I took the train to Munich on a Wednesday evening and on Thursday Johannes and I set off for the Dachstein mountains in Austria. We had booked an apartment in the wops and were planning to do some gravel biking. Initially our plans had been to ride the Tour de Kärnten Gravel but it got moved to 2025. The plan had been to do some bike packing after the tour and climb Triglav in Slovenia but there’d been a large dump of snow over the last days and it didn’t look like Triglav would be an option anymore.
Thursday
We drove to the Dachstein Gebirge and did a small gravel ride to the Gosausee and then up into the hills. It was supposed to be a loop but sure enough as someone had warned us at the carpark and as we’d expected there was snow on the gravel forest road. At least there wasn’t to begin with but there was more and more as we ascended. It was quite pretty though and the mountains in the distance looked amazing. The view from Lake Gosau had also been fantastic, spikey snowy mountains reflected perfectly in the lake. At about 1300m we decided to turn around. The snow was still shallow enough to trudge through without even getting wet ankles but we’d still had 150 metres of ascent and then the route would have stayed up high for a while. We turned around and rode back down putting more clothes on on the way to keep warm. It was sunny and warm back at the carpark in the valley and we drove back to our apartment for the evening.
Friday
We decided to do some climbing and drove to St Gilgen at the Wolfgangsee. Parking at our usual spot above the lake we got ready to do a multipitch route at the Plombergstein. In the car I’d hastily flicked through the links in Ari and my Whatsapp group from 2022 from our failed trip to the Salzkammergut (the one that involved one climb followed by ten days of Corona virus). I’d picked one on the back side of the cliffs but once we got closer to the start we realised it would be shady and reading the route description it suggested that the route down after the climb involved some scrambling over 1- graded rocks and that it should be avoided if wet. Sooo, instead we headed around to the side of the rock that we know and love and set up to climb Edelweiss, a route that we hadn’t yet tried.
It turned out to be a good day out and we took turns leading pitches up the wall in the autumn sun. It was all suitably easy and from the top we wandered back down the track to the car.
Saturday
It was a crisp sunny day and after a bit of light work trying to sort out SSL certificates for a server over the other side of the world it was time to go biking. I thought there must be some good options nearby and with the help of komoot and apemap put together a route that took us up into the hills and then back down into the valley before returning to the apartment. We set off and had a steep climb up to a saddle that took 1.5 hours or so. We ascended on a gravel road through forest and then through open grassy hills that turned quickly to snowy hills. During the last part of the climb there was snow on the road but I noted the snow line had increased compared with a couple of days ago. We cycled along the tops through patches of snow feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. It then became clear we’d have to climb a little higher and the road was now much more snowy. We pushed our bikes through snow drifts for half an hour or so descending through more snow until it finally vanished and we were riding town a pretty forest road in the sunshine.
Another climb and we reached the toll road that I drove over with Ari and Pedro in 2022 and Leonie years before that. We cruised up on the seal and then had a short winding descent before taking a left onto another unsealed road. This one took us slowly down for many kilometres into the valley far below. It was steep in the middle section of the road and we stopped on a bridge to look down at a canyon below us briefly. Later it flattened off again and we cycled next to a nice looking river. Finally we headed back along a sealed road before one last winding climb through forest where we both pushed hard to the top. We then rolled back down to the main road and ground our way a few kilometres back to the apartment. A very nice ride.
Sunday
We planned another day of gravel riding again leaving from the apartment. This time we headed towards Gosau along a side road before joining the main road and descending, taking the first right onto a forestry road. We followed this through the trees as it undulated up and down. It generally went up though and after some time we passed a hut and it began to climb very steeply. We pushed our bikes and started trudging through snow. Another 100 vertical metres and we were at the top. There was enough snow to make riding tricky and after briefly getting lost we pushed our bikes through more snow to a gate and followed another small road down through yet more snow. The snow subsided and we briefly had a good view towards the bigger mountains in the background.
We descended further and then replanned our route after discovering that our initial one took us through another snowy section on a walking track. Instead we continued straight down, joining a sealed road after some time and then meeting the road we’d cycled on yesterday. We retraced the end of yesterday’s route back to the apartment.
We headed down to Gosau later on and did an easy ferrata in the same area we’d been with Ari and Pedro in the past. We did the straight forward Schmiedstieg which was quite acceptable.
Monday
To give our legs a bit of a rest we decided to go climbing. It was another sunny Autumn day. We drove to Bad Goisern and after raiding the Hofer at the roundabout, drove up the winding road towards the Ewige Wand. Ari and I had wanted to climb here in 2022 during “The Worst Holiday Ever” but the Corona virus had prevented us from doing so. We parked near the cliffs and after a 15 minute walk we were standing at the bottom of the climb we’d chosen. “Reise durchs gelobte Land” is an easy five pitch climb (graded 5-/4 obligatory). I lead the first pitch noting that despite it’s easy grade it felt harder than Edelweiss, which we’d climbed on Friday at Plombergstein. Johannes lead the 2nd pitch. It was hot in the sun and we’d both chosen to wear trousers. The views from the climb were very nice. We could see out across the forest below us into the wide valley and down to the Halstätter lake. Further behind the lake were mountains, the closest had lost their recent white tops but the higher ones in the background were still covered in snow.
