Dachstein

Sorry for not posting in the last time, I'm too busy...

Last weekend we were hiking in the Dachstein mountain range. The weather was bright and sunny, a welcome change after a very cold and wet May. It's said it was the coldest May since beginning of weather recordings. So you can image how we enjoyed the sun and being out all day.

Because of the bad weather there is still lots of snow in the mountains as you can see in the picture. The snow reached down to 1800m altitude, which is just where we walked that day. As we passed the track to the hut you can see in the middle back of the image, we had to cross some avalanches. The snow was fresh and clean, an indicator that the avalanches occured just recently.

And that's why we don't understand that the hiking trails was opened. Usually the authorities very quickly close trails in the Alps as soon as the danger of avalanches rises. But there many hikers and tourists walked that passage, right accross the avalanches that happend just days ago.

It was clear to us that it was not a good idea to walk there. Talking to the manager of our local hotel he agreed with us about closing the path. While we paused at the hut (and had some fine snack) we heard new avalanches coming down the mountains. It's a unqiue sound, like thunder in the distance. Sylvia also watched a small avalanche coming down at the place you see here standing in the image.

As for the image, its a panorama made of 4 shots. Using my new camera, the Canon EOS 7D, I'm amazed about the good quality it delivers. The image has 33 MB and thanks to the 18 MP of the camera I can zoom in like never before. I can switch from having the full view to see Sylvia's face in clear detail. I guess I will make some more panoramas in the future. It's fun.

Click in the image and zoom in to get the full view.

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Dreaming

A nice image, made while we rested on a short hiking tour in Salzburg in June. It was our last day of a three-day weekend when we walked a easy tour before driving home. This is on a summit at 2000m altitude which is easily accessible by cable car and then a 1-hour walk. So, actually we haven't been that tired, but it was relaxing to sit and watch.

After eating our picknick I noticed the colorful meadow which would make a perfect addition to Sylvia's boots and the mountains. In the next minute you could watch me lying on the ground and pointing the lens towards the shoes. Must have been funny to watch for the other people ;-)

It's a classical motif to integrate your hiking boots into a landscape shot. Look at any magazine or hotel brochure in the Alps. So it was fun to try it by my own. Although I think it is still work to make a series with models and pros. It was more fun for me.

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Follow the Light

What a glorious day out this was! Hiking with my snowshoes into this beautiful valley and enjoying the bright sun, fresh cold air and the quiet alpine scenery.

It's the Langental valley in the Sellrain mountain range, Tyrol, Austria. A small side valley seldom visited, in winter only back country skiers will walk here. That's because it is not accessible easily when all is covered with thick layers of snow. I guess I was one of the few people walking there in winter time.

After a two-hour walk upwards I stopped and walked back, but I could easily have walked for many hours more. The weather was gorgeous, although a chilly wind blew. Sometimes I had to stop and turn away from the gust blowing snow crystals in my face.

On my way back I walked past this wooden cross and then turned around to see my back view. I always do this to see if there's a good view backwards. Many people just walk ahead and never turn back - a mistake in my opinion. I then took this photo and I deliberately positioned the sun right into the picture. Often this doesn't work and just results in a great white spot or lots of lens flare, but this time it was perfect. The suns circle makes such a great motif.

I thoroughly enjoyed this day and I will recommend snowshoeing to everybody who loves nature. Unfortunately it's planned to build a reservoir and dam in that valley starting from 2011. It's sad, because another beautiful place is sacrificed for human needs.

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Winter Glory

This is the alpine peak Spitzmauer with a height of 2445m. It is in the Stodertal valley in Austria, a well known area for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. We are often there, especially in winter when Sylvia wants to ski. Because I don't ski I always walk around and take some pictures. As you can guess I already have dozens of images of the motifs there, but there's always something new to discover. For instance I like the Spitzmauer because it is such a distinctive mountain, you can recognize it from any angle.

When I took this particular image it was a cold winter day this January. After some days of bad weather the sun finally came through and the light was gorgeous. I also was lucky because most of the time clouds are around the summit. The look of the snow and rocks is great and the contrast to the blue sky works very well. It's one of the best photos I took of this mountain.

If you're ever in Austria you should visit this valley, you can do any sorts of summer or winter sports and the scenery is great.

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Majestic

This is one of the magic places you can visit in Patagonia, Cerro Torre. It's located near the small village of El Chalten in southern Argentina. The little lake is Laguna Torre and there are little icebergs floating around.

After a 4-hour hike we stumbled up a small hill of rocks and finally stood in front of that majestic mountains and the lake. It was a glorious day with lots of sun, only behind the summits clouds approached fast. We've been lucky to see the peaks for a couple of minutes.

The three peaks are amazing, like sharp needles they reach out of the surrounding landscape. Unfortunately we could only stay for about 30 minutes to have a quick lunch. In this time I managed to set up my tripod (I carried it all the journey!) and take some shots. Of course I had a rather quick snack compared to the others ;-)

Back at home I met a friend of my brother who is a mountaineer. He told me that he had climbed Cerro Torre once and it took him three days to get up with a friend. Imagine to sleep up in that wall!

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Beauty

While hiking in Patagonia I stepped of the path my group was following to see a river I heard but could not see. When I got through the bushes I suddenly stood in front of this gorgeous scenery. Imagine my surprise! The red rocks, the flowing water, green bushes and the mountains in the background with a blue sky... it couldn't get much better.

In fact this is Monte Fitz Roy in southern Argentina, a well known mountain range of Patagonia. The landscape is rough and beautiful, we really enjoyed hiking there. But if I didn't walk off the beaten track, I'd never seen this fabulous scene. Because I was in a hurry (to catch up with my wife and group) I could only take two photos, luckily both turned out good. With more time I could've use my tripod and try different compositions and angles. But I like the images I got, they are gorgeous and they look brilliant as posters hanging on our wall :-)

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Mighty

You know, there are photographs you will remember all your life. Be it the subject, the circumstances or the result. This is one of mine.

We travelled through Patagonia in 2005 and we also visited the Torres del Paine region. It is a famous place in southern Chile, known for its mountains, lakes and glaciers. One of our hotels has been the Hosteria Peho at Lago Pehoe. In fact the building resides on a tiny island in the middle of the lake. Very picturesque, you should try it, once you are there!

At arrival we had a cloudy sky and couldn't see the mountains which was frustrating. At least we travelled there to see the summits and hike the gorgeous landscape. So while having dinner we talked about getting up early next morning to see if there's better weather and maybe we could get some nice sunrise shots. Because of the early time this would mean to get up (5am) most of us had doubts about it...

But I didn't hesitate and set the alarm for 5 in the morning, just because I wanted to use my tripod I had taken with me on that journey (and got me into troubles when checking in the airport - they didn't let me take it with me in the handbaggage. I had to check it in with the other luggage. It looked so small in its bag compared to the other suitcases, I thought I'd never see it again!).

When I got up then I was the first to walk up the little hill in the back of the hotel. Some other member of our group followed a couple of minutes later. And i t was worth it! The sun was still below the horizon and we saw the mighty peaks of Torres del Pain in great blue light. What a good feeling that was, almost alone, silence around me, magic light and a great view. The lake combined with the mountains looked so pristine and untouched. A view you won't get that often (except you live there ;-)

We took a couple of shots in ca. 30 minutes and we also shared my tripod so both of us could get good images. While we stood there the sun rised in our back and the mountains were in full light. But the pictures with the early, blue light are the best. I love the images and they remind me of a great place and time. I always think of returning to Patagonia since then...

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