Luftige Kante (V-), Dammkar, Karwendel

Markus Smetan is a study friend of mine and Arno Alpi is my trusted climbing partner. Markus was in our area for mountain action and so we agreed to climb the "Luftige Kante" (airy edge), a seven pitch UIAA V- (UK HS/VS) in the Dammkar of the Karwendel. This is below our normal grade but because of COVID-19, we have not climbed indoors for over a year so no climbing fitness and so we avoided grade VI!

The walk-in starts in Mittenwald and then goes up into the Dammkar to reach the Dammkarhütte. The Dammkar is a gravel amphitheatre but unfortunately, the Karwendel rock is mostly loose so no good/too exciting for climbing. There are some exceptions. One is the Predigtstuhl (not to be confused with the more famous Predigtstuhl at the Wilder Kaiser) to the left/East of the Dammkarhütte and others are ridges such as the Mama-Kante and the Luftige Kante that are to the right/West of the Dammkarhütte. Here is a link to the topo https://bypass.bergsteigen.com/touren/pdf/luftige-kante-dammkar/?showOptions=pdfTopo and here, Markus and Arno are ascending from the Dammkarhütte. The Luftige Kante starts at the rock blades on the right side just below the bealach. 

 

Here a look down. The Dammkarhütte is on the grassy patch below. Great scenery but hard walking on the stone chute max. 

Here is a women's team that has just started the Luftige Kante. The route has bolted belays. In addition, there are poor quality "Sticht-Haken" plus some modern bolts in a few places where it matters. We additionally had small nuts (I placed one but not essential), friends (I placed two but not necessary) and slings (good idea, many opportuinities). 

Here is Arno at the end of pitch 2, I think. See the two rock blades at the bottom. They are a good marker for the Luftige Kante.

The crux is balancy friction moves at the bottom of a limestone slab with water runnels. Here, Arno starts the crux...

and here, Markus starts the crux whilst Arno has reached the part where the runnels are deeper with better holds.

After that easier climbing on an airy edge...

... higher and higher above the Dammkar below. 

At this point the ridge turns into a blade of rock. 

After 7 pitches, the Luftige Kante ends on a grassy bealach. Descend left a bit for a 2 x 60 m abseil or scramble to the top. 

The second abseil steeply descends into a stone chute which is a pain to descend. 

Further down for a beer or "Helles" at the Dammkarhütte whilst a thunderstorm was building. 

However, it only rained moderately and so we were soon in Mittenwald for an ice cafe & coffee. I can definitely recommend the Amarena spaghetti ice first for taste and second for putting some weight on!

HW

Crossing the Alps in a day from Munich to the Lago di Garda (365 km)

Munich is a cycling city and cyclists like challenges. One such challenge is the crossing of the Alps from Munich to the Lago di Garda. Weather, people, food, culture & landscape: everything changes from bonny Bavaria via Alpine Austria to the almost Mediterranean Lago di Garda. 

On 16.7.2021 at 3.30 h a couple of cycle lights appeared. The cyclists came from the Säbener Platz and I waited for them at the Kugler Alm. On the bikes were Chrissie, Frank, Ferdinand, Felix and Martin. I joined and we were soon cycling on nearly dry roads to the Tegernsee. A super special thanks from all of us goes to Jens who drove the support car and to Frank who organised the trip. Our plan was to cycle via the Achenpass and Achensee before descending into the Inn valley. From there we were cycling almost to Innsbruck to take the Roman road to reach the Brenner road below the motorway that connects Austria to Italy. From there a long descent to Sterzing and Bozen/Bolzano and then many, many miles on a sometimes fantastic and sometimes bad cycle path along the Etsch/Adige to the Lago di Garda. This is the Strava track of the tour:

Here is the first selfie at the Tegernsee with the team. Just after sunrise and the spirits are high. At this stage do not do math because it is 50 kilometres down (which sounds OK) and 315 kilometres to go (which sounds terrifying)!

In the Inn valley, support car Jens met us at a bakery. I took my Nikon SLR from the car to take photos from the bike. The cycle paths in the Inn valley are good and Komoot and a GPS make it easy to follow them .... most of the time. The forecast predicted 80-90% rain but on the day we were lucky as it was dry and we even saw some blue skies.

A couple of kilometres before Innsbruck we then took a corner to head South and up towards the Brenner pass. Here is that corner.

Here we start climbing with Innsbruck in the glen below.

The climb was up to 8% on mostly dry roads. We reached a height of 1000 m on the Roman road. 

After a lot of up and down we finally reached the Brennerstraße in Matrei. There is quite a bit of traffic on the Brennerstraße with motorbikes, classic cars and others that avoid the Brenner motorway seen at the top right of the next picture. The Brennerstraße climbs at an easy 4% before steepening for the last 2-3 kilometres to the Brenner pass.

Here, Martin climbs that ramp with orange Frank and Chrissie a wee bit behind.

The Brenner is one of the busiest Alpine crossings. It is only 1370 m high (25 m higher than Ben Nevis) and so a natural weakness that allows an easy cross from North to South over the Alps and vice versa. Here is the sign of the Brenner village. It is not a pretty place as a motorway, the old Brennerstraße and a railway line pass through.

