Mark Mulrain along with a few friends spent a couple of weeks out paddling in the North Alps. Mark has kindly agreed to his North Alps trip log being published on Unsponsored.
The log details the runs and overall costs incurred during the trip. This should prove to be a useful guide for anyone thinking about paddling out in the Alps. Prices are correct for July 2012 and exchange rates are based upon the published rates on the 23/07/12.
Austria 2012 – 4 Groups of 1 from Mark Mulrain on Vimeo.
North Alps 2012 – Trip Log
7th July
Fuel – £55.18
Left Glasgow @ 10:30
Dropped Rachel off in York
Fuel – £67.20
Toll – £1.90
Ferry departs Dover @ 22:50 (UK Time) – http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/book-online/
8th July
Ferry arrives at Dunkerque @ 01:20 (French Time) Fuel – €53.09
Fuel – €50.54
Road tax – €16
Arrive @ Prutz – 16:00
Inn (Tösens to Prutz)
Dinner – €13.30 (paid individually)
9th July
Food – €12.40
Camping, 2 nights @ Prutz – €108.80 http://www.aktiv-camping.at/
Food – €2.05
Rosanna (Section above Wolfs Gorge) Lower Oetz (Slalom Course)
Food – €5
Drinks – €50.80
11th July
Food – €5
Imst Gorge
Food – €9.55
Imst Wave @ Crazy Eddys Drinks – €35.70
12th July
Fuel – €67.74
Food – €6.44
Upper Oetz and Lower Oetz
Food – €10.63
13th July
Food – €8.47
Food – €14.11
Scouting the Upper Pitzbach/Rest day
14th July
Lower Oetz
Food and Drinks – €31.20
15th July
Food – €11.90
Area 47 entry – €18 http://www.area47.at/en/home/
Food – €13.30
(All of day’s expenses paid individually)
16th July
Camping @ Haiming Camping Oberland (6 nights) – €224.40 http://camping-oberland.at/
Food – €4.59
Upper Pitzbach
Food – €6.47
17th July
Brail Gorge
Food – CHF15.30
18th July
Camping @ Camping Chapella (2 nights) – CHF86 http://www.campingchapella.ch/
Petrol – CHF73.31
Food – CHF1.50
Landeck Gorge
Food – €20.09
Inn Shoot
19th July
Food – €11.65
Finstermuenz Gorge
Food – €7.58
Camping @ Prutz (2 nights) – €105
20th July
Food – €12.75
Left Prutz @ 09:50 Toilets – €0.60 Fuel – €57.90
21st July
Ferry departs Dunkerque @ 00:00 (French time) Ferry arrived at Dover @ 01:15 (UK time)
Fuel – £74
Arrived home @ 10:30

Trip Expenses (per person) (£)
Ferry 20.25
Car Insurance for extra driver - 13.00
Breakdown Cover - 19.00
Travel Insurance - 23.34
Fuel – 49.10
Tolls – 0.48
Gas - 3.45
Total - 128.62

Trip Expenses (per person) (€)
Fuel – 57.32
Austrian road tax - 4.00
Camping – 109.55
Food – 82.86
Bus Fare – 0.48
Area 47 Entry - 18.00
Drinks – 21.63
Misc - 0.15
Total - 293.99

Trip Expenses (per person) (CHF)
Camping - 86.00
Fuel - 73.31
Food - 16.80
Total – 176.11

Total Spent
On 23/07/12;
€293.99 = £229.22 CHF176.11 = £114.34
Grand Total in £ = £472.18
Things to Consider for Future Austria Trips
Camping is very expensive in Austria and Switzerland. Wild camping is banned but I have heard that you are unlikely to be bothered in certain rural areas. A van would be useful for staying in. It might even be cheaper to look into renting a house.
If you are spending time in Switzerland take across as much food/drink as possible, it is expensive in Switzerland. Border patrols are so used to kayakers passing through they will rarely even flag down a car to ask them questions.
One of our group broke a piece of his GoPro camera and couldn’t find spares out there. Take spare bits and pieces. There are also no kayaking shops in Austria, so take a spare/split paddle.
Around the Austrian/Swiss border there is a duty free town called Samnaun. Well worth a visit for fuel (about £0.90 a litre for diesel when we visited) and alcohol etc.
http://www.gokayaking.at/River-Levels.html is useful for checking river levels.
If your group only has 1 car then local bus services can be useful for shuttles. A lot of these buses only operate once every hour so timing and patience is needed.
There are absolutely hundreds of runs not in the guidebook. Do some research and you may find something special. The tourist office on Oetz will actually give you a free guidebook for the area.
If it’s on route, Luxembourg has some of the lowest petrol prices in Europe.

Leave a Reply