Snowy Steineralm

Today it’s been snowing all day and we’ve walked through a winter wonderland, with moody low clouds and trees coated in a layer of what looks like icing sugar.

After breakfast, we caught the bus to the start of the trail around Obernberger See. There, we put on our spikes and checked our avalanche transceivers before heading up the path to the lake.

There’s more snow on the ground after yesterday’s sprinkling, and the icy path was generally less slippery than when John and I walked it on Friday. That said, I did get stuck on a steep section of thick ice, feeling as though my spikes wouldn’t grip and I was going to fall. Luckily, Dave saved me, helping me to safer ground 😆.

We crossed a wooden bridge and visited the pretty little chapel on the lake. Then we had a hot drink before changing into our snowshoes to climb through the forest to Steineralm, a summer dairy farm higher up the valley, which belongs to the owners of Almi’s where we’re staying.

The scenery was beautiful, despite the sky being white and heavy with snow, and it was good to be using our snowshoes. As we hiked, we spotted the tracks of animals, such as hares, living in the forest. I’m glad I have a warm hotel to return to!

After a while, we reached the wooden buildings of Steineralm just as Sean’s group were finishing their packed lunches and getting ready to head off again. We took their places on the wooden benches, Minx the black labrador eyeing up everyone’s sandwiches before she had to go!

Dave then set up a demonstration of what it feels like when you hit stone, wood, earth or a body (his leg), when searching for someone hidden in the snow by an avalanche. It was very interesting and good to understand the difference, although I hope I won’t ever need to do this for real.

By now, it was snowing more heavily and the meadows were very atmospheric, with the mountains shrouded in cloud. We trudged through deeper snow, enjoying the need for our snowshoes, and following the tracks made by Sean’s group.

When we came to a path where the mountains to one side have a gradient of more than 30%, Dave explained this is sometimes at risk of avalanches. The snow layer was only thin on the mountainside today though, so we could carry on.

After returning to the little chapel and Obernberger See, we headed back down to Obernberger, leaving the path to enjoy deeper snow. At one point I fell but, because the snow was soft it didn’t hurt, I avoided being a drama queen for the second time in a day. In fact, it was fun! (I was a drama queen later on, but that’s another story I won’t go into 😜).

Back at the bottom of the hill, we changed from snowshoes to spikes to follow the track back to a Gasthof (hotel). After sampling the gluwein, we took the path along the river back to Almi’s.

I’ve throughly enjoyed the opportunity to hike through such beautiful scenery on a snowy day. This evening, I’m tired but hopefully, after a delicious meal and a good night’s sleep, I’ll be ready to do it all again somewhere else tomorrow.