backcountry skiing in the Alps

The Alps - The classic place for Ski Mountaineering and Ski Touring?

***

The most common form of BC skiing in the Alps is performed on Alpine Touring gear (AT) or known in the French part of the Alps - Randonnée. There are just a few individualists, I call them "Lone Telemarkers", with unlocked heels on the mountains. I remember in the late 70's and early 80's the number of BC skiers was very little. There was just a small group of mountaineers, mostly members of Alpine Clubs, going into the Backcountry for some great off piste skiing. After a major snowstorm you had to lay the first tracks into the fresh snow. Today's popular Backcountry areas like the Kühtai, Stubai Alps and the Ötztal Alps offered a huge selection of routes so there was plenty left for everybody. 10 years later in the 90's, the number of BC skiers increased drastically and finding some untracked snow someone became a special skill. You had to be flexible and you needed quite some experience and knowledge to find the less crowded places. The sport even became so popular, that today many skiers walk up the busy ski slopes in some of the ski resorts with their AT equipment. In some backcountry skiing areas at overcrowded trailheads in Austria and lately in Germany as well, the county installed parking meters. I had days in the Ötztal Alps sitting on top of an unknown peak to the crowds, looking over to a very popular one, counting over 100 skiers on it's peak. The slope over there was skied so much it already took the shape of a mogul run in a ski resort.

Herzogstand

»busy days in the mountains of Europe«

Probably I'm exaggerating and it isn't all that bad. If you are into some quiet touring, you will find plenty places to go. No spectacular peaks and mountains of course, but spectacular skiing and the real deal of laying your own tracks into the untouched snow. The best part, often you are the only group that day. The character of trips of this category is a little different from the most visited ones. Many people follow descriptions from touring guides, prefer the easiest access to skiing. They like to skin right from the back of their cars and finish with the last turn right in front of them. On many of the lonely and remote trips the first section will lead you through some wooded valleys or rugged canyons along streams and rivers. The skiing on the way back through these valleys is in general not as enjoyable at the end but this type of bushwacking really keeps the crowds off.

The accessibility of trailheads for gnarly trips in the Alps is easy and simple. Many of the little valleys in the entire Alps are well developed for tourists and little villages are inhabited year round. The steep and curvy roads are plowed and maintained through the snowy winter season. The ease of access offers many decent day trips even to big targets with 6600 ft (2000 m) vertical gain. In Austria the Stubai and Ötztal Alps are one of the most visited ski and mountaineering destinations for many mountaineers. One reason for that is the near by location of some major cities north of the Alps in Germany and Austria. Innsbruck is Tyrol's largest city and the gate to both areas. Munich is just one and a half hours from Innsbruck and the Autobahn provides fast and easy traveling. The Stubai and Ötztal Alps are developed perfectly for backcountry recreation. A system of huts is providing lots of varieties to set down camp for multi day adventures. Today the easy access with ski lifts and cable cars even bring classic peaks down to a day trip. For example the Wildspitze in the Ötztal Alps a classic with a peak elevation of 3774 m, is now easy to bag in a day. 20 years ago a minimum of 2 days was necessary. The network of huts is offering an interesting feature to plan a hut to hut excursion. Starting at one hut approaching a pass or ridge, bagging a peak and decent on the other side and stay for a second night on an other hut is very common. Loops were you stay out for a couple of night and return to your original destination are possible as well. Traversing a mountain range is an other option, just park a shuttle car at your projected destination or plan your trip carefully and travel back with public transportation like bus and train. Speaking about trains, in Switzerland some roads over passes are closed for the winter season or temporarily after a big snow storm, but the train service continues all year. This is a great alternative for skiing the backcountry to the lift served option. Purchase a train ticket and get off the train at a station near a closed pass. Before going on an adventure like this, make sure to check with local agencies and sources about the avalanche situation and access for the anticipated area you are going to ski.

The Alpine Hut System

One of the great features for the backcountry skier in the Alps is the network of many Alpine Club Huts. In the late 1800's the larger Alpine Clubs (DAV, ÖAV, SAC) based out of the bigger cities, started building shelters and cabins for their members. Some of them had the size of a bivouac shelter, some others were bigger lodges, providing comfortable sleeping rooms, simple dormitories with bunk beds, bathrooms and a restaurant. The huts and cabins are located at important and strategic points on routes to interesting and popular mountains. Some of them are open year round, others are only open for the winter or summer season. Some are just shelters or primitive shacks (bivouac shelter) or simple Huts for climbers with no comfort. On little and simple climbing or skiing huts, often a Host is maintaining the building, taking care of the overnight fees and is selling some beverages.

The bigger huts and lodges are a full service mountaineer's hotel. Rooms with double beds and dormitory rooms with bunk beds for 30 people are common. At the larger and often visited huts a reservation is recommended to secure a spot in advance. The lodge's restaurant offers breakfast, dinner and lunch. Snacks are available all day. Bathrooms with hot showers are becoming standard even on smaller huts. The energy for many huts and lodges is produced by alternative sources. Solar panels or wind generators are employed to generate electricity. Waste water is treated with harmless bacteria to minimize the impact to the fragile high alpine ecosystem. The huts and cabins operated by the different Alpine Clubs are public and everybody is welcome to stay. Club members are getting discount on accommodation, and there is one special Mountaineer's meal available to them for a reduced price. Be prepared to pay a premium price for the luxury on these Huts and Lodges.

