Overview
Sonnspitze summit
Sonnspitze is the triangular highpoint between Aurach valley, Glemm valley and Schwarzache valley and is one of the lesser visited summits of the area.
Located between higher and more frequented
Staffkogel to the south,
Spieleckkogel with the mountain station of a cablecar nearby to the east and
Mesnerhöhe and
Bischof to the north, Sonnspitze marks the culmination point of three ridges and three valleys.
Sonnspitze is a typical Kitzbühel summit with old rocks cropping out at the summit zone, steep gras overgrown slopes and swamp meadows around the Alm zone.
The north cirque of Sonnspitze hosts Rosskarlacke, a beautiful mountain lake above Hochwildalm and a hiker aim on its own.
Being a ski summit, too, Sonnspitze can be climbed year round.
What I like most are the traverse options of this area where Sonnspitze can be easily included, e.g as starting or end summit for the traverse of Mesnerhöhe to Bischof or for a traverse of Staffkogel, Saalkogel to Rauber.
Getting There
For Sonnspitze there are two main trailheads:
You reach the trailhead Aurach Wildpark from Kitzbühel on the
road number 161 to
Pass Thurn. At Aurach turn on
Auracher Straße at the signpost “Wildpark Aurach” and follow this road to Oberaurach and the trailhead.
Sonnspitze as seen from the trail to Henlabjoch | Rettensteine as seen from Sonnspitze south ridge |
Kitzbühel can be reached by car
The nearest
railway station to the trailhead Aurach is
Kitzbühel.
Busses number
4010 or
950X go to Aurach. However there is no bus service to Wildpark Aurach and the trailhead.
You reach the trailheads within Saalbach / Hinterglemm valley via
Glemmer Straße, which branches off
road number 311 north of
Zell am See.
Zell am See can be reached from the
north / Bad Reichenhall via Lofer and Saalfelden; from the
east / Bischofshofen – highway number A 10 via Sankt Johann im Pongau, from the
south via Großglockner Hochalpenstraße and from the
west / Zillertal via Gerlospass and Neukirchen.
The nearest
railway station to the trailhead Hinterglemm is
Zell am See. Bus number
680 go to Hochalmbahn / Hinterglemm.
Routes Overview
Routes Overview Sonnspitze, Mesnerhöhe and Bischof
South route:
For the south route start at the parking area near the
Wildpark Aurach.
Follow the
forest road into Aurach valley. This forest road makes 4 switchbacks, you can cut them on the old foot trail, regaining the road further up. Stay on that road , passing
Brachofenbachalm and lower
Staffalm. The forest road bends to the left and leaves in a broad curve the Aurach valley and reaches upper
Staffalm.
Leave the Alm on a road to the northeast. At the next switchback leave the road straight on a trail which goes up to Sonnenfeldalm. Turn sharp right there on a trail leading up to broad Henlabjoch between Staffkogel and Sonnspitze.
Turn left there and follow the
south ridge up to the summit.
South route overview from Hochwildalm, Henlabjoch to the left | Sonnspitze as seen from below Henlabjoch |
Routes from Saalbach / Hinterglemm:
From the Saalbach / Hinterglemm
mountain station of the cablecar follow the ridge to
Spieleckkogel and to
Sonnspitze in western direction.
Alternatively climb Spieleckkogel from the valley ground via
Spieleckalm or take the trail from Lengau at the end of Saalbach / Hinterglemm valley via
Eibig Hochalm to
Henlabjoch and
Sonnspitze.
Ridge crest traverse to Bischof:
Descend the north ridge of Sonnspitze on a narrow foot track and over some easy rocks to a small pond of the now bradening ridge.
Follow the ridge which gets narrow again and ascends to
Mesnerhöhe.
Climb over that secondary summit until you reach the bold rock spire of
Pfaffel.
A view from near Bischof summit to Mesnerhöhe (left), Sonnspitze and Staffkogel (right) with their connecting ridges | On the ridge traverse Sonnspitze - Bischof |
Go left there, traverse on a narrow foot track these Pfaffel rocks until you reach a steep zigzag track, leading you up to a notch between Pfaffel and Bischof.
Follow the south ridge of Bischof to the meadows below the summit ridge, go left there below the summit ridge until you reach Bischof summit.
Traverse possibilities:
Epic traverse from Groß Gebra to Weißkopfkogel, Bischof, Mesnerhöhe, Sonnspitze, Staffkogel, Saalkogel and Rauber. Trailhead is Aurach Wildpark. Very long day.
The ridge Spieleckkogel - Sonnspitze as seen from below the summit | Trail to Henlabjoch with Staffkogel in the background |
Ski routes:
From
Aurach trailhead via Hochwildalm, Sonnenfelderalm and the steep southwest slopes or alternatively via Staffalm and the southwest summit slope.
From
Saalbach / Hinterglemm valley, Lengau, via Eibing Hochalm, Henlabjoch and south ridge.
Red Tape & Accommodation
Staffkogel as seen from Henlabjoch
No red tape as far as I know.
Up to now (2017) no parking fees at the trailhead Aurach. The Glemm valley trailheads may require fees.
All kinds of
accommodation can be found at
Kitzbühel
Aurach
Jochberg
Saalbach / Hinterglemm
Mountain huts:
Hochwildalm
Bochumer Hütte / Kelchalm
Gear & Mountain Condition
Hochwildalm as seen from the south route to Sonnspitze
Sonnspitze is an all - season mountain.
In the hiking season you need full hiking gear and good shoes. The summit routes are easy hikes on mostly marked mountain trails and - near the valleys - forest roads.
The ridge crest traverse do need some rock scramble and a secure step on steep gras slopes.
The ski routes are easy routes for beginners. Full ski and avalanche gear is required.
Check the
Tirol avalanche bulletin here.
Current Weather:
Maps & Guide Books
Maps
Alpenvereinskarte 1 : 50.000; Kitzbüheler Alpen Ost,
map number 34/2, Deutscher Alpenverein, 2010; - topo map with trails; the same with ski routes.
Österreichische Karte 1 : 50.000 - UTM (ÖK50),
map number 3214, Kitzbühel
Upper Aurach valley, south route | Hirschlacke lake as seen from the summit |
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 main focus on Kitzbüheler Alpen, too)