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A volunteer is sought to assume complete editorial control of the Club’s quarterly Newsletter from the end of 2011, soliciting content, selecting that which is most appropriate, liaising with our proof-reader and interfacing directly with the graphics designer who takes care of layout. If this challenge is of genuine interest to you, please contact the Club Secretary via the AAC(UK) Office for further details.  

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AAC Alpine Family Meet, July 2005

by Stephen Lunt

Our first venture into the OeAV community came about as a result of a notice in these pages. As a family, we have been visiting Austria for several years and had joined the club primarily for access to the huts and for peace of mind, in case of an accident. Our children, Thomas 11 and Emily 8, have been very good at humouring us but it has always been a shame that we seem to have stayed at places with few other Britons and none with children of their age.

When the family holiday was suggested in these pages, we were quick to reply. We can see now how daunting the logistics were. Different school holidays, different aged children, different adult interests and different abilities were only some of the factors that Ellie, the organiser, had to contend with. Then there was finding and booking  the hut, sorting the sleeping, the travel, the meeting point, the guides and the finance. The UK section very generously helped towards the cost of the children's instructors. All this back-ground work, and more, was done superbly and we are very grateful to Ellie for the time she spent making sure that the venture worked so smoothly.

The hut we stayed in, the Mutterkopfhiitte (1934m), lies to the west of Imst on the northern side of the Inn valley. I don't dare to describe the geology, as a couple of experts filled our ranks, but I do feel able to confirm that it gave a pretty landscape. We were able to drive to within an hour's walk of the hut and have our luggage lifted up. This meant that all those luxuries that normally have to stay behind were able to come too. The hut had just been refurbished and was like one we had never encountered before. Beautifully furnished and with a great family running it, the hut could better have been called an hotel. We quickly settled into two lagers, laid down a few ground rules and tucked into our first dinner.
The following passages are reports from the children:

Emily:

"We met up with some families for about a week. The children went off with some instructors to go climbing and we went up a hill while the parents went on their own. The climbing was quite near the hut where we were staying, on the rock outside, and we went climbing at an indoor climbing place. We belayed the other children and they belayed us. We learnt how to do the belay knot and climbing knot on little thin slings and then we used them. We went on a Klettersteig in two groups. I was in the first one. It was great fun because it was interesting and sometimes I was a bit scared or nervous but I enjoyed myself all the same.”"

Thomas:

"When we were off climbing with Peter and Christa, we started doing bouldering up behind the hut. The instructors were very fun and knew how to show us things so that we would not be so scared on the hard climbing. Altogether they were fantastic and we had a great time." (Why is it that boys can do little more than grunt – and he's not even a teenager yet?!)

Clearly the trip was a success from their point of view. The adults were not to be left out. We did much the same as the children but at a more leisurely pace, not having any instructors to push us along. A few peaks, some Klettersteigs and plenty of wildlife kept us all happy. Expert assistance and a rope wire at hand when the going got serious .

The final outing together was on the "Alpine Coaster" run down into Hochimst: this is where bob-sleigh meets go-cart on a roller-coaster. Adults and children were heard screaming with the rush as they descended and then came the cries of "Can we go again?" I hope so.

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Last updated:    04 December 2007