"Austria's popular Silvretta range is perfect ski touring terrain - with steady climbs, good descents and a fine selection of accessible peaks. The region also has one of the finest hut networks in the Alps - with hot showers and restaurant service being the norm."
6 days
Intro-Inter
6:1
Dates:
01 - 06 Apr '12
Price:
£625
Ski Ability:
2-3
Fitness:
2-3
Experience: You need some previous ski touring experience to join this tour.Suitable as a first weeklong hut-to-hut tour.
Included:Guiding Fees and Expenses.
Other Costs:Hut nights, food, travel and uplift during the tour ~ £350
This is a popular and classic ski touring region with plenty of good ski summits, nice descents and very comfortable huts.
The terrain offers flexibility in terms of objectives and snow conditions, as various routes are possible through the range. The planned itinerary takes in most of the Silvretta chain, following a rough East-West traverse along the Austrian/Swiss border. It has the added bonus of returning to the same valley that we start from.
Starting Point
We meet in Galtur - returning to the same point at the end of the tour.
Sample Itinerary
Subject to weather and snow conditions, the plan for the week is as follows:-
Day 0 - Sat
PM, meet in Galtur - discuss plans, sort food and kit, overnight in valley.
Day 1 - Sun
Utilise the lift systemat Ischgl to gain height and make a scenic traverse through two cols to ski down to the Heidelberg Hut in Switzerland. En route, the short climb up the Piz Val Gronda (2611m) may be included. 300m ascent, 760m descent. ~3-5hrs.
Day 2 - Mon
A steady angled skin up to the summit of the Breite Krone (3097m), followed by a picturesque descent back into Austria down the Breites Wasser valley to the Jamtal Hut. 800 ascent, 900m descent. ~5-6hrs.
Day 3 - Tue
Skin up the Jamtal Glacier to the important Ochsenscharte Col (2913m), before making a great north west facing descent to down the Vermunt Glacier to the Weisbadener Hut. 800m ascent, 750m descent. ~5-6hrs.
Day 4 - Wed
A full day on glacier terrain, traversing the Silvretta Pass (3003m) en route to the Silvretta Hut in Switzerland. Descending to the Silvretta Hut, although not difficult requires good route finding and navigation skills, especially in poor visibility. 700m ascent, 800m descent. ~5-6hrs.
Day 5 - Thu
In good snow conditions an ascent of the Schneeglocke (3222m) will offer a fantastic descent of the Klostertaler Glacier before climbing over the Litzner saddle to the Saarbruckner Hut. 1250m ascent, 1050m descent if taking in the Schneeglocke - 750m ascent, 550m descent if not. ~5-7hrs.
Day 6 - Fri
A relaxing day, mostly downhill which completes the journey via Bielerhohe, to rejoin a long ski piste leading back, snow permitting, into Galtur. 50m ascent, 950m descent. ~3hrs.
Food and Accommodation
We run all of our tours on a guiding & instruction only basis. Details of our recommended hotel and meet up point in Galtur will be sent with your joining instructions. You are however free to make other accommodation arrangements if you choose (Galtur has various other hotels available). The guide will book all hut accommodation for the tour, which you pay for direct as we go along.
Travel
Galtur is most easily reached via a cheap flight from the UK to Innsbruck, then a train and post bus. Full travel details are provided with your joining instructions.
Ability and Experience
You need to be a good off piste skier (see ski ability level 2-3) with some previous ski touring experience in order to join this tour - it makes a good first hut-to-hut touring trip. The week includes 5-7 hour days with 700-800m of climb a day, so you can expect to be skinning for 3-4 hours a day (see fitness level 2-3).
Equipment
We will supply you with a full kit list. You are responsible for bringing personal clothing, a rucsac and ski mountaineering skis, boots and kit (local hire is available). We are delighted to be working on this tour with Backcountry UK, who provide excellent service and advice as a leading retailer of ski mountaineering equipment in the UK.
