It has been several years since I last ventured over the Europa Bridge towards the Stubai valley/Stubaital in the high Austrian Tirol.

Initially alarmed by the amount of traffic which this in effect ‘one way in, one way out’ valley receives, particularly heading towards Neustift, its all year round epicentre and the Stubai Gletscher(glacier), it soon became evident that the internal combustion engine and madding crowds can be left far behind in this wild, rugged landscape characterized by towering peaks, at times extremely demanding hiking, and a plentiful network of mountain huts accessed by well-marked trails and efficient cableways.

To their infinite credit the local tourist association still send me their summer and winter magazines, both which extol the virtues of travelling to the Stubaital in either season, and highlight the synergies found in the valley between two otherwise extremely different perspectives of this mountainscape and its villages.

What follows is a selected pictorial wander through some of the highlights of my stay in Neustift, specifically at the Alpenhotel Fernau – owned and operated by the Hofer family.

Top station of the Elfer cableway, above Neustift
Challenging conditions underfoot, amid vertiginous peaks
Arrival at the Klamperberg Hut, shortly after a fresh fall of early-September snow.
My accommodation.
No Frost, but a path less trodden.
It is difficult to get lost in the mountains.
The stark Elferhuette – many rooms with a view.

Further information:

Inghams Lakes & Mountains: http://www.inghams.co.uk/destinations/austria/austrian-tyrol/neustift

Stubai Tourismus: http://www.stubai.at/en/

Alpenhotel Fernau: http://www.hotel-fernau.at/