This would be my third family meet in Austria as my 12-year-old daughter Hannah and I had been on a DAV Bergferien family event at the Gufferthütte in August 2017 (see NL220). The consensus of opinion from the families who attended the first Bergfest was that the Dresdner Hütte would be a good location for the 2023 event, offering good transport links and easy access from the UK via Innsbruck.
Arrival
On Monday 21 August, 13 adults, 12 youngsters and our two guides Eva and Felix arrived at the Dresdner Hütte. An added attraction was the Bergfest mascot Taiga, the Venables family Husky dog which proved very popular with everyone in our group, especially the younger ones. After introductions, Felix and Eva organised games and soon had the younger members of the group running around while the adults decided on the activities for the next three days - with guidance from Eva and Felix. These included a group walk to Egesengrat with a lesson on alpine map reading, climbing bolted routes at the climbing garden, and climbing the two Klettersteig routes near the hut. A day was spent up on the Schaufelferner learning and practising walking skills with crampons, and taking the opportunity to visit the Gipfelplattform (Top of the Tyrol) for stunning views of the Austrian Alps and the Dolomites.
We had fine weather for the four days with only one late afternoon alpine thunderstorm. All too soon the meet was over and with sadness in our hearts we all departed our separate ways back home to the UK and France.
Thank you!
My thanks to Allan Hartley, Diana Rayner and the AAC(UK) Activities Team for their support, to our guides Eva and Felix, to the staff at the Dresdner Hütte and the parents who provided equipment and extra assistance with the climbing and Klettersteig activities.
I’ve started organising Bergfest 2024 which will be in the period 12-18 August (to coincide with Scottish and English/Welsh school holidays). Dates and venues are in the calendar on page 19, and further details will be on the Club website in due course.
…and the views of some younger participants.
The stay at the Dresdner hut was an incredibly fun and interesting experience. On the first day we arrived at about 10.00 and took the cable car up to the hut, where we were met at the entrance by James the organiser, and Eva and Felix our guides. First, we did a walk to a cross on a hill via a small lake, then at 18.00 we had a meeting about what we were doing the next day. The following morning we had a big breakfast from the restaurant and, with my family, I hiked to the Mutterberger See, another slightly bigger lake. Then in the afternoon we did a Klettersteig that was two hours long and great fun.
On the last day we took the cable car up to the glacier where we learnt how to use ice axes, crampons, and ice screws. We made loads of new friends and learnt lots of important skills. I would like to thank our guides Felix and Eva who were super kind and relaxed, and James the organiser this year; without you none of this would have happened.
Sammy Venables (13)
Bergfest 2023 was an amazing adventure for me and definitely the highlight of my summer holidays. James the organiser and our two mountain guides Eva and Felix were so welcoming at the beginning of the week and made the stay really fun with all the mountain activities they organised like hiking, lots of climbing, map reading, using crampons, visiting the glacier, Klettersteig (my personal favourite) and group activities that brought us kids together and helped us make some amazing new friends. “Who’s Got Bob?” was among the best.
All of us spent every evening having water fights and playing fantastic games after the day’s activities. I learnt so many new skills during the short space of five days and want to thank everyone for making it such an unforgettable experience. I recommend the Bergfest to anyone and everyone and will definitely be back next year!
Ella Venables (15)
A weekend of fun, adventure and learning for all who came, but for some of our younger members it was a chance to try climbing bolted routes, take first steps with crampons on the ice and practise alpine map reading.
Victor, Eva and Tom
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