A mixed climbing adventure in the heart of the Alps
We are in the "Innsbruck" region, more precisely in the Sellraintal valley. The striking summit of the Lüsener Fernerkogel is better known to us as a long ski tour to the most beautiful peak in the Sellrain mountains. If you drive through the Sellraintal valley to Grieß, you can see the mighty pyramid of the 3,298 m high Lüsener Fernerkogel at the entrance to the valley in the direction of Lüsens. It is exactly 1,656 meters in altitude from the starting point to the summit.
For today's undertaking, however, we have left our skis at home due to the lack of snow, but also because of the expected difficulties. Our goal is the north face gully, which was recently climbed for the first time by Simon Messner and Philipp Brugger. The entire tour over the summit and back down to the starting point requires good physical condition and mountaineering skills. Depending on the conditions, you should allow around 12 hours, as the cold nights are not exactly conducive to emergency bivouacking.
Jochen and I set off from Lüsens at 4 o'clock in the morning. Even on the flat and icy path up to the turn-off, crampons would have been an advantage at times. After the Längenfelder Alm in the direction of Westfahlenhaus, we took a difficult left over boulder terrain to the start. Almost three hours had already passed and we adjusted ourselves for the more challenging route ahead. Pitch by pitch we climbed up the ice gully quite quickly until we reached the key pitch. A rope team was struggling up this one and we were able to take a short breather. Two fixed belay points were not exactly enough for the almost 30 m, but there are still mobile belay devices.
So now it was up to me: the first few meters in the mixed terrain went quite smoothly and the two pitons also looked confidence-inspiring. However, the following traverse was a bit of a challenge in the initial section; the crampons didn't exactly have a fantastic grip on the smooth slab, especially because the mono-point crampons would have been much better here; but you shouldn't overestimate the advantage of the mono-point, haha!
Now it was important to anchor the ice axes precisely and then aim for the other hooks with a determined pull. A good 5 m from the last bolt, I was able to place a decent friend again and continued on the difficult climb. After several meters, a small friend found a suitable place again and I was soon able to clip in at the belay. A descent in the traverse before the belay is not entirely healthy and should be avoided. Jochen the old fox pranced up the pitch in a clean manner; the second climber should be more familiar with this terrain otherwise he will fly in the other direction on the traverse. After another length, we were able to put the rope down. The tension slowly eased and we continued comfortably over steep snowfields to the north ridge and then on to the summit.
Unfortunately, the cold wind at the summit didn't exactly invite us to linger any longer and we soon decided to descend via the ski route. After another three hours, we reached our starting point safe and sound. This section in particular should not be underestimated, as steep ice fields and unpleasant boulders with little snow cover have to be overcome time and again. All in all, a very good tour to prepare for larger undertakings in the Western Alps.
A special feature would probably be an ascent on skis if the conditions are suitable. With the mixed length, you might have to put them on - or not! Unfortunately, many rope teams abseiled down again after the main difficulties, but this option should only be taken if time is tight. The overall experience in this beautiful part of Tyrol is too beautiful!
