Ortler-Alpen

The alpinist Julius Meurer described the Königsspitze as the "most perfectly formed, most noble mountain in the entire Eastern Alps". I can hardly put it better than that. A traverse of the Ortler Alps with ascents of Zufallspitze 3757 m, Monte Cevedale 3769 m, Pallon de la Mare 3703 m, Punta San Mateo 3678 m and Königsspitze 3861 m is definitely worthwhile.

Professionally, I am lucky, or unlucky, to travel countless miles by plane every year. And sometimes I get to take my skis with me and go freeriding in exotic places. On my return, however, my mother usually gets in touch and asks critically, "Why do you have to fly so far when we have it so nice at home?" Until now, the answer has always been quite simple: because there's usually not enough snow at home!

The sixth day of our trip takes us further west from Merano...

Located at the entrance to the Forno basin, the "ballroom of the Eastern Alps", the Branca hut offers a huge selection of touring options. Surrounded by 13 peaks up to an altitude of almost 3900 m, there is something for every taste and level of difficulty. We had a look around and were thrilled!