Trekking in Austria's Hohe Tauern: Including the ascent of the Grossglockner and Grossvenediger

By Allan Hartley

A guidebook to four treks in Austria’s Hohe Tauern: the 61km Reichen Group Hut-to-Hut Rucksack Route, the 68km Venediger Group Hut-to-Hut Rucksack Route, the 78km Venediger Glacier Tour and the 99km Glockner Rucksack Route. Whereas the three rucksack routes require only good fitness and mountain walking experience, the glacier tour involves glacier crossings.

The Reichen Rucksack Route is presented in 7 stages, the Venediger Rucksack Route in 7, the Venediger Glacier Tour in 8 and the Glockner Rucksack Route in 9. Also included are optional ascents of neighbouring peaks, including Austria’s highest, the Gross Glockner, some of which may require specialist equipment and mountaineering skills.

• Clear route description illustrated with 1:50,000 mapping
• Elevation profiles for each trek
• Comprehensive hut directory
• Detailed summary of each day’s challenges and any potential hazards
• Ideas for linking stages of the routes to complete a traverse of the Hohe Tauern National Park and an ascent of the Gross Glockner

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cicerone Press
• Release date: Feb 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9781787650626

Allan Hartley

An engineer by profession, Allan Hartley spent the majority of his working life overseas engaged on major construction projects. Throughout this time, however, he maintained his close links with Austria, which he discovered totally by accident in the early 1970s while trying to avoid atrocious weather conditions in the higher mountains of the western Alps. He believes that Austria and the Dolomites of neighbouring Italy remain one of mountaineering's best-kept secrets, with their heady mix of superb scenery, good huts and first-class food, and that they are areas better suited to the average mountaineer than the higher mountains to the west. In addition to Austria and the Alps, Allan has climbed in east Africa, the Falkland Islands and the Greater Ranges in Nepal and Pakistan, as well as in lesser-known areas such as the Zagros mountains of Iran and, more recently, the Hajr mountains of the Arabian peninsula. Allan is a long-term member of the Austrian Alpine Club, as well of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild, an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and a holder of the International Mountain Leaders Award. His home is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

Book preview

ROUTE SUMMARY TABLES

Trek 1: Reichen Group Hut-to-Hut Rucksack Route

Trek 2: Venediger Group Hut-to-Hut Rucksack Route

Trek 3: Venediger Glacier Tour

Trek 4: Glockner Rucksack Route

Across the Hohe Tauern National Park

See ‘Across the Hohe Tauern National Park’ section for suggested itineraries for a traverse of the national park.

Glockner Loop

See ‘Glockner Loop’ section for a suggested itinerary for an ascent of the Grossglockner.

The Grossglockner from near Lucknerhaus (Glockner Loop, Stage 5)

INTRODUCTION

The Hohe Tauern National Park

Excursion around the Weisssee on the Gletscher Panoramaweg (Trek 4, Stage 7)

The Hohe Tauern National Park is the largest national park not only in Austria and the Eastern Alps but in the whole of Continental Europe, comprising an area of 1800km2. Within Austria the national park embraces the Austrian provinces of Ost Tirol, Salzburg and Kärnten (Carinthia). Not surprisingly, the national park’s main point of focus is centred on the Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria, closely followed by the Grossvenediger, the fourth highest mountain, which has the distinction of having the most connected glaciers in Austria. To the west, the Hohe Tauern merges with the Reichen Group to embrace, as a whole, the largest concentration of 3000m peaks in the Eastern Alps. The Hohe Tauern National Park is now classed as a world conservation area, ranking alongside Yosemite (US), the Serengeti (Tanzania), the Galápagos (Ecuador) and Mount Everest (Nepal).

To the north of the national park is the Pinzgau valley where, from the towns of Kitzbühel, Mittersill and Zell am See, there are easy transport routes to the south, to the town of Matrei in Osttirol for the Virgental valley and Venediger Group, and to Kals, the picturesque mountain village, for the Grossglockner.

