where harvesting was in progress.

On these lower slopes a team of Sunday grass-cutters were out. Some were using what looked like garden motor mowers to harvest the grass on the steeply inclined fields.

Mowing the lawn Austrian style

On the tractor with Dad!

A convoy of veteran tractors was straining its way up the farm track on the other side of the valley. They had huffed and puffed their way up on a days outing. One cherry cheeked chappie was familiar to me as he was the mini bus driver who used to take us to Salzburg Airport when the we had a bigger budget. He grinned like a Cheshire Cat as he passed. Not sure if they had already made any Alm stops but no doubt they had plans to ‘refuel’ at some of the Gadauner Alms they now had in their sights.

Anyway, I carried on down for a bit and then started uphill again on the other side of the valley towards my own refuelling station, the Rockfeldalm at 1822m. Having received a warm welcome from the Lady in charge I managed to order my beer and home cured ham and bread but she struggled to get me to order an additional item on offer. Did I want some blah-blah. No idea what it was but after she asked me several times, each time louder than the last, I said ‘Ja bitte’ having no idea what it was. Pickled gherkin! After that I think she decided that I was deaf or dumb, or perhaps both, and spoke to me very, very loudly and slowly. Schonen Urlaub, (have a nice holiday) she bellowed as I left. The whole family seemed to be working there on this sunny Sunday. I think my waiter was about 10, at least he didn’t shout!

 In a pickle over gherkins

So I pressed on up the hill with my ears ringing. Came to a fence and waited for a guy coming down-hill to cross first. 'Gruss gott' I said, and that set him off! Langsam bitte, (slowly please), I am from England and deaf and dumb, I said. He carried on with his delirious rambling and I decided he did not like the goat track that he had just traversed and I was about to embark on. He may well have been saying it was a crazy track, my wife has fallen off the cliff and now there is nobody to cook my tea. Anyway I carried on.

On the ropes

It was a bit dicey in parts but then I suppose that’s part of walking in the mountains. There were ropes for some of the tricky sections. He was probably an Elf’n Safety Officer.

The Heidelbeer pickers were out in force as I carried on up to about 2100m and then crossed a ridge that took me into the Schlossalm ski area. The sound of an oompah band playing at the Top Lift Station, where I was headed, drifted across on the wind. They were playing a march, which was really handy. So with arms swinging and a renewed spring in my step I headed across to lift where TW was waiting. Arrived at 14:30 just as the rain started. At the end of the day, we took the Cable Car down to Bad Hofgastein, after suitable refreshments naturally. Another great day and another one of the must do walks completed. Must stop at a Hochalmen next time!

Across Blueberry Hills

Valley View

Schlossalm Ski Area in Summer

Blueberry Hills - a walk in Gastein to the Jungeralm

Where the Heidelbeeren grow

Walking down from the top of the Stubnerkogel today the cloud fell from the sky. Fortunately an Alm loomed up in the mist. I walked once around the Jungeralm, the dog barked and the door opened, was I coming in?  Ja, - Gruss Gott!

The Summer Jungeralm

I entered; inside was full, hot and steamy. There was one big table, four wet children sat with their mums waiting for a hot drink. They looked and spoke like locals. An old chap proffered a schnapps and I ordered a beer. The dog sniffed around. I nursed my beer and listened in to the conversation. Or perhaps listened out would be more accurate as I understood very little.

Sometime later, and much dryer, I asked the old boy, is it getting better? ‘geht es besser’ ( in my dodgy German). 'Nein, es geht schlecter’ was the reply which did not sound good at all.

Well, I suppose I could have had another beer, or perhaps phoned home and said the weather was too bad to continue? 'I am stuck in a hut but am OK with ample supplies of beer and schnapps'.... hmm. maybe not.

I walked on in the rain......

It’s the Heidelbeeren (Blueberry) picking season in Gastein. When you go walking in the mountains there is an added threat to look out for. An Austrian tumbling down the mountain followed swiftly by a bucket of blueberrys!

Salzburger Almenweg sign

It costs 1.99 Euros in our supermarket for a small pack of the little blue fruits. If you climb up the mountain you can pick a bucket-full for nothing. I am trying to keep this fact hidden from TW as she will probably send me up the mountain with the kitchen bucket.

Of course, I will argue that I will have to do my picking on a precipitous, dangerous slope and my ankles will almost certainly be bloodied and scratched like the pickers we see on the bus. Oh, and my back will be definitely be aching as the Heidelbeer plant is a dwarf shrub. And, I will certainly eat more than I put in the bucket and come home with blue stained chops and a tummy ache. Hmm, better hope she does not find out.
I took the forest road from the Alm and then joined a section of the Salzburger Almenweg, a route that crosses the province offering food and night stops on the way, and headed down to Angertal where we go cross-country skiing in winter. 

