Page Type: | Route |
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Lat/Lon: | 46.51174°N / 13.96517°E |
Route Type: | Scrambling |
Season: | Summer, Fall |
Time Required: | Half a day |
Difficulty: | UIAA I, one or two details II- |
Rock Difficulty: | Class 3 |
0. General. From 1180 m (parking place) to 1567 m (hut), where the route begins. Then to the summit on 2143 m. The slopes are oriented towards the NE. Mostly a very steep path, on many places easy climbing required (UIAA II/I). All the time well marked. For experienced the most beautiful and direct 'normal' ascent on Kepa / Mittagskogel!
On the Swiss Hiking Scale the overall grade of the route would be T6/T5. |
See the main page of Kepa / Mittagskofel how to reach Bertahuette, 1567 m, N-NE of the summit. In July 2006 the mountain road was closed on the altitude of some 1180 m (a big enough parking place).
From the hut you descend a few meters on the saddle and there immediately take the ridge which goes towards Kepa / Mittagskogel summit. The usual marked path crosses the eastern slopes of this ridge. The path through the woods on the ridge is very strong. When it hits the first rocks an inscription warns you that the path is only for experienced - it says: "NO grad (should be 'Grat', which means "ridge"), nur für geübte.
Through some dwarf-pines and over steep rocks you scramble up and soon hit the most exposed part of the ridge. A lot of good holds for hands, marks guide you over the best passages, but you need to be careful for possible loose rocks and the ridge is also a bit exposed. This short climbing (some 30 m) brings you on a part, where the ridge is covered with dwarf-pines. The path winds through that area, you are all the time quickly gaining altitude.
The second part of the route is also very nice. After the dwarf-pine section the path becomes much weaker, but you follow faithful marks. In no ocasion you go away from the ridge. Mostly it's scrambling up, higher, above a small saddle, where you think the route will go left and out, you are surprised that it beautifully sticks to the steep white rocks of the ridge and that you will actually reach the fore-summit by easy climbing. This part is all the time UIAA I. degree. From the fore-summit, which also hosts a cross (to be visible from Bertahuette!) you have only a few minutes to the main summit.