Ellmauer Halt

Peaks: Ellmauer Halt (2344m/7690ft)
Routes: Kopftorl (vB), Gamsangersteig (vB/C)
Area: Kaisergebirge, Tyrol, Austria
A storm blew up in the night, high winds and heavy rain rattling the windows of the hut. I slept well, though, which was just as well as a long day lay ahead. The mist, which had engulfed the hut a few hours earlier, was fortunately starting to rise as I left the Stripsenjoch on the small path that leads down the Kaistertal to the west. The weather remained a slight concern, however, as it was clearly unstable and I had no option but to cross one of the high cols to the south to regain my car! The plan was to head up the steep valley of the Hoher Winkler to what I presumed was a small col: the Koftorl, and then - if the weather permitted - nip up the range's highest peak Ellmauer Halt. A side path allowed me to cut the corner across the Neustadler Graben through pinewoods, and soon led to a Ferrata section with chains and a long ladder negotiating a line of crags. I soon emerged in the main valley, a great wild place with large herds of chamois. Not as dramatic as the Steinerne Rinne to the east, perhaps, but a lot wilder feeling. Not many people come this way, I would guess, and I was completely alone in a big landscape. Again, towering limestone crags on both sides. The route is pretty direct and gets steeper and narrower until reaching a smaller scree couloir towards the top. The shifting scree was unpleasant and draining, with loose rock above, but it led to chains and easier upward movement as the couloir narrowed further below the top. This climb reminded me very strongly of the Baranie Sedlo in the Tatra. As I emerged at the small col of the Kopftorl (2058m, so at least 800m of ascent to this point), mist swirled up from the northern side of the range, enveloping the spires of the Kopftorlgrat (a tempting easy climb, a shame I had no partner!). This lent tremendous atmosphere to the subsequent descent, which traverses left over lots of space to gain a tight chimney cleft between a pinnacle and the main rockface. I descended this to another traverse, with chains, to gain another tiny col overlooking yesterday's route up to Ellmauer Tor. Steep but excellent secured scrambling down a series of gullies leads to another col below the subsidiary summit of Kopfl, and a final descent gains a very feint contouring path which I surmised led to the normal route (the Gamsangersteig) up Ellmauer Halt. It did, and I had a small breakfast to celebrate. It was somewhat annoying to have lost so much height after the Kopftorl, but the route down had been so enjoyable that it didn't matter. And there was more excellence to come. I hardly noticed the increasingly heavy drizzle as I began the route, a wonderful narrow path which traverses leftwards to gain easy scrambling and, on turning the corner to head north, an extraordinary Ferrata section with metal rungs drilled into the rock enabling an easy 'staircase' ascent for 300m or so to gain a wide couloir and excellent scrambling. I chose to avoid the unnecessary chains and enjoy the rock here. A series of easy juggy grooves led up to an obvious crux with a choice of routes. I opted for the route through a huge cave/cleft to gain a long ladder out of the cave. Easier ground led up to the Babenstuber Hut, a tiny wooden shelter nestled under the summit ridge. Mist swirled around, lending a tremendous atmosphere to the final climb up a series of grooves and slabs to the small summit. No distant views, but the immediate ridges to Gamshalt, Treffauer and Tuxeck were rendered more impressive by the shifting mists. I took the variant route on the descent, avoiding the cave in favour of an exposed Ferrata section leading across slabs to a steep protected groove and crack. An easy but long descent back to the path junction, after which I romped down to the Gruttenhutte in dramatically improving conditions. By the time I'd reached the direct path through the woods back to Wochenbrunner the clouds had cleared and warm sunshine lit the walls of Ellmauer Halt. After a wash in the Hausgraben river, I embarked on the long drive to Mayrhofen in the Zillertal, then took the toll road all the way up to the Schlegeisspeicher reservoir. This was a long drive, but I was still able to start the walk-in to the Friesenberghaus at 3.30pm. I was beginning to tire slightly, but perked up quite quickly and really enjoyed the walk and the opportunity to gradually get my bearings in the Zillertal: an entirely different landscape to the Kaiserberge, open and Alpine, a wonderful contrast. I still had a 700m climb to negotiate, though, and I got a real drenching as I emerged from the contouring path to gain the open valley of the Lapenkar with the hut, and tomorrow's objective the Hoher Riffler, looming above. The rain eased off briefly, then started again in earnest as I reached the hut. The Friesenberghaus is a superb place - old, stone-built and very atmospheric, the highest hut in the Zillertal at 2500m. It had been a long day, and it was great to be able to refuel and rest.