Ox Trail Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Back to last summer ...

My today's photo was taken in the Austrian federal state Vorarlberg and it shows its highest mountain, the Piz Buin (3.312m) in Silvretta massif. The valley in front of us leading up to the glaciers is "Ochsental" (Ox valley).

The names derives from the fact that the passage to the Swiss canton Grisons (Graubünden) left hand of the peak, Vermunt Pass, in the 16th and 17th century was ice free. The village Ardez in Switzerland behind Piz Buin then has had an age-old pasture right here in Austria, exactly on the place where the storage lake Silvrettasee is situated today (left hand outside the picture). In these times the cattle drive from Grisons to the summer pastures here north of the main ridge of the Alps was possible. In 1622 this way however was destroyed in order to prevent military troops from using this passage.
This effort however nearly was in vain because this Alpine pass glaciated again some years later in the course of the so called "Little Ice Age" which happened in this time.
Swiss people anyway for some years tried to reach their summer pastures across the "new" glacier but because of the annual loss of cattle they soon couldn't exercise their pasture right north of the ridge any longer.
Oxes didn't cross Ox Valley any longer ... but - who knows ? - in some years ...

In the map view left hand I put the marker exactly on Vermunt Pass. Some kilometers north-west of the pass you can see the storage lake, where the pastures have been.

edge, Uhu, amaryllis, Guenther, eska, saxo042, jlynx, ellelloo, thor68, snunney, jusninasirun, buscape, mvdisco, dareco has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

buscape (3779) 2008-11-02 21:22

Hallo Frank,
tolles Landschaftsbild aus den Bergen.
Ich mag den Blick durch die V-förmige Anordnung der dunklen Berghänge auf die schneebedeckten Berge im Hintergrund. Grossartiger Kontrast. Die Farben sind ebenfalls sehr schön und natürlich. Der leicht bewölkte Himmel vollendet diese wunderbare Komposition.
Viele Grüsse und noch eine schönen Wochenbeginn,
Helmut

jasmis (50560) 2008-11-02 22:22

Wild and severe place. I like such mountain landscapes.
Regards my dear friend.

John_F_Kennedy (31563) 2008-11-02 23:30

Schöner Blick über die ALm hinaus zu den schneebedeckten Bergen. Es ist immer wieder ein faszinierender Anblick.
Viele Grüße,
Achim

bema (8824) 2008-11-02 23:48

Guten Morgen Frank,

herrliche Landschaft und ein toller Blick hinauf zu deinem "Lieblingsberg", wenn ich mich recht erinnere, toller Bildaufbau und klasse Farben..

Gruß Bernd

jusninasirun (10209) 2008-11-03 0:45

Hi Frank. The view is amazing with the loose rocks well placed among the green grass. The snow capped peak and beautiful sky make this a stunner. Regards. Jusni

snunney (34998) 2008-11-03 1:28

Hello Frank,
A fine composition with very good point of view. The low point of view empasises the difference between foreground hills with their lush grassland and the snow covered mountains in the background.

thor68 (5537) 2008-11-03 1:43

das ist echt fies - ein blick nach draußen in den grauen kölner himmel...und du gibst uns diesen tollen ausblick! :-)
das wär ich jetzt auch gern. schöne saftige grüne wiesen, hohe schneebedeckte berge und ein blauer himmel
- was will man(n) mehr?! lovely job & einen guten wochenstart, thor.

jrj (34779) 2008-11-03 2:16

A fine landscape capture Frank with good use of the format and not least the u-shaped foreground valley. A most attractive place to visit.