Johannes wasn’t super keen on the climb. It was his turn to lead again and his pitch (the 4th) took us far out to the right, traversing out and up to the next anchor. I followed him and we swapped for the final time. The last pitch had the crux and I set off up with good holds until I got to a point where bolts ascended left and right from me. The topo said go right but it looked easier to the left. I headed up to the right clipping the next bolt until I saw the following one had been chopped and there was quite a distance until the next one. The climbing looked harder so I decided to head back and try going to the left. It did look easier but who knew where it went to… It turned out ok. Perhaps it was an alternative and undocumented finish. The bolts looked shiny and new.
We picked an inefficient route back to the car doing a large loop out in the wrong direction along a forestry road.
Tuesday
We moved house to a different apartment at the Halstätter See, after spending the morning working. We picked up Rachel from Bad Ischl in the evening.
Wednesday
We drove back to Plombergstein and climbed Flipperl with Rachel. It was a sunny day with agreeable temperatures and we clinked and clanged our way over to the base of the climb, quick draws swinging merrily. Johannes lead the first couple of pitches and then Rachel and I climbed on top rope while Johannes belayed both ends of my green and blue half ropes. At the end of the second pitch we swapped and I climbed the next two. The climb was nice and easy with just one slightly harder section that was still quite manageable. I’ve climbed it before in the past.
After my two pitches Rachel was eager to have a go and lead the last pitch from the Wandbuch up to the bench at the very top of the climb. She set up an anchor using a couple of bolts and sent us a picture for review. Having been approved for climbing consumption, we climbed up to the top and that was that. A nice few hours of easy climbing.
Thursday
We had a bike/ferrata combo day. The air bnb where we were staying had a crusty old 26” mountain bike for hire so we took it out for a spin. It wasn’t long until we were trundling North along the river on a gravel path. I was riding the mountain bike and Rachel was using my gravel bike. We took a right across the busy local road and cycled up the unsealed road to where we’d been a couple of days ago when when we were walking back from the Ewige Wand. We locked our bikes up and swapped into ferrata mode.
Our first ferrata was very short but still nice. We climbed out from the path that was cut into the cliff and around onto the steep rock. From there we had good views into the valley and of the trees far below us. It was just 80 vertical metres or so of climbing on pitons and we were at the top of the route. It didn’t take long to get back down to the bikes and from there we cycled to a nearby hut I had spotted on the map. We all ordered Käsespätzle and although it wasn’t the best example ever it was a huge improvement on the overpriced sorry excuse we’d eaten at the Munich beer garden a few months earlier. Rachel still referred to it as mac and cheese, however.
After our lunch we continued cycling up the hill to the car park we’d been at a few days earlier and then onwards to a spot where we locked our bikes. We ascended the hill quickly to the base of the Leadership ferrata. It was getting later in the day and we needed to keep moving efficiently – Rachel demonstrating she has some room for improvement in this department. The ferrata was very nice with expansive views down to the lake. It wasn’t terribly difficult but there were interesting sections and a nice finish on a small rocky tower of sorts.
Back at the bikes we decided there would be enough time to continue and we followed the forestry road as it wound it’s way around the hills up and down. We then descended steeply for the remainder of the ride coming out not far from our apartment in Untersee. A little bit more riding and we were back. Another very nice day out.
Friday
The weather was not so great. Johannes worked and Rachel and I went for a short walk in the hills after lunch.
Saturday
Another day of bad weather. Rachel and I went walking again and then we all went to the sauna in the evening in Bad Ischl.
Sunday
The weather was ok but it was cold and we were indecisive. We packed up and drove off in one direction before turning around and driving in the other to the Postalmklamm Klettersteig. We deliberated some more at the start of the toll road but then decided to go for it. We were unsure whether the rock would be too wet still but figured we could always turn around. I’d already done the ferrata before with Ari and Pedro in 2022. It’s a nice one. The route takes you through a ravine and then straight up a couple of hundred metres with great views back down into the valley.
We started off across the slippery swing bridge and along the side of the ravine. There’s a track to begin with and then it’s just metal stakes fixed into the rock. The sides of the ravine were wet, wetter than last time. The rock was damp and in many places there was water running down the rock. We swapped between the different sides of the ravine. There are two places where you have to jump or at least swing from one side of the ravine to the other. It’s very narrow but still wide enough to make it a little tricky. We all successfully passed these tests and we continued towards a big waterfall. The route took us sharply up to the right and we climbed to a pool where we’d cooled off in last time I’d done the ferrata.
After a little confusion about which way to go, Johannes went to the right, Rachel and I went directly up and we all arrived below the last section of the ferrata. There is an over-the-top F section which we didn’t do and otherwise there’s a D section. We chose this one. I remember thinking it was quite difficult last time. It required a bit of arm strength this time too. Johannes went ahead, then Rachel and I followed at the end. You feel much higher than you are and very exposed. The feeling of height comes from the fact that the cliff is way above the ravine and you can see down into it. There’s no flat ground below the cliff.
We got to the top and walked back down to the car, Rachel scampering ahead. Then it was back to Munich.
