Day 7 – Getting VERY High in Innsbruck

It was supposed to rain again all afternoon and evening, so we decided to get an early start and do our outdoor stuff in the morning so we could at least see the mountains before the clouds rolled in.

We had planned to take the Innsbrucker Nordketten Bahn, the new funicular underground railroad, from the center of the old town up to Hungerburg and then, weather permitting, taking the cablecar up to the high camp, and then the smaller gondola to the top. From there we could hike up the last 300 feet or so to the summit and survey the entire region, with a view of more than 240 mountains in the Northern Chain of the Alps.

But, of course, by then it would be pouring down rain and we’d have to settle for the view from the bar and restaurant midway up. A piece of strudel, maybe a schnapps, maybe visit the Alpenzoo at the lower station. If the weather pattern held true to form, we’d give it the old college try and save the heavy schlepping for Switzerland…

NOT ONLY DID IT NOT RAIN, BUT THE SUN CAME OUT AS WE RODE UP HAFELEKARSPITZ, which I believe is German for “heavy tuchis.”

The view was incredible. We were above two layers of clouds. People were “Nordic trekking,” which is cross country skiing without the skis, in both directions, and lots of people were screaming down the mountain on bikes; Hungerburg is one of the world’s top downhill mountainbiking venues, and it looked both exhilarating and dangerous.

There were obnoxious mountain sheep walking around in the snow…so I gave them a little West Texas “howdy!” The head ram didn’t particularly like what I was saying to him and began inching closer to me…followed by the entire flock. He didn’t look happy. I didn’t know if he was going to follow me or attack me. FREAKING SHEEP! But I wasn’t about to find out. We were at altitude, I was ankle deep in snow and carrying a daypack, camera and in no mood for a confrontation with Mother Nature.

A few yards down the road, I caught up with Genevieve, who began nervously walking with me, as the flock got ever closer, some in the back even beginning to run after us. I couldn’t believe we were about to be fleeced! I turned and shouted “GET THE FLOCK OUTTA HERE!” as the patrons on the patio were suddenly overrun by the whole bleating lot of them! A mountain biker dropped his helmet on the pavement and the sheep turned, startled, and fled. I felt like a complete imbecile! Pretty Baaaaaad, in fact!

Now I was out of breath and with the clouds breaking up, and another gondola to ride – not to mention the equivalent of a 25-story building to climb afterward… what the hell, I’d survived the killer sheep, what else could happen?

Fortunately, I didn’t fall off the mountain. Genevieve, who is in wonderful condition, just bounced around the place, dodging the winded tourists and mountain sheep droppings strewn as she made her way to the path to the top. I followed and yes, I made it to the top of the mountain.

It was cold, windy and smelled of sheep. BUT WHAT A VIEW (enjoy the photos). I could only imagine what it would be like to ski the bowls on the high side of this mountain chain.

We spent a while taking in the vistas and soon realized that the air was a tad thinner than we probably thought, so it was back in the gondola for the ride down to the town of Hungerburg and the connection with the Nordketten Bahn train back to town.

Of course we missed the train. So we decided to – gulp – hike down to the next stop, visit the Alpenzoo, feed the mountain rats and catch our breath. The fraulein at the restaurant said it would be a nice easy 15 minute walk that we’d really enjoy. OBVIOUSLY she didn’t speak English very well.

30 minutes later, I took a short video and wiped out on the downhill slope. Fortunately the cameras were unharmed. But we were both becoming quite exhausted, only briefly visiting the zoo and then practically crawling back up to the train station for the ride home. It was a precursor for our planned high country hikes in Switzerland, but a necessary reminder that gravity is good, when taken in moderation!

NOW, SANE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE CALLED IT A DAY, TAKEN A NAP AND HAD A NICE DINNER. BUT, AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE FAR FROM SANE.

There was still a few hours left on this Fourth of July, so we hopped on the tram and headed to the other side of Innsbruck to Berghisel, site of the Olympic Ski Jumping stadium, and still one of the premiere sporting venues in the Alps. From town, the ski jump ramp is visible so clearly, it appears to be overlooking the city no matter where you are.

That’s because IT’S UP ON TOP OF A BIG HILL! Nobody told us that. The transit map shows a bus stop and a tram stop at Berghisel. It didn’t show an elevation map… and with barking dogs and mooing calves, we were in no mood to do another uphill shlep.

But, there was no tomorrow. And the Olympic rings beckoned. So… up we started again, holding on to the guardrails for support all the way. Finally, as we rounded the corner at the top of the trail, we saw a bus leaving. And I thought being chased by sheep was the dumbest moment of the day.

OK, enough kvetching. The ski jump stadium was fabulous. If you’ve ever seen ski jumping from Innsbruck on TV, you’ll see a shot of a jumper in midair with the entire town of Innsbruck in the background. That’s the view we had. And unlike our visit to the Olympic Village in Munich, there was nothing negative about being there. The torches were there, along with a monument to all medal winners in the 1964 and 1986 games in Innsbruck.

We were so tired, I don’t know how we got back to the hotel. But by the time we got there, it was raining hard.

NEXT STOP - Zurich