Mountain Walking in the Alps

Europe is an oasis of different mountain ranges and varied cultures that offer a tremendous range of plant and animal life, scenery and weather. Stretching from west to east through central Europe there is the continuous mountain chain of the Cantabrian mountains, the Pyrenees, the Cévennes and the Alps, the Carpathian mountains and the Balkans. Further south there are the Dolomites and Julian Alps amongst others. However, one must not forget the ranges to the far north too. Scandinavia, and in particular Norway, offers many mountain ranges of interest and grandeur equallign that of many parts of the Alps. Nowadays, the popular ranges in Southern Europe are criss-crossed with major mountain routes or tours and there are guidebooks, to numerous to mention, describing the routes in great detail. In several countries it is also possible to walk an entire tour and spend every night in a comfortable mountain refuge, enjoying the company and local cuisine. This page gives a brief insight into walking the mountains of Europe.

Left, an alpine Ibex, around 4 years old. Since the middle ages the Ibex has featured in medicine and nearly every part of its body was thought to cure some kind of ailment. The Ibex was so badly persecuted that in the early 19th century only a single herd of around 50 animals remained in Europe, in the Gran Paradiso national park. Since then, the Ibex has been reintroduced to many areas and the population is now over 10,000. The age of an Ibex can be judged by the prominent dark rings on the horns which result from slow growth during the winter. The Ibex lives in the high mountains, above the tree line, and is an adept climber.

Above, Sping Gentian seen here flowering in late May in the Swiss alps, a common but protected alpine plant. Left, a curious young marmot showing its face in late spring. Below, the view southwards along the Val Montjoie with Les Contamines in the valley bottom. The low point on the skyline, to the left of the rocky Aguille de la Pennaz is the Col du Bonhomme. Click here to read more about the Tour Mont Blanc, that follows this valley.

Left, Susse walking in perfect August weather in the Zillertal Alps in Tirol in Austria. The valley behind is the Floitengrund and in the far distance Grosse Loffler (3376m) can be seen. The Grosse Loffler is usually climbed from the Greizer Hut. At this time of year, the snowline has retreated to 2300m. On this day, the temperature at 2000m was 15 degrees celcius - perfect for walking. Walking in the Austrian Alps is a very friendly affair, and all walkers acknowledge your passing.

Above, a curious dairy cow roaming the high pastures. Above right, walking in the beautiful valley of Floitengrund. On this occasion, we drove to the small hamlet of Ginzling above Mayrhofen and parked at Ausserer-Keesboden. The picture shows the view down the valley. The valley is green and wooded at first and as you get higher the trees give way to scattered boulders and eventually glacial morrains from the Floiten Glacier. The Greizer Hut sits high above the valley head at 2226m. Right, the Schlegeiss reservoir in the Zamsergrund. The reservoir is filled with glacier melt-water and the skyline is dominated by the peaks of Hochfeiler (3510m) and Grosser Möseler (3478m) behind. From here it is possible to ascend to the Olperer Hut or follow path 502 along the edge of the reservoir and up to the valley head and eventually to the Berliner Hut via Schönbichler Horn (3133m).

Left, a popular target near Mayrhofen in the Zillertal is the Ahornspitze at 2976m which overlooks the town. The usual route to the summit passes the Edelhütte at 2237m from the Ahornbalm cablecar. The easy walk to the Edelhütte takes 1 hour. From there, the summit of the Ahorspitze can be reached in under 2 hours. The final part of the route, above 2700m, is mostly straight forward scambling, in some places on loose rock and snow. The route includes a short traverse with fixed wire on the lower reaches of the summit pyramid. Finally you reach a narrow col between the two summits just before the top. The summit, as like most of the tops in Austria, is dorned with an elaborate cross, below left. Below, the view westwards from the north summit of Ahornspitze with the Edelhütte below in the centre of the picture.

Above, about to cross the Col des Becs de Bosson at 2942m by the Becs de Bosson above the Val d´Anniviers in the Swiss Alps. The west face of the Weisshorn can be seen behind. Below, evening in the dinning room of the Grand Mountet hut. The view from this hut is one of the finest panoramas in the Alps. For more pictures and information from walking in the Val d'Anniviers click here.

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