Obergurgl: Snowshoeing

5th Day in the Austrian Alps…

If you have been following our family blog, you would know that I love snow.  My kids and hubby snowboard, I don’t.   So I try to find other snow activities that we can all do together as a family.  We have done snowmobiling in Niseko, Japan, an exhilarating ride in deep snow through narrow paths in the forest.  Of course there is sledding or winter tobogganing which is an immensely fun activity for the family as well.  I recall that the first time we went sledding was in Tahoe, California.  It was around sunset that time and I still remember the sky had the most beautiful hues of pink, orange, blue and purple. It was actually on Christmas Day, the day after a snow storm.  Everyone was out enjoying the fresh snow.  Excitement and screaming from sledding filled the air.

And then there is snowshoeing, which I am sure now is my favourite snow adventure.  I like its slow pace.  It gives me a chance to look around, to stop and feel the snow.  The first time we went snowshoeing was in Niseko, Japan.  Oh that was a surreal experience, it was like walking in the magical land of Narnia.  The three-hour hike was through a primeval forest that ended in a frozen lake. See our Japan snowshoeing video here.

In Obergurgl, we also went snowshoeing.  The hike started flat in the meadow at the foot of the mountain. Towards the middle, it became intense as we climbed and crawled to the top of a hill.  We stopped several times (thankfully!), not only to marvel at the wild goat-antelopes and beautiful bridges, but also to rest.  Yes! I was perspiring so much, my hubby found it amusing that my sweat was literally trickling down my forehead.

Here’s a short clip of our snowshoeing adventure in Obergurgl.

Here are some of the photos from the tour:

Let me share with you as well the video from our snowshoeing in Japan.  Enjoy watching! Hope it gives you some travel inspirations.

–xoxo–

Tips from our family:

1. We joined an organized tour by Skischule Obergurgl, which provided us with snowshoes and hiking poles.  The tour started at 1:30pm and lasted for two hours.
2. We booked the tour a few weeks in advance.
3. There could be other tour providers but we chose an established company.  Here is the website of Skischule Obergurgl: https://www.skischule-obergurgl.com/
4. I could not stress more the importance of proper snow-proof pants and jacket, and sturdy boots. My 5-year-old snow boots gave up on me after snowshoeing. But no sweat, there were many great-quality boots in Obergurgl. I bought myself a pair of Meindl snow hiking boots that could withstand up to -25 degrees Celcius.
5. I feel that 2 hours is quite short, unfortunately that time, there was no tour longer than that.

Here are other blogs on our Bavaria and Austrian holiday:

1. Munich: Start of our family’s tales from last winter
2. Munich: Viktualienmarkt Biergarten
3. Munich: BMW Museum and BMW Welt
4. Munich: Theatine Church and Odeonplatz
5. Munich: Christmas Markets
6. Munich: Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall
7. Munich: City Aparthotel München
8. Salzburg: Birthplace of Mozart and Silent Night
9. Salzburg: Hohensalzburg Fortress 
10. Salzburg: Residenzplatz Christmas Market
11. Salzburg: Salzburg Cathedral
12. Salzburg: Silent Night 200 at Salzburg Museum
13. Salzburg: Silent Night Tour by Bob’s Special Tour
14. Salzburg: Silent Night at Oberndorf and Laufen
15. Salzkammergut: Road Trip to Hallstatt
16. Salzkammergut: Christmas Market at St Wolfgang
17. Salzburg: Krampus Run at Hellbrunn Palace
18. Salzburg: Imlauer Hotel Pitter Salzburg
19. Obergurgl: A Week in the Austrian Alps
20. Obergurgl: Chalet Obergurgl Luxury Apartments
21. Obergurgl: Hohe Mut Alm Mountain Hut Restaurant
22. Obergurgl: Snow Storm
23. Obergurgl: Day after the Storm and Christmas Rainbow