AUSTRIAN ALPS
‘T
AKE UP THE SLACK,’
shouts Matthias Schiestl, as
he dangles by one arm from
a sheer granite face, clips his
rope into a carabiner and dips his hand into
a bag of chalk hanging from his belt. Thirty
feet below, his girlfriend Nina braces her
legs against the rock and leans backwards so
the rope tightens against the piton, in case
Matthias’s grip should slip.
It’s an unnecessary precaution. In a
sequence of graceful steps and lunges using
clefts and ledges in the rock, he ascends the
last part without as much as a missed step.
At the top, he takes a break and surveys the
green meadows of the Ewige Jagdgründe.
Other climbers are tackling pitches around
the valley, and Matthias watches them with
an experienced eye, assessing lines,
critiquing routes, evaluating moves for style
and panache. Having caught his breath, he
scrambles back onto the rock face and
abseils to the bottom, where Nina is waiting
with a flask of coffee and a chocolate bar.
Now 27, Matthias is one of Austria’s most
promising young climbers. Born and bred in
the Zillertal, he’s been exploring the valley
since he began climbing as a teenager.
A senior member of the Austrian climbing
team, he’s competed all over the globe, but
for him, there’s nowhere quite like home.
‘I’ve completed most of the main routes
in the Zillertal,’ Matthias says, ‘but there’s
always a new place or a better line to find.
That’s what keeps me exploring.’ Slinging
his ropes over his shoulder, he sets off in
search of the next spot. Meadows hatch
either side of the trail, where a few cows
munch lazily. Cascades tumble like threads- Zillertal
Generations of climbers and hikers have tested their mettle around these valleys, where
mountain traditions remain strong – from Alpine hospitality to after-dinner yodelling
of silver off the valley walls, and the loamy
scent of earth and tree sap hangs in the air.
The Zillertal is hiking country, with some
of the wildest scenery in the Alps: lakes,
plateaus, ridges and pastures awash with
wildflowers. Cable cars allow easy access to
the trailheads, and mountain huts provide
hikers on longer routes with a hot meal and
a place to stay overnight. These refuges are
a cornerstone of Alpine life and hospitality:
most have kept their rustic atmosphere,
with pot-bellied stoves, gingham tablecloths
and ibex horns on the walls.
One of the most aged of these hostelries is
the Klausenalm, near the Ewige Jagdgründe
in the wild web of valleys southwest of the
main town of Mayrhofen. At this cabin, long
wooden tables are loaded with mountain
specialities: cheese soup, dried sausage,
crusty bread and meaty stew. As his guests
eat, owner Karl Geisler emerges from the
kitchen, discarding his apron for an
accordion before trilling and parping his
way through a folk song. Everyone links
arms and joins in for the chorus, but Karl’s
impeccable yodelling steals the show.
After lunch, a band of hikers heads up
into the remote Oberböden area, deserted
save for a few farmhouses and tumbledown
barns. The group climbs steeply through the
forest; by late afternoon, they’ve reached
their goal: a junction between two valleys.
Sharp and sheer as a pair of crossed swords,
it was carved out long ago by mighty glaciers
that once sliced through the Zillertal.
The hikers stop for a breather on a rocky
knoll. On the valley’s far side, fissures in the
cloud rain sunlight onto the mountainsides,
and the air seems charged with electricity.From Mayrhofen, it’s a 1¾-hour drive east on
moderately winding roads to the village of Bruck,
at the northern end of the legendary (and extremely
winding) Grossglockner High Alpine Road.Karl Geisler at
Klausenalm
with a platter
of Alpine
specialitiesWith its timber façade and flower-stocked
balconies, Mayrhofen’s Elisabeth Hotel looks
traditional from the outside, but surprises await
within. Rooms are contemporary, with stripped
wooden floors, freestanding baths, digital music
systems and remote-controlled lights. Mountain
views command a premium. There’s also a
luxurious spa (from US$235; elisabethhotel.com).
The tourist office can provide hiking maps and
arrange guided climbing lessons (zillertal.at).
For longer stays, the Zillertal Activcard includes
local travel and other discounts (US$63 for 6 days).Essentials
There’s a crack, then a rumble – in seconds,
a downpour sends the hikers scurrying for
cover under the pines. It’s a reminder that,
though its pitches have been climbed and its
paths mapped, the Zillertal is a corner of the
Alps where nature still has the upper hand.The sound of
cowbells is
never far away
in the ZillertalMatthias Schiestl
scales a giant
boulder