With a car you can reach the parking place below the dam of Goesskar lake (1670m). From there you tahe a narrow, for public traffic closed road to the Giessener Huette, 2215m. It is wise to take a mountain bike with you, at least to drive down in return. To the hut 1h 30min.

Route Description

From the hut proceed in north direction by a marked path. After half an hour one path deters left to the Detmolder Grat, but you proceed in the same (N) direction. Soon the path is lost among big rocks and you follow just rare red marks and stone marks. So you approach the steep wall below Steinerne Maennln (Stone Men), two big granite towers on the east ridge of Hochalmspitze.

Steep snow (crampons, ice pick!) brings you high up, but the last, almost vertical part you must climb over rocks. Good steel ropes help you over, which is especially important in spring, in times of tour skiing.

Reaching the east ridge the world changes completely. On the other side is a vast glacier and the ridge to the summit looks easy. But at the beginning it still requires some climbing. Just at the beginning there is a narrow ledge, actually the top of icy slope, finishing some ten meters below in a crevasse. After it red marks take you to the ridge again, you soon reach the next tower and go left of it. Then difficulties end for some time.

Broad rocky ridge brings you to the last steep tower. The route goes right, find its weak points and with a help of a steel rope soon brings you on the top of it. Now you have only an easy walk to the fore summit (Schneeige Hochalmspitze - Snow Peak).

The main summit is just a few minutes away. If the ridge is dry, climbing it is easy (I. st degree), but on some parts it is quite exposed.

You usually return by the same route, of course you can make any other combination on the mountain.

Essential Gear

Ice pick, crampons. Rope if somebody is not used to overcome exposed passages.

Miscellaneous Info

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Images