If anything has changed in alpine climbing in recent years, it is around the Coburger Hütte opposite the Zugspitze. Just a few years ago, no climber had the area in the Mieminger Kette on their radar. But things have changed since the South Tyrolean professional alpinist Christoph Hainz set to work there. Header image: Hochgefühl What does Homo Bergensis need to be happy? Only mountains, right? If that's the case, then mountain people high above Ehrwald have to be careful not to collapse from an overdose of happiness. Because there's more of everything there: more mountain lakes, more bright colors, more new climbing routes.
Todaywe're going to Loch Ness in Tyrol," jokes Chanti. The three friends have just parked their e-bikes behind the Seebensee lake.
"With the help of the new e-mobility, the way up here to 1,657 m was just as much of a joke," she says with a cheeky smile. But even without electricity, the route from Ehrwald can be covered in comfort. The Ehrwalder Almbahn is not far away and bike transport is available for two euros per ride. The wide path from the mountain station to Seebensee is almost flat. So it's no wonder that this picturesque place has become a popular Instagram motif. There are beautiful mountain lakes elsewhere, you might think. Why is this area of all places so popular? In terms of sales psychology, the arguments are obvious: here you get two mountain lakes for the price of one. Just half an hour's walk from Seebensee is Drachensee - the Loch Ness of Tyrol, as Chanti has originally renamed the lake. "Where do you think the name Drachensee comes from?" she asks the group with wide eyes. Eloquent silence. However, the three friends are not here primarily to research names or take great Instagram pictures, but to climb. But what they get for free with their climbing is the best perspective. From the peaks that can only be reached by climbing, you undoubtedly have the best view of the lake duo, including the best selfie position. Only selected Instagrammers get lost on these selective peaks.
A feast for the eyes Aren't they beautiful - the structures, shapes and shades of gray? What climber isn't addicted to perfect tropical holes à la the south of France? But these here are just a few meters beyond the German border.
A magnificent rock amphitheater spreads out in front of the three friends. To the left are the Tajaköpfe, with the Drachenkopf ducking between them against the backdrop of the dragon-like jagged ridge of the Wamperten Schrofen. What a bizarre name for a mountain. Wampert means pot-bellied in Tyrolean dialect. Which aptly describes its face. To the right is the Ehrwalder Sonnenspitze, which has a much less creative name but looks all the more sublime. It is often referred to as the Ehrwalder Matterhorn due to its beautiful shape. Compared to the Matterhorn, however, the rock here is much more compact. One is inclined to say that the Sonnenspitze not only looks like a piece of Toblerone, but that the climbing there also tastes like it: deliciously sweet. In general, the whole area shows its best side in terms of climbing.
As most of the climbing routes have only been opened up in recent years, the protection is perfect for our modern full-casualty mentality. And the Wetterstein limestone has always been geologically perfect anyway. The "Boomerang" tour, which the three fit girls have chosen today on the Sonnenspitze, is no exception. The climbing route runs up the rock face in the shape of a boomerang.
"The coolest alpine line I've climbed so far," concludes Chanti.
Cool Instagram picture included. The "probably best Tyrolean gröstel in Tyrol", as the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised the simple potato dish at the Coburger Hütte, was well deserved by the three girls afterwards. Chanti asks the hut host Friedl Schranz why the Drachensee is actually called Drachensee. "Because evil mothers-in-law are sunk here," he says with a quick wit and a loud laugh.
Beauty Would you like a little more? Can there be more beautiful impressions without it becoming completely kitschy? We don't think so. Chanti on the third pitch (7+) of the "Boomerang" route.
"No, nobody really knows for sure, as there are no specific dragon legends about the mountain region." "Maybe a real sea monster lives in Dragon Lake?" Chanti asks jokingly. That wouldn't be so far-fetched, smiles Friedl, as Canadian char were once released here many years ago as part of a research project at the University of Innsbruck. The altitude was perfect for them and the char, which have grown to be huge, are still in the Drachensee today. Every now and then they come to the surface of the lake and at dusk a fat char like this could be mistaken for a lake monster.
Boomerang This was originally the hunting weapon of the Aborigines. But Marie and Chanti don't need weapons today in the boomerang-shaped "Boomerang" (8). Instead, they have the necessary killer instinct to hunt down the key spot with their bare hands.
Charisma ...not just Chanti, but the entire area. The aura of this mountain landscape of gray, green and the turquoise of the lakes touches every soul. LIMIT #2: Alpine climbing in Tyrol - the issue hot off the press!
In this issue, we have dedicated ourselves entirely to alpine climbing in Tyrol. On 136 pages, we present the impressive vertical diversity of Tyrol. With exciting stories from 15 climbing spots that offer a deep insight into the history of alpine climbing in Tyrol.
