Lange Wand Ridge
Photos Sean Macken

Walking the Zillertaler Alpen

by Sean Macken

On 9th August 2016 our train from Munich brought us into Mayrhofen and from there we took a bus to Hintertux, arriving well after mid day. Paul and I still had a busy day ahead, the start of a week in the Zillertaler Alpen following the Peter Habeler trail. Some unsettled conditions in the mountains were expected, but nothing too serious. Our aim for the first day was to reach Friesenberghaus. First, up to the Tuxer Joch (2338m) in the cable car after a meal. We could have continued up to Spannagelhaus and completed half the day’s trek by cable car, but we had come to walk!

This particular part of the Peter Habeler trail runs south and southeast over the Obere Schwarze Platte, with large rocks to surmount and stiff climbing, leading to Friesenbergscharte (2904m). Great views of the Hoher Riffler (3231m) and the Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen (3288m) peaks should have been possible but it had started to rain. Clambering over rocks I slipped and banged my head on a boulder, with the resulting slight cut producing much blood for a few moments. The steep descent of the Friesenbergscharte, almost a cliff, was aided by steel cables, but made trickier by rain gear. After much zig-zagging on the descent, we arrived at Friesenberghaus (2477m) around 20:00, just before dark. The hut was full, warm and convivial. A doctor from Bavaria cleaned and dressed my injury (more dried blood than real injury), kindness itself, while I disposed of several much-needed beers (with the doctor’s permission) and a huge bowl of stew. This was my first, but not last, encounter with help from fellow trekkers and the hospitality of alpine huts.

Morning revealed a winter scene; it had snowed overnight, several inches in fact covering the trail markings on our intended high level route to the Olpererhütte. The drying room was packed with still-wet clothes and boots which needed to be turned and re-turned to get the best drying effect. It was 10:00 before we got away. None of the departing guests attempted the now obscured high level trails. Like them, we headed down into the river valley, a clear route to join the Schlegeisweg. The path was an easy walk to the lake, Schlegeisspeicher, with great views, and then headed up to Olpererhütte (2389m). There was less snow in the valley, but a bitter wind was blowing between the peaks. The short walk and the luxury of the hut were welcome after previous day’s efforts. There was snow all around and on the mountain peaks.

Next day, back on the Peter Habeler trail, (snow on the trail but painted markers visible) we headed south to fitscherjoch-haus (Rifugio Passo di Vizze) which is just across the border into Italy. The route followed the contours for the most part with a slight overall descent to 2275m, passing along the way border markings for Südtirol/Alto Adige and great views of the Schlegeisspeicher, the Oberschrammachbach waterfall as well as standing stones.

Next day’s destination was Europahütte (formerly known as Landshuter Hütte) (2693m), also exactly on the border on the Tux main ridge. We followed the Peter Habeler trail (here the Landshuter Höhenweg) below the ridge that marks the border, encountering an intrepid, solitary lady climber from Tirol. After a slow six-hour trek, and yet more rain, we arrived a little damp at the hut. The host was genial and the meal excellent, though with the damp and cold the drinking of cold beer was not a great idea. We were invited by three delightful young people from Rosenheim on their first mountain trek without parents to join their game of Gin Rummy. They had trekked from the Geraer Hütte, which was our next destination. Five hours they said. It was to take us much, much longer the following day.

The Europahütte has a chequered history as the border between Austria and Italy runs right through it. A dispute over the exact position of the border explains why it took so long to renovate the hut completely after the Second World War. It was an incredible thought that these beautiful mountains were so much fought over, especially in the First Word War, and were revisited by conflict in the Second World War. The two halves of the hut were maintained separately right up to 1987 but it is now managed jointly by the DAV and CAI.

Setting off from the Europahütte we negotiated the Sumpfschartl (a zig-zag up and steep descent with cables) and encountered again the lady climber of yesterday; a glad encounter. The Lange Wand ridge was the next obstacle after which, with many zig-zags, we got down into the Valsertal around 16:00. A stop for refreshments and then onwards on a gentle one hour climb to where we were just in time to catch the last cable car of the day, which conveyed our rucksacks up to the Geraer Hütte (2324m). For us it was still a two-hour climb, with many twists and turns. After a day of spectacular views of the mountain peaks, waterfalls, the Valsertal and green alpine slopes we finally arrived at the hut at 20:25. We had been on the trail for almost twelve hours.

From the Geraer Hütte we headed to the Tuxerjochhaus; first to Steinernes Lamm (2527m), then to Kleegrubenscharte (2500m) and then over much more uneven ground to Kasererscharte, Frauenwand (2541m), Keesboden and Tuxer Joch (2338m). Tuxerjochhaus (2323m) was the starting point for some of the walkers we encountered there, some on their way to the Adriatic. It was the last hut of our own six-day walk. In contrast to all the other huts we had visited, the breakfast at Tuxerjochhaus was meagre and hardly adequate for mountain walking on a journey to the Adriatic. For us it was just bearable as we only had to walk to the cable car to Hintertux and then head back to Munich. The rain on the first day’s walking had penetrated my rucksack and soaked my inadequately wrapped train ticket, which I had then inadvertently discarded. Luckily, I still had the receipt. This, however, cut no ice with the train staff on the Austrian side, so I had to cough up for a ticket to the border. On the German side, an amiable German train conductor made allowance for my predicament and accepted the receipt. Resolution for the future: download ticket onto mobile phone.

What we learned, apart from having the essentials of fitness and preparation reinforced, was that it is worthwhile having the contact numbers of huts already stored on your mobile phone in case of delay. Also, snow can cover trail markings, even in summer, so one may need to develop a “Plan B” for any day.

Valsertal

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