High up in the southern Austrian Alps the Lasörling mountain range stretches from east to west. Its mountains are covered with spruce forests and alpine meadows. Basins formerly filled with glacial ice are now covered in wildflowers and surrounded by steep, gneiss walls.
The trail often closely follows the crest and offers fascinating and awe-inspiring views over the valleys on either side. It leads us through spruce and larch forest, eventually bringing us above the treeline ultimately bringing us close to glacier moraines at 2,800 meters above sea level.
Along the way, there are plenty of places to spend the night or stop for refreshments.
Climb Your Mountain retreats very deliberately are not filled to the brim with coaching exercises and continuous coaching conversations.
Clients join one of our retreats to disconnect from stress and being busy all the time. They join to detox from a calendar in which every minute of every day is filled with ‘stuff’.
In its place, you are offered ample time to simply walk and let your mind wander. To clear your mind and make room for fresh ideas and insights. To be quiet, be with your own thoughts and not have to do anything but put one foot in front of another.
Does this mean there is no coaching at all? Of course not!
Coaching is most certainly part of the Climb Your Mountain retreat experience. Both the LIVE and the WOMEN retreat include a coaching agenda geared towards creating a better-balanced life.
The COACHES retreat has no set agenda; just clear, open space for thinking, connecting, sharing experiences and exploring possibilities. With each participating coach bringing their own objective as well as their own coaching experience into the retreat those possibilities are aplenty.
In all of the Climb Your Mountain retreats there is plenty of time for both individual and group coaching conversations and exercises. All with the aim of helping each group member reach their own objective.
A taxi brings us from our hotel/bed & breakfast to the small village of Virgen where we start our walk of the day.
Crossing the river Isel we enter a spruce forest interspersed with larch and occasionally some deciduous trees. Following the trail we leave the forest behind as we reach the Wetterkreuzhütte.
From here it is an easy, mostly downhill walk to the Zupalseehütte where we’ll spend the night.
We keep the Donnerstein mountain to the west of us as we cross the Zupaltrog (basin). We then cross into the Steinkaastrog where we pass an old shepherd’s hut. Traces of the glacier that once filled this basin are still clearly visible. From here it’s an easy hike to the Merschenalmhütte.
From here we continue towards the Merschenhöhe before we start our descent towards a small lake and, not long after, the Mullitzbach (brook). We’ve had the Lasörlinghütte in view for most of the descent. Now all that remains is a
Our next destination is the Merschenhöhe (2,499m) before we descend to Gumpenlacke and later to Mullitzbach. Not long after we reach the Lasörlinghütte
Leaving the Lasörlinghütte behind we ascend through sparsely overgrown hills and old moraines.
After passing over the saddle, we follow the stream and reach the Bergerseehütte on the north bank of a beautiful mountain lake, which is partly decorated with cotton grass beds.
After a short rest we continue our hike and round the Muhsköpfl. On this stretch of the trail the view of the Venediger mountains is absolutely awe-inspiring and the peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park present themselves in a proud parade.
We start our hike with a climb towards the saddle where we’ll cross from the Michltal (Michl valley) into the Kleinbachboden (basin). A noticeable change in the rock announces our ascent to the Rote Lenke saddle.
From here we can already see the Neue Reichenbergerhütte and the beautiful lake on which shores it stands. An easy ascent takes us there.
On this last day, we return to the valley. After a short steep descent, we slowly make our way out of the Großbach valley towards the tree line. After spending most of the week above that line, we now dip back into the forest.
Once we reach the Pebelalm we can take a short detour to view the rather impressive Umbal waterfalls or alternatively make straight for Strödl/Hinterbichl where we will take the bus back to the hotel/bed & breakfast.
All times quoted do not include breaks and the program described above might change depending on circumstances and conditions. Changes in the weather, terrain and the shape of participants (both mental and physical) can be of influence on the execution of the program.
Austria can easily be reached by train, plane and automobile. Mindful of the carbon footprint of this program, I highly recommend travelling by train or carpool.
The train system in Europe is excellent and travelling by train is much more relaxed than driving or flying. An added benefit: you get to enjoy the countryside you’re travelling through instead of flying over it or having to concentrate on the road.
Book your train ticket via https://tickets.oebb.at/en/ticket.
You can book a ticket from (almost) anywhere in Europe to the closest railway station in Lienz in Osttirol and take a taxi to Virgen in Osttirol or you can book a ticket all the way to Virgen in Osttirol; where this program starts.
When you book a ticket all the way to Virgen in Osttirol, the final stretch will be travelled by bus.
Should you nonetheless wish to travel by air, the nearest international airport is Munich (Germany). From there you can travel by train, bus or taxi to Virgen in Osttirol. Or you can rent a car.
