There are two gondolas that take you to the of the mountain and the Five Fingers lookout. After the first gondola ride you can get off and go on a tour of the Dachstein Giant Ice Caves. we did the Five Fingers first, and then the ice caves on the way back down.

It was freezing inside (actually .66 degrees celsius). We all had light rain jackets, but other than that, dressed for the summer weather. So it was a bit cold. But incredibly beautiful inside, with snow forming from water leaking in through cracks in the limestone mountain.

The walk up to the ice cave entrance was super steep, as was the walk through the snow caves themselves. The exit to the caves was 40 meters above where we entered.

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The ice is formed by water which seeps from the Dachstein plateau down into the cave through small cracks and joins in the cliff.

When outside temperatures lie above freezing but the caves still contain very cold air, the penetrating water freezes and forms magnificent ice shapes which define the magic of the giant ice cave.

Even when the water which seeps into the cave is warm in Summer, leading to a slight melting of this ice, the overall balance is one of growth; the winter-spring growth exceeds the summer-autumn ice loss and thereby guarantees the survival of this magnificent natural showcase.