The Imbachhorn towers prominently above Zell am See in Pinzgau, with its north-facing cirque leaving a rather inhospitable impression. From the east, however, the mountain offers a somewhat longer but rewarding ski tour, which is frequently tackled but almost always offers untracked slopes in perfect skiing terrain.
Ascent
The starting point of the tour is the small village of Judendorf (approx. 800 m) on the Glocknerstraße (limited parking facilities). A service road takes you to a material cable car, under which you ascend steeply to the Hinterjudendorfer Alm (approx. 1370 m). If there is not enough snow, you can easily overcome the first few meters of altitude via the farm track. From the alpine pasture you have a good view to the south of the eastern ridge of the Kreuzkopf (downhill option, see below).
Continue across a flat clearing until you reach the treeless cirque below the Kreuzkopf, Brennstein and Rosskopf via steeper and wooded terrain to the left of a deep trench. From the cirque you have a good view of the north-eastern gullies of the Rosskopf (descent variant, see below).
In the cirque, ascend towards the north-facing ridge of the Rosskopf and cross at an altitude of approx. 1900 m on its northern flank into the Hirzbach cirque. Caution: This traverse can be critical in snowy conditions!
Sometimes there is already an ascent track in the cirque below the south-eastern summit slope of the Imbachhorn, which is strongly discouraged. It is safer to ascend over the ridge in the Hirzbachkar to the left of a trench towards Brandlscharte and tackle the summit ascent to the Imbachhorn (approx. 2470 m) via its south-west ridge.
Descent
The summit slope of the Imbachhorn can rarely be skied directly. Very safe conditions are required for this! Less risky and very rewarding is the descent through the Hirzbachkar along the ascent track. As the tour is frequently tackled, you should take a look towards the southern ridge of the Hirzbachkar during the ascent, which is often completely untracked.
If you still have enough energy reserves, it is worth descending to below the ascent track in the Hirzbachkar and a short counter ascent (approx. 150 m) to the saddle (approx. 2000 m) between Rosskopf (approx. 2150 m) and Brennstein (approx. 2080 m). In spring, the daily avalanche risk on the south-facing slopes must be taken into account!
In safe conditions, the gullies below the Rosskopf can be skied (caution: up to approx. 45 degrees), otherwise you can ski down from the saddle into the cirque. Afterwards, a descent along the ascent track is recommended.
Alternative
The following, very rarely used variant can be very rewarding: From the cirque, traverse to the ridge between Brennstein and Kreuzkopf (approx. 1915 m) and ski along it without skins to Kreuzkopf. From there you can - always keeping on your back! - across open spaces and sparse forest to a farm track at the Hinterjudendorfer Alm. Instead of the often rutted descent along the ascent track, there is a further 550 m descent over perfect skiing terrain in untouched snow. Under no circumstances should you ski down from the ridge via the north-east-facing, avalanche-prone slopes in the direction of the ascent track.
You can ski back to the Hinterjudendorfer Alm via the farm track without losing any altitude and then ski down along the ascent track or via the farm track back to the starting point.
Information
Difficulty (5-level scale): **
Special dangers: The tour can be made very safe with a sensible choice of track. Crossing below the summit slope of the Imbachhorn is strongly discouraged both on the ascent and on the descent. The gullies below the Rosskopf should only be skied in absolutely safe conditions. Under no circumstances should you ski down the north-facing slopes from the ridge below the Kreuzkopf in the direction of the ascent track. The length of the tour should not be underestimated.
Average steepness/ maximum steepness: 30-35°/ up to 45° depending on the choice of track.
Exposure: E.
Altitude difference start and finish: approx. 800 | 2470 m.
Altitude difference uphill and downhill: approx. 1670 m and approx. 150 m counter ascent.
Duration: approx. hours
Best time of year: January to April.
Accommodation: Various accommodation in Kaprun, Zell am See, Bruck and along the Glocknerstraße.
Directions: On the B168 or B311 to Bruck, from there onto the Glocknerstraße, parking in Judendorf.
