Grossglockner Hut to Hut Ascent

7 Days

Price from: £999.00

Ref No: Activus 078

A high level walking traverse around Austria's highest peak...

Home Packages Grossglockner Hut to Hut Ascent

Overview
Itinerary
Availability
Faq
Gallery

This scenic Alps trekking trip enables you to get to know this beautiful region of the Eastern Alps and gives you the opportunity to stay in some of the best alpine mountain huts and leads you via Austria's longest glacier.

Highlights
Dramatic summit point
King of the Eastern Alps
Eight 3000m+ peaks
Austria's biggest glacier
High alpine huts

The Grossglockner is a classic and accordingly popular peak. Its sharp pyramidal shaped peak actually consists of two pinnacles, the Grossglockner and the Kleinglockner (3770m), separated by a saddle-like formation known as the Glocknerscharte.

It draws climbers from near and far and its dramatic summit can be seen from nearly all of its approach routes. However, although it is a serious and impressive mountain, its standard route is not as difficult as Mont Blanc or Dufourspitze and, unlike both those mountains, it is a more feasible step up for the experienced UK hill walker prior to contemplating a Mont Blanc attempt.

Built from 1930 to 1935, the famous Grossglockner Pass links the Austrian provinces of Salzburg and Kärnten along the Hohen Tauern mountain range. It is one of Europe’s highest and most scenic pass roads. The 48 kilometre high alpine road leads into the heart of the Hohen Tauern National Park, curving through 36 bends and climbing to over 2500 metres above sea level. It passes through a unique mountain world of flower-filled meadows, fragrant mountain forests, huge rock faces and eternal ice to reach the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Höhe (head of the pass) at the foot of the Grossglockner (3798m).

Here you can admire the glistening Pasterze glacier - at 8.4 kilometres, it is Austria's longest, stretching down from over 3500m to about 2100m above sea level.

Our high alpine hut to hut traverse on and around the Grossglockner is a classic “Haute Route”, and one of the best you can make in the Austrian Alps and in the area of the Grossglockner. The traverse from the Schwaiger hut to the Oberwalder hut and next day to the Stüdl hut is only one of the many highlights of this trip.

Activity Information

At 3798m above sea level the Grossglockner is Austria's highest mountain and the highest peak in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. This makes it, after Mont Blanc, the second most prominent mountain in the Alps, when measured by relative height; see the list of Alpine peaks by prominence.

The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol; it is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge.

Itinerary

Day 1	Depart UK - Kaprun - Mooserboden - Schwaiger Haus Walking Time: 2 hours / Ascent: 700m Morning flight to Salzburg and transfer to Kaprun. After a light snack and trip briefing at the Gasthaus Kesselfall we take the Lärchenwand cable car followed by bus to the dam of the Mooserboden lake. The dams were built after the Second World War and visitors from all over the world go there to look at the power station. From there we walk up to the Heinrich Schwaiger Haus.
Day 2	Schwaiger hut - Wiesbachhorn - Oberwalder hut Walking Time: 7 hours / Ascent: 900m / Descent: 600m Early in the morning we start out after breakfast towards the Oberwalder Hütte and follow the path up to the Wiesbachhorn, arriving at the glacier after about an hour. After roping up, the summit of the Hintere Bratschenkopf comes into sight. If the weather is good we climb the Wiesbachhorn via the summit of the Klockerin on our way to the Bivi hut on the Gruber Scharte. From there the Oberwalder Hütte is about 2 hours further.
Day 3	Oberwalder Hütte - Stüdl Hütte Walking Time: 6 hours / Ascent: 600m / Descent: 700m We spend the whole day on the upper Pasterze glacier. We rope up right at the hut and off we go towards the Romariswandkopf. The Grossglockner is always next to us and the north ridge of the Romariswandkopf is our first short technical section on the trip. After a break on the summit we desend to the newly built Stüdl Hütte, where we spend the night.
Day 4	Stüdl Hütte - Grossglockner - Adlersruhe Hut Walking Time: 6 hours / Ascent: 1000m / Descent: 350m We climb on top of Austria's highest peak, the Grossglockner. But first we have to make it up to the Adlersruhe (3454m), where we stay for the night after the climb. The Glocknerleitl is the last snowfield before we get to the south ridge, which takes us up to the roof of Austria. The Glocknerscharte is the last step prior to the summit. From the iron cross on top we can enjoy the beautiful view towards the Bohemian Forest in the north to the Dolomites in the south. Our descent back to the hut takes about 2 hours.
Day 5	Adlersruhe hut - Oberwalder Hütte Walking Time: 5 hours / Descent: 1100m / Ascent: 700m A relatively easy day. In the morning we go down to the Pasterze, Austria's biggest glacier. The way up to the Oberwalder Hütte is easy and we spend a second night up here.
Day 6	Oberwalder Hütte - Johannisberg - Hohe Riffl - Kaprun Walking Time: 5 hours / Ascent: 350m / Descent: 1200m Today we climb the Johannisberg and the Hohe Riffl and descend via the Kärlinger glacier to the dam of lake Mooserboden, where we started our trip a few days ago. While enjoying coffee and cake we review the past days on the glaciers and the highlights of our Grossglockner experience before departing to our accommodation in Salzburg.
Day 7	Return to the UK - After breakfast transfer to Salzburg Airport for your onward flight home.

Dates and Prices Info

Please note that bookings must be made at least 4 weeks prior to the scheduled departure so that we can make bookings in the relevant mountain huts. Prices are based on groups of 2-4 people.

Group size	Price
2 people	1449.00
3 people	1149.00
4 people	£999.00

What's Included?

Full event planning, logistics and client liaison
Experience UIAGM mountaineering guide(s)
5 night's accommodation in mountain huts with breakfast and evening meal
1 night bed and breakfast accommodation in Salzburg
Pick up from Salzburg Airport
Drop off at first night accommodation
First Aid and safety equipment
Cable car and bus fees
Photographic highlights of your trip on CD
Clothing and equipment discount for Cotswold Outdoors and Montane

Not Included

Flights to Austria
Transfer from Salzburg to airport
Personal expenses
Climbing helmet, crampons, ice axe, climbing harness and 2 x locking carabiners
Other personal equipment
Meals not mentioned above
Travel insurance

Ask Activus

If you have any questions about this activity please do not hesitate to ask.