mesutilgim (36906) 2008-11-03 2:17

Hallo lieber Frank,
Ist es etwa der 6.Sinn ? Ich habe auch etwas vom letzten Summer geschickt !
Dieses hier ist auch toll gesehen und gestaltet. Frueher waren wir jedes Jahr verrueckt nach einem Kalender aus der Schweis mit tollen Bergszenen. Dies hat mich daran erinnert. Gutes Bildaufbau und gute nuetzliche Infos.
Danke schoen und beste Gruesse aus dem sonnigen und warmen İstanbul.
MESUT ILGIM

ellelloo (4819) 2008-11-03 2:28

Hello Frank,
A great mountain view accompanied by a most interesting note. Piz Buin is shown here in all its splendour from an excellent POV and in a good composition. I like the sense of wilderness in this landscape. Yes, who knows, if the passage will be ice free again after some years or decades. TFS.
Greetings from chilly Espoo,
Lasse

jlynx (11380) 2008-11-03 3:22

Hello Frank,
The photo performed in July, but by the presence of snow on tops reminds about the nearness of winter. Deep inside the Piz Buin. Nice picture with very well composed foreground. Excellent weather guaranteeed beautifully replete colours and good lights. It's surely most pleasant photo of this pass with the view on Piz Buin.
Best regards from foggy Poznan,
Jurek

jplebrun (17084) 2008-11-03 4:51

Hi Frank
quand je vois de si beau paysage j'ai le gout d'aller me promener en montagnes, belle réalisation aux couleurs limpides
Amitiés
Jean-Pierre

saxo042 (15812) 2008-11-03 5:33

Hi Frank,
A beautiful capture of this (for us) well known part of the world. I gather this is your favourite mountain here :-)
Regards
Gunnar
PS Something has happened to the TE map pictures; there is no marker to be seen on my screen...

Guenther (6853) 2008-11-03 7:53

Hallo Frank,

bei dem momentanen sch... Wetter ist es immer angenehm schöne Sommerbilder zu betrachten. Der Kontrast zwischen den grünen Bergwiesen im Vordergrund, dem grau-weißen Gletscher und dem strahlend blauen Himmel ist sehr attraktiv. Sehr schön ist auch die V-Form des Tales zu erkennen, was auf den Ursprung durch einen Wasserlauf schließen lässt.

Schönen Abend
Günther

amaryllis (17565) 2008-11-03 7:59

Bonjour Frank
Que la montagne est belle! oui sous tous ces aspects, et là un retour en été ce qui ne fait pas de mal, ces beaux paturages bien verts et ce V des montagnes enneigées en arrière plan, des nuages dans ce ciel bleu, de bons ingredients pour une excellente réalisation
bonne soirée
juliette

Uhu (7394) 2008-11-03 10:25

Greetings! Interesting story - really interesting - and great photo again! And Vorarlberg again, I certainly will visit it, if I'll have a chance.
Greetings!

edge (512) 2008-11-03 17:15

Beautiful shot of the mountain. Voralberg is a lovely area and I note that you have captured many of the views there. I enjoy driving the Silveretta Strasse. I have been there four times over the past ten years. I especially enjoy your notes that fill one in on the picture. I haven't posted much here over the past year, but seeing those mountains etc, makes me want to follow up with some of my own shots. Thanks for posting.

Janice (4386) 2008-11-04 1:09

Nice scene FRank
I like seeing the green grass while there is snow on the far mountains. (Piz Buin - we have suntan lotion called that here!!)
Such old history - I do like reading about the history of Europe an England.
And I like your composition here too,
TFS
Janice

testmaniac (12222) 2008-11-05 4:48

Hallo Frank, nice mountain landscape and very green mood. Excellent exposure.

TFS and regards from autumn Bulgaria,
Phil

mvdisco (11553) 2008-11-07 7:21

Hi Frank bonjour,
Superbe paysage et composition, couleurs
magnifiques avec un excellent point de vue,
Excellent cliché et détails,
compliments
Michel

dareco (17104) 2008-11-10 0:47

A beautiful scene that I would love to see in person! The mountains are gorgeous!! and the colors and detail are superb. TFS

sacavem (8319) 2008-11-23 4:47

Beautiful place,Frank.
It is a pretty postcard of Austria /Partenen. A most attractive place to visit.
Regards,
Filipe