Bear sighting in Kaunertal, Austria?
Just back from the Kaunertal Glacier. Great conditions and superb conditions in fact all weekend on the Pitztal Glacier and the Kaunertal Glacier. I was one of the last people on the glacier and was recording a video of the sunset and generally marveling at the drama of the area, all in wonderful seclusion. Across the valley I saw in the far distance what I thought was a skier attempting a Seth Morrison type descent. I grabbed my SLR and waited for some incredible shots. The object moved across the slopes and then up a narrow shoot. Knowing now it was not a skier I assumed it was a bird that was somewhere between myself and the valley side, some 1 or 2 km away. Then I realised it had all the markings of a bear, very visible even at distance, powerful going up the slope and fitting a pattern of bear sightings in the glacial valleys of the region. I am completely unaware of the finer points of bear migration and habitats but in looking through the SLR zoom, I was sure it was a bear on the other side of the valley. Take a look at the images below. Top image is an over view of the area. Bottom left is what I believe is a bear, bottom right, the rock to compare the static mountainside. I am no bear expert but it struck me straight away that this was a bear. Any bear experts out there?
Great, it’s not 100% but it could really be a bear.. There are a few bears in the tyrolean mountains.. seen rarely but they are there…. –> cool!
“Beer” experts is where you’ve slipped up with me Matt. Try this website for more info
http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/publikationen/M117.pdf
If it is a Brown bear? ( no relation I’m sure )you have indeed stumbled on a rare treat.
You should climb up there and be like Grizzly man for a few days!
Hey John, thanks for the information. I would also concede to not being an expert. There have been a few sighting of bears recently over here in Innsbruck. The reaction of the local hunters? – a shot of schnapps and load the rifles. Not sure if any of them were straight enough to shoot straight though.
Thanks Michelle, aber lieder nichts. I assume by Grizzly man you are referring to Timothy Treadwell (Timothy Dexter before his experimental drug faze). One of the wackiest characters you are likely to experience and despite his near madness and the fact he ended up in a bears’ digestive system, he had an astonishing understanding with animals (apart from the bear who devoured him).
The film Grizzly Man is a documentary by Werner Herzog – one of the more incredible stories you will see.
Looks like a dead crow to me! You are no better than those people that say they have seen the Loch Ness monster then produce a dodgy picture of two half tyres sticking out of the water, you have to do better than this Matt.
I actually gave up doing Seth Morrison type descents, purely as the bears were always getting in the way. Now I just stick to blue and red runs, where bears are seldom seen.
Well Cathy, at least I accepted the principals of a flat earth in 2005:)
Gave up, or took a year out? I am sure that you will be back to the extreme stuff next winter.
I think it was a chamois…to steep for a bear and chamois are much more common in the alps
any pictures of my subaru after you hit the fence?
ah yes, I forgot to mention that a German ran me off the road on the way to the bear sighting and I hit a fence in Flos’ subaru. If you don’t own a subaru then get one, it seems they miraculously repair themselves. That or maybe the damage from the fence is hidden by the rust spots on Flos’ immaculately kept body work. Incredible, there are no signs of the Kaunertalsee fence on the car
After 5 seasons living in the Apalachians (NEW ENGLAND)it is customary for me to expect a bear such as this to be on the menu for any self respecting New England male. It is just outsde of bear hunting season at present but in the vast Great North Woods a man can truly be a man . Does anyone remember the coat Anthony Hopkins wore at the end of Legends of the Fall ,just before the shootout at the homestead…that my friends was a bear hide and is incredibly warm. You can buy them in New Hampshire easily …about $ 600 but they look awesome. I would bet Bode Miller has bagged couple over the years !
RE Flo’s Sube …mine did 256 K hard miles before I gave it away …the best mountain car I’ve ever had…
Hey Ben, I guess the bear fur coats are not the ones you see on the Milan catwalks?
….and re: flos’ Subaru, then with a bit of Duct tape and a few less hours with me behind the wheel it might make it to 250k. Let’s hope so as it is his only possession of any value in the world – maybe his Bandit B3 as well, but only those 2.