This guidebook concentrates on three areas: the Grossglockner, the Venediger Group and the Reichen Group. Within each section, descriptions are provided for various hut-to-hut tours, along with excursions and recommended climbs. As with the author’s other guidebooks, the guide has been written to provide as much flexibility as possible to give participants various options that arise when hut-to-hut touring. For example, there are the familiar Rucksack Routes and Glaciers Tours, there are linear and circular routes and there is also the option to trek from Mayrhofen in the Zillertal valley through the Reichen Group and across the Venediger Group to end with a climb up the Grossglockner, all within the span of a two-week holiday. Similarly, those with limited time, but with an ambition to climb the Grossglockner, may find the five-day Glockner Loop trek appealing.

Whatever your aspirations, the Hohe Tauern provides opportunities for all mountain enthusiasts. It is ideal for first-time visitors to the Alps, particularly family groups with adventurous children, and, perhaps more so, for aspiring alpinists, who should not prejudge the Hohe Tauern to be a tame area in comparison with the higher mountains of the Western Alps, as these mountains can challenge even the most experienced.

Whatever your objectives, you will not be disappointed.

Gruss Gott und sehr gut Bergtouren.

When to go

The summer season usually starts in mid June and ends in late September.

June is early season and not the best time to visit as it is not unusual to find large amounts of old snow lying on the north-facing slopes, such as on the Rainbachscharte, Zopatscharte and Löbbentörl.

In July, the weather will be warmer and the winter snow will have receded further, although there will be more people in the mountains and at the huts.

August is seen as the peak season, when most Europeans take their holidays and the huts are at their busiest. The weather is at its most settled, although it is not unusual to see cloud build up late morning and thunderstorms appear in the evening. As an aside, August is when most of the villages in the Hohe Tauern hold their summer church festivals, known as Kirchentage; they are worth a visit, good fun and enjoyed by all.

Be prepared for unseasonable weather: this is early September at Venedigerhaus

September announces the arrival of autumn, and the weather will be cooler and the huts quieter as the end of the season approaches.

The author’s personal choice for a two-week holiday is either the middle of July or the first two weeks in September.

Getting there and back

Getting to Austria is relatively straightforward no matter how you decide to travel. For the purpose of these treks, you will probably arrive in Austria in the medieval city of Innsbruck, the provincial capital of the Tirol. Thereafter, transport and all starting points for tours to the Reichen Group, Venediger Group and Grossglockner are individually described from Innsbruck within each section.

By air

Even if you travel by air, which is without doubt the quickest way to get to Austria, you do not always have sufficient time to leave the United Kingdom in the early morning, catch a train to Innsbruck, Jenbach, Mayrhofen, Kitzbühel, Zell am See and then make your way to one of the huts before nightfall. At best you should plan to stay overnight in Innsbruck and then continue your journey the day after. However, if your plan is to tour in the Reichen Group, it is just about possible to get to the Plauener Hut by early evening – if you do not have any hold-ups.

Both British Airways and Lufthansa operate several flights a day from London, Manchester and Birmingham. Other carriers offer services from Luton, Stanstead and Gatwick. See Appendix A for airline websites.

Of course, travelling by air gets you to mainland Europe quickly, but you may lose precious time transferring to the Hauptbahnhof (railway station), and may experience frustrating delays and hold-ups just finding your way about.

At Munich, the airport connects directly with the regional railway network, where there are frequent trains every 20 minutes or so. From the arrivals hall, follow the train signs ‘DB’ and ‘S’. This is a similar set-up to the London Underground, which means you need a prepaid ticket before getting on the train. You can buy your ticket to Innsbruck, hin und zuruck (round-trip ticket), at the DB railway booking office in the arrivals hall, adjacent to the concession counters for car hire and hotel reservations. Express trains run every two hours or so. Once on your journey you will need to leave the regional train at München Ost (Munich East); listen to the announcements and change platforms to get on one of the Schnellzug (intercity trains). Look out for the matrix signboards at the station and on the sides of the trains and board the first one displaying Innsbruck, Brennero, Venezia or Venedig; any destination heading into Italy or Switzerland will do, as they all have to go via Innsbruck.

There is also a DB ticket office at Munich East station, located on the lower level alongside shops and fast-food outlets. With express trains it is also possible to pay on the train, sometimes at a premium.

Train tickets can also be purchased in advance and online, including seat reservations, by visiting www.bahn.de. Click on the drop-down menu to access the website in English.

At Salzburg, take the ‘Line 2’ bus service from the airport to the railway station, where a rail ticket can be purchased to Innsbruck.

