Page 339 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

OutdOO r A c tivities  337

Sleighs and Toboggans
As well as skiing, almost all
Austrian winter sports centres
have facilities for bobsleigh
and toboggan rides. Resorts
such as Ischgl, in western Tyrol,
are famous for their excellent
tobogganing facilities. There are
also several summer sleigh runs,
for example in northern Tyrol.
Sleigh hire costs between €3
and €5 per day. In some places
it is possible to carry your sleigh
up the hill on the mountain lift,
but you cannot carry it down
again – you have to ride it Ramblers on one of the many mountain trails in summer
along the track.
If you’re not too keen on mountaineering. Members skills, you can always hire
racing down the mountain, of the Alpenverein enjoy many a mountain guide or join a
you can enjoy the romantic discounts, for example on rambling group.
and more leisurely pursuit of accommodation in mountain
admiring the countryside while huts. There is also a meteoro­ Cycling
being transported in a horse­ logical phoneline, giving
drawn sleigh, for €12 to €15 information about current and On the flat, bicycles are an
per person. The hire of a whole expected weather conditions, ideal and inexpensive way
carriage costs between €40 including any avalanche warnings, of getting around. In the
and €70. which allows rock climbers to mountains, cycling becomes
make the appropriate arrange­ more of an endurance test.
ments for their expedition. Nonetheless, mountain­biking
Mountaineering
is popular and every holiday
Wherever there are mountains resort and most hotels offer
you will always find rock climbers Walking bikes for hire. St Johann, in the
and mountaineers. In Austria, Rambles on the mountain trails highest part of the Alps, plays
the largest organiza tion for are a popular activity, enjoyed by host to various international
climbers is the Österreichischer Austrians and visitors alike. The cycling races. In June and
Alpen verein. It has more than Rosengartenschlucht, a ravine September, cyclists meet in
190 regional divisions all over northwest of Imst whose sides East Tyrol to compete in an
Austria, with its headquarters reach 100 m (328 ft) in height, arduous race around the Lienz
in Vienna. Besides selling maps, is a particularly attractive walk; Dolomites. Less ambitious
books and guides, the association you walk along the valley of the cyclists choose the scenic
also runs a library and hires Ötz River and get to see the Radwege along rivers such as
out equipment, it maintains Stuibenfall, Tyrol’s tallest waterfall, the Danube or Drau. In Vienna,
mountain hostels and walking created by a fallen rock. Many despite heavy car traffic, cyclists
trails, organizes skiing courses rambling trails can also be found can be seen everywhere.
and runs a school of in the region of Eben im Pongau. In towns and suburbs, many
In Kleinarl, one of the attractions cycle routes have been marked;
are the Fackelwanderungen, you can see them on maps
nighttime walk with torches. available in any bookshop.
In the Salzkammergut, a lift takes
visitors to the top of the Grünberg
or Feuerkogel mountains, where
many long tourist trails grant
walkers views of the fairy­tale
landscape of the Alpine lakes.
There are walking trails all
over the country, and they
are all clearly signposted and
marked on tree trunks by black­
and­white signs. As with the
ski runs, the level of difficulty
is indicated by a colour. Local
tourist offices have detailed
Mountaineering – a sport for the brave maps of the area. And, if you Visitors on a winter mountain
and determined don’t trust your map­reading biking expedition

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