A Winter Karwendel Traverse: Tirol's Ultimate Challenge

A crossing on skis of the wildest national park in the Eastern Alps - Alpine adventures don't get much better than this!

Charlie Boscoe

Images

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Heading up to the Mandlscharte, which is clearly visible in this photo.

by Charlie Boscoe

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On the Mandlscharte and looking forward to a great descent.

by Charlie Boscoe

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The second ascent, up past the Pfeisshütte.

by Charlie Boscoe

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Skiing down into the upper section of the Halltal.

by Charlie Boscoe

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Skinning up to the Lafatscher Joch

by Charlie Boscoe

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Digging out the hut!

by Charlie Boscoe

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The Hallerangerhaus winter room at sunset

by Charlie Boscoe

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At the Stempeljoch, about to drop into the Halltal

by Charlie Boscoe

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Looking across to the Lafatscher Joch from the Stempeljoch

by Charlie Boscoe

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In the huge bowl beneath the final bootpack up to the Birkkarspitze

by Charlie Boscoe

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Getting skins on for the start of the climb

by Charlie Boscoe

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Skiing away from the Karwendelhaus

by Charlie Boscoe

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Looking across at the Ödkarspitze from just below the summit of the Birkkarspitze

by Charlie Boscoe

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Truly wild ski mountaineering on the way up the Birkkarspitze

by Charlie Boscoe

Description

There is some debate about whether the Karwendel is the largest uninhabited area in the Alps but it's an indisputably wild place which feels more akin to the vast spaces of the American West than to the bustle of an Alpine ski area. The Karwendel covers 727 square kilometres and saddles the Austro-German border just north of Innsbruck.

The Karwendel can be crossed by foot or bike relatively easily during the summer months but traversing it in winter - when no mountain huts are open and few people venture in to the range - is a completely different matter. The mountains tower above deserted valleys and few of the peaks have more than one skiable face, meaning that crossing from one valley to the next is extremely challenging.

In this guidebook we've provided a step by step guide of how to traverse the range from south to north, and there are also 2 suggested warmup/recce days described here. Both start from the Nordkette lift system, easily accessed from Innsbruck, and both will take you into the Karwendel and allow you to gain some up to date knowledge of conditions in the range.

When you've skied the 2 warmup days and feel happy with conditions, it's time to crack on with the main event - and what an adventure it is!

Adventures

Arzler Scharte

A trip into the wild and untamed Karwendel range - the largest uninhabited area in the Alps - followed by an exciting ski back to the Inn Valley.

Stempeljoch

A truly wild tour through a series of stunning valleys.