After last year’s introduction to the stunning Hohe Tauern National Park, and our weather beaten attempts to hut-hop our way to the top of Großvenediger, I searched eagerly through the “overseas meets” section on the AAC(UK) website earlier this year in the hope that a return to the Austrian Alps was under consideration by the tour planning team. Much to my delight, plans were well under way to create a development tour for the “younger” members of Alpenverein Britannia. The tour formed part of a heavily subsidised trip that would be led by a guide from WELTbewegend, offering an opportunity for U35s to take on the challenge of climbing two of the highest peaks in Austria in just five days, Großvenediger and the majestic Großglockner. In the detailed joining instructions I spotted a familiar name from my first Hochtour with the AAC(UK) in June 2022. An unfortunate injury to a member of the WELTbewegend team meant the tour was hanging in the balance. Thankfully Ben Clayton-Jolly, a tour leader within the Club, stepped in at short notice to keep our dreams alive. What a trooper! The team of six (Rory, Dan, Julia, Ferdie and me, with Ben leading) was a mix of students, policemen, accountants and marketeers, delivering an array of fascinating conversations over cold beers and several courses of Apfelstrudel in the huts over the short week. With little acclimatisation between us, the odds of squeezing in both peaks in such a short space of time presented a challenge, but equally a fantastic opportunity for us to learn and develop under Ben’s guidance. We were in for a treat.

The meet location was the seasonally quiet village of Matrei where we’d be based between our summit attempts, catered for by Marlies (the owner of Hotel Obwexer) with a feast for breakfast and a comfortable bed to recharge our batteries. Weather forecasts for the week across both sides of the region predicted a mix of rain, sleet, thunder and sun. This ensured that plans A-Z were kept firmly on the table by Ben so that we were never out of ideas should the weather gremlins decide to put a halt to any ambitions to summit both peaks.

The first morning, we grabbed our bags and boarded a minibus to Venedigerhaus (1691m), where we would patiently sit out a brief downpour and hold round one of the Strudel eating contest. By midday we were ready to begin the four-hour, 1100m ascent to Neue Prager Hütte (2769m), where we would prepare for our first summit attempt the following day. Next morning provided a welcoming sight in the form of clear blue skies, giving a pleasant indicator of our route to the top of Großvenediger (3657m). From Neue Prager Hütte we had approximately 45 minutes of steady movement before joining the glacier, where it was time to dust off the crampons and rope up. For me, where the adventure truly began!

We started our ascent from the east, with the morning sun against our backs and reflecting off the snow. The remainder of the route offered a steady climb, paced out to perfection by Ben at the front, and we cruised our way up the slope before popping our heads over the brow of the hill to see a fabulous picture of the summit. The final section of the route offered a spectacular walk across a somewhat exposed ridge, and with not much vertical distance left, a feeling of excitement began to grow amongst the group as we walked in single file along the narrow snow path, but not before a brief stop for a group shot amongst one of the most beautiful backdrops in the park! After summiting Großvenediger in approximately four hours from Neue Prager Hütte, our attention diverted to the descent back across the ridge whence we would continue straight down the glacier for a steady two-hour walk towards Johannishütte (2121m), where more Strudel and a ride off the park awaited us. Mission 1 complete.

Part 2 of the tour offered a chance to gain great insight into scenario planning when the weather decides to be a “pain in the arm”. Given our good luck on Großvenediger I was a little sceptical of the weather playing ball, with forecasts from several sources pointing to a mixed bag over the next three days. Ben gathered the group at the start point at the Lucknerhaus (1918m) and laid out a reactive plan that offered several solutions should we be disrupted by the weather on our way to the top of Großglockner. This involved being flexible between Salmhütte (2638m) and the famous (and busy) Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte (3451m) where we could opt to stay while waiting for an opportunity for a summit push in more favourable conditions.

Shortly after setting off, it became clear that Salmhütte would be our first stop. After an overcast sky began to creep in, the group picked up the pace as we headed through the valley past Glorer Hütte (2642m), where the friendly hut warden recommended we didn’t stop for too long if we wanted to make it to Salmhütte without getting soaked. From Salmhütte we decided to set off late morning to dodge the showers, with ample time to reach Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte to rest before the final push to the summit of Großglockner (3798m). The route offered an exciting mix of scrambling and exposed terrain that required a degree of focus as we traversed under a narrow pass, keeping the Alte Salmhütte directly above us to our right, until we reached a rather wet Klettersteig marking the next section of our march to the top of Austria. Climbing the windy ladders became an objective risk and ropes were a necessary safety requirement, so we took it in turns, with Ben setting up a belay at the top. After an eerie top-out in a layer of fog, we followed our feet up the final section to Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte, just in time for tea.

With a long day ahead, we were up before first light along with what seemed like half of Austria, as we crammed our way out of the boot room and onto the platforms outside. Even with the hut being the highest in Austria, a poor night’s sleep couldn’t dampen the group’s enthusiasm and excitement for our final leg of the tour. We set out in good spirits amongst a backdrop of limited visibility and began to follow the train of climbers up the steep north slopes of the mountain. The final few hundred metres of the climb offered some exciting scrambling opportunities (PD+) where the team showed its strength, supporting other climbers whilst waiting patiently to cross the short, exposed ridge during the final approach. Soon we reached the highest peak in Austria and huddled around for another group shot.

The trip back down was bittersweet. The feeling of a trip coming to an end, coupled with exhaustion, offered a chance to reflect on the amazing experience of what we had accomplished throughout the week. Ben has become a great mentor since I joined the Club and I am sure I speak for the group in saying thank you to him and to AAC(UK) for the fantastic opportunity. The only thing left to say is, what’s next?!

Hochtour Scrambling at 3300m

Salmhütte Sektion Britannia terrace

Großvenediger summit ridge

Großvenediger summit

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