Sulzkogel

Overview

Solzkogel from Finstertal reservoir

Sulzkogel is the second northest 3000er of the Stubai Alps. This fact makes it a perfect viewpoint. On a bright sunny day in autumn you have a breathtaking panorama. To the southern directions the mountains of the Stubai Alps. To the north the Karwendel, Wetterstein and Lechttal mountains. Those norther and southern ranges are split by the Inn-valley from east to west which makes a the panorama perfect.

Counting it all together makes Sulzkogel a very popular and often visited mountain the hole year. During the summer and autumn months a lot of hikers go there while during the snowy time of the year a lot of skiers and hikers with snow shoes visit the summit. The route via Finstertal reservoir is the only popular route on Sulzkogel. There are some other routes as well, but they are either dangerous or difficult. So all people climbing Sulzkogel choose this marked trail.

The Finstertal reservoir to the north east is part of the the Kühtai/Silz hydroelectric facilities. The Längental directly to the west is going to be used for the next one. I' ve heard that the project has been approved and will be built, but I don' t know when the baggers start their job. So if you want to visit Sulzkogel and the mountains of the Längental you better hurry...

Maps and routes overview

Maps: KOMPASS #83-Stubaier Alpen (1:50 000) A good overview map of the hole Stubai Alps. Alpenvereinskarte 31/2 Stubaier Alpen, Sellrain (1:25 000) Detailed map of the norther Stubai Alps. Routes: Finstertal reservoir Starting at Kühtai several trails lead up to the Finstertal reservoir. From there the trail starts along the reservoir and further up to the Gamezkogelferner (a glacier which must have been disappeared?). The last meters to the top, the path follows the south ridge of Sulzkogel (easy scrambling). South-West side I' ve heard of an unmarked trail through the west side of Sulzkogel starting at the Stierkar, but I don' t have more information.

Reaching the summit

Mountain Conditions

Weather:

• www.wetter.com
  Precise, but sometimes inaccurate weather forecast for the city of Kühtai.
• ZAMG
  Not as detailed as the link above, but quite accurate forecasts.
• OEAV weather forecast
  Weather forecast especially for mountaineering porpuses. Unfortunately this page is available in german only.
• Avalanche report (Tyrol/Austria)
  There is a link on the left side of the page to the english version of the avalanche report (PDF format).

Webcams:

http://www.mittergrat.at/wettkam.htm Several webcams in and around Kühtai. The first webcam is at Dortmunder hut looking west. The second must be placed somewhere close to Drei Seenhut looking towards Pirchkogel (to the north). The next one looks towards Gaißkogel/Pockkogel from Drei Seenhut. The last webcam shows the Chruch of Kühtai.

Summit views

360° summit panorama.

Getting There

By car: Kühtai is easily reached by car by the road through the Sellrain valley connecting the city of Ötz and Kematen. From both cities the highway to Innsbruck is not far and from there you have access to Germany and Italy. By train/bus: To get to Kühtai by public transportation you need a lot of time. First of all you have to get to Innsbruck. From there you have a train/bus connection via Kematen to Kühtai. From Innsbruck central station to Kühtai you need about 2-3h. For more information visit the website of the austrian trains: www.oebb.at.

Getting to Kühtai

When To Climb

Sulzkogel is climbed all the year and very popular, because of its great views. In summer, hiking gear is sufficient. On the Finstertal route will be a lot of traffic if the weather is fine. As mentioned above, Sulzkogel offers a great ski-tour which is very popular as well. Despite of the popularity the route is quite dangerous, especially the long traverse along the Finstertal reservoir. The reservoir cannot be used to avoid this danger, because the ice is never thick enough! Check current snow conditions before doing this trip at www.lawine.at/tirol (there is a link to the english version of the avalanche report on the left side).

Ascending Sulzkogel

Red Tape

There are no permits, fees or seasonal closures. During the winter months you have to be careful, if they are preparing the ski-area around Kühtai.

Parking in Kühtai is free (even for several days) at least not in winter. I don' t know if parking is free during the ski season in winter.

Accomodation

Since Sulzkogel isn' t part of a nature reservation area or something similar, camping on the mountain is not forbidden. As I was there I haven' t seen nice places to camp higher on the mountain. The only place I would suggest is somewhere around Drei-Seenhut. Kühtai is Austria' s highest ski-resort and therefore full of hotels and places to stay. For more information visit the multilangual homepage of Kühtai Additionally to the hotels of Kühtai, you may stay at Dortmunder hut, which is a DAV-hut close to Kühtai.

Dortmunder hut

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