The Stubai Alps

The Stubai Alps

Husband and wife team Al and Jane Sarjeant are busy leading this summer and wanted to share their love of Austria and the experience that awaits you on our Tirolean Summer holiday in the picture perfect Stubai Valley. With no single room supplements and late summer departures still available this experience could be yours…

Jane and I have led all over the world, and when we are asked the inevitable question “What is your favourite hiking tour destination?” we invariably say “Austria”. So that is why we always love to return to this pretty part of Austria.

We have led this tour 3 times now, but we would love to lead it many more times (there is a fair bit of competition to lead it amongst the knowledgeable RWH Hiking leaders!). On this occasion (Summer 2018) we managed to wrangle another tour of this fantastic hiking territory (known as the ‘Stubai Valley’).

The hotel Donnerhof is owned by Elizabeth – such a friendly and helpful lady who loves having RWH clients to stay. The village of Fulpmes is pretty as a picture and the ideal base to explore the whole valley.

Typical days include great hikes and one of our favourites is to the fantastically situated Sulzenau Hut (see if you can spot it on the ridge just to the right of the waterfall). It is only accessible by hikers (no lifts to here!) so most people arrive hungry! The flat grazing land in the photo is a high plateau (reached by a good hours’ hike up the side of the mighty Grawa Falls, with a few viewing platforms to rest and take photos of this awe-inspiring sight). Once you arrive at the top Hut, some great strudel and other hearty fare awaits, to refuel for more hiking.

For the Grade 8 clients, the hiking continues up from here, over to some fantastic high alpine lakes – beautiful blue colours and snowy glacial backdrops.

The Grade 8 climb continues over a wonderful pass (needing a few cables for safety) and down to the famous Nurnberger mountain hut (2,297m) then a long remote valley back down to the road and the bus back to the hotel. A memorable day out to which one of my clients said “that is the best hike I have EVER had” as she drank her ice cold beer in a small Alm near the valley bottom.

Don’t worry though : this was a 2 leader – 2 grade holiday, so the other group had a less challenging day out, hiking up to the Sulzenau hut and to a glacial lake nearby.

The rest of the holiday continued in a similar vein, with big mountain days on well marked trails, punctuated by the ever-welcome Alms.

Midweek, we have a ‘free day’ which comes as a welcome rest day for some! A trip to Innsbruck (one hour) via the little mountain tram (included in the lift pass which comes as part of the holiday package) is a favourite destination.

Some people choose to stay locally and take more time to enjoy the village of Fulpmes or neighbouring villages. Either way, there’s more time to enjoy that coffee and Apfelstrudel!

So, if you enjoy hiking amongst beautiful alpine scenery, making full use of the mountain lifts wherever possible, to get high above the pastures, then this is the place for you. We have led 80 tours for RWH Travel, and this place is special – it holds its own against all other hiking destinations around the world and we love it.