There’s been no snowfall for weeks; thanks to cold, clear nights and mild days, the snow is compact, and the ice is thick and hard: you’d be hard-pressed to find better conditions for a combined rock and ice climb.
Christian “Picco” Piccolruaz and his long-standing climbing partner Paul Mair have therefore set their sights on the famous north face of the Zwölferkogel in Kühtai – graded WI4 and M4, with the topo drawn by the first ascenders Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner. The route is located in the Innsbruck region.
Text: Thomas Wanner
Travelling light with a half-rope, a few nuts and Friends, the route sets off from the lower reservoir in Kühtai. After just a short while, you reach the first small icefall: equipped with ice axes and crampons, you climb up steep sections with an incline of around 80 degrees. The ice was rock-hard and brittle on this ascent – careful climbing is essential here. This is followed by a few more metres of walking to the actual north face.
You gain altitude quickly over small snow ramps and firm snowfields, until a steeper rock step threatens to block the way forward. The solution is a narrow, lightly iced ramp that leads diagonally upwards to the right. The route continues, offering varied terrain and often traversing mixed terrain and snowfields, before finishing with a dry, steep climb to the summit.
Important: In these conditions, the rope could stay in the rucksack – but this requires a great deal of experience and truly safe conditions. In softer snow, thin ice or with an increased risk of avalanches, the rope must be taken out, and the route will take considerably longer.
The descent via the north ridge is challenging but never difficult – the perfect way to round off a morning of alpine adventure with an interesting route.
The route in figures
Before setting off, check the avalanche report and current conditions; for information on what to do in an emergency, see ‘Ice Climbing: Avalanches as a Source of Danger’. More ice routes nearby: 5 ice falls in the Sellrain Valley and the Ötztal.
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