Austria – Oetztal – Hochgurgl
Hochgurgl is first and foremost a hotel village that was built as a winter sports resort. It is located on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road at an altitude of 2,150 m above the tree line.
Several lifts connect the lower-lying villages with the Hochgurgl hotel village. In winter, pure skiing fun rages here for a few months. In the summer, most hotels are closed and the place turns into a ghost town.
The lifts of Hochgurgl lead to the higher ski resorts. One of the highest peaks for skiers here is the Wurmkogel with just over 3000 meters. You can reach the Wurmkogel with several interconnected ski lifts, the last part with a chairlift. The view up here is simply fantastic.
If it weren’t for the ski hustle and bustle, you could even pause for a moment and let your feelings run free. The hut at over 3000 meters is rustic and spartan. The toilet facility of the hut consists of a seat with an unobstructed view a hundred meters down into the Tyrolean mountains. We are happy to escape the ski hustle and bustle and go downhill. As pure mountain hikers, we feel very out of place here. The beautiful weather with a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains reconciles us a little.
The alpine cable cars transport thousands of so-called holiday and pleasure addicts to the mountains every day; how long will this go on in view of constantly and ever faster changing climate conditions? With this steadily increasing mass tourism, we ask ourselves again and again: “Will nature strike back at some point?” The highest mountain peaks are easy to reach. Masses of visitors populate the mountains. The dream of the summit cross is practically achievable for “everyone”. We leave this place thoughtful and with very mixed feelings……
