Bielehohe, Austria

Tuesday, and the skies were clear - still a bit windy - with snow predicted for the afternoon/ evening.ere 

The second of our routes was the obvious choice, this was a long day, following a very frequented trail up to the Piz Buin hotel/ hutte at Bielehohe.

The left side of the valley was cordoned off for the forthcoming night biathlons, so we used the cross country trail on the other side of the road.

The end of the road was a carpark and the trail followed the summer road, visible in places, but essentially a piste

The hotel has a mechanical mechanism to attract those who just want to ski down, as well as trains of ski de fond racers blasting past us mere mortals.

The relentless long long, long road seemed to get no where.

The trail was long and not very steep, but just a gradual ascent.  there were a few flat areas that would cause problems on the descent.
As we reached the end of the main stretch and the valley curved around to the right
 The final stretch was much steeper ... the road zigzaged but the route went straight up.
It was a welcome sight to see the hotel, and made the last meters easier with the thought of "lunch".

Very tired and exhausted we had a long rest on the tranquil patio (and a huge plate of chips) to be ready for the return.

The Panorama across the lake from the Piz Buin patio

 

There was no difficulty on the descent ... apart from the endless poleing on the flat sections. It was a simple track piste.

Some interesting shacks ...

The parking left lots to be desired, a tricky little step with consequences for a slip

The last lap, before the return to the cow barn

The trace route