Overview
Pfeiser Spitzen as seen from Stempeljoch (09-09-2006)
The three summits of this traverse,
Wildangerspitze,
Lattenspitze,
Pfeiser Spitzen, are standing high above Inntal Valley. They belong to the
Inntal Chain of the
Karwendel, forming the east end of this chain.
The three summits show a steep and ragged rockface to the north (
Halltal) and a somewhat gentler slope of rocks and meadows to the south (
Inntal). To the east the Inntal chain ends with the summits of
Thaurer and Haller Zunterkopf, to the west the Inntal Chain continues with bold
Rumer Spitze.
The ridge, connecting the three summits, is defined by
Törl, a col at the east end of the ridge and by
Thaurer Joch, the col at the west end of it. To the north,
Stempeljoch connects the Inntal Chain to the
Gleiersch - Halltal Chain with its south - north running subridge of
Hintere Bachofenspitze, Roßkopf,
Stempeljochspitzen and Stempeljoch.
In comparision to the major summits of the Halltal region,
Großer Bettelwurf (2725 m), Großer Lafatscher (2694 m), Roßkopf (2668 m), the summits of
-
Pfeiser Spitzen (2345 m)
-
Lattenspitze (2340 m)
- Wildanger Spitze (2153 m)
are somewhat "minor" to those main summits. The traverse is a very enjoyable hike, though, and it is one of my favorite hikes in the Halltal surroundings.
The traverse can be done as a days hike; for this you should start at Halltal, because the trailhead is much higher than those at the Inntal villages. But the traverse is an excellent overture to a weekend hike in the Halltal or Pfeiser region.
Getting There
Habicht, Wilder Freiger and Zuckerhütl (Stubai range) - Wildangerspitze ascent (09-09-2006)
To get to the different
trailheads take a look at my
Sonntagkarspitze or
Hintere Bachofenspitze SP site.
Starting points of the traverse is
-
Törl (1773 m)
-
Stempeljoch (2215 m)
You reach Törl best from
Halltal. A longer alternative is to start at
Thaur or
Rum in the Inntal valley.
Halltal
To reach Törl from Halltal parking area, there are two possibilities:
Short access
From the parking area take the valley road (closed to traffic) up to
Herrenhäuser, the old salt mine of Halltal. Take the steep zigzag trail number
218 up to
Törl; this should be done in about 1,5 hours.
Longer access
At the parking area take the trail on the north slope of the valley to the nearby restaurant of
Sankt Magdalena. At Sankt Madgalena a steep trail leads up the north slopes to the very eastern end of the Inntal Chain, called
Hochmahd. The trail follows the ridge to the west, traversing the shallow summits of
Haller Zunterkopf (1966 m) and
Thaurer Zunterkopf (1990 m), amidst thickets of dwarf pines (Latschen, Bergkiefer). After passing Thaurer Zunterkopf, the trail descends to
Törl.
Current regulations for Halltal (08 / 2014):
Halltal is closed to public traffic and will be so in the future. This is due to security regulations (landslide areas along the road).
Actually there is a
shuttle bus service on weekends with good weather during the summer months (
see schedule and prices here ).
This bus starts at Absam / Halltal parking area and ends at the Sankt Magdalena mountain inn. With this bus it is possible to reach all the Halltal trailheads without walking or at least with only a short additional walk.
During the week and in autumn a
taxi service is available to the trailheads; prices actually (2014) range from 18 € to 23 € up to 5 persons and 25 € to 30 € up to 8 persons.
Thaur and Rum
From both villages there are marked and signposted trails up the south slopes of Inntal valley through the dense woods. Both trails meet at
Thaurer Alm (1464 m), a private mountain hut high above the valley floor with food, beverages and accomodations.
From Thaurer Alm follow the trail number
218, crossing some nice meadows up to
Törl.
Stempeljoch
You reach
Stempeljoch best from
Halltal or from
Pfeishütte. Stempeljochhütte can be reached from
Halleranger Haus and
Bettelwurfhütte
via
Wilde Bande Steig, a beautiful panoramic trail above Halltal.
