Dr. Friedrich Oedl Trail

The largest ice cave in the world, a spectacular cave. We were allowed to take photos in some places.

You can find more information about the route in our travel report "This is Austria? Part 1: Maltatal" at https://www.glueckskinder-reisen.de/2021/08/10/das-ist-österreich-teil-1- malta valley/

In my opinion, the 1.5 hour walk from the valley station of the cable car specified on the website is very ambitious. Maybe it was because of the insane temperatures of over 30 degrees. But it took us almost twice as long. At cooler temperatures, the path with a view and a bit of scrambling is definitely more fun. Due to the temperatures and because both the dog (heat) and I (sunburn and heat) were through, we bought a cable car ticket down. Dog is allowed in the cave. There sense, so to speak, boardwalks and wooden stairs. However, some were too steep for my short-legged dog, so I had to carry them a lot. She was also troubled by the cold and the flickering darkness. As soon as the door to the cave is opened, a strong wind blows against you and you can see your breath. The wind pulls as long as the door is open. So even if you are already deep in the cave, there is a wind as soon as it is opened again. You just have to do that with your dog

You can't write that much, the impressions were so strong. The funny thing is, you arrive at the parking lot and have to put on winter clothes in summer. There are permanently around 0 degrees in the cave. Unfortunately there was a thunderstorm, which has the disadvantage that you get wet and the cable car doesn't run. The thunderstorm stopped five minutes before the end of the day and we were able to take part in the last tour. Of course the GPS failed in the cave, but whatever, the pictures say it all.

The Eisriesenwelt is a cave system in the Tennengebirge in the province of Salzburg in Austria, near the town of Tenneck. With a total length of 42 km, the Eisriesenwelt is the largest ice cave in the world. It was discovered in 1879 by the Salzburg naturalist Anton von Posselt-Czorich. Wikipedia https://www.eisriesenwelt.at/de/

After the first tour of our three-day vacation fell victim to a car breakdown and the second could only be done halfway for the same reason - during which I also forgot my mobile phone in the room - the whole focus was on today's visit to the largest ice cave the earth. After numerous hairpin bends you reach the parking lot of the Eisriesenwelt. Here you have to buy your admission ticket, whether with or without a cable car transfer. From here it is about 10 minutes to the cable car, on the way there you can also cross a tunnel directly. At the cable car, the paths separate between arousing anticipation and satisfying impatience. The path is rocky and leads strenuously uphill, but is never complicated, always at least 80 cm wide, it offers a fantastic view and is well prepared with railings. Nevertheless, the people at the ticket shop were amazed at our plan and we were made aware of the most difficult part by means of a picture. Completely heated up by the ascent and the midday sun, we were looking forward to coming to the covered public walkway. Here it was easy to climb a few more wide serpentines and you could see the huge cave entrance from afar. There we were met by a guide. Every second cave visitor received an Esbit cave lamp, which was immediately extinguished when entering the cave in incredibly windy conditions (due to the large temperature difference). After re-igniting, its dim light conveyed a real expedition character. The guide stopped at the designated places to tell a few things about the cave, e.g. their discovery that the ice in it continues to grow every year, that the oldest ice found at a depth of 5 meters is 3000 years old, 1660 steps and 135 meters in altitude to be overcome and much more. For a better view of the highlights, the guide then ignited a magnesium wire. In the cave it was sometimes very steep uphill, so that some of the stairs were more like a ladder. Unbelievable what dimensions. The entire cave system covers 40 km, we went in just one kilometer. The massive ice sculptures change annually each spring as the ice melts, leading to further water inflow into the cave. A very nice description can also be found here https://www.hello-salzburg.at/highlight/eisriesenwelt-werfen/ The cave has 0 degrees at all times of the year, which is why I took a wool and down jacket with me, but didn't think gloves were necessary. With 95% humidity, however, it felt much colder and got to the bone, especially in my summer pants, on which I had specially zipped my legs up again. After an hour, despite this gigantic experience, I was very happy to be able to leave the last step behind me and come back to the sun. We warmed ourselves up with coffee and cake and strengthened ourselves for the long drive home.

HISTORY The cave system, created many millions of years ago by underground watercourses and later conquered by ice, is unique in every respect. For such a natural spectacle to occur, very special weather conditions are required, which only occur very rarely on our planet. It is the largest ice cave in the world! It was discovered in 1879 by the Salzburg naturalist Anton Posselt. He managed to penetrate about 200 m into the cave. He could not go any further. The ice cover became too steep for him; his equipment was too poor. He marked his turning point with a black cross on the rock, the Posselt Cross. Alexander von Mörk was the first researcher to dare to pass through the Sturmsee, a small passage that was under water at the time. Behind it he discovered a huge hall, which was later named after him. In 1914 Alexander von Mörk had to go to war in the First World War. He died there at the age of 27. His last wish was to be buried in the Eisriesenwelt. This wish was granted.

Today we visited the EisRiesenWelt in Werfen. It was simply a mega experience. Just look at my pictures. I hope that the pictures come across as beautiful as it actually was. We have rarely seen such a beautiful mountain panorama. If you are ever in the area you should definitely make a detour.