If you are planning to tour the Reichen Group, there is no need to go to Innsbruck unless you wish to do so. Take the train as far as Jenbach then transfer to the Zillertalbahn narrow-gauge railway for the 30-mile, one-hour-long train ride up the Zillertal valley to Mayrhofen. The overall journey time is just over two hours, depending on connections.

The last train to Mayrhofen from Jenbach currently departs at 18:22.

If your plan is to tour in the Glockner region, again there is no need to go to Innsbruck unless you wish to do so. Take the train to Zell am See or Kitzbühel, then use the local bus services to travel to wherever you plan to tour.

At Innsbruck airport there is a regular shuttle-bus service, plus taxis, to get you to Innsbruck railway station, followed by regional trains to wherever you plan to tour.

Leaving the Neue Prager Hut (Trek 3, Stage 7)

Airport transfers

A further alternative is to make a reservation with Four Seasons Travel (tel [phone], www.tirol-taxi.at), who specialise in coach or minibus transfers to and from Munich or Salzburg airports to Innsbruck. If you are a group of say eight, this can be more cost and time effective, as you will be collected at the airport and driven direct to your destination, such as Mayrhofen or Matrei in Osttirol. Otherwise, if you are two or three, make a reservation to travel on one of its luxury coaches.

By rail

Consult with Trainline and Eurostar but the two most commonly used routes are as follows. Each route will get you to Innsbruck within 18 hours of leaving London.

London–Paris–Zurich–Innsbruck

London–Brussels–Munich–Innsbruck

See these websites for further details:

German Railways – Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB): www.reiseauskunft.bahn.de

Austrian Railways – Osterreichische Bundesbahnen (OBB): www.oebb.at and fahrplan.oebb.at

Postbus: www.postbus.at

By road

For the most direct route, take the Dover–Ostend channel crossing, then use the motorway system to travel to Munich and into Austria at Kufstein, followed by the short drive up the Inn valley to Innsbruck. If there is more than one driver, it is possible to get to Innsbruck in around 15 hours from Calais or Ostend.

It is also important when parking your car to consider the return journey and getting back to your vehicle, which is not always easy when you drop down into another valley. It is best to leave your car at one of the major towns with good railway connections to Innsbruck, Jenbach and Zell am See.

The return journey

This note is mainly for people travelling by air rather than those travelling by road and rail. The last day of your vacation needs to be devoted to making the journey home. See individual sections for descriptions.

The journey time from Innsbruck to Munich airport is around 2½ hours, from Salzburg 2 hours.

From Innsbruck the trains to Munich are currently (at the time of publication) at 08:38 / 10:38 / 12:37 / 14:37 / 16:37 / 18:37 / 20:37.

From Innsbruck the trains to Salzburg are roughly every two hours: 09:30 / 11:30 / 13:30.

From Mayrhofen the first train to Jenbach is currently at 06:30; thereafter, the timings are roughly every hour from 06:50 onwards.

The earliest train from Jenbach to Munich is currently at 08:07 then 09:02 / 10:57. From Jenbach the train times to Salzburg are roughly every two hours at 09:26 / 10:02 / 11:26.

Check times and services before you travel.

Remember to change trains at München Ost and get on the regional shuttle service train S8 marked ‘Flughafen’ (airport).

See Appendix B for a glossary of some useful German–English words and phrases to use when travelling.

Approaching the Kürsinger Hut; Grosser Geiger on the left (Trek 3, Stage 7)

Places to stay

There is no shortage of good places to stay throughout Austria as the whole country is geared to tourism and catering for visitors.

Hotels

Obviously, hotels in Innsbruck will be more expensive than hotels and guesthouses in the surrounding local villages. If you are not bothered about nightlife, you will find good bargains in the towns of Mayrhofen, Kitzbühel, Matrei in Osttirol, Kaprun and Zell am See.

In Innsbruck, hotels can be booked from the tourist information centre at the entrance to the Old Town Square, the Altstadt, or in advance via the internet. See Appendix A for a handful of recommendations.

If you have to stay overnight in Salzburg, the family-run Das Grüne Hotel zur Post (tel [phone]) is recommended, located five minutes from the airport and 15 minutes’ walk from the centre of this fine old city.

