Frieder and Friederspitz

Overview

In the very middle of Ammergau Alps, Frieder and Friederspitz, wellknown hiking peaks among the Munich hiking community, form a real twin peaks mountain, like a camels back. Separated by a saddle, which is barely 50 meters lower than the nearly equally high summits, Frieder and Friederspitz are best described together. They have the same trailheads, the same routes are leading you to their tops which can be reached both within 20 minutes.

Both summits belong to the Ammergauer Kreuzspitze subgroup and Friederspitz is linked with a west-east running ridge to Austrian Kreuzspitzl. This offers an interesting and rather epic scrambling traverse option, for more, see below.

Both summits are separated with rather deep cut in valleys from the neighbour summits: Kuchelbergspitze and Kuchelbergkopf to the northwest, separated by Kuchelberg valley; Kienjoch, Geissprüngkopf and Windstierlkopf to the east, Hirschbichel and Ziegspitz to the eastsoutheast, all separated from our twin peaks by Schwarzenbach valley.

With a height of more than 2000 meters both peaks belong to the higher Ammergau mountains. They are well known and frequented hiking aims, nevertheless there are some very lonely routes to these summits. The surrounding, especially the Kuchelberg valley and the north and east rock faces of Ammergauer Kreuzspitze, Austrian Kreuzspitzl and Frieder / Friederspitze, are wild and remote terrain.

In former times Frieder and Friederspitz were frequented in winter and spring, too, as ski tour. There was a huge clearing coming down from an Alm hut on the east side of Friederspitz to the valley ground of Schwarzenbach valley. Nowadays, however, new trees grow higher and higher in the clearing. It seems to me that Frieder and Friederspitz will have more peace in the future during winter times.

Getting There

There are two main trailheads for Frieder and Friederspitz:

Ochsenhütte parking area and trailhead to the south alongsid eroad number B23 on the way from Garmisch to Ehrwald/Lermoos

Fürstenweg parking area to the north alongsid road number St 2060 from Oberammergau to Plansee / Reutte

You reach Ochsenhütte parking area and trailhead

• from Munich using highway A 95 to its end and continuing on road number B 2
• after the Farchant tunnel turn on road B 23, pass through Garmisch and Untergrainau village. Follow this road straight on, after about 4,5 km you cross the railway. Immediately after the railway crossing there is the trailhead on your right.
• from Füssen / Reutte region go on Austrian road number 179 to Lermoos. Turn there on road 187 to Erwald and the Austrian / German border at Griesen. Continue shortly on German road number B 23 to the trailhead.

Public transportation

The nearest railway station is Griesen. As far as I know there is no bus connection to the trailhead Ochsenhütte. But there is a good and separate bike lane alongside the road number B 23 (about 2 km to the trailhead from the railway station).

You reach Fürstenweg parking area and trailhead by car

• from Munich direction go on highway A 95 and road number B 2 to Oberau. Turn on road number B 23 to Ettal monastery. After the monastery and village turn on road number St 2060 to Graswang and to the signed parking area.
• from Füssen / Reutte direction leave Austrian road number 179 at exit "Reutte Süd” and follow road number L 255 to Plansee, Ammerwald and to the border to Germany at Linderhof. Go on road number St 2060 shortly to the parking area.

Public transportation

The next railroad station is at Oberammergau. Bus number 9622 goes from Oberammergau to Linderhof. However, parking area Fürstenweg has no bus stop. Bus stop Linderhof-Forsthaus is about 2,3 km further on. Maybe the bus driver stops on friendly request ….

