Tälispitze

Overview

Tälispitze Summit

Tälispitze is the highest mountain of the Walserkamm Crest, one of the subgroups of Bregenzerwaldgebirge, which is located to the north of Großes Walsertal. The crest - like the valley runs east to west and consists of a dozen grass summits, all of them perfectly aligned on the crest. All summits have steep but easy slopes towards Großes Walsertal in the south but sheer drops towards the north. Their nature as grass mountains makes them easy to reach but dangerous in wet conditions. All of them are interesting ski tour destinations in winter but often avalannche prone. Especially Tälispitze's neighbour to the east, Melkspitze, shows the scars of frequent winter avalanches on its south-west face.

As mentioned above, Tälispitze is the highpoint of the crest with 2001m elevation (some sources qoute 2000m exactlly). It has some reknown as a lookout mountain towards Allgäu and Lechtal Alps as well as the Rätikon Range to the west. However, I cannot confirm as our climb ended in fog and clouds with only occasional chances to see the dirct neighbours (as the pictures on this page will confirm).

Besides being a grass mountain, the Tälispitze summit is extremely steep. The whole ascent culminates in the last 200m. Soil composition (I would not go as far as call it rock) underneath the grass is very loose, and it is marvellous that the vertical, sometimes overhanging north face doesn't collapse.

A few words about Großes Walsertal:
In the middle ages in several occasions peoople migrated from the Wallis region of Switzerlland to other areas in the Alps. Some ended up in the valleys which head north from Valle d'Aosta in Italy, many reached the Graubünden / Grison area of eastern Switzerland and some ended up in Vorarlberg in western Austria. Here, two valleys were settled Großes Walsertal in the west and Kleines Walsertal in the east. In most areas the Walser settled they have been able to maintain their cultural heritage, which is reflected in their own German dialect, Walserdeutsch, which is spoken in the areas they settled hundreds of years ago.

Today the Walser heritage is protected everywhere and in the case of Großes Walsertal Unesco has decllared the valley Biospher Preserve. Nature and culture are protected together by creating a biosphere park. Thus even though everything is protected you'll see cattle grazing high up on the mountains right up to the highest one of the area, Tälispitze.

Getting There

Tälispitze is climbed from Großes Walsertal to its south. You can reach the valley easiest from the west and south from motorway A14, which connects the Lake Constance Area with Inntal Valley through the Arlberg Tunnel.

• From Germany you reach the area by taking motorway A96, which turns into A14 after crossing the Austrian border north of Bregenz.
  
• From Austria (Innsbruck) take Inntal Motorway A12 west until its end east of St. Anton. Cross Arlberg Tunnel after which the road turns into A14 near Bludenz.
  
• From Switzerland there is no direct motorway connection as Swiss A13 and Austrian A14 run in parallel on either side of the Rhine River. Cross the river either near Bregenz or Feldkirch.

Leave A14 at the exit 57 / Bludenz, where you turn onto B190 west for some 500m. Turn onto B193 into Großes Walsertal until you reach the trailhead at Thüringerberg.

Route

Tälispitze can be reached in a dayhike from Thüringerberg in Großes Walsertal. At first the route follows the switchbacks of a dirt road, which supports some of the farm buildings above the village. At the fourth turn, already 400m above the village, the roadheads into a forest, where you turn right onto a path. This heads north-east, negotiating a creek bed.

Later the parth turns north wollowing the western slopes of the Rottobel Valley. Take care here because of slippery ground. You cross the tobel, heading up the eastern slopes until suddenly the path turns left and levels out on a step, on which you find Gassner Alm, a set of holiday cabins.

Gassner Alm is located on the south-east ridge of Melkspitze. Here a path leads north-westwards, leading back into Rottobel Valley. It stays on the east slopes of the valley, heading mire or less directly for the summit of Tälispitze. Right underneath the summit it turns tuwards the Tälispitze south ridge, which it reaches some 200m from the summit. In the end the path gets increasingly steep, heading out onto the grass covered highpoint of the Walserkamm Subgroup of Bregenzerwaldgebirge.

Red Tape

The whole valley of Großes Walsertal has been declared Biosphere Preserve according to UNESCO’s MAB – programme (Man and Biosphere Programme). It does not only protect the natural but also cultural heritage of the encompassing area. For more information see

• Biosphärenpark Großes Walsertal

Accommodation

• Grosses Walsertal accommodation
  
• Bludenz accommodation
  
• Dornbirn accommodation
  
• Feldkirch accommodation

Weather Conditions

Maps & Books

Maps
Kompass has some very good overview maps, scaled 1:50000 which show all the necessary trails but don't go into too much detail:

• Bregenzerwald, Westallgäu
  Kompass Map WK2
  1:50000
  ISBN: 978-3854910039
  

Maps Online

• http://www.austrianmap.at

Books

• Bregenzerwald- und Lechquellengebirge alpin
  D. Seibert
  Alpenvereinsführer
  Rother Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3-7633-1095-1
  
• Bregenzerwald
  B. Schäfer
  Kompass Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3850263818
  
• Bregenzerwald
  H. Mayr
  Rother Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3763340880
  
• Brandnertal
  H. Mayr
  Rother Verlag
  ISBN: 978-3763340354

Images

View Tälispitze Image Gallery - 17 Images