My Impressions

Photos and videos by Raphaël Brageul, Yvan Pellegrinelli and Martin

Trusted sources of imagery intelligence for western Austria were unequivocal: 90cm of fresh snow on Thursday, February 2^nd, and several dozens more between Friday and Sunday. Sure, forecasts are forecasts, but three days out they surely couldnt’t be too far off. With the last snowfalls in France already weeks in the past and no precipitation whatsoever on the horizon, prolonging the draught that was meanwhile lasting for more than a year, the decision was an easy one to make. A squad of committed characters was to be mustered for a short but effective mission to the Austrian Alps. The logistics would prove more challenging. Flo and Raph were quick to take days off, while Yvan was still wondering whether to burn his last few days and tried to raise the necessary funds. At least two would have to be back at work by Tuesday. It’s never easy to convince Josef to leave his backyard in Upper Styria, although he was seriously contemplating joining from the east, perhaps in the company of another Martin. Andreas would not leave Stockholm before Monday to be dropped into Geneva, hundreds of kilometers west of where the snow would hit. To make matters worse, the team would have to rely on a means of motorised transport whose ageing diesel engine would struggle to start in sub-zero temperatures.

Whether for a group strength of three, seven or anywhere in between, an appropriate base was hard to come by. Snowfall would coincide with the start of February holidays in various regions adjacent to the Alps. Calls to several local tourism offices yielded a number of options between Klostertal and Landeck, virtually all of which seemed to sell out some 5 to 10 minutes before Martin, by now close to transforming his freelance consulting gig into a ski travel agency, could get landlords on the phone. After a number of failed attempts, Voyages Ski Autrichiens confirmed a booking for a lovely 75m² shelter in Braz, strategically located within a short drive of St Anton, Montafon and various appealing touring and tree skiing options in the Bregenzer Wald mountains. Or so everyone thought.

No sooner had the forecast for Thursday dropped to 40cm of snow than a message hit on Wednesday morning that the Braz apartment had, in fact, been rented to someone else minutes before the team’s booking was received. Thoughts of aborting the mission before it would start occurred to some. But those bored at work that day were not easily discouraged by less favorable conditions, which still promised a cumulative 120cm or so spread across the following days, and were quick to scout out additional rentals. Another base was confirmed by phone for half the price advertised on a widely used website with Frau Heidler, an exceptionally friendly host of German descent in Fliess near Landeck, on the farside of the Arlberg Pass. Yvan enlisted definitively, Voyages Ski Autrichiens booked two train tickets back to France on Monday for him and Flo, Josef confirmed the arrival of Austrian reinforcements from the east and Andreas was convinced to add Swedish strength to the contingent by catching a train to St Anton first thing on Tuesday morning. That left options open for Raph and Martin to prolong their presence, as circumstances would require, beyond Monday. Materiel was packed and the first squad of four was underway by Thursday afternoon. It did seem odd to some that little cloud cover or precipitation were apparent by the time transport passed the shores of Walensee bound for Lichtenstein. The nightly crossing of Arlberg Pass revealed a stary night and some fresh snow that had fallen its western flank but next to nothing on the eastern slopes and beyond St Anton.

Fliess – not exactly the quantities of snow that were forecast

Part 1: The frontline at Arlberg and Kaunertal

The fact that the little snow that had fallen was accompanied by gale force winds and that avalanche risk hit level 4 on the scale of 5 made it no easier to decide where a first incursion should be targeted. After long deliberation, a decision was made early on Friday morning to move back west to where snow had been sighted the night before and charge the north faces south of Langen station, towards Krachelspitze or, in case the snowpack would prove too unstable, a safer retreat on slopes not exceeding 30° below Kaltenberger Hütte. The snow proved excellent, albeit lacking a sloid base layer. Truth be told, quantities were nowhere near what intelligence had suggested. A first descent from Kaltenberger Hütte was accompanied by rapidly deteriorating visibility. Although welcomed as a sign foreboding the incoming snowfall, it forced the squad to hide in the forests for the following two rounds. Given the tricky circumstances, a first and small but decisive victory was soon celebrated in Stuben with cold beers and hot Kaspressknödelsuppe and Spätzle. By 4pm, clouds were thick but still no snowflakes in sight, giving rise to suspicion that intelligence reports of abundant snowfall might turn out to be fabrications.

A first victory near Langen

Fears of phoney forecasts proved true on Sunday morning. A frontal attack with ample mechanical assistance on Rendl was nonetheless launched from St Anton amid fog banks and occasional rays of sun. While a complete whiteout at the top of the ridge precluded an incursion into Hinterrendl from the steeper slopes behind Riffl 2 chairlift, excellent and untracked snow was hit on the western slopes in luckily timed windows in the cloud cover. Stuben was hit late afternoon, where unlikely patches of decent snow were found in a last descent from Albona to the extraction point in the Verwall valley. Perhaps not an unconditional success, the day did turn out more successful than expected.

