Ortler Ski Tour: Sulden to Zufal Hut

Day 1: A lift assisted positioning day with numerous options

Ski Touring Moderate

Distance: 6.8 km
Ascent: 459 m
Descent: 1.3 km
Duration: 2-3 hrs

Low Point: 2.2 km
High Point: 3.1 km
Gradient: 39˚

Ortler Ski Tour: Sulden to Zufal Hut Map

Day 1 of a ski tour will often see a bit of kit faff, rusty ski legs and generally getting going for the week. The use of lifts on this day allows a half day of warming up the legs and getting the technique sorted, before a mellow off piste descent to the Zufal Hut, including an optional skin to a col and descent down the other side.

View back up the valley you ski down to the Zufal Hut Photo: Jon Morgan

Nicola Parkin above the Zufal Hut Photo: Jon Morgan

Nick Wallis outside the Zufal Hut Photo: Jon Morgan

Description

From Sulden at 1900m you take the tow stage cable car at the head of the valley, which heads due S, to 2610m.

From here there are two chairlifts you need to take to access the Madritschjoch.

If you are late in the day/bad weather it is a descent only to the Zufal Hut. If you want to do some skinning, after a descent of a few hundred metres to where the valley flattens off at 2650m you can skin up relatively easy slopes, with a few kickturns to access a shoulder of the ridge above at about 3050m.

You can descend the opposite side of the ridge to the hut, but this may have less snow. The line as marked is to stay on the shadier side and descend down and L in a broad gully to near where you began your skin. Gentle descending near the snow covered streambed below and a final short walk up at the end to take you to the Zufal Hut at 2265m.