#hintertuxer

Zillertal - Tirol - Austria

The deepest blue coloration of the ice cave crystals by Ben The Man Via Flickr: © all rights reserved by B℮n Please take your time... to View it large on black Only two years ago they found a massive ice cave just below the peak of the Hintertux glacier. An ice cave on 3.250m! The cave winds itself deep into the glacier and you will find yourself 25m underneath the surface in the middle of glowing ice crystals, bizarre formations, deep gorges, mini glacial lakes… it’s a natural phenomenon that you should check out when you visit Hintertux. A real adventure in summer and winter! Equipped with helmets we climb and crawl deep into this beautiful and ice cold cave. It’s a unique challenge for sporty people without claustrophobia. As sunlight enters the glacier, the ice filters out all other colors and only allows blue to shine through, creating the spectacular world of blue and white ice patterns and designs. The temperature inside the Ice Palace hovers around zero degrees Celcius. The sense of being inside a glacier is quite indescribable: a heady combination of dynamism and serenity. Quite simply one of the most beautiful places that we have ever had the privilege of visiting. At times we were walking only on ice, and by walking I mean slipping and sliding, while at other times we were crawling on hands and knees to explore side caves. We were lucky enough to be the only people on the last tour of the day, and because we were so enthusiastic, the project leader allowed us to enter a section of the cave not usually accessible to the public. Sections of the cave have been illuminated with coloured lights which add a different dimension to the experience, and the guide is well experienced at pointing out the most interresting locations. On a practical note, the cave is accessed from the top ski lift at Hintertux and is a 200m walk under supervision from the stunning Gefrorene Wand viewpoint which provides stunning vistas over the Tyrol and over the Dolomites.

The deepest blue coloration of the ice cave crystals by B℮n on Flickr.