MaMa-Kante Karwendel

Arno wanted to do the 12 pitch  MaMa-Kante for some time. It is in the Dammkar, a corrie in the Karwendel mountain range and was first climbed by F. Mannes and H. Mayer in 1975. Drive to Mittenwald and park at the car park of the cable car (3 EUR) or nearby (some free parking). There is also a train from Munich to Mittenwald (a great base for mountaineering and mountain biking). The path to the Dammkar is signposted. Arno and I were in good shape and needed 1 h 15 min instead of the suggested 3 h to the Dammkarhütte (http://dammkarhuette.de/). From there go left (West) and the MaMa-Kante is on the right wall in the photo below. Today 3 teams were ahead of us but people here climb fast as Alpine climbs are long.

 Here is Arno approaching the MaMa-Kante...

 ... and here you can see the first team on it. It is holiday time and Arno only picked me up at 7.30 h so no complaints. 

 The Karwendel mountains have a reputation for poor rock but the MaMa-Kante is an exception. It offers great climbing ranging from UIAA 3 to 6+.Here is Arno starting a UIAA IV pitch with a team finishing it above. 

 Here a photo higher up.

 The protection is mixed. There are some high-quality bolts (Mittenwald have a mountain division of the army and they look after routes) but you should also bring your own protection. As a rule of thumb, expect bolt belays and bolts on crux moves. You need to protect all the rest and for this a set of nuts plus some cams will do. Take additionally 12-16 quickdraws plus slings. 

 The last hard bit was a 6+ move. It is a boulder problem with now three bolts. You can avoid it on the right. I was very glad that I managed it clean and Arno surprised us as he managed to climb it with a rucksack. After that easy scrambling to the top. Great views to the North...

and the Kreuzwand (2132 m) to the East where climbers are resting after the MaMa-Kante and the ridge. 

The descent is a scramble towards the West until you reach the bealach. From there try to scree surf to the hut and then down. From the hut you can carry on scree surfing which is easier on the knees but adds to the erosion. Here is Arno reaching the bottom of the descent from the hut. 

Could be worse!

HW