Austria
An Expedition over the Stubai High Level Route
2 years after completing our expedition through the Lefka Ori in Crete, I never thought that I would be able to undertake another adventure through the mountains. However, at the age of 74, with 2 ankle replacements, I thought that it might be my last chance to venture into the high mountains, somewhere I’ve always dreamed of: an explorer’s journey through the Stubai mountain top route in Austria.
Words Tony Blyth
Photography & Film - Matt Porteous
Film Production - Tom Webster
The high mountains are known for their challenging, thrilling routes, delivering the most magnificent scenery. I wanted to bring Matthew and Bagsy along with me for their first adventure through the high peaks: I knew this would be a different kind of challenge, with huts to stay in and restaurants to refuel, this would be more technical but with less weight to carry.
Although it’s rare to complete the entire expedition in one go, I followed a guidebook which advises how many hours you will spend walking per day. On reflection, though, it’s probably best to ignore these guides - it hardly touches on the actual details of the route, and can be quite misleading at times. Although we were so lucky with our weather window, it could be demoralising if you were trekking in high winds or during a snow storm. A mountain guide told us that 102 hikers have died attempting this route since June 2019, and I also don’t believe in taking risks or speeding through this kind of journey; I want to stop, breathe the fresh mountain air and appreciate the scenery that I have ventured so far to explore. I intend to remember where I have been, what happens, the people I meet along the way, the animals we encounter, the flowers we stopped to smell.. Every moment, even the most difficult, is a memory and something to make the most of.
Our 8-day expedition begin in Karalm, where many young Austrians are encouraged to explore from a young age to learn about their environment and the possibilities it offers. Standing at 750m tall, this first day takes an incline over a beautiful ridge to 2430m; we took this journey slowly, enjoying the beautiful weather and taking in the scenery from every one of the 27 zig-zags we encountered along the way.
We arrived at the Innbrucker Hütte, which looks towards the Italian border and where we encountered our first alpine bed, which we shared with a number of hikers - note that this was the last night we shared a room with Bagsy the snorer! These huts are a welcome respite to a long day of walking, offering a clean and hospitable interior and plentiful food. They are also the perfect place to meet fellow explorers and hear their tales of the route they’ve covered so far… Not that everyone is entirely truthful about how long it’s taken them.
Over the next few days, our challenges increased, needing to wear our climbing harnesses more and clip onto via ferrata routes over steep, slippery rock faces and sharp edges. These are maintained by guides and volunteers, who leave out ropes, ladders and steps to make the rocks more accessible. Long days were broken up by stopping to absorb the stunning scenery, take photos and dip our burning feet into the icy steams that meander through the crags. When amongst the ridges, I feel as small as a sparrow in the sky, both battling against this environment and working with it to stay safe.
Walking through ice fields and acres of boulders carry their own challenges: it is much more difficult to spot the next route marker, and it can be extremely tiring before ascending another vertical cliff face. Lateral moraines are created as glaciers shift the surrounding earth into smooth paths, which can either offer some safety, or a sheer drop to each side. On day 6, after 9 hours of walking we reached the highest peak of Grabbegrudeneider, standing at 2881m; our following descent had been re-routed because of a recent avalanche, which again reminded us of the dangers that linger in the mountains.
This was once more reinforced when the final section of the route, which has been added in recent years, was cut short by the incoming weather. As clouds rolled in, we were told by the resident guide at the Franz-Senn-Hütte that ‘Once it comes in from the North, you’re in trouble.’ I was reminded of my mountain survival training, answering the following questions before beginning an expedition: ‘Am I in the right place? Is it the right time? Am I with the right people? Do I have the right equipment? And should I really be doing this?’ If any of these answers is no, don’t go.
On reflection, as we descended from the mountains I felt like we had completed a huge achievement; I am so proud of Matt and Bagsy, for whom their first taste of the high mountains was more challenging and downright dangerous than I could have ever imagined. Expeditions like this can really bring out the best and worst in someone’s personality, and I couldn’t have asked for better company on the trek of a lifetime: my explorer’s dream is complete, and after a lifetime of mountaineering I can rest happy that we finished the Stubai high mountain route with a full book of stamps and heart full of pride.