Routes Overview

Hiking trails

Trailhead Ochsenhütte / Griesen

Follow the forest road up the Schwarzenbach valley in the direction of Rotmoosalm. At a first road junction:

• go left in the direction of Friedergries. Cross the Schwarzenbach creek and go straight on, leaving soon the main forest road which bends to the left. Follow a road track into bushland and stay on right hand trails until a sparsely marked trail starts to climb the righthand slopes BEFORE you reach another creek, the Friederlaine. Reaching this creek you did go astray!
• follow the steep and lonely trail in many zigzags up to Lausbichl, a meadow bump of the summit meadows south of Friederspitz. Shortly below Friederspitz summit you meet the alternative hiking trail from Ochsenhütte trailhead.
• You reach this alternative trail by staying right at the first forest road junction. Follow this road up to another road junction where a forest road branches off to the right to Stepbergalm below Kramerspitz, Hirschbichl and Hoher Ziegspitz. Go straight on at this junction, after about 200 m a trail branches off to the left (trail number 257). It zigzags up to Geißtal, the valley and forest clearing which marks the ski route. The trail then bends to the right and reaches Frieder Alm hut. Above the Alm the trail climbs up a small cirque and reaches the east ridge of Friederspitz. The trail bends there to western direction and reaches the summit meadows south of Friederspitz and the summit.

Both routes form a nive loop route.

To Frieder summit follow the steep north ridge into the about 100 m lower col between the twin peaks and climb the south ridge of Frieder to the slightly higher Frieder summit.

Trailhead Fürstenweg / Graswang valley

The first part is best done by bike as the forest roads to the start of the two trails are long.

• From the trailhead follow the forest road along Elmau creek and Elmau Gries in southern direction. It is the forest road on the eastern or orografic right side of Elmau creek! About 600 meters after the second bridge across Elmau creek (the so called Fischerbruck) trail number 258 branches off to the west and zigzags up the east slopes of Frieder to Geißkärle cirque. There the trail gets lost a bit; just follow the slope up into the col between Frieder and Friederspitz.
• You can follow the forest road, too, until you reach the trail junction of trail number 257 with the road.

Thus, the trails 257 and 258 form another loop route possibility for these who start in Granswang valley.

Epic off trail route

Frieder north ridge starting at Graswang valley / Fürstenweg trailhead. Leave the forest road into Elmau creek valley where the north ridge of Frieder starts to rise right of you; follow the ridge off trail up to some rock parts with some UIAA grade II moves up to the Frieder summit. Rarely done outing!

Epic traverse routes

Hopefully I can do this traverse one day, its on my list for long:

Ochsenhütte – Friederspitz (via trail number 257) – connecting ridge (off-trail, some short grade I climbs and scrambling) to Kreuzspitzl (Österreichische Kreuzspitze), connecting ridge to Schellschlicht (mostly off-trail, some scrambling) – trail 251 or 252 down to Friedergries – Ochsenhütte.

This is a very long day, approximately a 10 hours outing with about 1700 meters of altitude difference.

The Kuchlbach traverse route

Graswang / trailhead Fürstenweg – Frieder north ridge or trail number 258 – Frieder – Friederspitz – connecting ridge to Kreuzspitzl – traverse to Ammergauer Kreuzspitze – traverse of Kuchlbergkopf and Kuchlbergspitze – descend to Kuchlbachtal and to the trailhead

This, too, is a very long day, approximately a 12 hours outing with about 1900 meters of altitude difference.

Red Tape & Accommodation

The German part of Ammergau Alps is a protected area (Naturpark Ammergauer Alpen)

There are no entrance fees or permissions required.

Please follow the below indicated rules:

Accommodation

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Graswang

No mountain huts

Gear & Mountain Condition

Frieder and Friederspitz can be climbed the whole year round. In spring, summer, autumn and in winter times with poor snow cover, the twin peaks are an easy hiking summit on marked trails, which requires normal hiking gear and – if there is snow – maybe gaiters.

The ski route has in common a low avalanche risk but requires nevertheless avalanche gear. Check the Bavarian avalanche bulletin here.

Weather Condition:

Mountain weather on Frieder:

Valley weather at Linderhof / Graswang

Maps

Alpenvereinskarte Bayerische Alpen, scale 1 : 25.000

number BY 7, Ammergebirge Ost, Pürschling, Hörnle

edition 2015, with trails and UTM grid and

number BY 6, Ammergebirge West, Hochplatte, Kreuzspitze

edition 2019, with trails and UTM grid and

Topographische Karte, scale 1 : 50000,

number UK 50-50

Werdenfelser Land, Ammergebirge

Landesamt für Vermessung und Geoinformation, München