When Hell Freezes Over

Surrounded by rolling hills only an hours drive from the Alps, Salzburg, Austria is alive with the scent of fresh country air and—of course—the sound of music. Naturally, one might recognize the picturesque city from the award-winning wartime musical “The Sound of Music.” Interested visitors should know that there are several tour companies that take visitors to the key film locations in Salzburg and the surrounding countryside. However, I found that taking the less travelled path will lead to a unique adventure through the Austrian Alps and into Eisriesenwelt Höhle, the “Giant Ice Caves.”

To get to the caves, you can rent a car and drive along Hwy 10 to Eisriesenwelt Höhle’s hometown of Werfen, but for those who don’t have the means or the time, there is a bus tour available that will pick you up in Salzburg and transport you to the cave site. With a population of just 3,000, the medieval village of Werfen, tucked between the Hochkönig and Tennengebirge mountains, is an interesting destination all by itself. It is home to stunning Blühnbach Castle, built in the early 17th century, which sits atop a rock cliff that towers over Werfen, asserting its dominating presence on the mountainous landscape. The caves are located approximately 1,700 metres above sea level, in the Alps mountain range. Altogether, the journey to the cave entrance includes about 500 meters of walking and a 500-meter journey in one of Europe’s oldest cable cars.

The entrance to the ice cave has remained untouched since it was first penetrated in the late 19th Century. Prior to that, the townspeople of Werfen saw the cave as an entrance to Hell and refused to explore it. However in 1879, Anton Posselt, a natural scientist from Salzburg, infiltrated the first 200 metres of the caves and discovered the winter wonderland within – bringing new meaning to the phrase “When Hell freezes over.” From there, he published a report on the caves, which led to further exploration and development of the site. Today, explorers have mapped all 42 kilometres of the extensive cave system, though only the first and most exciting kilometre is open to the public.

When first entering the cave, there’s a rush of ice wind that will literally blow your hat off, which extinguished our torches. Once inside the cave, the temperature drops to zero degrees Celsius, regardless of how hot it is outside. After relighting our lamps and securing our beanies and mittens, we ascended a 20-vertical-metre ice mountain, via steel stairs that were embedded in the ice. Even though we were among the 150,000 lucky tourists who visit this natural phenomenon every year, it still felt like we were the first ever to see these amazing formations.
It took explorers many years to conquer the ice wall with just regular climbing equipment, but it took us less than ten minutes to reach the top of this ice wonderland.

www.eisriesenwelt.at.

A common visitors’ misconception is that Salzburg can be conquered in a day. Despite its small geography, the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage site boasts plenty of charms to keep a tourist busy for days. As the birthplace of both Mozart and Red Bull, Salzburg is home to the centuries-old Augustiner Bräustübl, a monk-run brewery, and Festung Hohensalzburg (a fortress which dates back to 1077), to name just a few of its attractions. And yes, an unforgettable journey to the world’s largest ice caves.

Written and photographs by Amber Turnau

Written by Amber Turnau

Last 3 posts by Amber Turnau

• The War of Tomatoes, Spain - September 3rd, 2008
• Meditating with Monks - May 22nd, 2007
• Stepping into Oktoberfest - April 18th, 2006

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