Blog Posts in Category: Walking

Having returned to Munich and finished my quarantine I was keen to get back out into the mountains. Unfortunately the cold conditions from the previous weekend had not lasted, but the weather forecast was glorious. We decided to head out for a loop above Tegernsee, which climbed up to the Gindelalmschneid and then around to the Baumgartenschneid, before descending back to Tegernsee. Not knowing how much snow had melted during the warm weather of the previous week, we optimistically carried snow shoes, needless to say we did not require them! The walk was really enjoyable, with paths up through the woods, rounded ridges, beautiful views, and generally good going underfoot. There were some sections in the woods which were very icy, and some spikes would have been useful, especially for the descent.

With another day of good weather I decided to head out again, although I was not so sure it was a good idea when my alarm went off at 5:45! It was another cold clear morning and the drive past Kochelsee was spectacular as the (relatively) warm water interacting with the very cold air to make it look like it was steaming. We had decided to head up the Simetsberg, which was a relatively short day with only 1000m of ascent… Days are not every really short here! The ascent was mostly in the woods, and with the covering of snow made it a bit slippery in places. We had a few chances to look at the stunning view when there were breaks int he cloud, and it was clear it was going to be another spectacular day. After a decent climb we broke out of the woods, and were able to take in the brilliant views. The final climb up to the summit was very warm, but we were treated to a brilliant view, although I think it was actually better part way up than from the top. After. Read the full article…

With yet another beautiful weekend I was keen to get out again and enjoy my new local hills. However this weekend was a bit different to last weekend as it felt like a totally different season due to starting in -3 degrees and there being plenty of fresh snow on the ground. We decided to heat to the Risserkogel and do a circuit from the east rather than the usual ascent from the west. This was a really good decision as we had varied views all day, had a relatively quiet ascent in the morning and a quiet descent in the evening. As is often the case here, it was straight up out of the car, and we were soon warm despite the cold temperatures. Thankfully we were soon above the tree line and able to enjoy the fantastic scenery around us. The highlight of the ascent has to be the Blankenstein which initially looked impressively pointy, and then as we traversed the other side of the valley showed us it’s three faces which looked fantastic. We enjoyed a long lunch on the summit as it was nice in the. Read the full article…

I was expecting November here to an awkward in between season, however (apparently unusually) so far this year it has continued to be a lovely month for getting out and enjoying the mountains, which has made the “lockdown light” here in Germany significantly better. On Saturday Rob, Helen and I decided to head for the obvious ridgeline of the Kramerspitz which is directly above Garmish and which overlooks the Zugspitze. As there was a viewpoint marked on the map at the north end of the ridge at the Königsstand we decided to take the direct approach (although due to a closed path the start was less direct than expected). While this approach was steep, it was very enjoyable as it was quieter than the main approach, and had lovely views looking out over Garmish as the trees were less dense due to the steepness of the slopes. Eventually we reached the Königsstand, and enjoyed some of our lunch and soaked up the views. As it turns out, the views were only going to improve as the day went on. We traversed below the Katzenkopf and joined the usual approach for. Read the full article…

Wanting to make the most of the autumnal walking conditions Rob, Helen and I headed out to an area of the Ammergauer Alpen which none of us had been to before. Rob chose this walk because the contours looked “interesting” on the map, which seemed as good a reason as any to select a route, and the shape of the mountain was certainly unusual! As the previous day had been much sunnier the roads, and more importantly, the hills were very quiet. The start of the walk headed up a quiet valley in the forrest, however we soon left the track and headed up a small path. It didn’t feel like other walking I had done in the area, and felt much more remote was which really nice. As we arrived at the Bäckenalmsattel we were treated to a wonderful view to the west, which just became better as we climbed. We were soon able to see our objective, and the strange bowl below it. The best way to describe it was that it looked like the middle of an old volcano due to the depth and lack of runoff. Read the full article…

With Becky visiting for the weekend and a good weather forecast we wanted to make the most of our local mountains and the beautiful autumnal views. We decided to head down to do a walk from Krün, which is only 90 minutes from Munich! We did a circuit up to the Seinskopf which then traversed a ridge over to the popular Schöttelkarspitze and then descended down the other side past the Soiernhaus before heading back to Krün. The ascent was abrupt and most of the height gain was up to the Seinskopf, but as the path was good it didn’t feel too bad and we made excellent time. Thanks to the wonderful autumn colours it was far more enjoyable ascending in the woods than normal. When we started to approach the tree line we were treated to some brilliant views over towards the Zugspitze and a sign of the day to come. The views from the Seinskopf were just brilliant, with the big glacial valleys and the towns of Krün and Mittenwald contrasting against the German alps, with a sneak peak into the Austrian alps as well. The walk along. Read the full article…

After staying the night in Garmisch we headed up the valley in the morning on the train to start our walk from Eschenlohe. The initial ascent looked brutal from the valley, and felt no better while on the route. To start with the walk was fairly flat and in the woods until we got to the start of the obvious gorge, at this point the path became vague and very steep. It didn’t relent until the summit from this point! The initial ascent headed up the side of the gorge in the woods and then up to the scree slope which took us to the top, while the scree slope was as steep as it looked there was a good path which took us all the way to the top. After a large amount of water and some well earned food we were then able to enjoy the rest of the ridge. The views while walking along the ridge were brilliant and kept changing as we went around different corners. It was great to be out on a beautiful sunny day, while not seeing many people so close to Munich.. Read the full article…

We are moving to Munich soon, and as part of my relocation package my company pay for a pre-assignment trip. We decided to make the most of this by adding on an extra three days in the mountains with our friends. We had hoped to stay away, but the good forecast and post covid enthusiasm meant that everywhere was very expensive which meant we did 2 day trips. Zwiesel On the first day the weather forecast wasn’t great, so we stayed as local as possible and did a loop which took in the Zwiesel, finished at a restaurant and had a lift to take us back down. The walk was not that exciting as it was mostly in the woods, but it was lovely to be out walking and catching up with our friends. The views from the summit of Zwiesel were wonderful, and I will be back for sunset later in the year. Kofel to Sonnenberg The next day the weather was much better and we had a longer day out above Oberammergau where we climbed the impressive looking Kofel and then headed along the ridge to the Sonnenberg. Read the full article…