The skies were brighter for our second day and there had been a good frost
overnight, it was very chilly as we walked the gear down to the car in the
alloted parking garaged space down the hill from the apartment - the advantage
of being under cover meant we did not have the chore of scraping the windows and
warming up the interior.
Our destination was Waldrasterjochl, another route on the Innsbruck top local
tours, and once again starting on the piste but this time with more opportunity
to escape onto side paths, and a summit that extended beyond the top station.
We parked up in the ski station car park for the Serles Bahn just outside
Mieders.. and could not find a parking meter so surprised that we did not have
to pay.. We were right at the start of the day and clipped in on the end of the
slope just behind someone who disappeared along the trail. The sky was clear and
it had frozen hard overnight, making the ridges stand out on the prepared
surface.
The thin ribbon of manmade snow traversed across the top of the village to
access a cleared strip in the forested slope. This narrow corridors of man made
snow certainly ease the burden of carrying skis up to the snow line.
We set off following the rolling piste as it traversed out before turning up
into the slope parallel but a distance away from the gondola.
Then the steeper climbing began as we followed the edge upwards. Luckily the
hard snow gave good grip to the skins, and there were less bare patches than
yesterday.
As we climbed higher we escaped into the sunshine and needed to shed more layers
and find the sunglasses.
On this section, as we dropped layers off, we were passed by a couple of
ladies - we would be playing tag all day with them as they walked at slightly
faster pace than us, but took longer rest stops.
Behind us there was an excellent cloud inversion over the Inn valley, that kept
us looking back every so often. Ahead the slope rose relentlessly as we reached
the true snowline.
We topped off the steep section as we approached the end of a T-bar lift, and
had a more gentle climb for a bit. The piste continued beyond with another steep
section to the top station.
However we crossed over at this point to a hut beside the T-bar trace, a little
way above its start. This marked the start of an excursion into the trees for
the first time today.
Along the forest track at a leisurely gradient as it meandered around the side
of the mountain.
We had excellent views down to the Inn valley and the cloud inversion below the
mountains on the other side,
we also had views across to the radio aerials standing above Patscherkofel where
we had been last year.
The track re-joined the ski area at the bottom of another T-bar, and we followed
the track around the side of a piste into the back of the depression.
When the track meandered off into the woods again we climbed directly up the
piste where it was steeper - we could have continued on the track we found out
later, but that would have gone off to the top station before coming back to the
piste slightly higher up.
Where the track re-joined us, there was a sign for a Nature walk, with various
stopping places with information boards, and a well marked and trodden path. So
it had to be better than continuing on the piste to the top of the T-bar
lift.
So we diverted onto the path and zigzagged our way up the slope passing several
signs covered over for the winter. This area appeared to have been cleared and
replanted a few years ago.
Little did we know at this time that the hut opposite the start of this nature
trial would be where we would exit on our descent. The trail merged onto a
larger track as it finished through some larger trees.
The trail ended opposite the top of the T-bar, where the map showed us following
a track back into the woods behind it, however there was a more used path that
climbed up behind it to the ridge line above. The signposts were not much use
here either as their direction was very ambiguous.
We chose to follow the one up to the ridge line, knowing it had to meet up
further along. There were plenty of ski traces along the top of the ridge
showing that we weren't the only ones doing this.
The track along the ridge had been roughened up by the passage of a tracked
vehicle as well as many feet and snowshoes, but it followed along the ridge in
the trees.
The track curved along a side and we followed the ridge on some ski trail up
through the trees (a foretaste of things to come) - there was even a small
stream to excite Bryon.
This trail re-joined the track as it bent back and we merged into it. At a
signpost we turned off the track and kept along the ridge on a well worn
snowshoe trail - this started up a sparsely wooded dip before entering the trees
properly.
We followed this trail as it climbed up the ridge in the trees weaving around
but always in the same direction.
Eventually we came out into a glade very close to the top and could see the
Cross on the high point.
We arrived at the cross just after the pair of ladies we had been playing tag to
all the way up, so wandered on past it for a look at the view.
Time for a look around (although this was limited by the height of the trees,
then back to the cross for refreshments and to prepare the skis for a return.
In the meantime we were joined by a solo skier and a pair of walkers. The solo
person just spent enough time to change his shirt and trousers before heading
down, then we followed (but not fast enough to see which direction he went). As
we passed the ladies were taking part in some celebration involving a small
bottle of fizzy wine and a roman candle.
The descent was not something I was looking forward to if it involved following
our wavy ascent track, however there were no ski trails going that way, but
traces that dropped off the side of the ridge at right angles. A quick look at
the map saw that this was viable and would drop us down onto the track we had
come up on or thereabouts.
This route looked marginally better than the ascent route, given that it was
clearly a ski descent route, however it did involve a lot of very sharp turns on
a defined track with landmines off it, so we stuck to it and came down in a
series of very tight swings following the curves on the trail.
We got passed by the ladies near the end of this section and were grateful to
have someone to follow (and the knowledge that we were going the right way!).
This part of the trail came out into an open meadow which we followed down
to the edge of the next band of trees.
Luckily the ladies found the start of the continuing trail - definitely time to
strip layers as this would be more strenuous exercise.
Once again the trail weaved in and out of trees on a steep descent. (probably
steeper but more open between the trees than the previous one!). The trail
dictated that you followed the same rhythm as the previous skiers
With very tired legs we dropped onto a track (lower than the one I had thought
we would, but even more well used).
We sped along the track as it would along the side of the slope and deposited
us back on the piste at the hut/ restaurant where we had previously departed
onto the nature trail. By now the inversion had also moved on and the
valley was clear, although behind us clouds were forming.
From the Ochsenhutte we re-joined the back piste. The freedom of being on a
wide piste with no demanding and forced turns was welcoming to tired legs.
At the bottom of this T-bar lift we continued along the track that had brought
us there on the ascent, and this was a long schuss trying to keep momentum all
along it until we came out at the lower T-bar crossing.
From here it was back on the piste - this time the steep section we had sweated
up in the morning. Then the final traverse along the rollers of the now very
slushy piste back to the valley station and the car park.
Back in the car park we took our time to dry things off, before travelling back to the apartment - this time coming off the autobahn at the Stubai exit and saving on the toll charge.
With the sun still peaking out occasionally between the newly forming clouds, it was not long before the itch to stretch came on and we went out again to investigate more of the local area on foot.
A second stroll around the village
