[dunnyg]

Off to europe in september, and considering a trip to Austria. The ideal would be:
Pleasant town to stay in with a few cafes/restaurants, a decent sized shop not miles away.
Bouldering (f5>f7) not requiring loads of pads
Some via ferratas
Easy (non glaciated, no rope required) alpine peaks
Nice high level walks
Bonus points for a swimming lake!


Other suggestions around the western alps appreciated, though probably not switzerland as I don't want to sell my internal  organs.

I've looked at Zillertal valley (Mayerhoffe?) which seems to tick alot of the boxes, but any personal recommendations appreciated!

 

[James Malloch]

We had a week in Zillertal 5 years or so ago. Beautiful place but we had quite a lot of rain. The small amount of climbing we did was good quality, some nice walking to some mountain hut/cafe things. Never went super high but more from choice than it not being possible.

Can’t remember much about Mayerhofen as we spent most of the time in the climbers lay-by (May now be closed?) sheltering from the rain having modelling balloon hat making competitions. But had a nice meal out and went to a campsite with a swimming pool one day.

I think the drive from mayerhofen to the crags was 30 mins or so up a winding pass, but nothing too far away.

It was a beautiful place though and I’d love to go back with better weather.

[sherlock]

Mayerhoffen is a good call. A lovely town if a bit touristy so it has all that stuff, great bars and restaurants with a outdoors y vibe  Think Cham without the prices.
The bouldering is superb, Sundergrund especially. It can get pretty hot (July) but shady options exist. We went to Zillergrundwald also but last day there and it was still damp from the previous nights thunderstorm.Everything else dried very fast.
Also thought Silvapark was great. Galtur (town) not as postcard pretty as Mayerhoffen but has everything you need. Supermarket, restaurants, bars etc.lf you stay in the area pick up a Silvretta Card which gives you free use of chairlifts. All very bouldering friendly, pads are put on the lift. High up, check snow forecast. Webcams near the boulder field.

[SA Chris]

Wasn't Galtur (partially) destroyed by the avalanche in the 90s? maybe the rebuilt version lost some charm.

[knollchri]

I would also recommend East Tyrol. Lienz might be slightly larger than what you are looking for, but smaller towns can be found in the vicinity.
There is good bouldering in Felbertal, high enough for during the summer time (I've been there only once, so not sure about the amount of easier boulders tbh.) Maltatal is also not too far away but probably too hot during summer anyway.
Lots's of good hiking/alpine stuff around; Dolomites are also really close, which might be interesting for via ferratas. There is also enough water around for swimming/kayaking, etc. Tristacher Lake just above Lienz is really lovely situated within the mountains.
There would also be a good selection of sport climbing venues around, but I didn't find that on your list.

As was already mentioned, Silvapark is also one of the classical summer-venues for bouldering in Austria.

Zillertal is obv. always a good choice and a very nice valley, usually a bit more touristy though...

How long do you have time? Is changing the location during your stay an option?

[sherlock]

Wasn't Galtur (partially) destroyed by the avalanche in the 90s? maybe the rebuilt version lost some charm.

How could I have forgotten that?
There is a wonderful museum/memorial in the town that tells the story of the tragedy.

[dunnyg]

Cham without the prices is sounding good! I will probably have a couple of weeks, but may stop some places on the way back (driving out).

Unfortunately my partner is out of action, so is just looking for somewhere nice to hang out for a while. This means no sport climbing! Could change location I guess, and head further east too, lakes and the like are always entertaining. I'll have a bit more of a poke around online. Thanks!

[honroid]

I climb with my wife and kids. We head to the alps bouldering most summers (lecturer and teacher) but are tied to Late July and August. We tend to stay flexible to follow the weather but try to remain in one area each time. We have had two summers in Austria. Bouldering-wise it is quieter than Magicwood, Cresciano etc but still plenty of people around.

Mayerhofen as a town was ok-ish. Busy and a tourist hot-spot and not really our thing. August was too hot for climbing in Ginzling etc. but maybe September would be decent. We were also put off by the idea of bouldering close to the river with our then 3 year old son. Staying in Mayrhofen would feel like a holiday than climbing trip. It's set up for holiday makers.

We originally planned to stay in Mayrhofen, and split our time between Zemmschlucht/Ginzling areas and Sundergrund/Zillergrund areas. In the end we found out that we could stay camped outside the Gasthaus Au for £cheap and conditions were better in Zillergrund Wald than anywhere else. From the campsites in Mayhofen it's a short drive up, up, up to Sundergrund so staying up there at the Gasthaus parking worked out better for us. Less holiday, more climbing trip. Great sandpit too.

I really rate Silvapark. You can stay at the Zeinisee from where it is a short drive down to Galtuer, they do fresh baked rolls from the bakery, have a glacier-fed lake and you can do bike rides and walks from there. There is also a frequesnt bus so you can avoid driving everywhere. For the climbing you drive down to town and take the ski lift up to the bouldering. Pretty handy as it puts you on the mountain so saves your legs. The campsite fee includes a ticket for the bus and ski lift for the duration of your stay so you can get up into the mountains for walks / running which is great. There is via ferrata around and accessible peaks eg. Ballunspitze. Galtuer has not a lot going on. A couple of restaurants, cafes, a supermarket, a swimming pool. There is more further down the valley such as ski lifts and cable cars - you can drop inot Switzlerland on one. Innsbruck is an hour and a half drive.

Alternatively you can stay in a van at the ski station on the Ballunspitze next to the bouldering, where you pay £naff all per night on the machine there, have toilets and running cold water and electricity to charge phones etc. but don't get the travel pass. You walk to the boulders from a little lower down than where the ski lift from Galtuer puts you and have to drive a more annoying drive (steep gravel road) down to town. More of a bouldering trip less of a holiday trip vibe.

I guess it depends what you want from a holiday / trip. The quality of clmbing at both places is world class.