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Hi all

want to go to Austria in June -- if there's too much snow up high I'm wondering if there's an equivalent to the TMB / Alta Via type hike a National classic multi day Trail??

Rich
in York

I've hiked a few marked long distance trails from start to finish, and hiked parts of many of them, but mostly I just go wherever I feel like. Often I don't even plan ahead more than a few days. The Austrian Alps have a dense network of trails, and a few are described (or marketed) as long distance trails. Though none are as famous as the TMB, there are plenty to choose from.

If you like to watch glaciers, the Berliner Höhenweg could be your thing. If you want to take it one step up, and actually cross them (for some stages you'll need glacier gear to do that), take a look at the Ötztaler Trek - I suggest that you do part of it, not the whole thing. Or, for a really long trip, why not hike the Via Alpina, which crosses many countries, including Austria.

You mention June. That's early in the season. Not all huts will be open, especially in the first half of the month. And there can be snow higher up on the trails where it would normally be gone later one. That means you've got to be flexible and adjust your route if necessary (or pack crampons and ice axe, which is what I usually do when I think there is a chance I might need them).

Cheers, Rob

June is a good time for glacier traverse and high alpine undertakings, because crevasses are covered. And there is firn snow, not ice.

In Ötztal last June I used ski for last ski tour of the season (picture taken at 9000')



Passages like Berliner Höhenweg or any high alpine trekking, piolet and crampons are of course obligatory in June.