Kaprun Reservoirs

Dam!

Double dam! What an eyeful!

The Oldies were back on a hill walking trip in the province of Salzburg once again. This is becoming a bit of a habit, but a habit I am quite happy to get used to. Anyway, for a change this time, they’d decided to pay a visit to the reservoirs above Kaprun. It didn’t sound to me like the most exciting outing  to be honest, but simply getting there turned out to be an adventure in itself. The first leg of the trip was by shuttle bus and then we boarded Europe’s largest open inclined elevator. As it carried us – along with about 180 other visitors – up the 430 m slope at a gradient of 81%, I was certainly inclined to agree that this was no ordinary ascent!

A second bus took us from the top of the elevator along a precipitous road to the reservoirs at an altitude of over 2,000 m. I was quite breathless by the time we arrived. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for the workers who had to build the dams in the first place.

Sure enough, on our tour of the dam, I heard that life for the construction workers was far from easy. For a start, they had to live on-site. Imagine what it must have been like in winter! And, as work started during the Second World War, there is quite a bit of horrible history attached to the build. Prisoners of war and forced labour were used, many of whom were injured or killed carrying out this dangerous work.

After the war, the project was funded by the Marshall Plan, providing much needed jobs.  I was impressed by the locals’ ingenuity. They exploited this bonanza for all it was worth, building the wall three times thicker than was actually necessary! Even so, those walls contain a huge amount of engineering. The enormous turbines inside the walls pump water over 11 km uphill when the reservoirs are over-full.

Of course, nowadays, these beautiful reservoirs are also quite a tourist attraction. There’s plenty to keep visitors busy, what with the tours inside the dam walls, museums, and miles of hiking routes. For the more daring, there are zip lines and even a via ferrata climbing route across the main dam wall. Crazy carry on! Luckily, these were far too James Bond-ish for the Wingless Wonders and they kept their elderly feet firmly on the ground.

In the town of Kaprun itself, the Oldies called into the Information Centre in the power station. Her Ladyship was thrilled to be able to see the enormous turbines and machinery used to generate electricity at close quarters. But I was glad to finally get back outdoors and head up the wooden trail through the adjoining Sigmund Thun Gorge.

The gorge is just 320 m long, but quite stunning. And loud! No wonder the water flow can generate such power! After the Oldies had puffed and panted their way up the 263 steps through the gorge, it was quite a relief to enjoy a quiet and relaxing stroll alongside the Kammsee reservoir.

Over the next few days, the Oldies continued their gentle hikes in these beautiful Alpine surroundings. After educating themselves on energy generation, they certainly made sure to save energy – their own – whenever they could. They took chairlifts up the slopes every chance they got. Biberg in Saalfelden was no exception. Up we went on the chairlift, and then negotiated the gentle climb to the nearest watering hole which was at least…I’d say, a whole kilometre… uphill. Exhausting!

We all enjoyed the panoramic views – and nice cool drinks – on the veranda.

Now, I thought, at least they can walk off those pints on the descent. Well, no. Just when I’d thought they’d passed up on the more madcap mountain activities, the Dynamic Duo decided to toboggan down the mountain!

In what seemed like a flash – and with my life flashing before me – we covered the 345 altitude metres on a 1.6 km long track with over 60 bends.

They’d gone completely mad… but, wheeee, was it fun!