Ötztal Alps
The 2965m summit of Schesaplana (Rätikon Alps, Route 3)
An impressive district of 3000m mountains, whose highest summit is the 3772m Wildspitze, the Ötztal Alps contain the largest number of glaciers in the Eastern Alps. Rising east and south of the Inn river, the massif spreads over the border into Italy, but from its glacial heartland, three major valley systems drain northward to the Inn: the Kaunertal, Pitztal and the valley from which it takes its name, the Ötztal, with the neighbouring Stubai Alps immediately to the east of that. The latter valley is fed by the Ventertal and, its upper tributary, the Gurglertal, famed for the winter and summer resort of Obergurgl which, at 1927m, is Tyrol’s highest parish. Other resort villages worth considering for a walking holiday are Sölden, Längenfeld, Mandarfen, Plangeross and Feichten.
Stubai Alps
This complex district, like its neighbours to east and west, has a glacial core and some very fine valleys worth exploring, most of which are easily accessible from Innsbruck. Although primarily a crystalline range, the limestone Kalkkogel, flanking the lower Stubaital, is a Dolomite lookalike across whose southern flank one of Austria’s finest hut tours picks its way towards its close. Numerous huts located at the head of tributary valleys make obvious destinations for walks, while the Stubaier Höhenweg links no less than eight of them in an understandably popular circuit. Of the many resort villages, both Längenfeld and Sölden lie in the Ötztal, Kühtai and Gries im Sellrain give access from the north, while Neustift is the best developed for exploring the mountains above the Stubaital.
Zillertal Alps
East of the Brenner Pass the Zillertal Alps are known as much for their skiing potential as for their summer walking possibilities, especially around Mayrhofen, with the nearby slopes of the Tuxertal being developed with ski tows and cableways. The Zillertal itself pushes deep into the mountains, with a choice of tributaries cutting off herring-bone fashion from it. As with the Stubai Alps most, if not all, of these tributaries have mountain huts at their head from which both climbing and walking routes can be enjoyed. With a covering of either snow or ice, the massif’s highest summits capture the imagination and make a photogenic backdrop to a wonderland of walks. Of the valley bases, perhaps the best are those that lie in a line along the Zillertal: Zell am Ziller, Mayrhofen and Finkenberg.
Kitzbüheler Alps
All the previously mentioned groups spill across international borders, but the Kitzbüheler Alps lie ‘inland’ so to speak, and have no frontiers. North of the Zillertal Alps and the Venediger group, these are grass-covered mountains of modest proportions. But on them will be found some of Austria’s best routes for the walker of moderate ability and ambition. A wealth of trails strike across hillsides and over summits with long views north to the limestone ranges, south to the crystalline border mountains, or southeast to snowy giants of the Hohe Tauern. Söll, Scheffau and Ellmau lie in a glorious valley between the grassy Kitzbüheler Alps and the abrupt wall of the Wilder Kaiser. Westendorf and Brixen lie in a parallel valley to the south, with Kitzbühel, one of Austria’s premier ski resorts and the hub of the range, at its eastern end, while Saalbach and Hinterglemm lie in the Glemmtal easily accessible from the lovely ‘Lakes and Mountains’ resort of Zell am See, and offer some of the best walking of the whole district.
Kaisergebirge
A small, compact group of limestone mountains of the Mittelgebirge lying north of the Kitzbüheler Alps and bordered on the west by the Inn river shortly before it flows into Germany, the Kaisergebirge is divided into two main ridges: the Zahmer, or ‘tame’ Kaiser, and the Wilder (wild) Kaiser. Between the two lie the charming valleys of the Kaisertal and Kaiserbachtal, with a linking ridge at the Stripsenjoch. The scenery is dramatic, the climbing awesome, the walking first class, with some exciting klettersteig (via ferrata) routes to consider, and several fine huts too. On the south side of the Wilder Kaiser, Söll, Scheffau, Ellmau and Going make good valley bases. St Johann in Tirol lies to the southeast, while Kufstein on the west has the Kaisertal close by.
The 3497m Schrankogel dominates the upper Sulztal (Stubai Alps, Route 21)
The extensive south face of the Dachstein (Dachsteingebirge, Route 76)
Dachsteingebirge
Another limestone group, this is topped by the glacier-clad Hoher Dachstein (2995m), while the outlying crest of the Gosaukamm contrasts the main block of mountains with its finely-shaped individual turrets, pinnacles and peaks such as the Bischofsmütze giving character to the whole district. The Dachstein lies southeast of Salzburg on the edge of the Salzkammergut lake region, rising above the Hallstätter See and Gosausee, with the Ramsau terrace and Enns valley to the south. Filzmoos and Ramsau are good walking centres for routes on the south side of the mountains, with Hallstatt a romantic lakeside base on the north.
Hohe Tauern
This large area boasts Austria’s largest national park, its highest mountain, the Grossglockner, and the spectacular ice-covered Venediger group, the latter rising to the east of the Zillertal Alps. Several distinctive groups make up the Hohe Tauern region, the main crest of which lies south of the Salzach river valley; a great block of mountains breached by three major north-south roads, two of which have tunnels, the third being the famous Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. On the northern side, Badgastein and Kaprun are recommended centres, while Matrei in Osttirol and Kals am Grossglockner serve the southern valleys. Tremendous high mountain scenery and exhilarating walks make this an excellent region in which to base a holiday.
Karawanken
Surprisingly little-known to mountain walkers from the UK, the Karawanken is a narrow range of mountains along whose crest runs the Austro–Slovenian border south of Klagenfurt. Carinthia, the province in which the range lies, is noted for its lakes and sunshine, but the Karawanken receives little publicity. However, these sun-bleached limestone mountains of modest altitude (the highest, Hochstuhl, is only 2237m), are both dramatic and accessible, and form a scenic background to walks that lead through woodland and meadow. There are longer, more demanding routes, and much to explore from such unassuming centres as Ferlach and Bad Eisenkappel.
Mountain Flowers
A cushion of moss campion (Silene acaulis) in the Zillertal Alps
A botanist with remarkable powers of observation was among a group of walkers I was leading in the Alps a few summers ago. When quizzed about the apparent anomaly of a tiny group of plants flowering in a confined site surrounded by an entirely different species, he explained ‘there are no accidents in nature; this particular plant grows in this precise location because here and here alone, conditions are perfect for it to flourish. A few centimetres away, and one or more of those essential conditions may be missing or dominated by others that deny its growth.’
The yellow Turkscap lily
(From left): the spring gentian (Gentiana verna); the fringed pink, or ragged dianthus, a lime-loving plant seen in the Karawanken; alpenroses in the Rätikon Alps.
In Austria’s Alps, as elsewhere, the range, diversity and distribution of mountain