Eviction, Austria

Back at the apartment we laid out all the kit to dry it for final packing - with the corona virus situation this would be our last night before all hotels were closed by order of the Austrian government.

As was usual this trip Bryon was angling for an afternoon stroll to loosen his muscles, and we headed out around the village ...  Bryon looking at the mountains, but I was more taken with the farm houses ...  one of these would be an excellent place to have all our hobbies under control.

Returning from our walk we found out that Germany was closing all its borders with Austria and Switzerland at 8am tomorrow. As we would normally return through Germany to get back home rather than pay games with the Swiss motorways then further on the french ones, adding a large cost to the journey. We decided to have dinner (chicken in tomato sauce, rice and vegetables) then head straight out for the channel ferries. This would negate any backlash from the German closures.

Shortly after 6pm we headed off towards the German border.

We passed the Bodensee as the sun  dropped behind the horizon. The journey was started, and we travelled on through  the night without any real incident, other than a need to pass into France before things closed up. Even this was simpler than we though without much evidence of what was to come.
We arrived at Calais just after 4:30 am and were allocated the 5:50 sailing ...  lots and lots of trucks with only one line of cars, and vans and several coaches presumably rescuing people from holidays and cruises across Europe.

Uneventful crossing and a greasy spoon breakfast, we were home just after 9am...  I did sleep well on the Monday night having struggled to stay awake through the day to avoid jet lag effects.

Glatthorn, Faschina

We were back up at the Faschina pass before 8am ...  this year we had successfully managed to be out on the hill for all the major days at or around this time ...  it still did not save all the soft snow, but did help and today would be a classic example.

Parking on the side of the road by the lower lift we prepared to climb.
The peak standing proud at the head of the ski area.

The route started up the blue piste from the side of the road. we were heading for the bottom station of the next chair lift up the valley.

the last step up the piste was at the limit of the skins ... we slipped occasionally, causing a few palpitations.

At the lift station we angled left aiming for some scrub in the off-piste.

The track dropped down a little to the stream bed before heading up the other side. in a right to left rising traverse.
We (and the party next to us) were the first ones up here this morning. Overnight a film of spin drift had settled over the established track. When this was added to the delicate nature of some of the snow meant the track occasionally broke under the outside ski - not critical just annoying.

Once the track reached a rising "shelf" we turned right and would follow this all the way to the col.

we continued on the track up folds in the terrain.

Getting to the top of each fold, revealed the next step, with the summit getting closer each time.

The last slopes up to the col

the col ....  two parties of three ahead of us.

We could now see why everyone stops at the col .. there were no tracks going up to the summit, and it was icy and sparsely covered in snow. If we were to go on it would be on foot, but again very scary without crampons and ice axe (which we did not have today) as well as the unknown snow drifts.

Looking west and East from the col.

Setting off downhill, we soon found that the snow was in almost perfect conditions ... the light covering of spin drift giving plenty of bite over the compact under-layer

being early on the descent also gave us some good choices of lines ...  within a coupe of hours these faces would all be chossy

As we dropped we passed numerous parties all making their way up. ..  good timing.

As we came down to the piste, the side off-piste continued to draw our attention ... this was some excellent skiing conditions.

The final section was down the piste and back to the car ...  it was not yet 11am and we had completed the route.

back to the apartment for lunch and a snooze.

Travel Day, Au

We had reached the end of our stay at Pension Golm and it was time to move on ... we had thought about extending, then there was not space but finally there was statement coming out that everything (ski resorts, entertainment places, and restaurants, etc.) was closing down this Sunday, and the government had ordered all accommodation to close as well.
We had a place booked in a valley to the north, although when we had booked it the restraining order was not in place and we now knew we would only get 2 nights out of the 3 we had booked, however we could make use of the remaining time.

the place was Haus Margareth in Argenzipfel ...  a town very close to AU just over the pass from Faschina, where we had been blown away last year on a reconnaissance visit

Packing up and loading all our stuff into the car we were down in the valley in time for a second breakfast at the Mangold bakery. Unfortunately the clampdown had started, in place of a cup and plate with a comfy chair, we had to have takeaway and eat on the outside tables.
Driving up to the Faschina pass the ski area was in full flow. We parked up to have a look around and also check out the ski area map. This, together with the route description allowed us to identify the departure point for the two touring routes going from here.

From here we dropped down into the Au valley and continued with a reconnaissance up the valley as far as Bad Hopfreben, before coming back to the lift at Schoppernau for lunch.

After lunch we parked up at the Spar shop and went for a stroll through the village. ..  the valley seems to have a large number of dairy houses where the animals live in one part and the cows in a second ...  there was also a distillery.

There was also a short diversion following the signs to a waterfall ...  we never got there before the trail became too wet and steep, however we did see three blokes digging rocks out of the stream bank ... not really sure what they were doing but perhaps fossils or rock crystals.

Time to move over to the apartment ...  a large two bed roomed place on the second floor of one of the farmhouses. A large kitchen, dinning, lounge room would be the main area

Looking out of the window/ balcony showed the lower reaches of the Schoppernau ski area.

Settling in and dinner of chicken in mushroom sauce with pasta and carrots/ broccoli.

Tomorrow the weather is set to be good, and we would aim to do a peak at Faschina.

then we would have to head home because of the Austria close down.

Nature Trail Kristakopf, Latschau

 The weather closed in again ..  rain falling with clouds over all the peaks, and after 4 consecutive days out, today would be an easier day.

After a morning messing with the media, and speculating on the political nature of the world corona virus event, the rain eased up.

I suggested (or bribed Bryon with) a walk down to the Mangold bakery and back. I had in mind taking in the nature trail on the bump behind the apartment.

The trail started at the reservoir and went first up to the treetop adventure playground.

From the adventure park it would up the hill to the zip wire - now slackened off and dormant

From the zip wore it climbed to the top of the hill where there was a large tower. the sign indicated this was a survey tower to keep the correct angles so that the hydro station kept working etc.

There was also a lookout point that opened out to the valley below.

At this point I somehow lost the nature trail and was seduced to follow the large road, down the other side.

Unfortunately this road ended in a pile of logs ... evidently only used to fell trees and collect logs.
however it was on the course of a mountain footpath (flashes and everything), we just had to drop down to it over a slippery bank.

This path got even steeper as it came down over the nose of this hillock .. I do not know how the off-road bike went down it, just seeing the tracks made me nervous.

The track eased off and came to a flatter bit and met a wider road, before heading down again in a not so steep angle, until we came out in the fields above the village outskirts.

 The route had taken us down the skyline, and then over some fields and though a network of village roads until we came out by the bank in the centre of the village.

Knowing where we were then it was easy to walk around to the bakery  ... coffee and cake .. sustenance for the long walk back up the road.

On the way I saw these painted tins being used as post protectors

On the map you can see that we should have gone North from the top of the hill and then down the other side before coming around to the village on the road past Krista.