Altitude training: Climbing gardens around the Darmstädter Hütte

There are various motivations for visiting a climbing garden. Sometimes you appreciate the exceptional rock quality and the great routes that result from it; sometimes the short, easy approach so that you can climb a few meters after work; sometimes the beautifully flat meadow with the cow pats at the base of the wall so that the children can let off steam; and sometimes the dumplings.

Although sometimes is probably an exaggeration, there is exactly one climbing garden on this planet to which this applies: the one next to the Darmstädter Hütte high above St. Anton am Arlberg, because the Darmstädter Hütte has the best dumplings in the world.

It's true: the rock up there is also wonderfully compact primary rock. And the 2,300 meters above sea level is also a big bonus on hot days in summer, because there are only a few climbing gardens in the valley that are pleasant. And the views, the alpine flair, the wildness of the area, all good reasons, but the dumplings up here are the ultimate trump card. You just have to work for them, because nothing helps.

11 kilometers, 1,200 vertical meters, a good 4 hours, that's how far up the dumplings are. If you hike up. Or you don't walk, but go with the spirit of the times and grab a mountain bike in St. Anton. We saddle up and start pedaling, and the fact that it feels so wonderfully easy today is not due to our supernatural calves, but to the Bosch motor, which supports us silently but consistently.

"To be honest, I haven't ridden my old bike once since I got my e-bike in early summer," admits Valentina Frankhauser, who is pedaling with us through the lonely Moostal valley to the Darmstädter Hütte today.

Climbing for the best dumplings in the world

Admittedly, the meters in altitude to the hut were not really strenuous thanks to Bosch's support. What would otherwise have been a full-on mountain bike tour is just a warm-up walk with the motor. The big advantage of this is that we are still in top shape for a few tours at the top - the climbing gardens not far from the hut, the grippy primary rock and the view of the Seekopf and Saumspitze make these particularly worthwhile.

There are several large boulders in the vicinity of the hut that have been equipped with pitons. They are called "Schweinestall", "Apothekerblock" or "Verwall di Mello", and in the last bend before the hut there is the "Schneekönig" sector. Twelve routes up to difficulty level 7a are enough for a good session at altitude. It's definitely worth taking a look at the topos of the numerous routes around the hut.

Afterwards, you can dip your tortured feet in the small mountain stream, but then we've really earned them, the best dumplings in the world: the Darmstädter Hütte is famous for them far beyond the Arlberg. And they are literally celebrated up here: "Fresh is better!" is written on the menu, and "Please allow 20 minutes waiting time." When asked about the secret of his dumplings, hut owner Andi reveals only this much: "You have to stay true to one line." In other words: the recipe has been refined for three generations, Andi's grandmother was already known as a passionate dumpling roller, and he himself grew up here at 2,384 meters. "I've been up here for 43 summers now, I don't know anything else!"

You don't need to know much more than that. The question that inevitably arises now is whether you should spend the night in the rustic hut and check out the "pigsty" tomorrow, or just roll back down into the valley. But it's hot there and the dumplings aren't that good. We think about it briefly, then reserve a dormitory with Andi, tomorrow will be nice again. And hope for dumplings for breakfast.