It’s too bad the conference I was attending wasn’t scheduled for deeper into the skiing season.
Category: Obergurgl
Alpine Peak
This one’s another from my trip to Obergurgl this past fall and comes from a short hike just beyond Obergurgl proper. The trail was a bit icy and snowy in bits and the three of us weren’t super well equipped for the terrain but man were some of the vistas spectacular, looking up at peaks like this one, or down toward rivers at the bottom of the valley we were flanking.
Alpine Clock tower
Captured on the same trip that gave me the opportunity to capture the previous shots of Obergurgl I grabbed this shot from closer to the center of the village. I thought he combination of the pointy clock tower and the mountains which virtually encircle the village was pretty neat.
Merry Christmas! Obergurgl
Another shot of Obergurgl, this time in the morning from the University Center where the conference was that I was attending. Obergurgl was just spectacular, though a little resort-y and this shot gives you an idea of what the bulk of the village looks like.
I hope everyone is having a happy holidays!
Alpine Village
On my recent European adventure I went out for a short afternoon walk which took me into the hills at the end of the valley beyond Obergurgl, Austria. From here I was able to grab this shot of Obergurgl and Hochgurgl and several surrounding chairlifts. It was still a little early in the season but many of the lifts were operating and people were starting to trickle in to these villages. Anyway the whole valley is incredibly picturesque and I will definitely have to return one day.
Double feature: Frozen Stream
On the same European adventure to the alpine village of Obergurgl in Tyrol, Austria, I was out for a walk when I captured this shot of a creek running near the village in the process of freezing over. The ice is interesting to look at but the semi-abandoned outbuilding on the bank. It doesn’t appear to be in active service, as evidenced by the partially ajar door, nor is there an obvious way to get down to the entrance, though perhaps without the snow and ice there’s path down the cliff face or maybe even some sort of connection to a cave in the cliff. One can only guess at what function this building does or once did serve.
St. Bernard
During a recent European adventure I came across this painting of St. Bernard of Menthon (the one for whom the dogs are named) painted on a lodge near a ski lift in the Austrian village of Obergurgl. This makes perfect sense, St. Bernard being the patron saint of mountaineering and skiing, among other things. The writing at the top translates to something like “Protect us the mountaineers” and I was told the picture has something to do with fending off alpine thunderstorms. These types of paintings and altars were all over the village, just about everything had a patron saint, it seemed. I thought this one stood out, however, being 10″ to 15″ tall.
Decaseconds 