DAY 6 (13th June 2024) – Hintertux Glacier
Most people (Bro Ray: maybe all?) love pleasant surprises. And a pleasant surprise we got indeed – thanks to the hosts of our conference. We actually had our own itinerary planned, including short runs to the nearby villages around Bad Haring. Instead, PZ (Adventure Name: BR:@ PaulZ) announced at the end of the conference that he had been tasked with bringing us to Hintertux Glacier, one of only two ski resorts in the world offering year-round skiing, if that’s your thing.
The conference would run for the earlier part of the day, and would end at lunch time. We were taken to PZ’s house nearby to collect warm clothing before making the hour-long journey to the foot of Hintertux Glacier. We spent the afternoon there enjoying the cold weather before coming down and heading back to Bad Haring.
End of the Conference
Even as we were preparing for the day ahead, we had no inkling of what the day would have in store for us. We were yet to be told about the unexpected trip out to the mountains. While waiting for PZ to come by to pick us up, we walked around the area of the AirBnb, which was mostly farmland and some small houses along the main road. Located right opposite where we were staying was a small chapel named Lourdeskapelle, a very small chapel hardly more than 5m x 6m! Built in the 1880s, it needed to be restored recently to keep the chapel from disrepair. Now that it’s been restored, the faithful do go there to pray.
Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and the conference ended in the afternoon. The next one will be in two years (Bro. Ray: I wonder what adventures I can share with you then – stay tuned!) It was then, that we were informed that PZ will be driving us to Hintertux Glacier. As it turned out, our hosts had learnt about my near misses in touching an actual glacier. I’ve had several close encounters, but one of my aims is to touch the frozen ice of a glacier. So, it was on this premise that PZ was given the task of helping me set the record straight!
But before we left, it was time to say goodbye to the newfound friends, and also to a dear old friend whom we have worked with for many years. NH is based out of Indonesia and we had done several projects together over the years. We were reliably informed that he loves his car…
Hintertux Glacier
Immediately after the farewells, we were brought in PZ’s car to his home to collect some winter clothes, as the place we were headed to was frozen over, every day of the year. He was afraid that the cold-weather clothes we had brought along would not withstand the coldness of the mountains. The conversations during the drive were a mixture of work and leisure stuff.
We arrived at a small village at the foothills of the Hintertux Glacier at around 3:00pm and immediately noticed that there wasn’t much of a crowd at this hour. Even though this is one of only two ski resorts in the world open all year round, the crowd must have had their fair run of the ski slopes in the morning. There was the Italian youth ski team on the slopes, though, but that was about all.
We bought our tickets and headed up in a cable car. We arrived at the midpoint, called Sommerberg, where we caught another cable car to the top. The journey didn’t take too long (Bro. Ray: PZ was quick to point out that Hintertux Mountain was just one of the many tall mountains in the area, and this was already taller than the tallest mountain in Germany).
