Skiing the two faces of Dienten, five villages - 89.7km - March 2011
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| Hochkonig (High King) 2941m |
The Hochkonig peak itself is more of a ridge than a mountain and gives its name to the ski area about 45 mins. from Bad Hofgastein. Its a prominent landmark on the horizon when we look northwards from Bad Hofgastein as it dominates the surrounding lower hills. The Hochkonig ski area has attracted massive investment in lifts in recent years and we decided to take a day trip over there in March to check it out.
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| Dienten in the centre, Maria Alm on the left, Muhlbach to the right |
We headed off down, and out, of the Gastein valley through Lend and then up a fairly steep road to the pretty mountain village of Dienten where we planned to start our tour. Parking was not a problem -although that might be different in High Season. The Dienten lifts start from the main street and we put ski’s to snow on what Berwyn reckons is the longest T-bar in the world with a length of 1730m and a height difference of 530m. Nothing like a long T-bar to focus the mind in the early morning. Just to make sure we were warmed up we also took the following T-Bar, this was a mere 1000m with a height difference of 134m. The good news is that these devices are being replaced by chair lifts in the summer. The really good news for us was that we were now safely delivered at the top of the Wastlhohe (1730m) with splendid views and, arguably, the world’s easiest black run to descend on. From this point on, the lifts were great and we headed back up to the Sunnhutte (1750m) and the Schneeberg (1921m) on our way to the outskirts of Muhlbach. The best run down, a black, was closed due to lack of snow so we cruised down a long blue to the gondola in the valley - then it was time to head back towards Dienten and onwards to Maria Alm.
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| Late season in Austria |
Navigating our way back was easy and we found time for a coffee stop at an alm near the bottom of the Schneeberg, the Fellersbachalm. After Berwyns big breakfast we took the opportunity to check out some of the runs. Most were tree lined and not too tricky so they would probably be good in poor visibility. Arriving back at Dienten we had to walk across the main street, there will be a bridge next year, and take a two man chair up to Gabuhel (1634m). From here we skied down towards Hintermoos in the midday sun. A new lift took us up towards the ski area above Maria Alm. The highest point was the Aberg-Langeck (1900m). This area is ideal for mixed abilities. Even on a warm day the steep blacks at the top were icy but at the other end of the scale there were agricultural blues meandering down to the valley bottom. We had a good lunch at the Bergstadl at the top of the Aberg- Langeck with terrific views of the local mountains. We could pick out the Glossglockner and Kitsteinhorn and tried to identify the intervening valleys. Zell am Zee and Saalbach are down there somewhere? Then it was back on ski’s to try more of the local runs.
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| Keep on the white line! |
Eventually turning for home we headed for yet another new lift, a Gondola, back up to the Gabuhel above Dienten. We found great runs down to
Hinterthal and we used the time until the lift closed to repeatedly ski the black and red and then climb back up on the swish new 6 man chair. I managed to stop the lift when my ski stick loop got stuck in the works but I didn't get any hassle from the lift man. It had an automatic safety bar which is a bit of an oddity at the moment. That's my excuse anyway!
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| Very smart - the Steinbochalm |
When the lift closed at 16:30 it was time for a tea break at a superb new hut, the Steinbochalm at the top of the lift. It would be worth doing the trip just to visit this alm. It's a wonderful mix of traditional Austria Hut and smart modern bar in a fabulous location with the backdrop of the Hochkonig. The terrace was south facing and, as the clocks were wound forward an hour this week, it was still lovely and warm as we relaxed before the final run down to Dienten.
A great High Kings day of skiing and, despite the relatively low altitude, we found plenty of snow, few people and stupendous views. Over 89 km travelled, including the lifts, with a total descent of 10,358m. (Mt. Everest is 8840m) . And, of course, it’s all on our Ski Amade lift pass!
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