Trekking in Austria's Hohe Tauern. Allan Hartley

here is suitable for those with good general ability who are surefooted and vertigo free but who see themselves more as mountain walkers than climbers, free of the burden of rope, axe and crampons and other climbing paraphernalia, as opposed to aspirant alpinists who seek the glaciers and high peaks.

      This is a splendid little range and worthy of a visit.

The Reichen Group Hut-to-Hut Rucksack Route

      In German the tour is described as the Reichen or Krimmler Rundtour and as a continuous tour will take five to six days to complete, visiting each of the following huts in turn: Plauener, Birnlucken, Warnsdorfer, Krimmler Tauern Haus, Zittauer, Richter, Plauener.

      Maps

      Austrian Alpine Club Alpenvereinskarte Zillertaler Alpen Ost sheet 35/3. 1:25,000 scale. This map covers the whole tour except for one tiny corner near the Warnsdorfer Hut.

      Freytag & Bernt sheet 152 Mayrhofen-Zillertal Alpen-Gerlos-Krimml. 1:50,000 scale.

      Approach

      By local bus from the resort town of Mayrhofen at the head of the Zillertal valley: from Mayrhofen bahnhof to Zillerplatten at the Zillergrundl Stausee (reservoir). Journey time 1hr.

       Outward: 08.30/09.30/10.30/11.30/12.30/14.30/15.30hrs

       Return: 09.25/10.25/11.25/12.25/14.25/15.25hrs

STAGE 1

      Mayrhofen to Plauener Hut

Start	Mayrhofen
Finish	Plauener Hut
Distance	3km
Total Ascent	500m
Time	2hrs

      Beginning at the end of the Zillergrundl local bus route, this stage is a simple walk along the shore of the Speicher Zillergrundl reservoir and up the Sonntaglahnerkopf to the Plauener Hut.

      From Mayrhofen take the local bus service to Barenbad in the Zillergrundl valley and then the reservoir dam at Ziller Platten (1hr). Look out for avalanche damage caused by a rockfall in 2005 which completely obliterated the tiny alm at Barenbad.

      From the bus terminal at the reservoir, from where the hut is clearly visible, follow a graded track on Route 502, better known as the Zentralalpenweg (Central Alpine Way), through the hydroelectric plant tunnel for 200m, continuing along the well-defined track to where it forks at an obvious junction with a signpost. Here is a war memorial to fallen comrades of the DAV and OeAV.

      From here the path steepens, first zigzagging through scrub and alpine rose bushes followed by a crossing of the open rocky ground of the Kuchelmooskar to a single plank bridge whose sign requests ‘single file only’ to get over the Keesbache main stream coming down from the Kuchelmoos Kees glacier.

      Thereafter the path picks up pace to zigzag to and fro under the cliffs of the Sonntaglahnerkopf and on to the hut.

      Plauener Hut with the Kuchelmoos Kopf on the left, Wilder Gerlos Spitze in the centre and the Reichen Spitze right of centre

Excursion 1.1 Ascent of Reichen Spitze (3303m)

Start	Plauener Hut
Distance	3+km
Total Ascent	930m
Grade	PD/II
Time	4 to 5hr

      Unless you are an aspirant alpinist, excursions from the hut are limited to general rambles, so in that regard the hut offers very little scope to the general mountain wanderer. However once you are armed with a rope, an ice axe and some crampons there is much to entertain and test your skills.

      This is a splendid climb and highly recommended.

      From the hut the route is mostly self explanatory and pretty obvious. The climbing is straightforward, varied and interesting without requiring the expenditure of too much nervous energy.

      The principal mountain of the group, and home of the Reichen Dwarfs legend, provides a splendid day out starting with a good glacier journey and rock scramble to finish.

      From the hut head out northeast picking up the trail signposted for the Gams Scharte. Follow the well-marked trail up the old glacial moraine to a signpost after 20mins and another one 1hr, to the Gams Scharte at 2600m, where the trail splits. Hereabouts it will be obvious why the Gams is such a problematic col to cross and why it should be avoided in less than good weather.

      The trail of sorts continues north weaving its way through boulders below the Ziller Spitze to gain the lower edge and snow fields of the Kuchelmoos Kees glacier. (1½hrs). Some of the names that you find in the Eastern Alps are wonderful!

      Tackle up and get onto the glacier climbing the steep slopes just off centre of its left bank until roughly level with the ice fall at around 2800m. If previous parties have climbed the mountain then tracks should be obvious through the bank of crevasses to the left, west; if not then continue to climb northeast heading directly for the summit until the slope starts to ease off at 3000m. It would have been hereabouts that the Venedigermanndl would have fallen into a crevasse loaded down with his booty, never to be seen again.

      Now head northwest toward the foot of the southwest ridge and the centre of the glacier keeping a safe distance from to steep rock faces in case of rockfall.

      Once in the centre of the glacier turn northeast heading for a gap in the ridge at 3142m (1½hrs). The route indicated on the Alpenvereins map up through a snow couloir is steep and not recommended due to the risk of rockfall. Get onto the northwest ridge, keeping right of the crest and scramble up shattered rocks and difficult broken ground, very exposed in places, to the summit with its large wooden cross (1hr).

      In descent retrace your steps to get onto the Kuchelmoos Kees glacier and head into the middle of the glacier. Again avoid the temptation to take a short cut down the west couloir which is now much more obvious in descent.

      Ascent of the Reichen Spitze, Doug Ball high on the Kuchelmoos Kees glacier with the Wilder Gerlos Spitze in the background

      Once in the middle of the glacier it is decision time: whether to press on to the Wildergerlos Spitze (3278m) or to descend.

      If you wish to continue, cross the glacier as before heading for the obvious notch in the ridge at 3125m. You can get rid of ice axe and crampons as you won’t need them from here on. Get onto the ridge and follow this to the summit. Good scrambling with short pitches of PD/grade II (2hrs). Return by the same route.

      From the centre of the upper glacier basin retrace your steps past the foot of the southwest ridge heading for the west bank of the glacier. Either retrace your steps over the upper snow slope or look to pick a route through the bank of crevasses to the left of the main ice-fall and then down the last snow slopes to the boulder field below and back to the hut.

      REICHEN SPITZE SUMMIT

      The scenery throughout – in ascent and descent – is excellent, particularly from the summit where there are good views down adjacent valleys to the Richter Hut, the Zittauer Hut and back down to the Plauener Hut, then across the void to the Warnsdorfer Hut and Venediger Group. While on the summit look for the charred remains of the old wooden cross which was burnt to a crisp by a lightning strike – such is the raw power of nature.

      Apart from weather considerations, the main risk is of over-extending oneself by trying to climb both mountains in the day when not fit enough.

      In