Mon 2nd - Thurs 5th June
From the 2.5 days we spent in Innsbruck, it revealed itself to be my perfect mountain ski resort town, including a noticeable lack of SUVs. Further proof that you don't need a petrol guzzling monstrosity to survive in the mountains, much less in a metropolis at sea level. These folks even recycle without the need for it to be trendy... so maybe I wouldn't fit in here after all. I'm a closet convenience recycler and I strive to be trendy.
Innsbruck is an ideal mix of historic old town with medieval winding streets and amazing architecture combined with modern day conveniences such as a gondola that runs from the transport hub of town to the top of some of the best ski slopes in Europe. The area is so highly acclaimed that the Winter Olympics were hosted in Innsbruck twice -- not to mention the fact that the region claims to be home to the invention of skiing. It doesn't get much more ski-authentic than this.
Innsbruck is a Euro 2008 host city - the town had serious football fever!
Our campsite was located 7km from the centre of town, but a beautiful cycle path ran literally from the front gate to down town Innsbruck, right along the river. Our first day, we did all of the major sights, including climbing old towers to get a view over the city, peering inside the beautiful cathedrals and photographing the golden roofed Goldenes Dachl. But the highlight / heart-stopping moment of the day had to be the gondola.
Inside the cathedral
The gondola is actually built in two parts – a funicular train that runs beneath the town like a subway, then cruises overground and up the side of the mountain cliff to the Alpine Zoo. You jump off here, walk past numerous classy bars and restaurants perched on an overlook of the town, then hop on the gondola. The ride isn't cheap, but it does offer varying prices for the faint-hearted who prefer to go only ½ way, 2/3 up the mountain or all the way to the summit. Twenty five euros later, and we were standing on the summit.
Gondola ride to the summit
I was happy that it was covered in clouds, and therefore we had no perception of how high we were perched. At the top is a small restaurant with what would be incredible views on a clear day, ski runs back down to town, and a hike along the varying mountain summits. We barely strayed from the restaurant door since the visibility was so poor. I can now see how people accidentally walk off mountains. But even if it had been clear, I doubt I could have stomached the alpine ridge walk. The poster photos looked terrifying, complete with narrow cliff hugging pathways and wooden rope ladders stretching across thousand foot crevasses. They strongly recommend that hikers have alpine experience and a strong stomach for heights. Definitely not my cup of tea.
A few steps outside the restaurant at the summit
On our second day, we hopped on our bikes and cruised to a neighbouring village to try out a mountain bike trail that was marked “medium difficulty”. The Austrians have a very warped sense of medium. The trail led straight up a narrow winding road that looked to be at least a 18 – 20% gradient for 4km. The ride up took an excruciating 2.5 hours of cycling for 1-3 minutes intervals, stopping to catch our breath and even hopping off to push the bikes for short breaks. Spin class was cake compared to this trail. It was hell and we hated nearly every minute of it, except for the brief moments to stop and admire the scenery. At the top we had a quick packed lunch, then Bevan was off like a shot to finally enjoy the steep downhill flight back to town that we had more than earned. It took less than 30 minutes of gravity plummeting us 4km back towards the mountain base, and I reckon Bevan would have been down in less than 20 minutes if he hadn't stopped to wait for me. After showers and relaxing back at the van, we rewarded ourselves with an enormous Austrian roast at the neighbourhood pub. It was worth the pain.
View from the top of the mountain bike trail
The morning of our departure, the next round of van trouble started. Thanks to Bevan forgetting to switch the lights off after driving through tunnels, the battery was completely dead. Fortunately the campsite was packed with people and we found a kiwi couple who were more than happy to give the van a jump start. Even better, they were heading to Salzburg that day as well. Our first potential friends!
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