Four days on skis across the Silvretta, five peaks over 3,000 meters high, over 5,000 meters of ascent and powdering back down – a breathtakingly beautiful but also very exhausting undertaking.
We set off together with my brother Thomas by bus from Munich to Innsbruck. There we make an overnight stopover and let ourselves be introduced to the Innsbruck bar scene. But not for too long, because an early start is planned for the next day. At 6 a.m. by train to Landeck and from there by ski bus to Galtür – our starting point. From there we climb up to the Jamtalhütte, drop off some of our things, and summit the first 3,000er of the tour, the Gamsspitze. Quite exhausted but full of anticipation for the next few days, we fall into bed in the evening.
On the second day we climb the Dreiländerspitze, where the borders of Tyrol, Arlberg, and Switzerland meet. Strong winds and scrambling over steep rocks make the ascent quite interesting. Then we descend on the other side into the next valley to the Wiesbadener Hütte, where we spend the second night.
As the weather report had already feared, the conditions on the third day are very nasty. Strong winds, poor visibility, and heavy snowfall. Nevertheless, we set off early in the morning and fight our way through the storm over the Ochsentaler Glacier towards the highest peak of our tour, the Piz Buin (3312m). We manage to fight our way through the wind and weather and deep snow to the summit, surely the only ascent on this day. But that is far from the end of the day. We still cross two more valleys with several ascents and enjoy a wonderful sunset in an untouched, freshly snow-covered valley. Then, after more than 12 hours on skis, we arrive in the dark at the Klostertaler Umwelthütte. How lucky that a friendly group of Cologne locals had already heated it up!
On the fourth day we summit the Knoten and from there climb over the steep ridge to the Silvrettahorn. We enjoy the wonderful view over the entire Silvretta once more and set off back into the valley past the Silvratta reservoir to Galtür. From there by hitchhiking, by train, and by bus back to Munich.
A mega tour, we saw a lot, experienced a lot, and lost a few kilos. So my first ski traverse was a complete success =D I am ready for another adventure like this anytime!
Photos: Thomas Herdieckerhoff, @germanadventurer, https://www.germanadventurer.com/