After that, we descended into Sterzing/Vipiteno (935 m) and Italy. This part of Italy feels like Austria and the people mainly speak German. We then took the Adige (German Etsch, i.e. the river that goes down this long glen) cycle pass which goes all the way to Verona. This is a big bonus as it takes you away from the Italian traffic.

We carried on to Brixen/Bressanone where we ate pizza al fresco in a bonny restaurant. Here, a photo of Brixen/Bessanone. 

Onwards and downwards on the Adige/Etsch cycle path. Some communities have done a fantastic job and the cycle path is a straight line of ultrasmooth tarmac down the glen. Other communities send you left, right, up, down and put a metal gate after a downhill curve just to spice things up a bit and to add some extra mileage. The prize for the worst bit of the Adige/Etsch cycle path goes to Trento/Trient. Up the river north and then the same way back on the other side of the river. Extra distance after 300+ kilometres is always appreciated. Here is one of these curvy bits with a snow-capped mountain in the distance…

… and here is a near-perfect path following the Adige/Etsch.

More photos of that long, long, long Adige/Etsch cycle path…

… which is sometimes flanked by big cliffs. In the glen, there are wine yards and apple trees.

After a couple of hours in the rain, it dried up again and we arrived in Mori at 21 h. Surprisingly we all mostly still felt fine and so we sprinted uphill for the village sign. Frank had booked a double room and a room for four above a pizza place in Mori. Showers and then pizza and beer in the pizzeria below and then to bed. I fell asleep in a picosecond and woke up at 6.30 h.

Mori is still about 15 kilometres away from the Lago and so we jumped on our bikes and cycled to the Lago. On a Saturday and Sunday, many Italians are on their flashy racing bikes. If you are Scottish, please check out photos of Italian cyclists as you are expected to cycle and dine in style. So no huge repair bag dangling below your saddle like the cojones of a Spanish bull. Also if you order pizza or pasta, DO NOT ask for mayonnaise or pineapple and give a tip. 

Here is Torbole with a view over the Northern end of the Lago do Garda…

… and here we are sitting on the shore…

… and here my feet are in the water of the Lago.

Here are Chrissie, Martin, Felix and Ferdinand cooling their feet in the holy water of the Lago.

Finally, some practical tips for Germ and Scottish cyclists. 

Start: Scottish cyclists can fly to Munich and return from Verona. This is a good option if you can sort out the logistics such a post-ride clothing. In Munich, start or cycle via the Säbener Platz oder the Kugler Alm. These are popular meeting points for Munich-based cyclists and quickly lead out of the city via e.g. Sauerlach towards the Alps.

Finish: For Munich-based cyclists, the limiting factor is the bike ticket for the return train. In summer, they are in high demand so book early. Unfortunately, you will need to book this in person at the Ost- or Hauptbahnhof. Once you purchased your bicycle ticket, book the train ticket. It is <100 EUR and from Rovereto it takes roughly 4 h to return to Munich. Here is the train sign:

Timing: This is a demanding ride of 360 km with well over 2000 m of ascending best done in a group. Typically start in-between midnight and 4 am. If you have bad luck then there is a headwind all the way up the Adige/Etsch valley and it will be a battle royal for a solo rider and expect to arrive in the dark. 

Training: If you attempt this you should have cycled at least one 200 km ride with 2000 m of ascending. Also, if you go in a group then ensure that you are comfortable cycling in a group because the last thing you want is a halfway crash. 

Nutrition: The key is to consume carbohydrates as running out of carbs after 300 km will hit you like a steam train. My main meals were porridge at 2.30 h, a cheese roll and Nussschnecke (sweet pastry) at around 7 h in Austria, a pizza and salad washed down with an alcohol-free beer at 14 h in Brixen. Additionally, I had Bananas (rougly 30 g of carbs per Banana), Powergel carb & caffeine shots, and Seitenbacher „saurer Apfel“ bars (30 g of carbs). Generally aim for at least 30 g of carbs per hour and add carbs once you feel that your energy levels are going down. We cycled on a cool day but on a hot, 30+ degree day hydrating and keeping your salt balance will be essential. Drink when thirsty but avoid overdrinking as this can cause hyponatraemia. If you sweat a lot then eat salty food such as crisps, drink electrolyte drinks and consider taking salt tablets. On the photo below are some of my carb & salt shots. The tablets are Addition salt tablets. The PowerBar PowerGels are Cola-flavoured carb snacks with caffeine which are like Haribo sweets. The Seitenbacher sour apple bar works well for my stomach and is not overly sweet.  Also I find bananas easy to digest. 

Here is a scientific review article on ultra-race nutrition. They recommend 30-50 g of carbohydrates per hour: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-019-0312-9 

Kit: The trip is best done on a flashy carbon racing bike with fast carbon wheels. The bigger your tires, the heavier your bike, the bigger your belly, the harder it gets. If you do not have a support car, take a bike packing bag (the Ortlieb bag seems really good) for a minimum of food, clothes, repair kit and money. 

