2004-04-24 12:49:51 +01:00
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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2004-04-24 12:49:51 +01:00
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<title>CUCC's Austria expeditions: The Toll Road</title>
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2004-04-21 10:35:34 +01:00
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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<h1>The Loser Panoramastraße</h1>
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<p>This is a toll road, clearly signposted from the village of Altaussee. A
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public road leads northeast (this bit is one-way) from the centre of the
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village. At the end of the one-way system is a junction left, leading over
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the river to a further junction right to the tourist Salt-mine, and left
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back to the village.</p>
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<p>Straight on (now two-way), leads uphill, often narrow, to a further
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junction. Straight on here is a deteriorating track to Blaa-Alm, offering
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a restaurant with Reininghaus bier, excellent views of the cliffs NW of
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Loser, and an aerial ropeway intended for kids, but well worth playing
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on for groups of inebriate cavers. This is also the approach for the
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Naglsteghöhle and resurgence - outside our area, but worth a visit.</p>
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<p>Right at the junction is a metalled road, the <b>Loser
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Panoramastraße</b>, which immediately has a toll-gate (and often the
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queue for this blocks the main road). This is only manned during daylight,
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when tourist traffic is expected. The road leads steeply up, with numerous
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hairpins, first to the Loser Hütte, 550m above the start. This was once
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a relatively isolated mountain hut, but now serves as a convivial lunchtime
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and evening hostelry - it was rebuilt as "Hotel Loser" for 1995. Beyond the
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old hut, the road continues to a new (in the mid-seventies) Bergrestaurant,
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only open during the day, and with a huge car park, full of tourists whenever
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the weather is half decent. The area is also a small ski resort in the
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winter, and various lifts line the hillsides.</p>
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<div class="centre">
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<a href="piclinks/tollrd.htm"><img alt="Toll road photo" src="tinypix/tollrd.jpg" width="160" height="83" /></a>
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<a href="piclinks/bgrest.htm"><img src="tinypix/bgrest.jpg" width="143"
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height="170"
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alt="BergRestaurant picture" /></a>
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<p class="caption">The Loser Panoramastraße with view to the Dachstein</p></div>
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<p>The cost of the toll road is fairly reasonable if you want to make one
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trip for the view, but quickly becomes prohibitive for a caving expedition
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made up mainly of impoverished students needing to make a dozen or more
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return journeys. Cyclists go free, but 900m of ascent from the village is a
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little excessive with heavy gear. It does make a splendid run back down,
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however ! Trying only to travel at night is possible, but is both underhand
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and rather restrictive, particularly if an emergency arises. Permission is
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needed to camp within the Nature Reserve at the top, so it is best to
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negotiate a cheaper deal. The owner is very interested to know about the
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caves on "his" plateau, so it's important to send a report as soon as
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possible after the expedition.</p>
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<p>Familiarity soon breeds contempt, and typical expo drivers don't spend
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much time looking at the view after the first couple of trips. This style of
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driving, combined with visits at quiet times of the day/night, tends to
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result in some fairly quick trip times. For those wanting to do comparisons,
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timings are between the "stop" line across from the toll booth at the bottom,
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and the drainage line (looks like a narrow cattle grid across ¾ of the
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road) at the west end of the car park. We don't recommend speeding through
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the car park owing to the propensity of tourists to wander around looking at
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the views, not the traffic :-)</p>
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2004-04-24 12:49:51 +01:00
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<table class="trad"><tr><th>Vehicle</th><th>Time up</th><th>by</th><th>Time down</th><th>by</th></tr>
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2016-06-30 16:01:37 +01:00
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<tr><td>Bike</td><td>00:48:00</td><td>Becka Lawson (2016)</td><td>00:09:26</td><td>Clive George</td></tr>
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<tr><td> </td><td>01:15:00</td><td>Justin (1992)</td><td> </td><td> </td></tr>
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2018-08-07 19:57:53 +01:00
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<tr><td>Car</td><td>00:07:15</td><td>Haydon Saunders (2018)</td><td>00:06:43</td><td>Haydon Saunders (2018)</td></tr>
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<tr><td></td><td>00:07:46</td><td>Andy Waddington (1998)</td><td>00:07:30</td><td>Andy Waddington (1998)</td></tr>
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</table>
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>Back to <a href="../index.htm">CUCC Home page</a></li>
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<li><b>Main Indices:</b>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="infodx.htm"><b>Index</b> to Expo</a> information pages</li>
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<li><a href="areas.htm">Description of CUCC's area</a> and split to subareas</li>
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<li>Full <a href="indxal.htm">Index to cave descriptions</a> in area 1623</li>
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<li>List of (links to) <a href="pubs.htm">published reports and logbooks</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><b>Pictures:</b>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="gall0.htm">Text only Index</a></li>
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<li><a href="gallery/0.htm">Index pages (with thumbnails)</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li>Other info:
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<ul>
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<li>Table of <a href="folk/index.htm">members of CUCC expeditions</a> 1976-present</li>
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<li><a href="others/index.htm">Other groups</a> who have worked in the area.</li>
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</ul></li></ul>
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2001-08-15 19:29:27 +01:00
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</body>
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</html>
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