Who hasn’t heard of the Arlberg – Austria’s largest Ski Resort and, at the same time, the most diverse freeride spot in the Eastern Alps? Before the winter season begins, however, we find ourselves faced with a whole different set of superlatives there.
The mountains are dusted with white snow. The thermometer in the car reads 0.5 degrees as we head for the Rendlbahn car park in St. Anton. The start of the skiing season is in the air – but there’s no sign of it in the car park. It’s empty. Just as empty as the town centre: where crowds of people normally jostle in front of the Galzigbahn, there is only solitude in October.
Text: Gebi Bendler | Photos: Michael Meisl
St. Anton is in hibernation – paradoxically, whenever it’s not actually winter. With our fingers tucked into thick mittens but still feeling cold, we’re now heading south into the Moostal valley. The walk to the Darmstädter Mountain Lodge/Hut is estimated to take a good three hours – but here we are, sitting on our E-Bikes with broad grins on our faces.
“If we were hiking, the cost-benefit analysis for that bit of Bouldering wouldn’t add up at all,” says David, and we agree with him.
Even when cycling, it soon becomes clear that here we are faced with one superlative after another. At 13 kilometres, this is not only the longest high-altitude valley for miles around, but also the trip that uses up the most battery power – which, in turn, was a major cause for concern during our research.
Then the Mountain Lodge/Hut comes into view. It sits on a small hill, framed by the mighty three-thousand-metre peaks of the Verwall. We’re not only at the end of our battery life, but it feels as though we’re at the end of the world: “The most remote valley basin, the most godforsaken region, the greatest solitude.” The superlatives come thick and fast. Not far from the Mountain Lodge/Hut, the first boulder fields open up – a line here, one there, and even more further on. We are the first to engage in Bouldering here. Pioneers in the Verwall.
Explorers, adventurers – in Tirol’s newest and youngest bouldering area. The autumn sun warms your clammy fingers, whilst the dry, crisp air offers the best grip. Yet another superlative.
Superlatives arouse suspicion, they say. Too many of them undermine the advertising message; less is more. That’s why we’ll stop here – because, as we all know, you should stop whilst you’re ahead.
In this issue, we’ve devoted ourselves entirely to alpine climbing in Tirol. Across 136 pages, we showcase Tirol’s impressive vertical diversity – with fascinating stories from 15 climbing spots that offer a deep insight into the history of alpine climbing in Tirol.
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