Pfaffen East 2.0

Hochfügen

Long joyful descent in a winder wonderland

Freeride Skiing Difficult

Distance: 4.5 km
Ascent: 53 m
Descent: 861 m

Low Point: 1.5 km
High Point: 2.3 km
Gradient: 42˚

On a nice powder day in winter this is THE run you want to do here in Hochfügen, you get a 1000 metre descent with small effort, in a wide area with nothing more than mountains and snow.You access the route with the 8er jet gondola and the 2000er chairlift. At the exit of the chairlift you have to ski in direction of the mountain in front of you. Traverse skiers right, immediately at the avalanche barriers, from here you can see the north face you need to cross, until you reach the ridge you see from the lift top station. Here there are normally are tracks but if not, try to do one more run here in the area of the 2000er, because breaking trail through the fresh powder is really exhausting and time consuming. You need to traverse for 400 metres and always try to stay as high as possible. It may takes 10 to 15 minutes, because there are some passages you need to keep your speed and some flat parts, but it's really worth the effort. Space out while crossing, because avalanche danger could be high in this area. After you've reached the ridge, first of all take a minute and enjoy the breathtaking panorama.

Description

When you start the descent you should ski straight down the hill until you reach a small crest of the hill after 300 meters. Stay on the left side, because there are some cliffs on the right. After the hilltop you'll have a nice view down into the valley to the mountain huts. This is one wide slope, with some unusual looking cliffs on the left side, you will find plenty of room for your own tracks. Ski in the direction of the huts, it's a good place to meet after the descent. Now there is a track appearing at the bottom of the valley, follow it keeping your speed, so your don't need to pole through the flat parts. After a first long section the next mountain huts are appearing- you may know it already from other routes. Stay on the track until you are back at the parking space next to the 8er jet. This route takes a lot of time, but it's truly worth the price on a beautiful powder day. Good weather and good snow conditions are required! In spring you can do this route on warm days before lunch and you'll have some fun. If there is some fresh snow in Spring this is only a good route in the morning, the later it gets, the stickier is the snow.