Walking Austria's Alps, Hut to Hut, 2nd Ed.

By Johathan Hurdle and Jonathan Hurdle

* The ultimate vacation for more adventurous European travelers * Tours range between four and 11 days, and no camping equipment is required *Tours are easily accessible to towns, villages and roads This is the Austria travelers dream about. Dramatic alpine peaks, secluded valleys, tiny mountain villages, authentic and hearty cuisine, and plenty of opportunities to meet the local people. But this Austria is not to be found on the highways or in the cities; this Austria is found on foot, traveling the vast network of accessible trails and exploring the riches of this country's excellent hut system. Walking Austria's Alps offers eleven treks, ranging from four to eleven days in length, which include nightly stops at a mountain hut where walkers can eat well and sleep in comfort. No technical climbing skills or equipment are necessary, just strong legs and sturdy shoes. The daily itineraries allow plenty of time for interesting detours, climbs on nearby peaks, or simply sitting to admire the scenery.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898866405
• ISBN13: 9780898866407
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Amazing to hike and find a hotel at the top

I bought this book because I had a business trip with a few extra days in austria. I am writing this right before boarding the plane home. This book fired-up my imagination and just for that it's worth buying, but it also gives you enough information to actually do the hikes. I did the end of trip 9 in reverse and climbed up a nearby mountain. I couldn't have planned this trip if it weren't for this book. That being said, you really need to order the maps the book recommends, there is a lot of extra information (including a "P for parking where you can park your car for one or a few days..). This book was not written with cars in mind.. Nevertheless, everything was as this book describes, except that they now serve muesli at the huts and his hiking times are a little tight.. I couldn't quite do it. As he mentions, you really need to either know german (I knew none) or bring a phrase book(which you will need to order food). The staff speaks enough english to get you a room and some basics (e.g. beer and cafe.. because they sound the same in german) and a huttenshlapsack ( a sleeping sack). Use the book, order the maps they recommend and go. This book does exactly what the title suggests, you can't ask for more. In 1999, web sites were not so ubiquitou so if you are good with google, you can find websites for most of the huts and if you look closely most have a magic "english" button. You then have access to a wealth of information on the hikes and service. You cannot make online reservations, but they give you a cell number where you can get a german speaking acquaintance to make the reservations for you (or your friendly travel agent). The huts have full kitchen, hot water, flush toilets and knick knacks. You need to bring your own trail food though.. they only have items for immediate consumption (and water). A little hut-specific vocabulary would have been nice (e.g. how to fill the log book). Last word of advice: the trails are really well marked, much better than in colorado.. and don't follow the "double arrows" they don't point to anything, they are just a marker.. but that's another story.

On Top of the Austrian World

"Walking Austria's Alps, Hut to Hut"Jonathan HurdleISBN 0-89886-640-5This book deals with a mountain world that exists above the picturesque towns, the beautiful lakes, and the majestic valleys of Austria. For the most part, it must be reached by foot. To those who are in reasonably good shape and can rough it a little, though, this book provides the insight to partake of that Alpine world in all its glory.Having visited Austria on several occasions and ridden by cable car near the tops of mountains such as the Kitzbuehler Horn and Grossglockner, I have glimpsed from up there the pale blue-white mountain peaks that lead off almost endlessly to the distant horizon. But to have the opportunity to walk for days in those mountains, spending the nights in mountain lodges built just for hikers, that would be a fine experience.These mountain huts are probably unfamiliar even to those who are fairly familiar with Austria. These huts, Mr. Hurdle explains, are not shacks, but they are professionally run, clean, and comfortable mountain lodges, where hikers sleep on long mattresses in communal areas for as many as twenty persons at a time without regard to sex or age. Sometimes food is available, as well as wine and beer. Hut guests have also been known to sing. Altogether, there are about 900 such places in the mountains of Germany and Austria.The book describes eleven different tours of from four to eleven days. The hikes are mostly in the southern part of Austria where it borders with Italy. The hikes include tours in the Oeztaler Alpen, where the famous ice-age man, that Austrians call "Oetzi" was found, as well as a hike on Grossglocker, the highest mountain in Austria. There is a map for each tour, and a description including the appropriate hut in which to sleep for each stage.This is an interesting book, but perhaps it loses a little by focusing almost entirely on the details of the hikes. The general reader might hope for a slightly broader context that included a little more detail about the towns or areas near the starting or ending points of some of the tours. It is somewhat difficult, even for one familiar with Austria, to get ones bearings in terms of the familiar towns and highways of the country. One other shortcoming in this book is that the pictures are all in black and white. Color would have enormously increased the degree to which the beauty of the mountains is conveyed. On the whole, the book sparked my interest, and I hope, before long, to walk in the beauty of some of those high remote places.

Excellent guide for tramping in the austrian alps

Having used the book as a guide on some of the walks described in the book, I found it to be a top notch guide book as well as containing a number of useful suggestions. Anyone who is interested in going hiking in spectacular scenery should strongly consider Austria and Mr. Hurdle's book. Using the guide along with the detailed maps available everywhere in Austria is the perfect way to find your way around the mountains.