Ahrntal fun

Published on 2020-1-2 by Michael Stanton

Thursday

We drove away from Munich, hoping to find a ski tour on the way down to Sand in Taufers. We were:

• Georg, long known to this venerable web site.
• Ulli, demoness of ski touring.
• Kevin, legend of the Allgäu. Has great bib-pants that I also seek to have!
• Me, way too used to comfort and warmth.

We talked about the problems of coaching people over internal barriers. I delivered very wise advice, despite never once flopping over one of my own internal, and continual reinforced barriers! But, maybe, somewhere out there, somebody overcomes something sometimes!

Finally we settled on the fabled Navisertal. Georg thought the people of this valley made camera equipment. No one was outside so we couldn't ask. We zoomed up to the trailhead for the Pfoner Kreuzjöchl in Ulli's Caddy, loaded with gear. Thank God we were pretty organized. Nobody lost anything, and we always had the gear we needed. Seriously, only in Germany, amirite?

We skied up a road for a while, then came to a sunny ridgetop where we rolled up our sleeves and put on sunglasses, passing by an avalanche control fence. We got to the summit, took a few pictures and admired the blue, white and black peaks around us. A good start!

The way down was great, but I immediately faceplanted in the ice when my binding came undone. My upper lip was swollen the rest of the day. Kevin and Ulli took a steeper way down. We stopped at the (closed) Obere Vögeleralm to drink tea and relax in the sun. Below this we had some confusion about how to descent to the car. There was a fear that if we got on the other side of the valley we wouldn't be able to return (looking at a map now later I think it would be okay). We descended through steep trees, which tested my skiing abilities. Basically, I kick-turned my way down that stuff!

We got back, then tired but pleased, we drove to our place in Sand in Taufers.

Us on top of the Pfoner Kreuzjöchl (2638 m)

Friday

Georg on the first icefall pitch

The Gear Beast, known for his valuable pelt

Kevin above a vertical section

Kevin and Uli on the ice

See you sometime!

Ice climbing! I don't know the name of our icefall, but I know there were only four parking places at the switchback on the road up to Rein in Taufers, and we were eager to get there early. We were first!

I got angry at the mountainside for being steep and icy on the hike up to the base of the waterfall. Complaining to Ulli and Kevin about being old and heavy, I was warned that I would have to buy the beer for such outbursts. I stopped right away!

Georg led the four pitches of WI3+, with Kevin and Ulli climbing a line to the right. It took me a pitch or two to get back into the hang of swinging tools, but eventually I had so much fun that I declared I wanted to do the same climb for two solid weeks! Alas, we never made it back to this climb, but gosh, it was so enjoyable. The last pitch had an exciting leftward traverse with a couple mixed tool placements on a granite boulder where the ice ran out. Ice was thick enough, and protection very good.

Georg laughed as I flopped through some small trees to reach his belay. Everybody got points added for elegance or taken away for lack of it, here.

Ulli and I visited the sauna, discouraged because there was a waiting list. But we meditated and gosh, this shorted the wait a lot. Really fun "aufguss" occasions in the sauna, though one of them was so hot I had red streaks on my back. We all had great pizza for dinner.

Saturday

Georg and Kevin climbed an icefall with a 500 meter approach, but I was feeling a cold coming on and stayed home. Ulli wanted to do planning work for her business. In the end we all loved what we did for the day. Ulli and I did make sure to visit the sauna once more, ha ha! Dinner was pretty good at this mousetrap place.

The Taufers castle

Sunday

We wanted to ski up the Vordere Hornspitze, but there was a ridiculous wind event going on (30 meters/second). Huge plumes of snow blasted across the southern slopes. We found a safe and wind-protected destination in Gornerberg, aka "Henne," following a sledding road up a forested, north-facing valley.

Hiking up to Gornerberg, aka Henne (2475 m)

The summit of Henne

All of us on Henne

Ulli descends from Henne

A masked Georg on the descent

Looking to the windy Vordere Hornspitze (3148 m)

This worked very well. There was some good snow in this descent. Quite a few people went up and down this peak. Georg and I grabbed a table at the Marxegger Alm, drinking beer or radler and eating Gröstl. Kevin and Uli climbed up a sub-peak, and came down telling us about all the powder we missed!

The sun creates smiles

Dinner was in a fantastic wine cellar. Really fun. No sauna, we did enough o that!

Evening is for polite discussion

Monday

Sigh, our last day. Now that the wind had calmed down, we could climb the Vordere Hornspitze. At 1700 meters of elevation gain I was worried I might not quite make it. In fact, I didn't, making my high point about 150 meters below the summit. But it was a great climb. Warm in the sun. Definitely feeling the altitude near the end. Georg and Kevin were ahead of me. Ulli came up as I finished rigging my skis for descent and I wished her good luck for the summit.

I had a problem because there must have been glue on one of my skis because snow stuck to the bottom! I had to clear off all the ice and try again. But then it was a magnificent trip down, at least for the upper part. Below the Göge Alm, I lost the road for a while, then found it again. Lower, the slope was frozen hard, and I rattled painfully down until coming to a groomed cross-country track. Here, Georg found me and we continued to the Caddy.

Dinner near the Europabrücke. What a great time with some funny, organized and very fit folks. Thanks Georg, Ulli, Kevin!

Climbing above the Göge Alm

Descending from the Vordere Hornspitze

Impressive peaks of the Ahrntal as shadows grow