Our last of this trip as tomorrow we will return. The forecast had been for
cloud cover and an increasing wind, however when we got up the sky was clear and
a sharp frost had happened overnight, in addition down in the village there was
no indication of any wind.
A route local to this village and something we could not do last year as the
snow line was too high was Birgitzkopfl .. A route leading up to the eastern
side of Axams Lizum, that was in all the “best of” around Innsbruck.
The route started from a car park on the last hairpin turn before the ski
resort, this was a staggered affair alongside the road Axamer Lizum and we just
picked one of the parking areas and paid our 6 Euros for the day.
There were a multitude of tracks leading to and from the parking area so I set
off up them climbing slightly. The path went alongside a fence that stopped us
from following the road and took us into a wood at the top.
The follies of following other peoples tracks where you do not know that they
have the same destination... anyway we had to back track down a slope
(interesting with skins on!), and arrive at the Rodelbahn track on the apex of
the hairpin.
This was the correct place to start - we could have parked closer but it was
only 100m or so. The track had been ploughed within an inch of its life, to
allow both vehicle traffic and toboggans as well as ski and foot traffic.
We were lucky that there was enough snow left that we didn't have to carry skis
for the initial start.
We followed the track up to the first hairpin before leaving on a trail through
the woods. This excursion came out on a secondary track (away from the
rodelbahn)
We then followed this track as it contoured then climbed again to meet the
previous track at a junction. This particular track had only ski and foot tracks
and was not ploughed - just a wider forest track. The area where the track came
out was a clearing with a strange cross made of many slats of wood, and I guess
in summer it was a kind of nature park area, but under the snow it was difficult
to tell.
We followed the clearing alongside the main track now as it climbed up and then
crossed it when it turned. The crossing was the first and an indicator of how it
would be higher up as there was a steep drop to the track and then a climb out
the otherside.
The next clearing cut over another long hairpin in the main track and we climbed
up through the descent debris from the previous couple of days. Across the main
track then another short section before the worst of the crossings... Here the
drop was too large for my little legs and I ended up in a heap, before attacking
the sides to make a lower step for the others (and several following
parties).
When I had fallen, I had trapped my camera between the track and my leg, so the
lens cover was a little sticky until I released it later when I realised. The
next section cutting the last big loop on the main track led up to the Birgitzer
Alm through a large debris of previous descents.
At the Alm there was another big drop onto the track (this ended at the Alm),
however we were continuing on behind it - after a brief stop for refreshments.
It was at this stop we realised the wind was making its presence felt and a
foretaste of what was to come.
Behind the Alm, the slope started relatively steep then eased off as it crossed
a large open meadow area. This was covered in sastrugi where the wind had marked
the surface.
As we flattened off the slope the wind picked up blowing snow particles into us
down the slope and also covering our tracks.
After some walking we could see the cross on the top of the Birgitzkopfl and
several people huddled trying to keep out of the wind.
Across over the Inn valley
Across to the ski station
Over to Axamer Lizum resort.
Up at the cross the wind was howling and gusting fiercely and we quickly took
photos and prepared the skis for the descent - any thought of descending and
climbing up the ski station was forgotten.
The skins had to be taken off with the skis on the ground and each person
keeping as low as possible, in addition anything loose would be sent down the
slope so everything had to be carefully stowed as we went along.
Then we started the descent .. really strange snow at the top with a crust in places, blown powder reservoirs in others, and sastrugi ridges along the surface. We managed to find a way to ski it, and what were good places and what to avoid.
Down to the Alm was some really nice powder with a thin crust, and with that we “lept” over the track onto the, now ever more tracked, ascent route clearing.
These sections down the fire break in the woods between the curves of the main track were tiring to ski as finding a path usually meant charging through the debris, forcing turns when needed. However there was one section where there was a strip of untracked snow at the side, and this allowed us to ski straight down as it had sufficient slope to counteract the breaking of the snow.
Crossing the tracks on the way down was as complex as on the way up .. usually involved breaking it down enough so that you could ski up it with a little speed and get over the hump, however failing to do this then meant a big step up..
Across the clearing and into the forest break, here the path was more defined as a series of switchbacks and forced turns until we dropped out onto the leveller section at the end of the break. This in turn led back to the main track (we avoided the small path in the woods as it was much easier to cross to the main track).
Then It was down the main track back to the beginning at the hairpin on the Axamer Lizum access road. To avoid any problems we then walked down the road to the car, where the sun helped to dry out the gear before it was stowed.
Back at the apartment everything was laid out in the sun to give it an extra drying before tomorrows return journey and our celebratory beer, we took a
stroll down to the local store for final groceries.
