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SpotCheck | Freeride Ankogel

48 hours high up in the Carinthian powder

by Tobias Hipp • 11/07/2018

The small Mallnitz/Ankogel ski resort is inconspicuously hidden in the north-westernmost corner of Carinthia. But there is absolutely no reason to hide: with just a few meters of ascent, you can reach enormous descents of almost 1,800 meters in altitude, which should be on every freerider's to-ski list. Overnight stay in a hut in pole position included.

A freeride weekend with an overnight stay in a hut in an area unknown to us was the plan for a trip last spring; and few meters of ascent for lots of downhill fun. After winters with little snow in the Eastern Alps, there was finally a lot of snow everywhere this year, including in Northern Carinthia on the southern side of the Hohe Tauern. Here, in the middle of a small ski resort, is the Hannoverhaus of the German Alpine Club: at 2,500 m, high above Mallnitz, you are the last to leave the powder behind on the first day and the first on the way to the Ankogel the next day.

Our tour gets off to a somewhat unusual start: from the shady north side of the Hohe Tauern not far from the fashionable ski resort of Bad Gastein, we rush by train through a dark tunnel ("the Tauern lock") from Böckstein right under the main Alpine ridge to the south side - from Salzburger Land to Carinthia. The passenger compartment of the car train is already buzzing with the anticipation of a powder day. "There's great powder on the north side, it's going to be a great day," a young freerider from Bad Gastein tells her group halfway through the tunnel. We listen attentively to her recounting of her experiences on yesterday's excursion. However, the sight of the 20 or so pairs of freeriders and their guides does make us a little anxious.

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We look at each other with somewhat worried faces and don't have to say much. "As newcomers to the area, do we even have a chance of something untracked today?". The loudspeaker crackles and a friendly voice brings us out of our thoughts: "We'll reach Mallnitz-Obervellach in a few minutes". The time has come. Now it's time to be quick, get on the ski bus, buy tickets, have everything ready and don't get left behind.

A few moments later, we're standing all alone at the bus stop. The others are crowding around pre-booked high-capacity cabs, loading up their skis and leaving Mallnitz. The bus driver greets us with a smile in the deepest Carinthian dialect: "Ankogel cable car? Yes, then get on your private shuttle". Indeed, the bus is almost empty. Luckily, our Carinthian chauffeur reveals the "secret" and dispels our worries that we will be the last ones thanks to the use of public transport. "The others are going on to the Mölltal Glacier. You've done it right. Welcome to the Ankogel, it's much nicer here anyway!"

A gondola with a big effect

The somewhat outdated gondola trio, decorated in neon colors, inevitably brings back memories of the legendary freeride resort of La Grave in France. Similar to its big brother, this single gondola lift also opens up a huge freeride area here in Carinthia. Here, too, long descents of up to 1,800 vertical meters are possible with just a few meters of ascent.

Tobias Hipp

Christian Neulinger, Gerhard Haas, Johannes Hoyos

On the ascent, it's not just the magnificent panorama of the Hochalmspitze that catches the eye, but also the open south-facing slopes in the large basin. We don't have any stress, so it's off to the Hannoverhaus to lighten our backpacks. "You can warm up with our hut runs just below the sun terrace," the hut host Chris tells us over an espresso. No sooner said than done: we head south along the ridge past the Alter Hannoverhaus - a small wooden hut right on the ridge - and find small gullies and open slopes in several places, which take us over 300 vertical meters back to the middle station.

Longer runs await in the "Hintere Lucke": directly above the mountain station, we cross to the west under the south walls towards the mountain station of the T-bar lift and under the Ebeneckscharte. From here, 500 fine downhill meters open up to us across a wide south-facing slope: plenty of space and lots of playful terrain with drops, cornices and wide slopes. Despite the great weather and Saturday, we are almost the only freeriders and each time we make our own new track next to the one from the previous run. We already feel like little Carinthian kings!

From south to north - crossing the border in powder

There was still plenty of room for our own lines, but we were drawn to the shady slopes in the afternoon. After all, the sun has now made the powder a little heavy. Above the top station of the T-bar lift, we skinned up and climbed the 150 vertical meters to the clearly visible Ebeneckscharte. We are a little confused by the fact that no one has yet made tracks up to the saddle and that we are apparently supposed to be the first. From the saddle, the huge "Knallkar" opens up before our eyes. Framed by icy north faces, 1,000 vertical meters of untracked steep north-facing slopes stretch non-stop down into the Anlauftal valley. We take the remaining 400 vertical meters on a forest trail back to Böckstein. Here, the sun has now made its way into the shady valley.

Impressed and satisfied, we take the familiar train through the mountain again, up the miniature La Grave gondola and find our spot on the sun terrace at the Hannoverhaus - where it all began this morning with a "hut run".

