Saturday, August 11, 2012
Biberwier Fun Mountain
Today we took the bus to Biberwier the next village along from Ehrwald to spend the day having downhill fun including riding the Monster Scooters down from the top of the chairlift and riding the amazing dry Toboggan that runs from the very top of chairlift to the bottom. All in all it about a 1k ride and you can go very fast. This was the first year James was able to ride alone!
Lermoos
Yesterday we cycled across the central valley to the ski village of Lermoos. Its a very pretty & chic little town that we have stayed in on previous trips. We took the Gondala followed by a four man open chairlift and then a six man covered chairlift to get to the peak of the ski mountain. We had lunch at a superb mountain restaurant and then walked down the rugged path to the valley below. On the bike ride back to Ehrwald we had some fun when we lost the trail and were heading over farmers fields when Sue disappeared down a drainage ditch and her bike did a 360! Happily she was unhurt and her price and joy bike were ok....
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Zugspitze - Highest Mountain in Germany
Today we used our Zugspitz Arena ticket to take the huge Cable Car to the peak of the Zugspitze the highest Mountain in Germany. The mountain is shared by Austria and we took the lift direct from our resort which is located in Austria right on the border. We chose this morning as we had a clear sky as the peak is normally shrouded in cloud by early afternoon....
BIKEPARK LEOGANG
We left Zell am See/Kaprun and headed for a campsite near Innsbruck but where very dissapointed when we arrived due to very wooded location and sever overcrowding with tiny pitches. Therefore we left and headed for our favourite site near Ehrwald in Austria. However on the way ti Innsbruck we passed the pretty town of Leogang and stopped to see what was going on as many bikes were flying down the mountain.
Leogand is the centre on Mountain Biking in Austria and is about to host the World Championships in a few weeks. Bikepark Leogand is the most renowned in Europe and awarded with "Kona Groove approved Bikepark" certification. After taking the cable car to the start of the bikepark you have the choice of easy, medium or competition standard trails back down to the village.
Due to the repair facilities obviously available I was able to get my bike gears fixed completely and its now riding like new! www.bikepark-leogang.com
Leogand is the centre on Mountain Biking in Austria and is about to host the World Championships in a few weeks. Bikepark Leogand is the most renowned in Europe and awarded with "Kona Groove approved Bikepark" certification. After taking the cable car to the start of the bikepark you have the choice of easy, medium or competition standard trails back down to the village.
Due to the repair facilities obviously available I was able to get my bike gears fixed completely and its now riding like new! www.bikepark-leogang.com
Taun Super Spa in Kaprun
The most wonderful Spa I could ever imagine. We spent a good few hours at this water paradise swimming in thermal salted waters, multi pools indoors and outdoors with breath taking views of the Kaprun Glacier/Mountains and surrounding valleys. The boys loved the slides rapids and sports pools. Saunas wet rooms, restaurants and everything you could possibly want with the wonderful architecture we have come to take for granted in this beautiful place Austria. www.tauernspakaprun.com - truly magnificent.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Grossglockner Pass Mud Slide!
Yesterday we went out in the Van to try and get my bike fixed due to the gears being snapped off the rear by George riding to close and smashing into my rear.... Unfortunately the part is not a
available in Austria so I opted to remove the gears leaving it as one gear bike. This failed to so I am currently without bike...arrrghhh.
Later we decided to buy a ticket and traverse the Grossglockner Pass (featured on Hairy Bikers recently) which crosses the Alps providing one of the oldest routes to Italy and Slovenia. It is now mainly a tourist attraction and spans 30km and 30 hairpin bends with a maximum road height of 8000ft. At the fe end you have a choice of heading towards Italy or up to the Grossglockner Glacier. We chose the Glacier and another 8 hairpin bends and serious winds combined with the start of a major Thunderstorm.
We viewd the amazing Glacier before heading back the 30km and 30 hairpin bends to the start of the pass. As we were driving the lightening storm came in and the rain was so heavy it was nearly pitch black. We could see the lightening striking the ground within half a mile so it was not just the 8000ft drops we had to worry about!
We finally got round the the last hairpin and headed for the tunnel that leads to the main gate....around the next corner we were confronted by a brand new Mud Slide right across the exit road and flowing into a raging mountain river beside the road. The mud, debris and force of water made the road impassable so we parked up as the two or three other car drivers also got out to access the situation!
A polish guy took charge and we all waded in and started lifting branches and rocks and throwing them in the river. This started to allow the force of water to start to clear some of the mud and grit which was about 12 inches higher than the road surface. After about 15 minutes we had cleared enough for a bike to try and ride through and he succeeded so an Audi 4x4 went for it and also made it. I did not fancy spending the night between a mudslide and raging river so we got back in and I headed for the mudslide and simply drove through the water and over the debris and we were all VERY relived when we were clear.
available in Austria so I opted to remove the gears leaving it as one gear bike. This failed to so I am currently without bike...arrrghhh.
Later we decided to buy a ticket and traverse the Grossglockner Pass (featured on Hairy Bikers recently) which crosses the Alps providing one of the oldest routes to Italy and Slovenia. It is now mainly a tourist attraction and spans 30km and 30 hairpin bends with a maximum road height of 8000ft. At the fe end you have a choice of heading towards Italy or up to the Grossglockner Glacier. We chose the Glacier and another 8 hairpin bends and serious winds combined with the start of a major Thunderstorm.
We viewd the amazing Glacier before heading back the 30km and 30 hairpin bends to the start of the pass. As we were driving the lightening storm came in and the rain was so heavy it was nearly pitch black. We could see the lightening striking the ground within half a mile so it was not just the 8000ft drops we had to worry about!
We finally got round the the last hairpin and headed for the tunnel that leads to the main gate....around the next corner we were confronted by a brand new Mud Slide right across the exit road and flowing into a raging mountain river beside the road. The mud, debris and force of water made the road impassable so we parked up as the two or three other car drivers also got out to access the situation!
A polish guy took charge and we all waded in and started lifting branches and rocks and throwing them in the river. This started to allow the force of water to start to clear some of the mud and grit which was about 12 inches higher than the road surface. After about 15 minutes we had cleared enough for a bike to try and ride through and he succeeded so an Audi 4x4 went for it and also made it. I did not fancy spending the night between a mudslide and raging river so we got back in and I headed for the mudslide and simply drove through the water and over the debris and we were all VERY relived when we were clear.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Zell am See Sportcamp
Day before yesterday we cycled 18km from our campsite to Zell am See and then cycled around the whole lake. Great fun and spectacular scenery throughout. Zell am See lunch in beautiful sunshine. Yesterday we fished on the lake and caught three Roach which the boys were delighted with. Will be moving on the Innsbruck tomorrow.
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