Karwendal Klettersteig Meet, 2005
by Robert Dufton
The writer first heard about Jane Hughes when, some of those who took part in the meet she led in the Brenta Dolomites in 2004, immediately followed it with the Saas Fee 4000m+ meet, in which he took part. They arrived full of praise for her route selection, leadership of a group, and so appreciative of her company. So it was with eager anticipation that he and a group numbering twenty, in total, met in July 2005 in the Karwendelgebirge, which lie both in Austria and Germany near Innsbruck. Could Jane weave her particular magic two years running?
The meet assembled at the Lamsenjochhütte. The first day was bright and dry. With staggered timing, we made our way to the foot of the pale grey ridge behind the hut and started to ascend the face, which began rather like Jack's Rake above Stickle Tarn, but soon became considerably more exposed. After 15 minutes or so we entered the Brudertunnel, a complete chimney. Exiting from it was probably the most difficult manoeuvre of the week, and accounted for the route's C grading. From there, two hours brought us over two subsidiary peaks, which required some care even with the fixed wire protection and eventually to the summit of the Hochnissl (2546m). We enjoyed good views in all directions, particularly south, with the Tuxer and Zillertal groups, and even, in the distance to the south west, the twin peaks of Austria's second highest mountain, the Wildspitze, (known to many as the culmination of the AAC Alpine technique course based at the Braunschweiger Hütte).
All of us retraced the route along the ridge, and one group even had time to summit the nearby Lamsenspitze (2508m), with great views of the Hochnissl and our route along the ridge, before thick clouds started to come up from the valleys. The day ended for most with an exciting scree run down almost the whole of the east face of the Lamsenspitze.
At breakfast it seemed that overnight rain would continue. However, it stopped in time for a (partial) group photo before we set out westward (for much of the day following the trans-European A4 trail) beneath the huge wall of the great east-west ridge towering above us, first losing, then gaining height (for a short lunch stop at the Falkenhiitte), losing it again and then a final long ascent to the Karwendelhaus. After dinner we agreed our groups for the next day, with alternative routes suitable for a variety of interests, aptitude and stamina, but which would take us to the highest point of the meet, the Birkkarspitze, at 2749m.
The next day dawned bright and sunny. The route started behind the hut, rising sharply through the avalanche barriers, before levelling out to reach a fork. Most took the longer Brendelsteig route, an anti-clockwise circuit over the three Ödkarspitzen, whose central peak almost equals the Birkkarspitze in height. Our Klettersteig kit was not really necessary during the whole day, though it provided additional comfort, on one long descent. A few took the more direct route up a very long scree slope (in truth shattered rock). Both routes eventually meet on the saddle below the Birkkarspitze, with an easy 15 minutes to the top. We were at the heart of the Karwendelgebirge, and had great views in all directions, including, in the distance to the west, amidst some clouds, the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, which we would see from much closer later.
The next day was the toughest of the meet. A long and very hot day, requiring some 7-10 hours, to take us from Austria over the Baralp saddle to Mittenwald, our destination in Germany. The route was made more difficult for some by the writer's belief that a path could be followed on an even contour direct to the saddle. It began promisingly but sadly, after an hour, six of us were obliged to descend in order to join the true path, where we met the rest of the party. After the saddle, the descent into Germany came as some surprise as the route is far more challenging than the Freytag & Berndt map suggests. The fixed cable was particularly welcome, even on a dry day, as of course were our helmets to help protect against the risk of stone fall.
Jane's clever route planning had saved the best Klettersteig for last: the Mittenwalder Höhenweg. It runs almost entirely on the ridge which separates Germany and Austria, involving some 1500m of wire and 70m of ladders. The route seems sometimes over-protected, though at a few places the protection was very welcome indeed, which meant that some of us hardly clipped in.
With a few others we were able to fill a cable car, so the operator was willing to run it early, meaning we were at the top before the 9am official start time. A few went up the nearby Westliche Karwendelspitze. For most the excitement of starting in small groups on the Höhenweg proved irresistible. As it was Friday, we had the route almost to ourselves, and we were barely over-taken by other climbers, nor did we meet many coming in the opposite direction. The views were truly breathtaking, both in the near and far distance, particularly back into the heart of the Karwendelgebirge. We were able to pick out the peaks we had reached over the previous days and our routes between them, and see westward to the Zugspitze in the Wetterstein group.
In the evening we gathered to raise our glasses to say a big thank you to Jane, whose careful planning before-hand, attention to detail during the meet, and above all her ability to foster a positive attitude amongst a comparatively large and disparate group, though as she one united in our love of mountains, had ensured an excellent time was had by all twenty of us.
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Last updated: 04 December 2007