A guest commentary by photographer and Neo-Kitzbühel fan Danijel Jovanovic. For his visit to Kitzbühel this time he has chosen the theme Bike and Hike. In glorious weather Danijel tells us about his impressions Also to be read on Danijel's website at www.djphotography.at or Facebook
Great anticipation for Kitzbühel
On the plan were this time two bike tours, one of which I planned as a bike & hike tour with sunset thus was guaranteed a special experience. I chose the uncomplicated and environmentally friendly arrival by train. Kitzbühel is excellently connected to the rail network. Arrived in Kitzbühel, the host, Tom Dumont, was already waiting for me as he is also my bike guide for my bike tours.
Bike & Hike into the sunset
At 15:00 o'clock we started. Our destination: the great Gebra at 2057 meters to experience the sunset there. Directly from the hotel we drove up in the direction of Auracher Wildpark. Passing beautiful old farmhouses, you always have a fantastic view of the Gamsstadt and the Wilder Kaiser behind it. The Auracher Wildpark is also always worth a visit. You can find more information here: Auracher Wildpark
The last steep part of the tour is now the climb to Ehrenbachhöhe. The beautiful forest road leads through a forest that soon opened the view of the Hahnenkamm. The Bernhard Chapel with the Wilder Kaiser in the background. At the Hahnenkamm I watched for a while the starting paragliders and made a detour to the start house of the famous Streifabfahrt. It's quite steep down there! To get back to the valley we decided to take the Bike Trail Hahnenkamm. A few photos on the trail by Tom and with a big grin, the tour then ended for me directly at the Hahnenkamm train station. The train brought my ebike and me directly to Innsbruck and two wonderful days came to an end.
Pengelstein – Hahnenkamm round
Well fortified at the sumptuous breakfast in the hotel, we set off on the second day on the circular route from Jochberg to the Pengelstein, the Hahnenkamm and back to Kitzbühel. From Aurach, we first continued to the neighboring community of Jochberg. Through the so-called Saukasergraben, shady through the forest always slightly uphill, we then took the turnoff to the Kasereckalm. Here the terrain now opened up and gave a view of the surrounding grassy mountains. The very good forest road is ideally suited for biking. We quickly gained altitude, also by repeatedly steeper passages, and soon the Pengelstein, the first goal in sight. A small stop at a freestanding Marterl with great views served us as a short break. After a good 1000 meters of altitude we arrived at the Pengelstein (1935m). Here I could plug my bike briefly at the existing charging station while we walked to the summit cross, with waving Tyrolean flag (about 5 minutes walk). The cloudless day made for a tremendous wide view. Tom explained the surrounding peaks to me and we decided to continue towards Hahnenkamm to then take a short break at the Pegelstein reservoir. The path now led briefly steeply downhill to the Hochbrunnalm, where we allowed ourselves a refreshment. Here, too, there are charging points for the usual ebike batteries.
Pengelstein – Hahnenkamm round
Just in time for the golden hours Tom and I reached the summit of the Großer Gebra. The summit is already very formative visible from Kitzbühel and when you stand up here you know why. The view of the surrounding mountains is simply breathtaking, especially at this later time of day, the mountains are bathed in the backlight of the setting sun in wonderful silhouettes, while the others are illuminated by the deep light downright golden.
After enjoying the sunset with many photos we went back down to the valley. The twilight was enough to reach the Hochwildalm again without a headlamp. Who wants to stay longer at the summit, which should think in any case of a lamp and of course batteries. The descent by bike was no problem at all with good light on the mountain bike and headlamp. A wonderful day came to an end and certainly provided lasting memories and I'm already looking forward to our bike round tomorrow.
The next destination is the Hochwildalm. The path changed from asphalt to gravel and over a well-maintained forest road it now went briskly uphill to the alp at 1557 meters. A stop at the innkeepers Johanna and Thomas is practically a must and the ordered Kaspressknödl with salad a welcome refreshment for the rest of the way. Because from here it is now time to park the mountain bike and continue hiking.
The already lower sun in conjunction with a few clouds, provided great shadow plays on the surrounding grassy mountains, such as the Bischof (2127m) or the Sonnspitze (2062m). For us, it was exactly 500 meters of altitude up to the finish. Sometimes steeper, then flatter, it stands in beautiful scenery. Highlights on the ascent: a sea of cotton grasses, some deer and a black grouse, which was happy to let me photograph it.
Conclusion: two eventful days lie behind me. The arrival by train to Kitzbühel, including mountain bike is very easy and hassle-free. The hotel was perfectly tailored to sports enthusiasts and mountain bikers. The sunset at the Gebra was fantastic as well as the round on the second day over Pengelstein and Hahnenkamm. A big "thank you" to Tom, my bike guide, who constantly contributed with tips on biking itself, as well as the surrounding area essential to the experience. Kitzbühel, I'll be back soon for sure!