After what has seemed like two weeks of glorious weather since I arrived back in Germany, the first bad weather day was of course on a Saturday. James and I were nonetheless keen to do something, as we both felt the need to improve our fitness. We had planned to do a walk which had brilliant views, but given the conditions elected to do a mountain which is otherwise less inspiring. Unusually, and mostly due to the weather, we didn’t leave Munich until after 10 which made for a nice lie in. The weather was pretty much as forecast, grey but not precipitating. The walk up was mostly up good tracks, until the last bit were we headed straight up the ridge, rather than circumnavigating the hill and doing a “there and back” to the top. We made excellent time and were at the top only 1h40 after leaving the car, after a short lunch break where we admired what the view was supposed to look like, we descended down the other side. The descent was very enjoyable down through the forrest, and with the snow covering was very easy. Read the full article…

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…