Franz Senn Hut

Esterberg Alm

»the convenience of Lodges and Huts in the Backcountry«

Today many of the remote huts, where access by off road vehicles is very difficult or not possible, are hiring cargo helicopters to lift supplies to their places. This additional cost is reflected on the restaurant's menu. But on the other hand the climber or skier will save lot's of weight leaving out the heavy salami and beer from the backpack.

Huts which are closed in the winter season in general have a shelter room called the winter room. This room is an unlocked space where climbers and skiers find shelter during the time the lodge is closed. Not every place has this feature, if you are intending to stay at a place like this, check with the Alpine Clubs and ask if the hut you like to approach provides an unlocked winter room. These places are very simple, supplied just with a few sleeping pads, a wood stove and a propane lantern.

There are also many private owned cabins found in areas below the tree line. They are owned by the Forrest Service, Agricultural Associations or individual farmers who use them as a summer farm to take care of their cattle stock roaming free in the mountains. Some of the summer farms (Alm or Alpe) are selling beverages and food to passing by hikers and some places even offer local "farm made" cheese and dairy products in the summer season. This is a welcome and delicious treat after a long tour. These private owned places in general do not offer accommodations.

Off Piste Skiing - Crossing the Skiarea's Boundary

The European laws are quite different compare to the ones in North America regards leaving a ski area's boundaries. If you duck underneath the rope and hit into the backcountry from the ski area, you are going on your own risk, the ski area operator has no liability at all. You will keep your ticket and you can reenter for an other run.

This is a very popular version of "lift served" Backcountry skiing. It is very common to cross the ski area boundary whenever and on any spot you prefer. Even the "alternative routes" are sometimes mentioned and marked on trail maps of ski areas. You will find different types of Out of Bound routes. Some of them are returning back to the same ski area, some others are heading towards different locations and valleys and the skier has to arrange transportation back to the starting point.

Out of bound skiing at the Zugspitze, Germany's highest Mountain

The Zugspitz Skiarea in my (old) hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is an interesting place to ski. Either a train, it's an 1 hour ride through an 8 km (5 mi) tunnel, or 2 different gondolas are lifting skiers to the lift served ski area on a mini glacier. From the highest ski area in Germany there are three different "Off Piste" trails leading down into various valleys and villages. Two of them are even crossing the border to Austria.

« click on this picture to view a high-resolution view from space

(1)The most skied trail is the Gatterl route (red). The Gatterl requires 2 relatively short climbs with skins in a high alpine environment. The route is crossing the crest of the "Wetterstein Ridge" and alters over the border to Austria. After the second climb, a huge wide open bowl on the southern slopes of the Wetterstein Ridge rewards you with excellent skiing. The bowls are merging into an other local ski area at the bottom, the Ehrwalder Alm. From here you have different options to get back to the initial starting point in Garmisch-P. Hitch hiking works pretty well if you ask one of the friendly skiers returning to their cars. Some of them are happy to give you a ride back from where you started out. Second option is to walk to the near by railway station of the Austrian Railroad System. A train will leave every other hour, and you will have some time left for a short break to enjoy a cold beer in one of the local restaurants (Gasthaus). The third option would be to park a shuttle car in the town of Ehrwald. I have never done this because the first option always worked out pretty well.

(2)The most difficult and extreme Off Piste skiing from the Zugspitze is the "Neue Welt" (blue). This route leads to the same little town on the Austrian side. It is an extremely difficult descent with two rappel sections over a 200 ft vertical cliff. This route is recommended only for expert skiers and experienced mountaineers.

(3)The third option is a 29 km (18 mi) long descent from the peak following the "Reintal" and final destination Garmisch-Partenkirchen (magenta). This high alpine valley cuts very deep into the Wetterstein Range. Over 1800 m (5900 ft) tall vertical rock faces are creating this high alpine gorge. The route follows the Partnach river. The highlight at the end of the long descent is the "Partnach Klamm" a 300 ft deep and narrow canyon created and cut into the rock by the same river. The last 2/3 of the total 18 miles is only gently sloped with a few steeper steps. This route requires lots of pushing work with your ski poles, and not many skiers are laying tracks into this remote valley. But for the few of them it's an unforgettable journey through one of the most beautiful mountain scenery this area has to offer.

Many of the ski areas in the Alps are offering this type of Backcountry skiing. The only limitation of access and success on routes like this is your imagination as well as mountaineering skills. For beginners, mountaineering schools are providing excellent guide service. Here some well known areas with interesting BC access: The Eiger-Jungfrau region, with train access to huge glacial area (Switzerland), Chamonix (France), St. Anton, Lech, Zürs (Austria/Arlberg). Many of the glacier ski areas in Austria are close to the classic peaks. They turn a previous 2-3 day trip into a convenient day trip.