Watzmann traverse

Peaks: Hocheck (2651m), Watzmann Mittelspitze (2713m), Watzmann Sudspitze (2712m)
Route: Uberschreitung (uI+)
Area: Watzmann, Berchtesgaden, Germany
One of the most famous ridge traverses in the Eastern Alps, this was a memorable way to finish the trip. Our weather luck deserted us, however, with a howling gale slamming into the hut all night and only gradually easing this morning. It all made for a relaxed start, given the magnitude of the task in front of us: the standard time for the full traverse is an alarming 15.5 hours. The precipitous main ridge is just the start of the day: there follows a huge descent 'down the back' of the Watzmann, the terrain and scenery superb throughout. It all meant a leisurely breakfast of speck, rye bread and cheese, with litres of coffee, as clouds continued to wreathe the hut and gusts continued to batter the walls. Eventually, we set off after the rain diminished to a light drizzle and the wind dropped somewhat. The Hocheck is a bit of a slog, but the path meanders upwards to take in some limestone slabs and a short section of scrambling before embarking on the steep, roof-like final climb. The clag was persistent up here, the slabby limestone wet, and the air temperatures uncomfortably cold even without factoring in the wind (2C at the summit, wind chill well below this). I emerged at the Hocheck summit cross a few minutes ahead of Vic, so ducked inside the bivouac shelter nestled at the start of the ridge traverse to sort myself out. The door was locked from the inside, where 12-15 people nestled in a tiny space, waiting for the weather to improve. Several other parties just retreated down from the Hocheck. I waited, and waited - but for some unaccountable reason, Vic didn't come through the door. I went back to the summit cross and peered into the gloom: no sign. After 25 minutes, I decided he must have walked past the hut and started the traverse, but I couldn't be sure, so set off myself, rather tentatively for that reason. It is exposed immediately, but the clag remained stubborn and the rock wet throughout. The wind was dropping, however, so it was perfectly reasonable particularly given the fact that all exposed sections have via ferrata style chains and the like. A sharp arete, very narrow, led to a tricky descent and a series of gangways. A brief clearance to the west revealed a pair of climbers in front (perhaps the only other people to do the traverse today), while to the west, mist obscured the famous 1800m Ostwand/East Face. A spectacular scene and by know I was into the rhythm of the scrambling. It was absolutely wonderful - absorbing and enjoyable, continually varied. A steep gendarme followed by a gully descent was rather awkward, but the Mittelspitze was gained quickly via the Felsen-fenstergrat, no more than 45 minutes from Hocheck, even with my cautious and deliberate approach. No sign of Vic, and all my texts were bouncing back to me. I waited for a long time at the summit, partly hoping for a clearance, partly to give Vic a chance to catch up just in case he was behind. Eventually, the urge to continue got the better of me, and a catwalk led to more superb continuous scrambling. Every so often, huge gendarmes and pinnacles would start to emerge from the mist, only to be swallowed up again when I got the camera out! The section from Mittel to Sudspitze is much longer and more involved, descending the 'zickzacks' to the huge Zackengrat gendarme, which is circumvented via a circuitous detour over the western side of the ridge - intricate and absorbing. Eventually, I heard from Vic - he was already on the South Summit! So I powered past the pair in front and continued along the very narrow section of ridge that precedes the final climb to the South Summit: this knife-edge is avoided by a cat walk in places, but at other times the only way is a'cheval over the knife-edge itself. Above lies the Sudspitze, where all exposure ends - a surprisingly flat and large summit and a very sudden change from the rest of the ridge. The clag remained as thick as ever, but I found Vic sheltering behind some rocks: he was cold, so started the descent after a couple of photos. I had a sandwich first, then set off in pursuit down the vast south 'face' of the mountain. Initially, the line picks an intricate and twisting way down a giant couloir interspersed with small rocky sections. This was enjoyable, and continued the scrambling tone of the day: it reminded me a little of the descent down the western side of Tryfan, albeit it on a far grander scale. As we emerged at the huge scree slopes that form the Schonfeldschnied, we dropped below the clag for the first time, revealing gigantic walls of limestone towering into the mist and an impressive continuation ridge dropping down to the valley. The scree allowed for a rapid descent initially, although it was all quite steep. As we dropped, further clearances began to reveal the stunning valley in front - and there followed an hour or so of the most incredible skies as the mist peeled away from the Grosser Hundstod in front and the Hoch Kalter to the west. Limestone spires wreathed in tendrils of mist, with us looking down on the scene: very memorable and very photogenic. After a snack watching these magnificent scenes unfold, we continued down a mixture of grass, scree and rocky sections, still tortuous and weaving to avoid a canyon where the streams dropped down to the valley base. A long chained section down an eroded spur finally allowed us to gain the Bangraben in the Wimbachtal valley itself. The scenery here, marked Schonfeldgraben, is the equal of anything in the Alps: in fact, it is somewhat atypical, and reminiscent more of Canada or parts of the Himalaya. Intermittent conifer forest, and a vast dry storm channel, surrounded by spires of rock. We finally gained a the standard path down the Wimbachtal for the final, very long, section back to the car: perhaps 13k? A delightful walk ensued, initially down the valley to the obvious target of the Wimbachgrieshutte where we stopped for tea and goulaschsuppe. Wonderfully restorative, sitting on benches in the sunshine while the mist peeled away from the spectacular Sigaretkopf to the south-west. Fortified, we ploughed down the remainder of the Wimbachtal, which begins to curve round to the north at this point, first to the Wimbachschloss, and then to the forested hills above the Wimbachbrucke. It was all a very long way, but played to our strengths, as did the entire traverse.