Apart from the first and final nights in this program all nights will be spent in various mountain huts (hütten); often in bunk rooms. Whenever possible we’ll try to arrange for 2-4 person rooms, but that won’t always be possible.
Toilets and sanitary facilities are usually on the same floor. Often the huts also have showers. When they do you can buy shower tokens from the proprietor; you can then shower for a few minutes.
Make sure to bring enough cash with you as it is generally impossible to use debit or credit card payments at mountain huts. So make sure you have enough cash with you. Count on approx. € 25 per day for coffee breaks and shower tokens.
It is very seldom you come across single and double rooms in mountain huts. Most of the time choices are limited to rooms sleeping 4 – 8 people, bunk rooms or so-called ‘Lager’ rooms.
‘Lager’ rooms are mostly sleeping quarters for 8-10 or even 10-20 people. These spaces are often divided into smaller compartments with partitions. They are fitted with a row of mattresses, sometimes also designed as a bunk bed version, where you lie next to each other.
No matter where you sleep in a mountain hut, a pillow is provided but due to COVID-regulations, it is mandatory to use your own sleeping bag and pillowcase.
There is sufficient space for your personal belongings, clothing and your backpack.
You are expected to leave your hiking shoes/boots in a dry room, the Schuhraum or Trockenraum. Sleeping quarters may only be entered with cabin slippers.
Whenever possible, we reserve multiple rooms. However, the proprietor always has final say in where he puts us up. As a result, it can happen that we end up in the ‘Lager’ room. It is part of the charm of sleeping in mountain huts.
The first and final nights you stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast. You will share a room with a tour companion, who can either be a man or a woman (depending on the retreat you booked). Naturally, we try and put people of the same gender together.
Single rooms are not included in the package price. If desired, and as far as possible, we can arrange a single room for you at an additional cost. When you want a single room, please indicate this when booking.
Nowadays most mountain huts have at least 1 shower for their guests. Water scarcity in summer may mean however that the options for showering are limited or even non-existent. Depending on the weather, even in summer frozen pipes are a possibility and because of it showering impossible.
Washing facilities with usually cold and sometimes also warm running water are available in all huts. Usually on the same floor as the sleeping quarters and the toilets.
Climb Your Mountain retreats are group retreats and only guaranteed to take place when the minimum number of four (4) participants has been reached. I
If this minimum number has not been reached 14 days in advance, we will inform you via email or phone call.
Climb Your Mountain retreats offer you the opportunity for a digital detox. Using your smartphone for anything other than taking photos or listening to music or an audiobook is strongly discouraged. Put your phone on airplane mode or better yet, turn it off completely but have it with you in case of an emergency.
Having said that … at mountain huts, the electricity is generated with the help of generators or sometimes even with solar panels. Many mountain huts provide charging stations for charging your equipment. However, there is no guarantee. So make sure you have enough batteries or a power pack with you.
Yes, packed lunches bought at the mountain huts where we spend the night are included. Any consumptions in mountain huts we stop at during the day though are to be paid for by you.
In addition, it is advisable to bring along some tour supplies from home or bought in the town. For example, dried fruit (apples, apricots, raisins, etc.), beef jerky, sausage and muesli bars.
Though it can be easy to facilitate dietary requirements in hotels and bed & breakfasts, this is not the case in mountain huts.
Vegetarian food can usually be had. Nevertheless, be sure to indicate this and any other dietary wishes you may have (e.g. food allergies) so we can inform mountain huts in good time.
Please realize that options in mountain huts are often limited and not all wishes can be met. It is almost always impossible to facilitate vegan dietary requirements. When you are vegan, bring your own food as much as possible.
Good hiking shoes/boots are the most important part of your equipment. Ill-fitting shoes can ruin a mountain hike within the first couple of hours.
Improper footwear (e.g. trainers, running shoes) will cause the mountain hiking guide (mountain leader) to send you to the nearest sporting goods store before the start of the retreat.
When you need to buy new shoes go to a specialized outdoor sporting goods store to get fitted with a good pair of shoes. Break them in before you come to Austria.
When you have doubts about the suitability or quality of shoes you already have, ask a specialized outdoor sporting goods store for advice.
Should a problem with your shoes arise along the way (e.g. the sole coming loose), it can be a reason to send you back to the valley. Without a refund. Your shoes are your responsibility.
Hiking shoes/boots are divided in categories.
A shoes, which are usually low shoes, as well as heavy D shoes, are unsuitable for Climb Your Mountain retreats.
For our retreats you need high, ankle-enclosing mountain boots with a good profile sole (e.g. Vibram) and a reasonably stiff sole.
We recommend B/C or C shoes or boots.
A good outdoor sporting goods store can advise you on the best choice and shoe for you.
