The Silvretta Traverse

The Silvretta Traverse

Overview There are many possible routes we can take but the main route involves relatively short distances between comfortable huts – so the tour is pretty flexible in terms of adding or subtracting days. The level is lower intermediate so suitable for less experienced tourers and old hands alike.

Most of the itineraries that you could take in the area include stopping at some huts for more than one night to day tour around them so the length of the tour could be anything from a leisurely week to a more direct 4-5 days. I have outlined a couple of possible itineraries below which are of different lengths. Extra days could be made optional by doing some off piste skiing, or day tour from the valley if necessary. 

Travel A good place to start the tour is Galtür, Austria. Galtür can be reached by train and bus from Innsbruck, Munich or Zurich. There is a train as far as Landeck, then you need to take a bus or taxi to Galtür  (40km) I could drive over from Chamonix and pick up on the way..  

Cost and Group sizes
For a trip like this we can go with a minimum group size 3, maximum 6. It can be run as a guide only price divided by the members or as an all inclusive package. See our prices page for the guide fee. Huts are around 50-60 euro per night per person. 

Gear I can supply safety kit (arva etc, harness, ice axe) as usual. You will need your own ski touring kit and crampons  

Dates In the Silvretta the huts open generally earlier than in France/Swtizerland so we can go early in the season. Currently the favoured week for 2012 seems to be the 4-10 March, but a week either side of that would work so at teh moment (November) there is some flexibility. I think late Feb would be the earliest, just to allow enough snow to fill up the glaciers and also slightly longer days by then.
 
Itinerary 1

This is normally a 6 day trip and would need a travel day at either end so you would be a way for 8 days total. We could do the same trip but not have the day tour from the Jamtal and make it 5 days if necessary, or even the super brief version which would cut out both day tours (days 3 and 5) to make it a 4 day traverse (Possibly a little too brief once you’ve made the effort to get there I would think ..but it could be done!).  

Day 1 – Ischgl to Heidelberger Hut
We can take a bus from Galtur to the ski area of Ischgl for a few warm up runs, and then we head off the first day of the tour. From the top of the lift system we ski to the Heidelberger hut (2264) – more down than up on this day, over a couple of cols on the way (about 5-6 km).  

Day 2. Heidelberger Hut to Jamtal hut
From the Heidelberger hut you ski over the Kronenjoch (700m climb). From here you can climb the Breite Krone before skiing down to the Jamtal hut (800-900 m ski down))..  

Day 3 Day tour from the Jamtal hut
The Gemsspitz (3107m) looks good – about a 1000m climb to a good looking summit, or Hinter Jamspitz, (3156 ). If we want to extend the tour by a day we can do a second day tour from here.  

Day 4 Jamtal hut to Wiesbadener hut.
A 1000m type day over the col below the Dreilanderspitze 3197m (which can be climbed if time/weather allows – crampons and axe)  

Day 5 Day tour from Wiesbadener hut
The Piz Buin, 3256m is the famous ski peak that most people try to do whilst on the tour – it’s about a 600m climb from the hut with a ridge scramble in boots and crampons at the end to reach the summit.

Day 6 – Ski out to Galtur
A 300m climb to begin with then a long gentle descent down the Bieltal valley. Should be able to ski almost to Galtur – maybe a bit of a walk at the end . It probably makes sense to  spend the night again in Galtür, and leave the next morning.  

Itinerary 2
Almost the same but could involve no second night in any hut. This trip would still cover the same distance from end to end but in less time, and would still involve an ascent of the `Piz Buin. This trip would be 5 days of guiding plus a travel day at either end so total 7 days away.  

Day 1 – Ischgl to Heidelberger Hut
Same as itin 1  

Day 2. Heidelberger Hut to Jamtal hut
Same as itin 1  

Day 3 Jamtal hut to Tuoi hut Start early to climb to the Jamjoch (3078m),or possibly also climb the  Hinter Jamspitz, (3156 )and then ski the other side of the ridge down into Switzerland to the Tuoi Hut (2341m) – could be some good spring snow if we time it right!  

Day 4 Tuoi hut to the Wiesbadener hut.
Start early to climb up the south side of the main ridge the Fuorcal dal Cunfin (3043m) and then cross over the border again in order to go to the top of the Piz Buin before skiing down back down the Austrian side and down to the Weisenbadener hut  

Day 5 – Ski out to Galtur
Same as itin 1