SILVRETTA ALPS AUSTRIA
Glaciers, peaks to bag, exceptional refuges
READY TO SKI ?
The Silvretta Alps span the Austrian/Swiss border. The most popular mountain to ascend in the range is the famous Piz Buin (3312m) and this tour includes an ascent to its summit. Our route is planned around a six day traverse linking five huts – some in Austria, others in Switzerland. There is a choice of more or less demanding routes between each hut and your guide will choose a route to best suit you and your group’s abilities and aspirations. For some people this might include climbing to the summits of the Gemsspitz (3184m), Dreilanderspitz (3197m), Hintere Jamspitze (3156m), Silvrettahorn (3244m) or the Piz Buin (3312m) itself; other groups might enjoy seeking out off the beaten track routes over the less well known glaciers to find untracked, pristine snow and solitude.
This tour is justifiably one of the most popular and is suitable for skiers looking for moderate glacial terrain with the opportunity to “peak bag” each day. The mountains and glaciers are spectacular and all the mountain huts are very comfortable, as is typical of this area of Switzerland and Austria.
Ernest Hemingway stayed in the region for a winter in the 1920s (he lived at Schruns in Montafon) and wrote a couple of short stories about his skiing experiences in the Silvretta. These can be found in “A Moveable Feast”.
• Traverse the Swiss–Austrian border along the Silvretta mountains
• Climb the Piz Buin, highest peak in the Silvretta and a classic winter route
• A classic ski traverse with the opportunity to climb a different summit each day
• Wonderfully comfortable refuges
GRADE : D1 : A1 : F2
see our grade coding here
BUDGET
1550€pp
This price includes :
• 6 days guided ski touring with a qualified UIAGM high mountain guide
• 7 nights full board in refuge accommodation
• Transfer from/to Innsbruck train station to Galtür
Extras:
• Lift passes
• Equipment hire
• Drink & snacks
BOOK NOW AT sian@pyrenees-mountains.com or +33(0)5 62 92 81 52
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Arrive and transfer to hotel in Galtür. Meet with your guide in the evening to discuss the week and check equipment.
DAY 2
We start the tour by using the ski lifts of the Ischgl ski area (known for its music and party atmosphere, which we are unlikely to see any of!) for easy access to the Paulina Kopf and then traverse to Zeblasjoch and on to the Swiss border at Fuorcla Val Gronda. We then have a long gentle descent to the Heidelberger Refuge (2264m) where we stay for the first night of the tour.
DAY 3
We set off from the hut and attempt to reach the summit of Breite Krone (3079m) by a series of short climbs with flatter sections to catch our breath. Then we make a short traverse back to the Austrian border at the Kronenjoch and ski down to the impressive Jamtal Refuge (2165m).
DAY 4
From the Jamtal we head up the Jamspitze (3150m) across the Jamtalferner (glacier). From the summit we head down across the border into Switzerland to the Chamanna Tuoi Refuge (2250m), at the foot of the Piz Buin (where they speak the fourth official language of Switzerland, ‘Romansh’, a Romance language spoken by 60,000 Swiss mainly in the south-eastern canton of Grisons).
DAY 5
Today is the longest and most demanding day on the tour. We leave the hut early to allow enough time to make an attempt on the summit of the Piz Buin (3312m), the highest point of the tour. From the summit we head down the west face of the mountain to the Fuorcla dal Cunfin and then down the spectacular Silvretta glacier and finally on to the almost luxurious Silvretta Refuge (2341m), still in Switzerland.
DAY 6
From the Silvretta Refuge we climb back to the Austrian border at the Rote Furka Pass, and then summit the Schnee Glocke (3190m). We ski down onto the Klostertaler glacier, then down to the Silvretta lake before heading up to the Wiesbadener Refuge (2443m).
DAY 7
For the last day of the tour we will attempt to reach either the Rauherkopf (1604m) or the Haagspitze (2170m) summits before our final descent back to Wirl and Galtür.
DAY 8
Transfer back for your return trip.