The physically demanding tour should be started very early from the Hochgratbahn parking lot (for a fee), take one of the first gondolas (touring ticket available, http://www.hochgrat.de/) or climb up to the lovingly managed Staufner Haus (www.staufner-haus.de), spend the night there and set off from there the next morning.
Tour description
If you don't want to use the gondola, it's best to walk away from the ski area via the lower Lauch-Alpe and roughly along the toboggan run towards Staufner Haus and from there up to Hochgrat. Here you start the first descent via one of the gullies to the Gütle-Alpe.
It's worth keeping your eyes open for downhill options throughout the tour. The "main descents" are often tracked on the tour after longer periods of stable weather, while a few meters to the left or right of them you can collect turns in untracked snow in sometimes somewhat "hidden" gullies. This is also the case on the first descent: while most ski tourers tackle the main gully, the southern shoulder often remains untouched...
The second ascent begins at the Gütle-Alpe, which leads over the gentle slopes below the summit in front towards Rindalphorn. From here, you descend again via one of the steep gullies of varying widths into the basin of the Vordere Rind-Alpe. In the area of the Rindalphorn, you can still find dry powder for a long time in the steep north-facing exposures.
From the Vordere Rind-Alpe, the next ascent is to the Gündleskopf. From there, descend to the Gündles-Alpe via a steep gully (to the right in the direction of travel) or a somewhat flatter gully (to the left).
The next ascent takes you from the Gündles-Alpe to the Buralpkopf. In critical conditions, you can also reach the Buralpkopf from the Gündleskopf via the ridge.
From the Buralpkopf, descend via gentler south-east-facing slopes towards the Gatter-Alpe. There you put on your skins again and climb over a ridge with loose trees to the Sedererstuiben. From there, follow the ridge to the Stuiben. Alternatively, you can ski down the northern slopes of the Sedererstuiben and then ascend to the Stuiben.
If you have had enough or have already taken too long, you can take a shortcut via the Gundalpe and Mittelbergalpe through the Steigbach valley towards Immenstadt.
Other options are from Stuiben via one of the north-facing access points over the slopes "Im Grund" towards Hintere Krumbachalpe, from where you can walk up the wooded north-west slope to Steineberg.
From Steineberg, you can easily reach its eastern summit. From there, first descend a few meters to the south before taking the narrow and steep entrance on the left into the last gully of the tour. From here, you should keep to the left and then ascend a few meters to the Bärenkopf. The route now takes you to the ski area at midday via a pull trail and then on foot from the valley station to the train station in Immenstadt.
From here, take the train and bus back to the Hochgratbahn valley station.
