Winter has finally reappeared, here in the Allgäu Alps, and I have been lucky enough to get out on tour twice. The snow's mush, now, so, while I wait for some fresh stuff to fall (expected later this week) I thought I'd raise something, here: both of these tours were in the vicinity of Gunzesried – on the north- and north-east-facing slopes south of the valley – and both of these tours were absolutely plagued by bloody wire fences.
I rode over the first one on the down-hill and, although it lefts its mark on the bottom of one of my skis (they're five years old, not new) I was luckily going rather slowly and my tips passed over the wire. I could shout a warning back to the rest of the party and nobody else suffered except for having to stop to step over the wire that I had first exposed.
We encountered several more on the up-hill of the second tour. These ones had multiple strands – some thick wire, some barbed, some which looked to be electrified in the summer – probably with portable batteries.
NONE of these were in odd areas. In fact, the up-hill ones were across what was basically a skinning Autobahn and within 100 metres of a piste!
I've asked, around, and word on the street says that farmers "should" take their fences down but that farmers get lazy. Nobody seems to really know if this is a real rule or in legislation or by-law, somewhere, and nobody knows of a centre or number to call to report incidences laziness.
Has anyone, here, any more clue? I'll try to get in touch with the DAV – they should surely know the truth of the matter.
I'm also having sly, wicked thoughts regarding the addition of a pair of wire-cutters to my touring pack. For weight-training, of course. One can always get fitter.
(I am not a vandal but I am an anarchist. Those strands of wire are going to be rubbished by the next time the cows are sent up, there, anyway, but a snip here or there could well save someone's ski, ankle, leg, neck or even life!)