In Mayrhofen, Der Siegelerhof (tel [phone], www.hotel-siegelerhof.at), better known as Mike’s Sports Bar, is located opposite the Europahaus tourist information centre and five minutes’ walk from the railway station. The hotel is managed by Mike Thaler, who provides good B&B accommodation with the added benefit that you can leave your surplus bags there until you return to pick them up.

In Matrei in Osttirol, hotels can be reserved at the tourist information office in the village square.

Youth hostels (Verein Volkshaus)

Innsbruck has three youth-hostel-type hotels reasonably close to the railway station and the tourist part of the city. To check their availability, visit www.jungehotels.at. See Appendix A for further details.

There are no youth hostels in Mayrhofen; the nearest hostel-style hotel is the Wurm - Ferienhof Bonholz (tel [phone], www.jugendherberge-wurm.at), located 3km from the Kaltenbach-Stumm Zillertalbahn railway station, above the adjacent village of Stumm at Stummerberg.

Campsites

For those travelling by road who wish to camp, good campsites can be found throughout the region. See Appendix A for details.

Groups intending to camp should enquire from the campsite warden about reduced fees while they are away; this is referred to as leeres Zelt.

Visiting Innsbruck

Capital city of the province of Tirol, and named after the river on which it stands, Innsbruck is overlooked by the Karwendel group of mountains and became famous as a centre for Winter Olympics sports. The city is well worth a visit in its own right, with the right mix of city life and the cultural history of the Old Town, Altstadt, as well as the ÖAV Alpenverein-Museum. Located within the Hofburg Imperial Palace in the Old Town, it has many fine exhibits from alpinism’s golden age, perhaps the most notable being memorabilia of Hermann Buhl’s ascent of Nanga Parbat in the Karakoram mountains of Northern Pakistan.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday during normal business hours.

Local services

Tourist offices

In Innsbruck, the main tourist office is located at the entrance to the Old Town Square, Altstadt, on Museum Strasse, at the road junction of Burg Graben and Maria Therasien Strasse. This bureau is the only one in Innsbruck with a money-exchange facility that is open on Sunday. In Mayrhofen, the main tourist information office, the Europahaus, is located five minutes’ walk from the railway station on Durster Strasse. In Matrei in Osttirol, the tourist office is located in the village square adjacent to the post office.

Scenic view towards the Richter Hut (Trek 1, Excursion: Ascent of the Reichenspitze)

Post offices and mail

Post offices are open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 12:00 then 14:00 to 18:00. They have a fax facility and a money-exchange service.

In Innsbruck, post offices are located on Mark Stainer Strasse, near the entrance to the Altstadt, and on Maximilian Strasse, near the Triumphal Arch; in Mayrhofen, it can be found on Pfarrer Krapf Strasse, just off the main street through the town; and in Matrei in Osttirol, the post office is next to the tourist information centre in the main square.

Places to leave luggage

There are left-luggage facilities at all railway stations. However, due to security reasons there may be restrictions on using the luggage lockers for longer than 48 hours. The author’s tip is to leave a note with your belongings stating who you are, where you are going and when you will be back, along with your passport number and mobile telephone number.

Alternatively, should you be staying at one of the hotels, most hoteliers are quite happy to store luggage until you return.

Professional mountain guides (Bergführer)

Should you require the services of a professional mountain guide, these can be hired. See Appendix A for more information.

Children

I have been asked many times about the suitability of hut-to-hut touring for children. Most children I know or have met love visiting the various huts and the sense of freedom it bestows on them. The Austrian Alpine Club also actively encourages children to participate in mountain activities.

My own daughter has traversed the entire length of the Venediger Rucksack Route and undertook the rigours of the Glacier Tour, climbing several peaks along the way, when she was 15 years old.

If children are capable of ascending Ben Nevis, Snowdon or the round of Helvellyn, they will surely enjoy some of these tours. For pre-teen children the Glockner Loop (minus climbing the Glockner) would be a fine adventure, as would the early stages of the Venediger Rucksack Route, as far as the Bonn-Matreier Hut.

But only parents can decide, as some of the days’ outings are quite long. Children need to be fit, happy to be in the mountains for long periods of time and easily entertained, i.e., enjoy reading books, playing scrabble or simply chit-chatting.

The