To live in the mountains takes a certain kind of person. One that can look at the nature and wilderness around them and make the most of the opportunities it offers for the endless adventures and challenges it can bring. MoaAlm Mountain Retreat is located in the stunning Kals am Grossglockner valley in the heart of Osttirol, Austria. We are lucky that our valley is both beautiful and remote, so even in the height of the summer, you feel as if you are alone in the great mountain Alpine wilderness, escaping the crowds. We are also lucky that the Kals valley and its neighbouring valley, Matrei, offers some fantastic opportunities for us and our guests to pursue their passion of climbing.
When African and Eurasian plates collided around 300 million years ago, huge chunks of rock were thrust from the Earth forming the Alps. Climbing in the Alps really began around 1800's when the first European explorers came to conquer the high Alpine peaks. These climbers were usually pretty wealthy and would often carry wine and champagne to the top of previously mountains. Interestingly, climbing is one of the few sports where women have been at the top of the sport from the beginning, with Victorian women defying the cultural norms of the time to climb wearing their heavy skirts. Women continue to experience much more equality and respect than in climbing than in other sports.
With Alex Honald's recent film Free Solo, climbing is experiencing a new surge in popularity. Whether you are a beginner or experienced climber, the Alps and more specifically the area around Kals Am Grossglockner, Osttirol has lots to offer:
The closest and most accessible climbing spot from MoaAlm, Kals Am Grossglockner, is located at Lucknerhaus. With incredible views of the Grossglockner, a fantastic restaurant and a great mixture of sport and multi pitch sport routes, this is the perfect place to spend the day. It is also suitable for beginner climbers to experience the sport for the first time. You can take a break and bathe in the river, or sunbathe in the long meadow grass as you watch your friends climb.
Perfect for a summer’s afternoon, but also accessible in winter time, the Falkenstein rocks are home to a range of harder sports climbs. Most of the wall is vertical or overhanging, so it is a place for those with a little more experience and strength.
Visiting MoaAlm in winter? Then why not try a spot of ice climbing at our local ice climbing wall in Matrei, close to the famous Felbertauern tunnel. Local mountain guides offer a mixture of improvers or beginners lessons and climbing courses. The location is on the edge of the wild Hohe Tauren National Park, so keep an eye out for rare wildlife such as Ibex or Golden Eagles as you climb and explore the area.
We do not offer climbing as one of our guided activities at MoaAlm Mountain Retreat, however we would happily book you a course with our local mountain guides, Bergfuhrer, in Kals, so you can try this exciting sport for yourself. We are also keen climbers ourselves, so if you already have some climbing experience, we can point you in the the right direction for your next climbing adventure.