Gressenstein

Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 47.34574°N / 12.02316°E
Activities Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Scrambling, Skiing
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Additional Information Elevation: 7270 ft / 2216 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

GressensteinGressenstein


The Alpbach - Wildschönau range, a long, south - north running ridge between Alpbachtal valley to the west and Wildschönau valley to the east, within Kitzbüheler Alpen, has many nice, easy summits worth a hike or a ski tour or a traverse (the latter can be easily expanded to an epic ...).

Gressenstein, located between Großer Beil in the north and Sonnenjoch to the south, is a minor summit of this range but nevertheless an interesting one. More than Großer Beil or Sonnenjoch, Gressenstein is a sort of “home summit” for beautiful Gressensteinalm, an old, picturesque wooden Alm hut east of the summit. Maybe this is because Gressenstein summit is visible from Gressensteinalm - which is therefore named after that mountain - and seems to be higher than the surrounding peaks.

When viewed from the ridge crest or from the adjacent summits it is quite clear that Gressenstein is “only” a minor summit, about 100 meters lower than Großer Beil. So what!

Do the traverse from Sonnenjoch to Großer Beil (or vice versa): Gressenstein is included.

Ascend Großer Beil with skies, ski down into Gressenstein cirque and ascend Gressenstein as an encore.

Double summit and double downhill fun.

GressensteinGressenstein
GressensteinGressenstein
GressensteinGressenstein




Getting There

GressensteinGressenstein


Main trailheads for Gressenstein are:

  • Schönangeralm / Widschönau

  • Erlauer Hütte (Erla Brennhütte) / Langer Grund - Kelchsau (toll road)

  • Inneralpbach / Alpbachtal

  • Märzengrund / Zillertal



  • The general accesses are described on the Kitzbüheler Alpen main page.


  • Alpbachtal starts at Brixlegg / Kramsach - Inntal valley. Follow road number L 5 to Inneralpbach parking facilities.

  • For Schönangeralm follow road number L 3 from Wörgl to Niederau and Auffach / Wildschönau; go on until you reach Schönangeralm (forest road open to traffic).
    Alternatively follow road number L 41 from Hopfgarten to Niederau, follow L 3 to Auffach and the forest road to Schönangeralm.

  • To Erlauer Hütte follow L 205 from Hopfgarten to Innerkelchsau. After the toll station go straight on into Langer Grund valley (partly unpaved road). Follow this road until you reach Erlauer Hütte.

  • For Märzengrund trailhead follow road number L 281 from Kaltenberg / Stumm - Zillertal to Gattererberg and Inneröfen.



  • Routes Overview

    Trails



  • Wildschönau route:
    Follow Kastensteig or the Siedeljoch forest road to Gressensteinalm. Follow the trail to the summit by taking the left hand trail some meters after Gressensteinalm and the right hand trail at the trail junction with the Wildschönau Sonnenjoch route. You reach the ridge crest south of the summit.

  • Erlauer Hütte route:
    Follow the forest road to Großdostalm and the trail to Siedeljoch. Descend some 50 m from Siedeljoch to the Siedeljoch forest road, coming up from Wildschönau. Continue to Gressensteinalm and the Wildschönau route.

  • Alpbachtal route:
    Follow the forest road from Inneralpbach into Alpbacher Ache valley to Faulbaumgartenalm, to Filzalm and Otto Leixl Hütte. Ascend Sonnenjoch and do the traverse to Gressenstein

  • Märzengrund route:
    Follow the forest roads and trails into Märzengrund and up to Otto Leixl Hütte. Ascend Sonnenjoch and traverse to Gressenstein summit.



  • GressensteinSummit view to Großvenediger
    GressensteinUpper Wildschönau valley
    GressensteinSummit view to Reichenspitz range


    Traverse



  • Sonnenjoch - Gressenstein - Großer Beil; Marked trail, some easy scrambling, great traverse from all trailheads. Sonnenjoch can be reached from Gressensteinalm (trailheads: Schönangeralm and Erlauer Hütte) or from Otto-Leixl-Hütte (trailheads Märzengrund and Alpbachtal).



  • GressensteinGressenstein cascade
    GressensteinGressenstein / Wildschönau trail
    GressensteinGressensteinalm and Northern Limestone Alps


    Ski route



  • Ski route from Wildschönau valley: start at Schönanger Alm; route to Gressensteinalm best via forest road (second best via Kastensteig trail only with good snow conditions), then west on the east slopes up to the ridge crest south of the summit. Follow the ridge to the summit cross; downhill is the same route – Großer Beil or Sonnenjoch can be summited from Gressensteinalm as an encore.
    Easy ski tour, also for beginners.



  • Gressenstein has no direct ski route from and to Alpbachtal. If you want to ski up to Gressenstein from Inneralpbach do it via Großer Beil or Sonnenjoch – including a short downhill on the east side of the ridge. These ski ascents are steeper and more difficult as the Wildschönau route.


    Red Tape & Accommodation

    GressensteinGressenstein and Sonnenjoch



    Red Tape



    There are no restrictions or regulations, as far as I know.


    Accommodation



    Wildschönau
    Alpbachtal
    Kelchsau
    Hopfgarten
    Kaltenbach / Stumm

    Schönangeralm at the end of Wildschönau valley is a mountain inn with a genuine cheese dairy in summer - don´t miss that!

    Gressensteinalm provides some drinks and food during the Alm season.

    Otto - Leixl - Hütte is a private hut, accessible only for members of the possessing alpine club section.


    Gear & Mountain Condition

    Gressenstein"Minor" Gressenstein below Großer Beil



    As nearly all the surrounding peaks, Gressenstein can be summited the whole year.

    In the hiking season you need full hiking gear and good shoes. The main summit route is an easy hike on a marked and / or cairned mountain trail and - near the valley - on forest roads.

    The traverse Sonnenjoch - Großer Beil does need some easy rock scramble and, with low visibility - a knack for orientation.

    The Wildschönau ski route is an easy one. The Alpbachtal ski ascent is steep and more difficult. Both routes are a treat for the advanced ski mountaineer.

    Full ski and avalanche gear is required.

    Check the Tirol avalanche bulletin here.

    Current Weather:



    Maps & Guide Books

    GressensteinGressenstein west face


    For a wide list of Kitzbüheler maps and guide books see the Kitzbüheler Alpen main page.

    Maps

    Alpenvereinskarte 1 : 50.000; Kitzbüheler Alpen West, Nr. 34/1, Deutscher Alpenverein, 2010; - topo map with trails; the same with ski routes.

    Österreichische Karte 1 : 50.000 - UTM (ÖK50), map number 3213, Wörgl


    Guide Books

    Available only antiquarian but an indispensable mountain guide book:

    Georg Bleier, Kurt Kettner: Alpenvereinsführer Kitzbüheler Alpen, Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, München, 1984

    Horst Höfler, Kurt Kettner: Kitzbüheler Alpen. Mit Skirouten. Führer für Täler, Hütten und Berge, Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, München, 1976

    R. Weiss: Skitouren Kitzbüheler Alpen mit angrenzendem Salzburger Anteil am Nationalpark Hohe Tauern, Gebietsführer, Steiger Verlag Innsbruck, 2000 (there is an antiquarian edition from 1985 with only Kitzbüheler Alpen, too)





    Parents 

    Parents

    Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.

    Kitzbüheler AlpenMountains & Rocks