From the parking lot at the Gunzenreit Farm (950 meters) follow the Örgenbach for 5 minutes until you come across signs directing you to the Passauer Hütte. Follow the signs and ascend a wooded ridge for a good hour. At about 1500 meters you emerge above the treeline. Continue to follow the well trodded and maintained trail which is from here on secured by occasional handrails for another hour until you reach the Hochtor (1900 meters), where the ridge you have been following connects to the Fahnenköpfle (2142 meters). The hut is now in view and is reached in 20 minutes from the Hochtor.

The Passauer Hütte might also be reached by way of another marked trail starting at the village of Diesbach in the Saalach Valley. It takes about 4,5 hours to reach the hut from there.

Route Description

The Hofersteig is the most common way of ascending Birnhorn and is a lot more fun to climb than the Normal Route which might become dangerous in wet conditions. It is also a little bit more difficult and so it is normally not used for descending the mountain. This route involves an ascend of about 1700 meters from the trailhead (4,5-5 hours) or 600 meters (1,5-2 hours) from the Passauer Hütte.

From the hut follow a sign that directs you to the Birnhorn South Face. After 20 minutes of gentle ascending over the karst field of the Hochgrub you reach the Melkerloch (2193 meters) a hole in the Southeast Ridge of Birnhorn which you walk across from south to north. The trail becomes indistinct now and you have to watch out for the red paintings marking the route. Ascend on a ledge and enter the South Face another 20 minutes from the Melkerloch. The remaining climb which takes a good hour, leads over a series of ledges that are interconnected by small escarpments (between 20-50 meters high) until you reach a broad band 50 meters under the summit from which you gain the West Ridge. The escarpements (four in all) are partly secured with iron rods and involve a few parts of Grade II climbing in very sound and hard rock.
From the West Ridge it is a short scramble to the summit cross.

Essential Gear

No special equipment required.