SNOWSHOEING IS BECOMING POPULAR....
This is something that would have bemused me 10 years ago. I love snowboarding, I also love taking my Splitboard out on an adventure. I was constantly looking for fresh powdered terrain to ride my board and escape the piste skiing crowds. It was all about the journey down, about being fast, furious and slightly on the edge of control!
I began to spend more time in the Austrian mountains during the winter. I started to notice that my Austrian neighbours worked with the weather conditions, being outside was very important, whatever the mode of mountain equipment. I tried cross country skiing and loved it. It was completely different to my snowboarding experiences and I cherished the variety of ways to get a blast of East Tirolean fresh mountain air. The week later I went on my first snowshoe trip. After a brief introduction on how to adjust my poles and fasten the snowshoes, a group a five of us started our 4 hour hike. The guide pointed out deer, rabbit and fox tracks and we were lucky enough to see a Golden eagle. As we meandered through the woods above the tree line, we began the climb towards a mountain hut. Tranquil and picture perfect, for the first time in my mountain life, the journey up was the focus. I had time to appreciate the views, the calmness and silence and take it all in with a satisfied feeling of having been on a wilderness mini adventure. This first snowshoe trip was a taster of future hikes and exploration.
Now that I live in the Austrian Alps of East Tirol in the Hohe Tauren National Park, I am surrounded with snowshoe routes and remote hiking destinations. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the thrill of my snowboard, but now enjoy the simplicity of attaching my snowshoes, packing a hot flask and heading off on an adventure. After a few years of exploring the area we decided that we were ready to share our love of the area. Combined with our knowledge and of our hiking guide, we set about designing our snowshoe holiday within our base of MoaAlm Mountain Retreat at 1800m in the village of Kals Am Grossglockner. No previous experience is required to take part in a snowshoe holiday, just a good level of hiking fitness and some waterproof layers. We love adventures and we are so constantly blown away by the beauty of this area of Austria that we are always excited to share it with anyone who craves a winter explore.
If you love nature, activity, hiking and Alpine fresh air, then I am sure you will love exploring on snowshoes....
For ideas of routes and equipment needed, then take a look at Snowshoe hiking at MoaAlm Mountain Retreat, East Tirol, Austria