Description

Taking you into 3 valleys, down a steep, narrow couloir and to a wild hanging col, this is as good as lift served ski touring gets. Start by riding the Härmelekopfbahn cable car and bootpack south out from the cable car station, following the line of the summer path towards the summit of the Härmelekopf peak.

Depending on conditions it might be possible to walk on the path itself but in all but the leanest of conditions the path will be snow covered and you'll be bootpacking up snow.

Not being the first people to do the bootpack will make things easier! Pass just south of the Härmelekopf and bootpack along the peak's south-east ridge.

There can be huge cornices on the northern side of this ridge so stay a few metres right of the ridge crest itself.

Much of the trip along the ridge is exposed so you will need to be a confident ski mountaineer to do it safely.

If conditions are icy, you may be glad of crampons. Follow the ridge as it undulates and then descends to the col separating the Härmelekopf from the Reither Spitze.

Put skis on and traverse east across the top of a bowl (which makes a great ski line itself and is also described in FATMAP) to reach the foot of a narrow couloir with impressive rock walls on either side of it.

The Reither Spitze West Rinne line goes up here. For this line, take your skis off at the foot of the couloir and then make a very short bootpack up to the col immediately ahead of you.

Ski the narrow and exciting (but never overly steep) couloir that goes straight down from the col. At the foot of the couloir, push out right and then skin up briefly to the col to your east.

Ski north-east from the col and then swing east to reach the foot of the valley due south of the Eppzirler Alm mountain hut.

Put skins back on and climb due south up increasingly steep and narrow terrain, heading for a final couloir which in turn leads to the Kuhlochscharte col.

Depending on conditions you may need to bootpack the final couloir but you generally can skin it.

Upon reaching the col a huge vista opens up to the south so spend some time picking out the various peaks that have suddenly revealed themselves.

When you're done, ski back down to where you put skins on, continue down to the Eppzirler Alm and then (via some sections of poling and pushing) the village of Gießenbach, from where you can catch a bus back to Seefeld.