Back to an empty ski resort

So slowly the peace and quiet returns to the mountain. The sun terrace was still full of day skiers until 5 pm. But they have to get back down to the valley at some point, back to their guesthouses or to their cars. We wish the ladies and men's rooms good luck for the 1,200-metre descent down the slopes, while we lazily remain seated on our now almost private sun lounger at 2,565 m above sea level. For the second time, we feel like little Carinthian kings: there is no one else in the area, the slopes are empty and the gondola is stationary. The sun slowly disappears somewhere behind the Dolomites or the main Tauern ridge and we contemplate our tracks of the day until the friendly hut hosts Chris and Elisabeth call us for a well-earned dinner.

The last will be the first

One thing is clear: up here you are sitting in a premium luxury pole position. Even before other Ankogel aspirants in the valley get their skis out of the car, you've already had breakfast and are the first on the way to the Ankogel. In theory, this is certainly the case. However, the prerequisite for this is that you don't let the breakfast buffet with panoramic views put you off your actual plan - as happened to us.

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It was a clear night and accordingly it is still freezing cold in the morning. The traverse in a wide right-hand loop without much elevation gain is just what we need to warm up. Our constant companions are the imposing granite north faces of the Hochalmspitze, which flash across in the morning light on the other side of the valley. With the warming sun, we ascent metre by metre to the start of the west ridge of the Kleiner Ankogel. Here, from the Radeggscharte, we are tempted by the first opportunity to enter the large north-facing slope. But we want to make as many meters of descent as possible on this dream day. So we put our skis on the backpack and walk the last 150 vertical meters along the easy ridge to the summit of the Kleiner Ankogel.

The view is unbeatable: from the Hochalmspitze directly opposite, the view sweeps to various Dolomite towers all the way to the Großglockner. As beautiful as the view is, we are followed by a few more ski tourers and, after all, we are there for the descent. At the top, it's still a bit rocky and windswept. After a few turns, the slope opens up and the powder is there: 1,400 vertical meters without any obstacles, we rush back down towards the Anlauftal. Without any obstacles on the way down to the valley floor, the perspective becomes distorted: you think you'll soon arrive at the bottom of the valley, but the descent never seems to end.

We stroll through the small settlement one last time in spring temperatures. It almost seems as if the people of Böckstein on their sunny terraces remember us from the day before - they greet us in a friendly manner and the boys playing ask us how the snow is still "up there".

Infos about the Ankogel freeride area

The small ski resort offers much more than the one gondola and the drag lift: the potential lies off-piste. There are some rewarding runs directly in the ski resort and several large runs to the north into the Anlauftal valley. With the short train connection (10 minutes) and the direct ski bus connection, you can get back to the ski resort quickly.

The descent from the Ankogel is without doubt one of the finest freeride runs in the Eastern Alps. Few vertical meters in the ascent, 1,800 vertical meters of descent, some alpine challenge on the ridge and a wild alpine backdrop as a constant companion: a rarely perfect overall package for the freerider who loves to go.

Journey

You can travel comfortably from the north by train (direct from Salzburg, change once from Munich). Alternatively, you can park your car in Böckstein and change to the train.

A little timing is important: Unfortunately, trains from Böckstein to Mallnitz only run every hour (always at 20 past). Therefore, adjust the descent into the Anlauftal valley to the train times to avoid long waiting times.

Base

The cozy Hannoverhaus is located just 100 metres below the mountain station of the Ankogel cable car. You can therefore leave your equipment (crampons, ski-crampons, skins, hut sleeping bag, etc.) here on the first day and set off with a light backpack. The great thing about staying overnight in a hut: the next morning you can be the first to hit the powder below the huts or set off towards the Ankogel.

All information about accommodation and reservations at www.hannoverhaus-ankogelgruppe.at

Tour tips:

Descent through the Knallkar

Freeride tour on the Ankogel

Maps and guides:

Alpenvereinskarte 44 Ankogel-Hochalmspitze

Freeride Map Hohe Tauern

Panico ski touring guide "Hohe Tauern"

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.

Show original (German)

TouringTip | Knallkar

Tobias Hipp • 11/22/2018

100 vertical meters of ascent for 1,400 vertical meters of descent! The Knallkar is one of the great delicacies of the Ankogel ski area. Not only is the ratio of ascent to descent unbeatable, the descent is also impressive: huge open slopes stretch a good 1,000 vertical meters down into the Anlauftal valley amidst an impressive rocky backdrop. The absolutely shady northern exposure often guarantees powder.
TouringTip | Ankogel

Tobias Hipp • 11/13/2018

450 vertical meters ascent for 1,800 vertical meters descent! The Kleine Ankogel is the freeride tour par excellence in the border region between Salzburger Land and Carinthia. It really has it all: a relaxed approach, an exciting short ridge ascent and a never-ending 1,200-metre north-facing slope.