Hiking to Pengelstein

Yesterday we biked the 2 km. to the base of one of the lifts (the Fleckalmbahn) and rode in the gondola car up the 1000 m. rise. Then we hiked up and down through the ski area for about 1 1/2 hours until we reached Pengelstein, where several lifts converge on a restaurant, about 135 m. higher in elevation than the top of the Fleckalmbahn. We had a stout Tirolean lunch (Groestl - fried potatoes with bits of ham, sometimes onions, topped with a sunnyside egg - or two). Then we meandered back to the top of the Fleckalmbahn. Eli held my hand occasionally on the way back, which I thought rather romantic until I realized she was having me pull her up some of the steeper hills. When queried she said, "I can either digest my lunch, or hike, but not both." Romance does best if left unexamined.

The weather was sunny, but the Foehn (you can google on "Foehn wind") was moving in from the south totally disrupting current weather forecasts. But it gave us clear, if breezy, weather for this delightful hike. We could see the higher snow covered peaks to the south quite easily, despite the clouds above them.

The Kitzbuehel ski area is large, with about 90 lifts ranging from double chairs to a high speed lift with 8 person gondolas. There is also the Hornbahn, a tram in the style of Jackson Hole's. There may be a few tee bars left, but they have mostly been replaced over the last 12 years. The most famous ski run is the Hahnenkamm ("rooster's comb") downhill, a yearly staple in the winter's world cup tour.

The local farmers own the terrain and rent it to the ski lift company during the winter. In summer it is pasture, for dairy cattle mostly. They graze on the alpine vegetation, including the mountain flowers, and produce exceptional milk.

A nearby ski area (at Westendorf) evolved plans to connect their smaller area to Kitzbuehel, which would have resulted in a conglomeration of more than 100 lifts. However, they forgot to check with the farmers who owned the terrain. The farmers, in a fit of pique, squelched the idea (already on the ski area map). Locals are generally happy about this outcome because the connection would have destroyed some of the ski mountaineering/touring ('earn your turns') area. It would also have impinged on the Gaemse (chamoix) habitat.

The Gaemsen are quite shy of humans. In the summers they retreat into wilder country, as the farmers bring the cows back up to the high country and as hikers/bikers appear. We saw them up close one winter when we were hiking/sliding on Gaisberg well above the ski area. A herd can run down steep snow covered terrain as smoothly as flowing water, a spectacular sight.

Richard
2004.07.08