Time passes by…some things one learns over the years, but some things are too important to be learned without good supervision.

How to get out of a crevasse… photo: Gisela Höflinger

Mountaineering and crevasse rescue techniques as well as everything concerning avalanches shouldn’t be learned via trial and error.

abseiling with equipment – view from top

view from bottom pic: diebergstation

I’m on regular training concerning snow and avalanche risk management, wrote exams in University about the consistency of snow and dug snow profiles, but so far I skipped most of the serious mountaineering stuff.

Time to learn. Thanks to the guys from diebergstation.at I enjoyed a weekend on Dachstein. Together with some of my riding buddies I also learned some access techniques, which hopefully lead to new and exciting lines…

basic skills: How to carry a rope correctly photo: Gisela Höflinger

In winter the snowfield now full of crevasses is skied on regularly on the way down to Simonihütte photo: Gisela Höflinger

beautiful scenery photo: Sascha Nitsch

Concerning weather it was the perfect timing: Sun, autumn colors and some open ice. Quite fascinating to see the glacier in such a different condition.

snowboarding on the rope and with breakable snow crust leads to embarrassing situations…:)to be fair: it was also my first day of ‘riding’ this season…

What one needs – equipment when playing on glaciers before or after high winter:

rope (60m), harness, ice axe, crampons, 3 HMS (better ball lock) carabiners, 2 ‘normal’ carabiners, 3 accessory cords(6 mm, 1/3/3 m length), webbing sling(120cm, maybe additionally one shorter one), ice screw (18 – 21cm)

the sun disappeared, but the yellow larches still glow

small hike in the area – Schladming Untertal – Riesachsee

sundowner