And now the "Next Level" on the Kitzsteinhorn. The focus here is on independent tour planning - I'm particularly looking forward to that. I hope that after a few days I'll finally be able to read maps properly!
Textbook danger signs
I drive along the A8 towards Munich at 7 degrees and rain and regularly pray to myself: "Rain here - snow there." As it's still raining in Zell am See, I just hope that it's a bit cooler up at the Federal Sports and Leisure Center on the Kitzsteinhorn - after all, the accommodation is at around 2500 m. Once at the top, I am greeted by a fine swirl of snow - in a gale-force wind. Oh well! Let's see what the weather and avalanche situation will be like over the next few days.
After a quick get-together at lunchtime and a refresher on what we've learned in the training session, we head out into the storm for a short avalanche transceiver exercise.
The second day presents us with sunshine and untouched fresh snow slopes. Skiing together on the slopes shows that we are a very homogeneous group that gets along well. So off we go to one of the numerous variants offered by the ski area and enjoy the fresh snow! Thanks to the snowfall and wind of the previous night, we can study 3 of the 5 typical danger signs in almost textbook fashion: Wind flags are on all the peaks, drift snow packs are hanging in the hollows and gullies and we can see a few avalanches - the result of the ski resort's blasting work.
Map? Digital is the way to go!
After our first map-reading exercise in the afternoon, the evening program consists of tour planning for the coming day. Both groups have been given the same summit destination and plan the respective ascent route independently. At some point I have to smile: the good old paper map has obviously had its day or is only used for rough orientation. The digital maps with slope inclination display are reviewed on smartphones, tablets and computers and tour reports are googled.
As the avalanche situation is not forecast to ease for the coming day, we choose a conservative tour - better to walk a few meters longer than choose a tour that is too steep. After all, there is still a triple. It's fun to say that we need a maximum of 10 hairpin bends with our flat route choice...
Day 3 welcomes us with a pleasant 0 degrees and very little wind. So pack some sun cream and off we go! Our guides, Heli and Jörg, take more and more of a back seat and the group takes the lead independently. Obviously we had planned quite well - 3 hours later we actually reach our destination. And when we counted up, there weren't even 10 hairpin bends
.
