Easter Monday have become reserved for
backcountry skiing in recent years, and this year was no exception. After two days of celebrations, we set off with friends from
AO Tržič and
Chera Hiking towards Sveta Kri (
Heiligenblut). Just before the toll station, we turned onto a side road, parked the cars, and began our adventure. The first part was a bit of a
hike, as the snow had already disappeared from the valley. After some time, we were finally able to put on our skis and continue upwards on the remaining snow. The beautiful conditions at the beginning were soon replaced by poor visibility and strong winds. Nevertheless, we kept going and all reached the summit of
Hoher Sonnblick, 3106 m, where we took a well-deserved break in the winter room of Zittelhaus. Hoher Sonnblick is also home to one of the highest weather observatories in
Austria, that has been operating since 1886 and is one of the oldest continuously active high-altitude meteorological stations in the world. It plays an important role in climate research, weather monitoring, and the study of alpine conditions in one of the harshest environments in the
Alps. We did not stay long in the hut, so we quickly packed up and started our descent back into the valley. The diffuse light made skiing challenging and caused balance problems for many of us, but we are used to dealing with such conditions. In the end, everyone made it safely back down - tired, happy, and satisfied after another memorable mountain adventure -
Garmin Connect.
Through Sveta Kri (Heiligenblut) to the parking lot along the Kleinfleißbach. We packed our backpacks and started hiking.
Following Franci's Knafelc trail marker.
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| Badžo put his skis on. I decided to wait a few more curves. |
AT this point, I also made a decision to continue on skis. I also left the shoes on nearby tree.
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| We hiked up a lot. That means we will also hike down a lot. |
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| Our direction was pretty simple, straight East and up off course. |
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| Our destination was closer with each step, but still quite far. |
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| The weather didn't cooperate, but we didn't give up either. |
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| We did last meters without skis again. |
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| Zittelhaus, built in 1886 and located at 3106 m on Hoher Sonnblick, has been sheltering mountaineers for more than a century while standing beside the famous Sonnblick Observatory. |
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| Franci, Tuši and Kristina. |
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| Resting and warming up. |
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| Time to ski back to the valley. |
Although on pictures, the conditions seem OK, they weren't. We had issues with diffuse light and therefore with our balance.
A short section of better conditions lower down gave us hope, but it didn't last. The lack of snow in the valley meant we had to continue on foot for the final stretch.
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| Surrounded by three-thousand-meter mountains, nestled in the middle of the Hohe Tauern National Park and right next to the gold mining village of Heiligenblut lies the Alpine inn Alter Pocher. Unfortunatelly closed today. |
A quick stop in the historic gold mining village of the Fleiß Valley. For centuries, miners searched these mountains for Tauerngold - a reminder that the Alps hold more than just breathtaking views. No gold was found today, only one geocache.
- Alter Pocher,
GC1XBCD, that received a visit by trackable items "Second Angel of peace",
TBA8B55 and "Twin Star",
TB33TN8
