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I plan to be in Munich for three weeks in April-May and would like to have two or three weekend trips to the mountains. My requirements:
1. Not a technical climbing, rather hiking. Ice axe is OK, but would prefer to avoid crampons. Snowshoes are OK.
2. I would like to hike as high as possible.
3. Austria, Switzerland, or any other surrounding contry is OK, distance is not a problem.
Here are my questions:
1. What mountains would you advice?
2. What are the mountain conditions in mid-April to mid-May period?

I would appreciate any advice.

There will still be a lot of snow left in April-May. I would say that trekking is possible up to middle elevations (2500m). Expect to find a lot of snow on North slopes.

April-May is the good time of year for backcountry skiing in the Alps (between 3000m-4500m) but it requires moutaineering equipment (when on glaciers) and to be back early in the afternoon (wet snow avalanches in the afternoon).

Snowshoes trekking is of course possible, but in April-May you're more likely to find hard snow in the morning (crampons needed). I hope it helps...

pijiu, thanks a lot. It helps, but I would like to have more details.
Let's say, I absolutely don't want any permanent glaciers, because I don't have any crevasses experience, but I am OK with crampons. Could you please recommend any particular mountains/routes? Is it going to be a lot of others over there? Are any trails actually exist at this time of year, or I will need to break it myself? Thanks. again.

If you´re in Munich, try the Wilden Kaiser, they are lower and have a nice valley and might have less snow at that time...no glaciers either. Also Rofan is good, Karwendelgebirge might also be a bit snow freer at that time. Don´t forget the Bavarian "Voralpen", Tehensse for example has good walking, no glaciers and is somewhat lower.

Alex Hiker wrote:pijiu, thanks a lot. It helps, but I would like to have more details.
Let's say, I absolutely don't want any permanent glaciers, because I don't have any crevasses experience, but I am OK with crampons. Could you please recommend any particular mountains/routes? Is it going to be a lot of others over there? Are any trails actually exist at this time of year, or I will need to break it myself? Thanks. again.

Well, apart from the fact that many glaciers in the Alps are going to dissapear in a couple of hundred years, as far as I know all the glaciers are always 'permanent'... I guess that you mean that you don't want to walk on a glacier,...(and I won't recomend to do so without crevasses experience!). I am thinking in a mountain called Petzek (to be found in SP pages, in Austria), which is high, as you asked,...It is relatively easy -the normal route-and it only has a patch of ice just on the slope before the summit (this patch of ice does not move and, therefore, it is not a glacier and hasn't crevasses!).

Oberrothorn is another mountain with the same requirements but in Zermatt area...

I am suggesting 'moderate' hikes/climbs. If you consider more difficult mountains...think that Matterhorn is high and can be climbed without stepping on any glacier!!

As it was told before, that time of the year is still mountain-sky season, so you won't probably meet people crazy enough to break through a deep snow layer...If you dare to suffer, then it will be your place. My suggestion is to progress with the help of skies or snowshoes...Crampons and ice axe should be in the backpack too...In the mornings the snow will be hard. That won't be a problem when you walk on snowshoes on not too steep terrein. Snowshoes have pins underneath which work as crampons on hard snow...but when the slope becomes too steep snowshoes are not very comfortable (they will probably work as crampons so you could probably progress till the summit on snowshoes). Then to switch to crampons could be a good idea. An ice axe is ALWAYS a must!!

Enough details?

Thanks to everybody for a good advices!
We have finally choosen to go to Zermatt, and it was beautiful. We vere able to summit both Breithorn and Breithorn Central with ice axes and crampons and to hike on lower elevations. There were still a lot of people despite a low season.
Thanks again.

Alex Hiker wrote:Thanks to everybody for a good advices!
We have finally choosen to go to Zermatt, and it was beautiful. We vere able to summit both Breithorn and Breithorn Central with ice axes and crampons and to hike on lower elevations. There were still a lot of people despite a low season.
Thanks again.

If you summited the Breithorn, then you were on glacier!

Moni wrote:If you summited the Breithorn, then you were on glacier!

You are right, but it was a simple one without crevasses and with a clear path.

Alex Hiker wrote:

Moni wrote:If you summited the Breithorn, then you were on glacier!

You are right, but it was a simple one without crevasses and with a clear path.

Offtopic: A clear path and no visible sign of crevasses doesn't say that there are no crevasses... in fact there are crevasses -- the ones you see aren't dangerous, only the hidden ones. Ok., perhaps only one in 10.000 visitors on Breithorn falls into such a crevasse -- if that is ok for you go unroped...

Martin