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TouringTip | Stubai Deluxe

Four days in the heart of the Stubai Alps

by Tobias Hipp 04/19/2018
Those who embark on this 3- to 4-day ski crossing will immerse themselves deep in the glacier world of the Stubai Alps: Two exciting crossings, a bit of an alpine challenge and a Stubai Parade 3000 meter peak are on the program. In addition, there are magnificent descents and plenty of potential for steeper gullies, in other words everything the downhill-oriented ski tourer is looking for.

The "deluxe" part of the whole thing? Thanks to the lift support and a lower end point of the tour, the total of 4,500 meters of ascent is followed by a fine 6,500 meters of descent! The second "deluxe": If you treat yourself to the excellent half-board at Amberger and Franz-Senn-Hütte, you'll be traveling the entire round with a light backpack. Pure ski touring pleasure!

Day 1: From the ski circus to the Stubai backcountry

The first day is also a highlight: thanks to the lift support of the Stubai Glacier lifts, there are many meters of descent with few meters of ascent. The tour starts at the mountain station of the Daunjoch chairlift. With little elevation gain, you head west to the Daunjoch and climb over the southwest ridge to the Daunkopf (3,057 m). The ridge is steep and often blown off, i.e. careful assessment of the avalanche risk is necessary and crampons are often not a luxury.

The descent from Daunkopf initially heads directly north over even, moderately steep slopes in a U-shaped valley and later over moraine slopes up to 2,400 m in the valley floor below the tongue of the Sulzentalferner. As it is still early here and you only have 250 m of ascent in your legs, it makes sense to tack on a second 3,000 m ascent. The ascent to the Zahmen Leck starts directly from the "Umbauplatz" after the descent from the Daunkopf. This summit offers a beautiful 600-metre east-facing slope and a fine steep gully (200 m, 40°) to the ridge. The name should not be misleading, however, as the summit is certainly not tame. The ridge from the saddle to the summit is exposed and requires some climbing.

Altitude ascent: 1,100 m

Altitude descent: 1,950 m

Day 2: The Kuhscheibe

There are countless beautiful ski mountains waiting to be climbed in the Amberger Hütte touring area. So if you have time for a fourth day, you should add an additional day tour here. The Kuhscheibe is the tour with the shortest "Talhatscher" and, in addition to the normal route, also offers the adventurous tourer 2 direct descents through steeper gullies (300 m, 45°).

From the Amberger Hütte, follow the "Hüttenloipe" flat in the valley to the south for just under 1 km. Over a first steep slope, you climb westwards into the "Rosskar", a domed valley, up to approx. 2,800 m. The route now heads south under the rocky outcrops of the Roter Kogel over persistently steep slopes to the ski depot on the ridge. From here, there are still around 100 meters of elevation gain on foot over a not too difficult ridge to the summit.

The descent follows the ascent route. Alternatively, you can take one of the 2 steep gullies that lead directly back to Rosskar. To do this, traverse from the ski depot in the downhill direction up to the right through the wide south-facing basin to an obvious ridge. At a small saddle you will find the entrance to the steep gully, which spits you out again in the Rosskar. The rest of the descent then follows the ascent route back to the Amberger Hütte.

Altitude difference ascent/descent: 1,050 m

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Day 3: Gentle glaciers, big mountains

The crossing to the Franz-Senn-Hütte is certainly the most physically demanding day of the crossing if you "take along" the Ruderhofspitze (3,474 m): 1,400 meters in altitude and a bit of distance have to be mastered.

From the Amberger Hütte, first follow the now well-known "Hüttenloipe" flat again to the south until you can ascent over an evenly steep eastern slope towards the Schwarzenbergferner. The further ascent to the Schwarzenbergjoch is not visible until the end, as it is hidden behind the rocky foothills of the western Schwarzenbergspitze. An initially wide slope finally turns into a narrow gully towards the saddle. Depending on the conditions, the last few meters of altitude have to be covered on foot over easy boulder terrain. From the saddle, descend 50 vertical meters in blocky terrain to the Alpeiner Ferner. From here, cross the large glacier plateau to the east into the basin below the Ruderhofspitze. Ascending to the right, you follow a steeper gully to the ridge (ski depot) and reach the Ruderhofspitze on foot via the longer, but never difficult ridge.

On the descent, we follow the Alpeiner Ferner on its left side (in the downhill sense), past the impressive glacier breaks, over a beautiful slope into a first flat section. This is followed by another 250 meters of beautiful downhill skiing through couloir terrain down to the valley floor. Finally, you reach the already visible Franz-Senn-Hütte on a groomed "cross-country trail" with a few skating steps.

Altitude difference ascent/descent: 1,400 m

Day 4: Exciting crossing back to the Stubai Valley

On the last day of the crossing, an exciting return to the Stubai Valley is on the agenda. And this offers another skiing highlight: almost 1,900 vertical meters of descent over beautiful south-facing slopes from the Östliche Knotenspitze to the Stubaital. With the right conditions and good timing, you have the chance of a great firn descent here.

Without a long hike through the valley, you start directly south from the hut towards the Sommerwandferner. In a large hollow at around 2,500 m, keep left and cross into a rocky valley to the south-east. At its end, a gully leads to the ridge of the Östl. Knotenspitze. Climb this on foot to a saddle and then follow the ridge that starts here over easy boulder terrain to the summit.

The descent starts to the east below the summit. After a short, steep ascent (45°), descent the wide cirque. After flattening out, wide, open south-facing slopes open up to the Falbesoner Ochsenalm. For this descent, it is essential to keep to the left in the direction of the descent in order to bypass the large rock bar. You can then easily return to the Stubai Valley on a road and end the tour directly at a bus stop. The ski bus takes you back to the parked car at the valley station of the Stubai Glacier lifts.

In spring, this south-facing slope often offers fantastic firn conditions if you get the timing right. In any case, you need to pay attention to the time of day when the steep south-facing slopes warm up in spring and start early.

Altitude difference: 930 m

Altitude difference downhill: 1,900 m

Infos

The tour starts at the valley station of the Gamsgarten gondola lift. The parking spaces for multi-day guests who leave their car behind are located behind the valley station. Returning to the car after the tour is easy with the ski bus. There is a ski tour ticket (21 €), which includes the ascent to the top station of the Daunkopf chairlift. The route is shown on an overview map in the picture gallery below.

Equipment

You are in high alpine, glaciated terrain (especially on the crossing to the Franz-Senn-Hütte). Glacier equipment is therefore essential for this tour.

Depending on the conditions, crampons should not be missing from your backpack. This may be particularly necessary for the steep ridge to the Daunkopf and the crossing of the Schwarzenbergjoch.

Accommodation

Amberger Hütte and Franz-Senn-Hütte are excellently run Alpine Club huts where you will feel at home right from the start. When it comes to catering, nothing is left to be desired here. If you allow yourself half-board, you can make the crossing with fairly light luggage. Always make a reservation and pack a hut sleeping bag!

Variants

  • Of course, the crossing from the Amberger Hütte to the Franz-Senn Hütte can also be done without an additional summit. In this case, the crossing via the Wildgratscharte is a good option.

  • After the crossing from the Amberger Hütte to the Franz-Senn Hütte, you can also descend directly into the valley to Seduck. In this case, you may want to leave a second car here.

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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