The recommended and most enjoyable route up, as described here, is easily achieved in 2 days, with an extra 3000m peak en route, and an overnight stop at the Breslauer Hütte. It is also perfectly feasible to do the whole thing in a day for those who are fit, acclimatised and short on time. The climb is fantastic mountaineering with plenty of variety and overall requires relatively minimal effort to achieve such a peak. For those moderately experienced in glaciated terrain the route is not difficult, but nonetheless does cross some serious ground, so a guide is recommended if you are not completely confident.

The route begins from Vent, a tiny village tucked away the end of one of the subsidiary valleys of the Öztal, which is home to a small ski area. Take the chair lift from the village up to the Stablein restaurant, which will save you 400m of height gain at the start of the route, or there is a well established hiking trail up to the restaurant for those wishing to save money and walk from the car. Above the Stablein is another chair lift, but sadly this is only open in winter!

From the restaurant there are numerous yellow walking signs, follow the trail signposted for the Breslauer Hütte, which climbs quite steeply for around 1.5 hours to reach the hut itself. Due to the altitude and the fact that most visitors will not be acclimatised, a highly recommended detour and a very worthwhile extension is to take a path off to the right 30 minutes after leaving the chair lift, signposted ‘Breslauer Hütte über Wildes Mannle’ (2 1/2hrs).

Wildes Mannle stands at just over 3000m and is an excellent summit in its own right, a great addition to an already excellent trip and a good opportunity to practice cramponning techniques and rope work before the main summit the following day. Of course for the vast majority of this day you will be walking with your back to the glacial summits of the Öztal, so make sure you take your time and stop every now and again to appreciate the spectacular vista behind you. Having tagged the summit of the Wildes Mannle, head down to the Breslauer Hütte, which is actually a cluster of several buildings. The setting is stunning, the views spectacular and the hosts welcoming. If you manage to arrive for sunset on a clear night, there are worse places to end up than the Breslauer Hütte, but be sure to call in advance to reserve a bed in order to avoid disappointment.