Austria - The World's Largest Ice Caves - Eisriesenwelt

Thanks for joining me in my adventures. This blog is dedicated to travels off the beaten path. You won't find my review of Disney World here, but you might just discover a new way to explore your world. If you're a fan of the road less traveled, I think you'll like what we have in store today.

Not far from Salzberg, Austria is the Tennengebirge mountain range, home to the world's largest ice caves. Join in as we explore the easy hike up to the caves, the freezing cold interior, and then hike back down the mountainside during a thunder storm.

The Trail

This is not the cave, but rather a conveniently placed tunnel dug to help hikers skip over the more difficult parts of the trail. To get to this point, we had already walked for 20 minutes up a steep road and through several parking lots. The sun beat down on the asphalt and the tourists welcomed the cooling interior of the tunnel.

The trail sloped gently upward in the blazing sun. People hiked by in a mishmash of outfits - some wore shorts and tank tops in recognition of the heat wave while others prepared for the freeze ahead with winter coats and long pants. As we were traveling Europe in the summer, we wore only summer clothing and hoped for the best.

As the crowds fell behind, black birds paused on the trail to watch us, curious as to why we were working so hard. The air felt lighter, but somehow our legs felt heavier with each step up the mountain.

In the far distance, the mouth of the cave gapes, promising respite from the overwhelming heat and exertion. I drip sweat and shift my jacket to the other hand. The guidebook promises a 90 minute hike from the ticket station to the cave, but I'm starting to wonder if they made that up.

Panting, we take a break when we reach the top. All around, people are sitting on the rocks in the mouth of the cave. The people sweating have yet to go in, while the people with coats are still trying to warm up in a heat wave. The valley stretches long into the distance following the winding river.

The Cave

Our guide lines us up and gives each 4th person a davy lamp - basically a small oil lamp - then lets us know it's going to blow out as soon as we enter the cave. He assures us that while it will be dark, we'll be just fine inside. With one final reminder that photography is prohibited, we enter the ice cave. Fierce wind blows out of the door and people stagger in its force. Hats and sunglasses fly off heads as we surge forward against the gale.

Once inside, our guide relights each lamp with a magnesium coil. The soft glow from two dozen flames lights the cold room. The trail we will be following is only one kilometer long, but is expected to take 70 minutes and includes about 400 stairs. The extreme difference in temperature between the inside of the cave (below 0) and the outside (above 30) causes the freezing air to rush from the depths of the cave to the hot summer day every time the door is opened, our guide patiently explains once we are all clear of the gale.

Ice formations drip from the ceiling, having formed in the spring and fall as water seeped in through cracks in the limestone. It is old, but not ancient, some formed only this last season. Dragging my fingers across the surface I expect it to feel like ice cubes, but it's almost waxy, like a candle melted then dropped into an ice bath. My fingers start to ache with the cold as we move deeper into the cave.

Our guide lights the darkness with a magnesium coil, illuminating a vast ice lake just beginning to thaw. The surface is shiny and wet as our breath plumes in the frost air. We've pushed far enough that the air is beginning to warm, but that makes no difference in my breezy summer outfit. Beyond the 1 kilometer, the ice melts and only the limestone is left. Visitors are not allowed to see that part of the cave.

This deep emerald green color emanates from a particularly large ice formation as our guide illuminates it from behind. There are no colored lights, just the natural colors reflected in the trapped waters. If you look deeply into each ice flow, you can see hints of this shade just waiting to pop out. Our tour almost over, we clutch our hats tightly once more as we brace for the gale at the entrance.

The Return

As we exit the cave, our teeth chattering, we notice the outside temperature too has dropped. Storm clouds gather over nearby mountains and moisture fills the air. The crowd has thinned considerably this late in the day, so we take a moment to rest on the stones near the mouth of the cave before we begin the journey down the mountain.

Rain begins to fall and lightning strikes in the near distance as we wait in line for the lift. The sky has darkened and people move to find shelter from the storm. We wait, enjoying the refreshing mountain rain on our faces. After a while we notice the line is not moving ahead anymore and I see a sign informing the crowd that the lift has been shut down due to the storm. We retreat to the nearby restaurant and ask where the trail-head is to simply walk back down.

"It's too dangerous," we are told.

We ask several people, but no one will tell us where the trail-head is. They all repeat the same line; we cannot hike down the mountain in the storm, nor can we take the lift - it's just too dangerous.

Matthew decides to approach the problem in a different way - he asks a youth where the trail-head can be found. The child points it out with no hesitation and we are on our way down the mountain in a thunderstorm. The rain pours and we are soaked to the skin in only a few minutes. The trail is steep and wild and beautiful. Matthew takes a business call right there in the storm - wild and free and working. By the time we make it to the bottom, the storm has ended, the lift is running again, and we are glad to have had the chance to hike down the side of the mountain in a thunderstorm.

Thanks for joining me in the ice caves. What have you done that was too dangerous? Let me know in the comments! For info on how to book your own cold weather adventure, find me at Travel Life Services.