Prisank Fensterweg Klettersteig (Kopiščarjeva & Grebenska pot)

Alastair BegleySlovenia, Via Ferrata Short Link

On the summit of Mala Mojstrovka we were talking to some other people who recommended the Prisank Fensterweg, so the next day that is what we planned to do. We were very surprised when we arrived at the top of the Vršič pass at 7am to find that the car park was already full. Thankfully there was still space just above the lower car park, which didn’t add too much time onto our day. The route was an enjoyable way of climbing the mountain, but it was very busy, with lots of people who were not used to being on steep terrain with plenty of rocks around. The majority of the route was very easy, but there was a short crux which had a very long queue which climbed up a few chimneys before squeezing through a rift. We were soon approaching the end of the first klettersteig where we had to go through a massive window in the rock, which you can see from the valley. This section was not technically difficult at all, but there was a large queue to get out at the end of the route,. Read the full article…

Mala Mojstrovka Klettersteig (Hanzover pot)

Alastair BegleySlovenia, Via Ferrata Short Link

On our first day in Slovenia we decided to climb Mala Mojstrovka via the klettersteig up the north face (Hanzover pot). This was a relatively short day given the height of the summit, as the route starts from the Vršič pass at 1611m, if you are lucky enough to be able to park on the top. After a brief ascent from the car park, we soon reached a col which gave us a wonderful view of the north face, and our route. The route was a wonderful way of climbing the mountain, as it wound its way up thorough unlikely looking terrain, with outstanding views and really enjoyable scrambling on rock. It is not a route to do if you are looking for really well protected klettersteigs or technically difficult routes, but if you want a great day out in the mountains then I would highly recommend it. All too soon we arrived at the top of the klettersteig and emerged from the shady north face into the sun. It was a shame to have finished the klettersteig, however it was a relief to emerge into the warm sunlight. From. Read the full article…

Achensee Paragliding

Alastair BegleyAustria, Paragliding Short Link

We decided to head up the Zwölferkopf for lunch while Becky’s mum was visiting, and as the conditions were good I took advantage and enjoyed a short scenic flight after lunch. The flight was never going to be a long XC, but it was very enjoyable with a mixture of soaring in the valley wind and thermal flying when I was above the Rofangebirge. After a very enjoyable flight it was time to land, which took a bit longer than anticipated due to some very strange valley winds which were converging above the landing field, which created a lot of lift and a lot of turbulence. After about 25mins of struggling with descending and then re-ascending I did eventually manage to stay down and land out away from the convergence.

Tegelberg to Farchant XC Paragliding

Alastair BegleyAustria, Bavaria, Paragliding Short Link

On the second day at Tegelberg I had planned to fly east after take off, through the Ammergebirge and then with the aim of seeing how far east I could fly, as this would give me an easy journey back to Munich. Unfortunately as per the previous day, the day took a very long time to get going at Tegelberg which meant that I didn’t launch until 14:20. Thankfully after this late launch I was able to take a good thermal up through the invasion layers to well above the summit. At this point I abandoned my plan as the clouds to the east didn’t look very good, but the clouds to the south did. As I vaguely knew how a number of different flight areas/mountain ranges joined up, I decided to head south and see how it went. The initial part of the flight was very scenic, although with some slow climbs due to shaded out ground, and it was really special to be able to fly over the Plansee and along to Lermoos with absolutely fantastic views. Unfortunately the Gartner Wand was completely shaded out at this point,. Read the full article…

Tegelberg Paragliding

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Paragliding Short Link

With a weekend of strong winds forecast it was hard to decide where was best to go, after much deliberation we decided to head to Tegelberg as it looked like it had the best combination of airmass and weather. After a late start due to the W/NW aspects after launch it was an enjoyable flight in bumpy conditions due to there being about 4 different inversion layers at different altitudes which were difficult to punch through. It was a very scenic place to fly with views into the Allgäu and into the Ammergebirge, and as the day progressed the conditions became progressively easier. As I ended up with some good altitude at the end of the day, I decided to head for a long final glide over the beautiful Forggensee, to land in Buching just next to my hotel for the night.

Breitebenkopf

Alastair BegleyAustria, Walking Short Link

We decided to do a there and back route up the Breitebenkopf as we could walk there from the campsite. We started with a 2.5km walk along the road into the Seidlwinkltal before starting our ascent. From the start it was clear this wasn’t a popular route as the ascent was very overgrown, and it was also very steep. The steepness combined with the brutal heat made this very hard work. On the map there was a walking path which made its way directly up the mountain and an old zig-zag forest road, which looked even more overgrown than our path, however eventually we emerged to find the overgrown forest road had turned into a newly made stone forest track. So at this point we decided to leave the official walking track and take the much longer, but much less brutal forest track up to the end of the forest. From here we left the stone path and again joined an old track and then a very unworn path up the spur towards the Weichselbachhöhe. This became increasingly steep towards the top, and we were certainly glad when the summit. Read the full article…

Krumltal/Tal der Geier

Alastair BegleyAustria, Landscape, Walking Short Link

With afternoon thunderstorms forecast and after two days of walking with more than 1300m of ascent, we decided that a rest day was in order. We decided to do a short walk up the Krumltal to the Bräualm for lunch. The valley is best known for the birds of prey, where it is common to see Griffon Vultures, Bearded Vulture and Golden Eagles. What we didn’t realise is that it was also a really beautiful valley which was full of enormous waterfalls. On our walk into the hut we enjoyed admiring the landscape and the waterfalls, and saw what we believe to be a number of Griffon Vultures. We soon arrived at the beautifully situated farm where the Bräualm was situated, where we enjoyed a lunch of their homemade bread and cheese, with meat from their animals. All of this while overlooking the valley where we were watching Bearded Vultures flying, thankfully someone at the hut let us use their binoculars to fully appreciate the birds. On the way out we saw a number of Marmots which I was particularly pleased about, and then just as we were about to. Read the full article…

Grubereck

Alastair BegleyAustria, Walking Short Link

Grubereck is the first high mountain on the eastern side of the Rauris valley which meant that despite its relatively modest height would have excellent views to the north, south and west. We didn’t start as early as we would have liked, as the first bus on the weekend was surprisingly late, which meant we had a very hot ascent up to the peak. Initially on the ascent we had fleeting views over alpine meadows looking north into the larger mountains towards the end of the Rauristal on the way up to the Bründlalm. From here the ascent became very steep and relentless, but we eventually emerged out onto the grassy summit ridge where the views really opened up and became really enjoyable. We were shocked to arrive at the summit and find a very civilised bench with a table, which made it an obvious spot for some lunch, it was just a shame about the flies due to the lack of wind. From the summit we descended to the Karalm, where I was really looking forward to a stop for a cold drink and maybe some cake, however we. Read the full article…