Austrian Glacier
Do you ever just crave snow? It's the middle of July in Austria, and you decide you want to have a snowball fight, where do you go? No you don't need to spend a ton of money or go on a vigorous trek, you just need to go to a glacier. One of the best known glaciers in Austria is the Weißsee Gletscher. This has got to be one of my favorite activities over the summer. Let me walk you through a typical day at the glacier. We catch a ride on the comfortable gondola that takes us right on up. If you are feeling super adventurous, feel free to take on the hike. There are tons of trails that lead right on up to the peak. But if you are more like me, slightly lazy this early in the morning, the gondola will take you all the way. Once you have passed the middle station and reached the mountain Berghotel Rudolfshutte you are officially at Weißsee an at 2.315 meters. Take some time and stroll around the gorgeous blue lake.
So where is the snow? Not to worry, I promised snow so lets go hit the snow. We head over to the chairlift and let it take us into the clouds! Now I don't know if it is the icy wind that pierces my cheeks or the fact that the only thing carrying me up high into the peak of this mountain is a metal bench but the ride up always gets me shaking in my boots!
Finally up at the top be careful where you step, the snow can be a lot deeper than it seems.
Once you built your snow man, thrown your snowballs, and have gotten a sufficient amount of snow in your boots you can begin heading back down. Personally I like to take the chairlift down and then hike until the middle station. Hiking down is completely worth the hour or more. We cross snow fields and rivers, climb along small mountain paths, and get to play with cows.
A day at Weißsee Gletscher is always a good time. So go! Go play in the snow and hike in the mountain valley!