Touring in the Stubai Alps - Austria
I spent all of last week in our German offices, working on next Spring and Winter's product ranges. Nestling in the heart of the Bavarian Countryside, only a matter of minutes from the foothills of the Nothern Alps and only an hour or so from the Austrian Tyrol it is an all too tempting spot for escaping into the mountains.
With relatively warm temperatures predicated, the avalanche risk at lower elevations was forecast to be high and so Thomas and myself decided to head over towards the central Alps in the Stubai region of Austria, to allow us to get above 3000m and find the best conditions. All photos courtesy of Thomas Strobl.
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| Skinning up the Pfaffenferner glacier, Monica behind (bottom R) |
Taking advantage of the uplifts at the Stubaigletchser resort we quickly found ourselves basking in the sun at nearly 3000 metres. It was 10 o'clock and already warm. Our desination that day was the highest peak in the region, the Zuckerhutl (the SugarLoaf) which stands proud, the highest peak in the Stubai region at 3505m.
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| Rich at the Pfaffenjoch (3212m) en route to Zuckerhutl |
From the hustle and crowds of the Stubaigletchser resort, we had gone within minutes, into a small and secluded valley. Greeted with silence, just a few other ski tourers could be seen on the glacier high above. With skins on (furry strips of fabric that let you ski uphill - originally from animal skins, hence the name but now synthetic) we began the gradual ascent of 600 metres or so to the summit. It was a steady climb that took a couple of hours, first a steady climb up the Pfaffenferner glacier to a col at 3212m before a long easterly traverse took us alongside and under the north face of the Zuckerhutl. From it would be a relatively straightforward climb to its summit. But in the relative warmth (the freezing level was around 3000 metres) even in just a Polartec base-layer and Shroud Jacket it was hot work.
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Tom below the summit of Zuckerhutl
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| Rich at the 'ski station' beneath Zuckerhutl |
From the ski station it was ski's off and short but relatively straightforward climb to the summit. And before we knew it, there Tom and I were, looking across to the Oztal Alps and further West towards the Wildspitze and onto Switzerland, to the South lay Italy and the distinct peaks of the Dolomites.
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| Rich & Tom after summiting Zuckerhutl |
After a night spent in the Dresdner Hut, we were joined by two of Thomas' friends Markus and Monica, who living in nearby Innsbruck knew these mountains like the back of their hand. Again the day was forecast to be relatively warm, so again we decided to stay as high as possible.
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Markus, Rich & Monica
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Whizzing up in the cable car, we were quickly taken to 3133m. A short descent down firm piste and we were off , skirting the edge of the Windacher Ferner glacier before dropping down into a large bowl at around 2800m. This is what alpine touring is all about, the mountains were deserted, skiing fresh tracks as we descended some thousand feet through firm but forgiving snow, surounded to our North by a cirque of craggy peaks.
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Fresh tracks, awesome views and no crowds
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From the shadowy bowl we looked upwards, the rising glacier above was steeper than it looked. We would now have to regain the 350 metres of height we had just lost and we hadnt gone very far before we realised that the long climb ahead was more avalanche prone that we had first suspected. A quick pit and tell-tale chalky snow revealed a less stable series of slab layers, not horrendous, but worrying enough to ascend with extreme caution. 30 metres apart and sticking high to the edge of the snow-field on the Warenkarferner glacier we made our way up.
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| Looking back down the Warenkarferner, the obvious peak is Stubaier Wildspitze |
As we neared the col the slope gradient increased. You did not need to be an expert to realise this was prime avalanche terrain. Thomas tried to avoid the normal line, hoping to find a safer way through the rock bands but it was not possible. And so Markus looked for a line up the remaining slope, skinning across an unforgiving surface that had been scoured ice hard, there was only one option and that was to take the ski's off and climb the last 10 metres or so on foot.
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| Rich negotiating steeper ground and unstable windslab |
Dropping off the west side of the col we descended an easy 200 metres across a sweeping glacier before climbing up once again and traversing around towards our one main summit of the day, the Hint Daunkopf.
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| Rich skiing the upper reaches of the Sulztalferner glacier |
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| Wilde Leck (3361m) towers behind |
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| Tom nearing the summit of Hint. Daunkopf (3255m) |
After a series of short climbs and fantastic descents, with ski's left at the col, Tom and I made quick work up the snowy scree slopes to 3255m whilst Markus and Monika opted to relax in the sun! From here it was some 1500 metres of descent, first through firm and fast snow, later as we dropped below the 2500m contour line, softer less forgiving conditions before a bone rattling traverse across avalanche debris brought us back to the security and hustle of the pistes.
With a less promising forecast for Sunday, we mulled over the options. Sat in Markus' apartment overlooking Innsbruck we pondered the encroaching weather as Markus gave us a lesson in tropical fish, sat as we were next to his giant indoor aquarium brimming with exotic fish from Lake Tanganika. When Markus wasnt skiing or climbing, this was his other great passion.
The updated forecast was much more hopeful, the weather was coming in from the South and would not reach the central Alps until late afternoon. And with temperatures forecast to drop it was decision made, we headed up past the growing resort of Kuhtai and into a hugely popular touring area to the South-West. Other than some thousand metres of ascent, today was to be an easier, shorter day. One-way up onto the Mitteltalferner glacier and col at 2758m before reversing our tracks and skiing all the way back down, back in time for lunch.
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| Skinning up through the Mitte Tal |
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| Skinning up steepening ground on the Mittertal ferner. Circa 2800m |
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| Markus, Monika & Karl following behind |
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| Rich grappling with kick-turns on steep ground |
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| (L-R) Rich, Thomas, Markus & Monika |
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| Markus descending the Mittertalferner |
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| Karl Kahofer (CEO of Britax) proving that you can work and play hard |
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| Descending into the shadows one last time |
Gear:
I used a mixture of gear touring on this trip, the exceptionally warm conditions meant lightweight layers were key and many pieces I would normally wear at least occasionally remained firmly in my pack.
As ever my
G2 Mountain Pants were indispensible, these are awesome alpine trousers, excellent for alpine touring in cooler conditions. On cold days I would wear these in conjunction with thermal leggings but on this trip were more than adequate on their own.
Next to skin, I wore either a
Crux Tee or LS Polartec base-layer, which most of the time I then wore in conjunction with a
Shroud Jacket. On the colder day I swapped this in favour of our
Concordia Jacket, which is warm, light and very breathable.
With such great weather you could be forgiven for forgetting about outer shell but protection from the wind is as important as anything, especially on descents. On Day One I opted to wear our new
Trojan Jacket, a lightweight and stretchy WINDSTOPPER softshell, but with such warm temperatures, I carried it most of the time and so for the remainder of the trip, left this behind and simply wore and carried my trusty GORE-TEX Active Shell
Firelite Jacket. This fabric is ideal for ski touring, being exceptionally light and very breathable.
To keep my hands warm, I wore
Super Alpine gloves nearly all of the time. These are really dexterous, provide a nice balance of warmth without being overly hot and are windproof and snow-resistant, great for damp snow-melt conditions.
Randonee gloves which are normally my main glove of choice remained firmly in my pack, too warm for the conditions. To keep my head warm, my retro ME buff from many years ago and a
branded knitted beanie.
Finally I carried but never wore my
Fitzroy Jacket and
Firelite Pant. Both hid firmly at the bottom of my pack. Shovel, avalanche probe, first aid-kit, transceiver, lightweight crampons and axe, harscheisen (ski crampons), sunglasses & goggles, repair kit and food / drink made up the rest of my pack. We didnt carry a rope or harness but would normally be recommended if you're travelling through unfamiliar glacial terrain.
