When the first winter snowfalls arrive and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road closes, the small village of Heiligenblut turns into a winter wonderland.
This last winter has blessed us with plenty of snow in the Alps. Compared with the previous decades, there’s been above average amounts of snowfall, especially in the Southern Alps.
This autumn has been unseasonably cold and snowy, especially in the mountains. The highest elevations (above 2,000 meters) had received a very early covering of snow.
North Tyrol’s highest mountain is only 28 m lower than Grossglockner. I remember seeing the mountain as the fog lifted and knowing immediately that I wanted to climb it.
Towards the end of autumn, it seemed that a classic winter with plenty of snow was on its way. There was some precipitation, but unfortunately, it was followed by a dry period.
Peter Jeromel and the Slovenian guides association organized a glacier travel and crevasse rescue seminar, which was supposed to be carried out beneath Grossglockner, but the location was changed to Dachstein due to bad weather.
During Easter it seemed that large quantities of snow will last until May or June, but the warm winds again brought a major change. To make the most of the winter which seemed to be departing abruptly, we decided to go ski touring above the Logarska Valley this last Sunday.
