Stubai Alps Ski Tour - June 2004 - Part 2

Jim Frankenfield; snowman@csac.org; 1-877-604-0166

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This is the second part of a two-part ski touring adventure. This section began late on a Sunday afternoon in hopes of clearing weather on Monday. Part 1 had ended on Friday after four days of touring between three huts, two of which were at lower elevations.

On Sunday, June 13, I took the Stubai Gletscher cable car up to the top, into the fog, and made the short trip to the Hildesheimer hut. The weather was forecast to clear up on Monday after an unsettled weekend and I wanted to be up there ready to go. While it may have cleared over the Inn valley it usually takes longer over the mountains, and at the hut it was fogged in until evening. So I spent one entire day in the Hildesheimer winter room, climbing to a nearby high point in the afternoon and chopping/shovelling some of the snow and ice away from the walkway to the entrance. Tuesday dawned cold and clear and I ascended the Zuckerhutl and Wilder Pfaff, descending the 4th class exposed and rocky ridgeline to the Muller hut. (See the narrative or the slide show for details on a side trip to Beckerhaus hut and the quest for an accessible winter room!) On Wednesday I was once again hut-bound by fog and high winds. On Thursday I climbed Wilder Freiger and Signalgipfel then skied down past the rock butress where Beckerhaus is located. I ended up hiking down and out on the Italy side in the Ridnauntal valley, ultimately to the town of Sterzig which is close to Brenner Pass. Although it is close the trip back to Innsbruck proved to be difficult due to a lack of late-day transportation in the Ridnauntal and a train strike which prevented easy access to Brenner Pass. I finally arrived in Innsbruck about 6am on Friday morning.

[Longer narrative report] [Helpful Resources]

Hildesheimer hut area Hildesheimer hut area Hildesheimer hut area Sundays conditions and a couple views down to the Hildesheimer hut from a high point near by.
Chures beloe Hildesheimer hut route to the Zuckerhutl route to the Zuckerhutl A view of the icy chutes down from the hut basin (left) and a couple views of the route to the Zuckerhutl.
View from Pfaffenferner View from Pfaffenferner View from Sultzenauferner Views from the upper basin of the Pfaffenferner (left, center) and from the top of the Sultzenauferner.
Wilder Pfaff Wilder Pfaff Sonklarspitz Wilder Pfaff (two left photos), Zuckerhutl is attached on the right of the saddle. The right photo is of Sonklarspitz.
Wilder Pfaff Zuckerhutl summit Zuckerhutl summit Wilder Pfaff (left) and the summit of Zuckerhutl (center and right).
Wilder Pfaff summit view Wilder Pfaff summit view Wilder Pfaff summit view Views from the summit of Wilder Pfaff, left is looking back to Zuckerhutl.
Stubaital from Wilder Pfaff View down to Muller Hut Muller Hut View of the Stubaital from Wilder Pfaff (left), view down the ridge to Muller Hut, and a view of the hut with ridge behind.
Sonklarspitz Muller Hut Winter entrance Wilder Pfaff descent ridge Sonklarspitz from near Muller hut (left), the winter room entrance?, and a morning view back to the Wilder Pfaff descent ridge.
Sonklarspitz Ubeltalferner Wild Freiger and Signalgipfel Sonklarspitz in the morning, a view down the Ubeltalferner, and a view up to Wild Freiger and Signalgipfel.
Ubeltalferner Wild Freiger Ridge Wild Freiger Ridge Views from the Wild Freiger ridge showing the Ubeltalferner (Beckerhaus hut on left) and the border, with old customs hut.
Zuckerhutl and Wilder Pfaff from Wild Freiger Signalgipfel Wild Freiger summit ridge More views from Wild Freiger - on left is Zuckerhutl and Wilder Pfaff, on right is the Signalgipfel end of the summit ridge.
Panorama with Schrankogle View of Schrankogle View of Wilder Pfaff A panorama and a view with Schrankogle on the right, both from Wilder Freiger. On right - a last view back to Wilder Pfaff.
View up to Becher Hut Rock Ridge Vogelhutten See Looking up to Becher, Wild Freiger and Roter Grat; the rocky ridge attempted as a short cut; the edge of Vogelhutten See.
Vogelhutten See Bottom of Ubeltalferner Becherhaus, Glide Cracks The V. See crossing point; the end of Ubeltalferner feeding the See; a view back towards Beckerhaus showing glide cracks

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