See the "Summit Routes Overview" section of my
Stempeljochspitzen SP site for more information.
Route Description
Großer and Kleiner Bettelwurf as seen from Wildangerspitze (09-09-2006)
The route decription starts at
Törljoch, at the east end of the ridge. You may start the traverse at Stempeljoch, too, but I love it better from east to west.
At Törl there are
signposts to show you the right direction. A narrow, steep trail leads up the south slopes of
Wildanger Spitze near the ridge crest through dense thickets of dwarf pines up to the summit meadows. You pass these
meadows below the summit. If you want to climb this peak, leave the trail west of Wildanger Spitze and climb
off trail through meadows to the
ridge crest. Follow the ridge crest (some rocks, mostly meadows) up to the easy summit with awesome views into Halltal and to the Halltal Chain: Großer and Kleiner Lafatscher, Speckkarspitze, Großer and Kleiner Bettelwurf.
The trail continues on the
south side of the ridge, becoming more rocky. It passes below "
Drei Dutten", some ragged spires, and continues to ascend
Lattenspitze, a nice peak in the ridge.
Latten-, Pfeiser and Stempeljochspitzen as seen from Wildangerspitze (09-09-2006)
You have to do some easy rock scrambling before arriving at the summit cross. The views to the south and the west are getting better and better.
After Lattenspitze the cragged trail continues on the south side, now with interesting views of bold Rumerspitze. Before reaching the many spires of Pfeiser Spitzen the trail has to traverse a
rock chute. There are some fixed
ropes and metal steps to make the ascent more secure. It is a UIAA grade I climb, a short one though, until you reach the highest point of
Pfeiser Spitzen, an exposed spire with a summit cross and barely room for one to stand.
The still roped and secured trail passes on the north side of the Pfeiser Spitzen peak and continues down the
west ridge until you reach a
notch.
From this notch you might continue the western ridge to Thaurer Joch Spitze above Thaurer Joch (off trail, parts are UIAA grade I).
To continue to Stempeljoch follow the rock and scree
chute from the notch down to the north until you reach the northern
scree fields above Stempeljoch. Traverse those scree fields to the north and you reach
Stempeljoch quite easily.
Pfeiser and Rumerspitze as seen from Lattenspitze (09-09-2006)
Alternatives starting from Stempeljoch
From Stempeljoch you can easily summit both
Stempeljochspitzen as a nice "encore".
Go on to
Pfeishütte for an overnight stay.
Descend via Trail number
221 to Issjöchl,
Herrenhäuser and Halltal parking area or use
Wilde Bande Steig, Issanger (trails number
222 and
223) to get there.
Continue on Wilde Bande Steig to Lafatscher Joch and to
Halleranger Haus or to
Bettelwurfhütte for more Karwendel adventures.
Proceed to
Thaurer Joch and descend to
Thaurer Alm and to Thaur and Rum (very strenuous day hike, your knees will memorise this for days :-)
Essential Gear
Rock scramble at Pfeiserspitzen traverse (09-09-2006)
Normal hiking gear is sufficient.
For the short Via Ferrata at the Pfeiserspitze summit you need some basic climbing experience.
External Links
Rumer Spitze as seen from Lattenspitze (09-09-2006)
In the surrounding valleys there are many accomodations, hotels, bed & breakfasts, camping. The following are only suggestions.
Villages and Towns
Scharnitz
Innsbruck
Rum
Thaur
Hall
Mountain Huts
Pfeishütte
Halleranger HausBettelwurfhütte
Thaurer Alm
Map
Alpenvereinskarte, 1 : 25.000
Karwendelgebirge
- Nr. 5/1, Westliches Blatt
- Nr. 5/2, Mittleres Blatt
- Nr. 5/3, Östliches Blatt
Guide
Walter Klier
Alpenvereinsführer, Karwendel Alpin
Bergverlag Rudolf Rother
Weather Conditions
ORF Weather
Webcam Hafelekar cableway
Webcam to the south slopes of Karwendel