Alpspitze Klettersteig

Published on 2006-6-16 by Michael Stanton

Alpspitze Ferrata

June 16, 2006

Timing:Parked car at "Hunter Trail" trailhead at 6:15 am, on summit of Alpspitze at 9:00 am, back to car via a modified normal route down from Alpspitze, then walked the road to the saddle and ran down the Hunter's Trail. Reached car at 10:30 am.

For months I've wanted to hike up the Alpspitze in the Wetterstein Range. I decided that by getting up early I could do it in a half-day. Since I was starting long before the lifts open, I'd have to do the hike completely unassisted, alas! I drove up on a road to a trailhead that saved me about 300 meters of elevation gain.

I just took a rain jacket, a liter of water, crampons and ice ax. I'd seen pictures of the ferrata, and it seemed very easy, so I left the "big guns" (harness, special ferrata gear) in the car. I thought I had an apple to eat on the summit, but I left it in the car. As the only food for the whole trip, man did it taste good on the way home...

I hiked up the good, steep hunter's trail to a saddle, then turned right to follow steep meadows up to the top of the Alpspitzebahn. I wished I could take it home, but my car was partway up the mountainside so it wouldn't work.

The weather was iffy. I had driven through a rainstorm in the pre-alps, and only continued somewhat glumly towards Garmisch because I thought a hike in the wet trees might be good for exercise. However, the storm had disappated, though more clouds were building again. I thought I'd go until the weather told me I should turn around. Promptly it thundered. Hmm.

Let me just go a bit farther. Now I walked on snow and took a wrong turn to a high pass with a trail leading down to the Höllental. Very scenic detour! I got back on the trail (now snow covered), and pretty soon there were signs. I climbed up some old tracks in snow, and started the "iron climbing." This particular route is very fond of heavy-duty iron steps. A dark gray cloud behind the Alpspitze occasionally grumbled, but it wasn't coming closer. I went in and out of sun patches, sometimes in snow, sometimes on rock. The various iron gee-gaws were most helpful on the snow, which was sometimes icy and treacherous. Beginning to feel the altitude, I reached the ridge crest and got a stunning view of the Zugspitze and Höllental at my feet. Now I traversed a cliff on the west side of the summit, and soon stood on top.

There was a cross, a table, a bible (New Testament) and a very impressive log book. I admired the Jubiläumsgrat to the Zugspitze, and can't wait to have-a-go at it. The menacing cloud that bedeviled my thoughts on the ascent had vanished. It seemed like it would be a nice day here! Too bad I couldn't stick around.

I followed tracks down snow for several hundred feet, and was led onto a scenic ridge crest with occasional via-ferrata protection. More boot skiing and running down snowfields led to a choice between a cliff and a gentle trail going around a corner. Signs indicated they went to the same place, so I went down the cliff for a fun "mini-via-ferrata". Eventually the cable was lost in snow, so I carefully plunge-stepped down, linking snowfields with bits of exposed rock. 2 parties were starting up, and I said hello.

An easy walk back to the saddle followed (I was sorely tempted to buy a Spetzi at a hut beside the road), then a tiring jog/hike down the hunter's trail to the car.

I'm proud to make a first aqaintance with this beautiful mountain!