That‘s all folks. If you have a question, send an email. We will certainly do something like this again! This is the plan for next year: https://www.komoot.de/tour/423291699

HW

Bayerischer Wald

Normally, the direction for the Münchner's is South, to the Austrian and Italian Alps, and to the Lago di Garda and beyond. But to the East is the Bayerischer Wald, literally translated as Bavarian Forest. It is a region of gentle hills up to near 1500 m with a National Park which is an unmanaged forest. There is also the border to the Czech Republic and the Bohemian forest within the Bavarian forest. For a change, Ana and I decided to visit the Bavarian forest for some gentle walks. Here is Ana during day 1 where we aimed for the Grosser Arber (1456 m), the highest peak of the Bavarian forest.

The top of the Grosser Arber is a bit of a let down as it is a Nato radar station presumably because it was close to the Iron curtain pre-1989. 

On the way down we followed a stream that turned into a waterfall. I carried a tripod and it was well worth it, as I took a tack sharp photo showing the rusty red and green plus the soft lines of the falling water during an exposure that was longer than 1 s.

On day 2 we aimed for the Grosser Rachel (1453 m), a mere 3 m short of the Grosser Arber. Here is Ana during the ascent reaching the point where the thick forest opened up.

High up many trees were dead presumably because of storms and because of the infamous Borkenkäfer, a bug who kills trees.

Below the summit of the Grosser Rachel is a hut but unfortunately, it was shut. The grosser Rachel is the hill behind.

Here is the summit with views into the nearby Czech Republic.

Here is Ana at the summit cross of the Grosser Arber...

... and here she descents.

On the way down there is a chapel and a lake with views over the National park forest.

On the third day, rain was forecast but in the end, it stayed dry. We did a low-level walk near Viechtach, a wee town which we visited for a triathlon training camp in our tweens. Lots of stories...

Overall, the Bavarian forest is a great area for straightforward hill and forest walking. Accommodation, food, and beer are cheap and there are some multi-day walks. Ana and I cannot wait to visit it in winter as Nordic skiing is supposed to be excellent. 

HW

Kraxengrat (IV-) Alpine style, Wilder Kaiser

Norbert Wortberg is a study friend of mine who lives in the Eifel, a hilly region near Cologne. And Nobbi needed adventure. So we decided to meet at the Jägerwirt above Scheffau at the Wilder Kaiser for the Kraxengrat, an 18-pitch IV- Alpine ridge which I had previously climbed with Simon albeit with hardly any snow. This time, there was still a lot of snow after lots of snow fall in late winter and so we took crampons and ice axes. Here, Nobbi crosses the first wet snow avalanche field.

We carried three ice axes but after the approach, the ridge was mostly snow-free. When we were on pitch two, a fast, guided pair appeared at the bottom of the ridge who overtook us. Here is a photo of them overtaking us.

After the first three pitches, we reached a walking pitch with the ridge proper seen on the left.

The climbing was mainly 2-3. Just lots of straightforward climbing with the odd bolt. Here is Nobbi tackling one of the steeper bits.

Here, views of the Treffauer to the South, one of the major Kaiser peaks.

The ridge has two cruxes. The first is an exposed diedre which is easier than it looks. The second crux is a steepish wall graded IV-, probably severe in UK money, climbed in big boots. Here is Nobbie at the end of the second crux.

The ridge is 18 pitches long. There are some bolts but bringing slings and some extra gear helps. Here is Nobbi on an exposed downclimb that is the last tricky-ish bit. 

Here Nobbi again clinging on to some rock.

We finally topped out but a wee bit late. Luckily it was cloudy and so whilst the snow was wet it was not totally falling apart. First, a ridge walk with gorgeous views towards Kufstein and the Inn valley.

And then a descent down some wet, heavy slopes. Luckily the snow was not too deep and there were clouds so that it remained largely stable. 

And finally green pastures and some deep blue Gentian, my favourite Alpine flower.

The Kraxengrat is such a great mountaineering route and one of the few easy routes on the Wilder Kaiser. Definitely recommended.

HW

Rabenkopf (1555 m)

Monday, the 24.5.2021 was Whitsun Monday (Pfingstmontag), a public holiday in Bavaria. The weather forecast was poor and so I decided to do a wee mountain run from Jachenau, a village in the Bavarian Alps roughly 60 km from home. Lots of Alpine flowers. The most impressive is the Alpine Gentian. It stands out due to its deep blue colour.

Here some signs showing the way to the Rabenkopf (1555 m) one hill of many.

Here the summit cross. My preference is to leave no trace and to leave the hills as they are but in this area, each hill has a cross on top. In the distance is the "Alpenhauptkamm" still with tons of snow. 

A sign on the way down showing the way back to Jachenau.

In the forest, I was using a Lee big stopper filter for the first time. This filter extends exposure times and so the water turns into soft lines. I was pleased with the result. 

Even if the hill or walk is not special, the hills and mountains never really disappoint even if it is rainy and gray. 

HW