On Mount Krippenstein

On Saturday, we only had therapy in the morning – today, we were even done by 10:30.

Right afterwards, we set off toward the Dachstein. We had already purchased tickets for the cable car and two cave visits in advance, which turned out to be a smart move, as the individual prices far exceeded those of our combo ticket.

First, we took a cable car up to the mid-station. From there, a hiking trail leads to the Giant Ice Cave in about 20 minutes.

Even the hike itself was a real pleasure. The trail climbed steadily higher, and we were rewarded again and again with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and Lake Hallstatt.

Our gaze stretched as far as Hallstatt. Once again, the weather was absolutely perfect.

The sun was shining from a clear blue sky, not a single cloud in sight. A light breeze made the heat bearable. The altitude helped too.

The hike was simply beautiful.

We kept stopping to enjoy the view and take photos.

A good 20 minutes later, we reached the cave.

There we had to wait another 20 minutes for the next guided tour. Then it finally began.

We first entered a large chamber where bears once hibernated. A bear display there even let out an impressive growl – anything to entertain tourists, I suppose.

Then we continued into the actual ice cave, where even in summer the temperature was -2 degrees Celsius. Wearing only summer clothes, we felt quite cold despite the sweaters and jackets we had brought.

The cave was covered in meters of ice, built up over more years than we could truly imagine.

Colorful light effects were used to make everything even more impressive – but do you really need that? Personally, I find natural beauty far more appealing than artificial effects – but to each their own.

Either way, the cave was awe-inspiring, with or without the special effects.

We continued climbing up and down numerous stairs. Again and again, we saw thick layers of ice and bizarre ice formations.

Finally, we entered another large chamber where we could cross a suspension bridge – for those afraid of heights, there was an alternate route.

When I looked down, I shuddered briefly. The drop was many meters deep. I hadn’t expected that. This was by far the most spectacular part of the cave.

The tour lasted a total of 50 minutes. Then we finally saw daylight again and could let the sun warm our frozen bones.

The way back was just as spectacular as the way up had been.

Again, we enjoyed the wonderful view.

From the mid-station, another trail led to the Mammoth Cave.

That hike also took us about 20 minutes, but this time the path was much flatter.

Along the way, we passed signs with the names of the geological eras engraved on them. So we walked from the Cambrian period all the way to the Quaternary and the present day, where we reached the entrance of the cave.

It was an interesting journey through time.

And once again, we had beautiful views of the surrounding area along the way.

It was absolutely phenomenal.

This time we didn’t have to wait long for the guided tour.

I found this cave far more fascinating than the ice cave.

At the beginning, our guide told us how the Alps and the caves within them formed over hundreds of millions of years. He had a rare talent for explaining it all in an engaging way. You could tell this man loved his job.

He spoke about continental drift, tectonic shifts, the folding of rock layers, and much more. We learned how each layer was formed and how the cave got its distinctive colors.

Again, we climbed countless stairs upward.

At one point, we even passed through a canyon. The path was steep and narrow; we could feel the rock walls brushing our shoulders on both sides. It was absolutely spectacular.

Then we descended once more.

Eventually, we arrived back at the same spot where we had entered the cave.

This tour also lasted about 50 minutes, but it featured no special effects. The cave itself was spectacular enough and made an impact simply by being what it was. Less is often more.

I can truly recommend this tour to anyone with even the slightest interest in the history of our Earth.

The return hike this time took us only about 10 minutes.

After a short drink break, we took the next gondola up to the summit.

The cable car to the Krippenstein is the highest in the Salzkammergut and takes you up to 2,100 meters.

At the top, we were greeted by a completely different panorama than at the mid-station.

All around us were the peaks of the other Dachstein mountains. The view was spectacular – glaciers sparkled in the sunlight, and we could see for miles.

From here, we hiked to the “5 Fingers,” a viewing platform consisting of five narrow platforms that jut out over the abyss like five fingers – hence the name.

The path there was spectacular, and the view – breathtaking.

At first, it went slightly uphill, then leveled out, then descended fairly steeply, and finally evened out again.

There were plenty of benches along the way that invited us to take breaks.

The air was already quite thin up here. You could definitely feel it whenever the path became more strenuous.

But the panorama was worth every bit of effort. I had never seen anything so magnificent before.

Finally, we reached the 5 Fingers.

Although I’m not afraid of heights, it still took a bit of courage to step onto these “fingers” that float 2,100 meters above Lake Hallstatt.

The view down was breathtaking. The lake looked like a tiny pond, and the houses in Hallstatt like miniatures. From up here, you couldn’t make out people or cars at all.

I stepped out onto each of the five fingers and enjoyed the stunning view into the depths.

Then we made our way back along the same path. The return was more strenuous as it involved more uphill sections. The benches were more than welcome for a rest.

The sun was already lower in the sky, casting a nearly mystical light over the mountain peaks.

At the “Lodge” rest station, we treated ourselves to a very late lunch – it was already 5:00 p.m.

The Lodge is a rustic-looking restaurant where you can also spend the night, but it's equipped with all modern comforts.

The food tasted heavenly, and from our table, we had a panoramic view of the mountains. It was a spectacular sight.

It was hard to tear ourselves away from the view. But since the last gondola left at 6:00 p.m., we had to hurry a bit.

Less than 20 minutes later, we were back at the valley station.
From there, it wasn’t far to the world-famous town of Hallstatt.