Mountain Walking in Austria

Austria is ideal mountain walking country. 25 mountain groups, 98 walks from half a day to a week. Includes Allgau, Lechtal, Karwendel, Kaisergebirge, Ratikon, Silvretta, Otztal, Stubai, Zillertal, Venediger, Glockner ranges.

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V: THE KAISERGEBIRGE

(AVE Group 8)

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The Name: The name, ‘The Emperor’s Mountains’ is some 750 years old and is first used in a Bavarian Ducal Inventory of the 13th century. The form ‘Wilder Kaiser’ first appears in 1611 -’Wild’ having the primary sense of English ‘wild’ and not, as in the high alpine regions of Austria, ‘snow-covered’. The term Zahmer (Tame) Kaiser for the northern range is comparatively modern and was first introduced in 1870 by a certain Thomas Trautwein to avoid the confusions arising from the older ‘Vorder-’ and ‘Hinter-’ (Front- and Back-) whose application obviously varied according to one’s topographical viewpoint.

Boundaries of the Group: The junction of the Jenn with the Inn (about 6km N of Kufstein) - the Jenn - the Achentaler Bach -Durchholzen - Walchsee - the Weisenbach -the Kössener Ache (Grosse Ache) as far as St. Johann-im-Tirol - Reitner Ache - Ellmau - the Weissache - the Glemmache - the Inn to the junction with the Jenn.

The Kaisergebirge is usually thought of, in this country at least, as being the preserve of the hard rock-climber, where ‘Fleischbank’ and ‘Totenkirchl’ are names to conjure with; but it also offers walks of every standard - rambles amid romantically savage, almost theatrical scenery, high-level paths, 2000m summits and protected routes on climbers’ terrain.

Kufstein is the obvious base town from which to explore the group. It is on the Munich-Innsbruck motorway and has accommodation, and an excellent campsite behind the Bären guest-house at the south end of the town. The town, strategically placed, has been of great importance in military history and is dominated by a grim and impressive ‘Festung’ (fortress). This houses a colossal open-air organ, the Heldenorgel (Organ of the Heroes), which is played from a console in a courtyard and whose glorious sound comes from one of the towers of the fortress and can be heard for miles around. It is a memorial to the fallen of both World Wars, and I doubt whether anyone, whatever their nationality or political persuasion, can fail to be moved when Ich hatt’ einen Kameraden is played on it, with glockenspiel.

The Kaisergebirge is like a vast letter H lying on its side from west to east. The southern limb is the rocky Wilder Kaiser and the northern the Zahmer Kaiser. A green crossbar of hills and alms joins these and divides the western valley, the Kaisertal, from the eastern, the Kaiserbachtal. The Stripsenjoch (1580m) with the imposing Stripsenjochhaus - it sleeps over 200 - lies on the crossbar at the centre of all.

1. THE ZAHMER KAISER: THE VORDERKAISERFELDEN HUT (1384m Cat. I) AND THE PYRAMIDEN SPITZE (1999m)

A scenically rewarding walk and a good introduction to the group.

Pleasantly across flat meadows to the NE of the town, passing the Loretto Chapel, to Sparchen. The path into the Kaisertal starts at Sparchenmühle (mill) just N of the Kaiserbach (Sparchen Bach). There is also a large car park and bus stop here. The wide, partly stepped, steep and winding ‘mule-track’ is, because of the gorge, the Kienbergklamm, through which the river emerges, the only way into the valley, and the jeeps and Nevas you will see in the Kaisertal have all had to be winched up this path in the first instance. The initial climb over, follow the track past Rupp (Ruepp) and Zottenhof to the Veitenhof guest-house (35mins from car park). Between Rupp and Zottenhof you will see the signpost to the Tischoferhöhle (cave) but will probably leave this for another occasion (see Walk 4). About 10mins beyond Veitenhof the route - still suitable for jeeps - branches left (No. 816) for the Pfandl Alm, Riez Alm and the Vorderkaiserfelden Hut: from Veitenhof almost a full 700m of ascent.

The old, large, rambling and friendly hut, which is open all the year round, this being ski-country, has a fine situation with spacious views of the Kaisertal, the north face of the Wilder Kaiser, and the Inn valley with the Rofangebirge on its far side. Evening light on the Wilder Kaiser and mornings when the mist-filled Inn valley resembles a mighty glacier are memorable experiences.

The route (816) to the Pyramiden Spitze begins by climbing steeply up the extreme western end of the Zahmer Kaiser, soon reaching a saddle. To your left is the Naunspitze (1635m), a steep rocky pyramid reached without difficulty by a diversion of about 10mins. It is the most westerly ‘top’ of the Zahmer Kaiser, with outstanding views of the Inn Valley and the Wilder Kaiser. About this point you will realise that the ‘Tame Kaiser’ is tame only on its southern slopes: to the north it is impressively precipitous. Whether or not you visit the Naunspitze, turn sharp R here and follow the marked path to the summit of the Peterskopfl (1746m). Now follow waymarks easily along the latschen-covered, rocky and picturesque plateau passing by the Einserkogel (1925m) and the Zwölferkogel (1912m). (Names like Elfer-Zwölfer- or Einser-kogel are based on the position of the sun at the hours of 11, 12, 1 etc.) The only striking feature of the route occurs at this point - the Vogelbadkamin (Bird-bath Chimney) - a very easy chimney-like gully, which must now be descended. (It takes its name from a nearby spring.) Then a wide bend to the N leads over the Elferkogel (1916m), and so SE to the summit of the Pyramiden Spitze (1999m), a great viewpoint and the highest named summit in the Zahmer Kaiser. (There is an unnamed point 2.7m higher, a little to the south of it!) Return same route, pausing to admire the northern profile of the Einserkogel before scrambling up the Vogelbadkamin. (2½hrs, hut-Pyramiden Spitze.) (1980)