Heading down to Angertal

Thoroughly enjoyed the walk down despite the rain and arrived at the Angertal bus stop at 4pm.  Of course, the buses go at 2pm, 3pm and 5pm  and not at 4pm. Never mind, time for a coffee at the Lackenbauer Gasthof about 500m up the road. A very nice warm place and right opposite a bus stop.
(Left my sticks so had to cycle up the next day to retrieve them).

So my route today included a ride up on the Stubnerkogel Bahn Gondola from Bad Gastein to the top of the mountain. Then the fairly rapid walk down from the top to Angertal took 2.5 hours, including the beer (and schnapps) stop.

There is no place like Alm - when you are walking in Bad Hofgastein

Walking on the Schlossalm

Stream below Brandner Hochalm

Fundner-Heimalm

Neudegg-Heimalm

On the route

I would not like to give the impression that my walks are Austrian pub crawls but...
A walk from the middle-station on the Schlossalm to the top station gives plenty of options for refreshments on the way. Kitzsteinalm, Aeroplan, Fundner, Neudegg, Brandner Hochalm, Kleine Scharte restaurant are all possible options. The half-way house is the Brandner Hochalm. This walk up takes about 3 hours, that's if you don't make too many stops! By the way, the pine nuts of the Zirben pine are used to make a lovely schnapps

Its often difficult to determine ski run routing in summer but this pic. shows my favourite run H1. It passes to the left of the little Zirben pine in the centre.



Aeroplan just above the middle station.

Also open in winter, its clearly much more elaborate than the huts we usually use in summer, strudel is recommended though.



Gruss Goat from Gasteinertal

Gruss Goat - who's looking at you kid!

The traditional greeting in this part of the world is Gruss Gott. The reply is also Gruss Gott which makes things pretty straight-forward. This little goat at the Brandner Hochalm took an interest in my beer.

Graukogel - A sunny Sunday in Gastein

The Grey Mountain - Graukogel in Summer

Looking North from the chairlift

Towering above Bad Gastein is the Graukogel (2492m). In winter it's a quiet ski area, a short bus ride from the centre of town. In summer it becomes a lovely unspoilt area for walking. A couple of chairlifts take you up to 1956m in 30 minutes. There are the obligatory huts for refreshments at the mid-station and at the top. Once up there you can sit on the new terrace or embark on a walk.

A short climb, of about 40 mins., to the Huttenkogel earns tremendous views over the surrounding valleys. It was lovely and cool up there.
On my way down the lad in the pic. below, with the football shirt, scampered past me like a mountain goat. A bit further down though I caught him up. Cows on the trail!  He and his family had met a stubborn animal on a narrow path the day before. He was now, understandably, a bit wary of the big brown and white horned beasts. So he waited for me and we passed without a problem. He was a bit of a chatter-box and by the time we reached the lift station I knew his football team, the reason why his father had sore foot (he kicked a door) and where they had walked on their holiday etc.etc. What was very apparent though was that he loved the mountains and enjoyed wandering up and down the paths with his family, that's as long as the cows remained friendly and the edges were not too steep
'We come every year from Germany and stay in the same hotel because we love it!' I wonder if he'll become a grumpy teenager soon? Spoke to his dad a bit later on and told him his son spoke good English. He did look a little embarrassed when I told him I'd heard all about his foot injury. Didn't ask him how the door was!

Reedsee in the distance among the trees

Looking South - the route down

Bad Hofgastein - Living the High Life

Sitting on top of the world

High on the Schlossalm

We have summer season tickets for the ski lifts so we are up in the mountains at every opportunity. A summer lift pass costs us 75 Euros which is pretty fair value when you consider a day return can cost around 20 Euros. One member of the party does not always take the walking too seriously! Particularly now that she has found these rockers. No, not this Austrian Jazz ensemble but a very comfy wooden seat. There are a wide selection of circular walks up here, some flat,  but others are knee-tremblers.

Jazz on the hill

TW's idea of a day in the mountains

Middle Station on the Schlossalm

Uphill in Bad Hofgastein - Chapel on the hillside

Chapel view of the High Tauern

Many Alpine resorts allow cyclists to take their bikes up on the ski lifts in summer and let the cyclists crash down the hills at breakneck speed. This can be a bit of a worry if you are out for a leisurely walk in the mountains. A Lycra clad missile bearing down on you on a narrow track can be a tad disconcerting if you are out sniffing the enzian. Happily, in Gastein, you have to earn the right to cycle down by pedalling up. Most cycle tracks also end up at a very nice alm.

Talk to the cows on the way up

My ride today only reached as far as a chapel before I hit the cloud ceiling and I turned around shortly afterwards. Didnt fancy cycling in a thunderstorm.

St Hubertus Chapel - Open plan

If you cycle up a long hill through alpine pastures and past farms on a road behind Bad Hofgastein Railway Station you come to the Chapel of St. Hubertus. He is the patron saint of hunters. Hunting is popular over here and this is a modern open-plan chapel with excellent views of the valley.