The Oberlanders are "felsefescht", as they say in Tyrol. This means that they have a solid character. But the Oberlanders - the inhabitants of Tyrol west of Innsbruck - also have a lot of solid rock. See for yourself!
Pinuscembra. This is the Latin name for the stone pine. A lot is made from Swiss stone pine in the Kaunertal: Swiss stone pine furniture, even entire Swiss stone pine parlors or Swiss stone pine schnapps. The Swiss stone pine is said to have a health-promoting effect. So it should come as no surprise that there are now also climbing holds made of stone pine. These are not to be found in a climbing hall, as one might think, but in the great outdoors.
More precisely, on the Schweikert. This is a 2,879 m high colossus of primary rock that towers high above the Kaunertal. There is the multi-pitch tour "Wiesa-Jaggl". Even the short approach to the tour is reminiscent of a herb hike. Juniper, blueberry and cranberry bushes line the path. The autumn-colored larches along the way bend in the valley wind blowing from the glaciers. It smells. It smells of the Alps.
Out of the wallKarolin Riedel screws the side undercling closed on the right, while she already feels for the saving handle on the left. The crux of the 6th pitch (6+) isright at the start. After that, it's another 48 meters in perfect primary rockto the next belay.
Lookout Karolin has the crux behind her and could also look to the left to enjoy the view. Back there, the Kaunertal flows into the Inntal and to the right, the Venet, the family ski area above Landeck, comes into view. The Lechtal Alps are at the very back.
High alpine The Kaunergrat, to which the Schweikert belongs, is an almost 30-kilometre-long mountain range with 39 three-thousand-metre peaks. Chantal Gründler on the 7th pitch (4).
At first glance, the mountain does not promise any great climbing meters. Even the start of the tour is not easy for Chanti and Karo to find. The first few meters of rock are interspersed with shrubs. Pine trees sprout on the platforms between the rocky passages. Karo grabs a pine branch. A handle! A short rest.
"I thought we were going climbing, not forest bathing",
she grumbles. Forest bathing is a new trend where you immerse yourself in the pleasant atmosphere of the forest. It comes from Japan, where stressed managers go into the forest to relax. A seemingly banal form of therapy that is also becoming increasingly popular here. Shortly before, the two of them were still making fun of it.
And now, just like the stressed managers, they hug trees to recover from the tricky record jobs. It smells. Soothing. Chanti puts a ribbon sling around a pine tree: "Stand! Descend!" After the forest bath at the beginning, the wall opens up and beautiful pitches with varied climbing in solid rock await the two of them.
Just don't make a mistake!Karolin has to concentrate because the lastbolt is far below her. However,the climbing in the slabby gneiss is no longer toodifficult and the rock is bombproof.
"The slab lengths were as beautiful as on the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland," enthuses Karo as she reaches the belay after the 11th pitch. But the tour is far from over here. A high alpine ridge leads to the summit. After another four hours of scrambling, which demands all their alpine experience, they reach the summit and fall into each other's arms.
"You can only find peace in the woods," says Chanti ironically. "And in the mountains," adds Karo.
LIMIT #2: Alpine climbing in Tyrol - the hot-off-the-press issue!
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.
Schweikert Kaunertal / Route 'Wiesa Jaggl' All climbing opportunities in the Tyrolean Oberland All articles Tyrolean Oberland