Rendl

By now, however, no more cynical jokes could hide a sad truth that the low pressure system that had shifted its path from the northwest and dumped all its humidity several hundreds of kilometers further east. With deteriorating morale, skins were pulled back out on Sunday morning at a staging area at relatively high altitude on the west facing slopes of Kaunertal. An infantry trill had been ordered. But the sun had baked the snow into a horrible crust the afternoon before and as soon as higher altitudes were reached, whumpf sounds forced the group to retreat in fear of taking casualties. Apfelstrudel, beer and coffee at a local bar soon helped digest an undeniable defeat at Kaunertal.

Kaunertal

To everyone’s elation, reinforcements in the shape of Josef arrived at Landeck station on Sunday evening. A stronger squad of five returned to use of mechanical assistance from Alpe Rauz on Monday morning, after materiel of the French contingent had been deposited at St Anton station. The new Flexenbahn lifted the squad towards Zürs, where several excellent descents in surprisingly deep and cold powder were scored from Muggengrat, from below Madlochspitze into Wiesele and in the steep couloirs below Ochsenboden. A closing day for the French contingent that certainly exceeded all expectations made it no easier to bid farewell. Nonetheless, all three of them boarded an afternoon train bound west to report for duty at home on Tuesday.

An overwhelming win in Zürs

Whether one Swede can replace three Frenchmen is a questions that is tough to answer. Be that as it may, the rendez vous with Andreas happened as planned at St Anton station on Tuesday morning while Josef held guard duty in Fliess. Another surprisingly good day of skiing followed between Hinterrendl, Schindlergrat, the remaining Ochsenboden couloirs and Stuben. A short skin up the Maroiköpfe from Albona rewarded the reduced party of two with a breathtaking last descent in the sunset, past Kaltenberghütte, where the first victory had been won on Friday, to Langen station and an extraction by train.

Another one in Zürs and Stuben

Part 2: Deep behind enemy lines at Wattener Lizum

The suggestion by Josef’s trusted source behind enemy lines to move deeper into enemy territory seemed like a good idea. After all, it had surely snowed more further east. Plus, avalanche risk would ease gradually and the forecast promised cold and sunny weather with no wind. The Fliess cantonment was left early on Wednesday morning and the team relocated east, past Innsbruck to Wattener Lizum, a high alpine training ground for the armed forces of Austria and friendly nations. After some more logistical and mechanical challenges in the morning, all of which were mastered, Josef’s double agent was late to the rendez vous but did not change sides so that, by noon, camp was set up at Lizumer Hütte.

A short reconnaissance tour and skirmishes on Wednesday afternoon were nothing to write home about, although the last descent offered some good snow on a northern aspect below Torspitze and stunning evening light while skiing into the Wattener valley and on the way back up to the hut. While shooting could be heard all around and enemy soldiers in white camouflage gear were digging snow caves and bivouac shelters in -20°C, the team hid away in the warmth and hospitality of Lizumer Hütte, where inflation had not yet hit beer prices and meals, let alone the home-baked poppy seed cakes, were delicious. These facts had not gone unnoticed by a number of other invading outfits from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Reconnaissance of Wattener Lizum

Lizumer Hütte

Although vastly outnumbered by enemy soldiers and ubiquitous debris of avalanches that had released spontaneously, two overwhelming victories were won on Thursday and Friday. Continued bluebird weather and sub-zero temperatures provided perfect conditions for countless yo-yo rotations on the north and north-west aspects below Mölser Sonnenspitze and Tarntaler Köpfe, followed on Thursday afternoon by an ambitious loop around Lizumer Reckner and over the peak of Geier at 2860m, to ski a final north facing descent back to the hut. To everyone’s surprise, everyone else present in the area preferred the beaten tracks and skiing the wind affected aspects and ridges, steering clear of the best snow and all of the squad’s skin tracks.

Two days of dominance at Wattener Lizum

Warm temperatures and poor visibility moved in on Saturday, precipitating a return to France and eastern Austria for the remaining members of the team. That did not prevent another easy win on the way back from Lizumer Hütte, by hitting a north-west aspect of Mölser Berg followed by a quick yo-yo below the tree line for extra vertical. The day was closed with Wiener Schnitzel and Cordon Bleu at Gasthaus Mühle. The count stood at a total of nine days of skiing between the French, Swedish and Austrian contingents, eight of which victorious in excellent snow. Despite the less than accurate intelligence reports and a difficult start, the mission to Austria was not only accomplished but turned out to be an unconditional success.