My GF and me had pretty much ended the hiking/climbing season for this year when last week's weather forecast predicted a couple of unusually warm and sunny days for this week. We quickly decided to take a few days off and spend some time in
Innsbruck, Tyrol.
After two nice tours in the Innsbruck region the main objective was set for Tuesday: the
Paternkofel summit (2.744m) next to the famous
Drei Zinnen in the
Dolomite Alps.
Already the drive towards the
Lago Misurina and the steep, winding road to the
Auronzo refuge provided some marvellous scenery:
Getting out of the car we are greeted by this view:
We get going and soon pass the
Lavaredo refuge. All refuges are already closed for the winter season and due to the late date we barely meet anyone all day. During the summer holidays this is an
extremely frequented area due to its accessibility by car. Right now this looks like the end of the world:
After a reaching the
Dreizinnenhtte and a little snack we continue towards the foot of the
Paternkofel. To the left can be seen the small rock steeple called
Frankfurter Wrstel.
Yours truly preparing to enter the gallery that climbs through the lower mountain. This whole area of the Alps was the scene of terrible fighting in WW1 from 1915-18. The front line literally went up and over the very summits of the mountains.
Note the SimHQ cap!
One of the embrasures cut into the mountain in the lower part of the gallery. In the distance the
Rote Wand massif.
We finally leave the tunnels, put on our security harness and helmets and prepare for the
Klettersteig (fixed rope route) part.
Here we go...
She_who_must_be_obeyed climbing up. It's her 3rd
Klettersteig and she's doing very well already. I consider myself a lucky man that I can share my love for mountains and climbing with her.
The most difficult part of the route: steep and quite exposed. Fun to climb though.
And finally: the
Paternkofel summit!
There's a small monument to
Sepp Innerkofler here. Innerkofler was a well-known mountain guide and ran the old Dreizinnenhtte before WW1. When Italy entered the war in 1915 the Austrian army was heavily engaged versus Serbia and Russia and no military forces were immediately ready to deploy against the Italian
Alpini troops. Innerkofler led a militia troop of
Standschtzen in guerilla-style hit and run warfare against the Italians in defence of the strategically important summits until reinforcements in the form of the famous
Kaiserjger regiments arrived. The tragedy of this fighting was that on both sides mountaineers and guides who often had known each other well before the war now fought each other.
He was killed during an assault on the summit, the Italians recovered his body under difficult circumstances and buried it with full military honours on top of the summit.
And now: the famous
Drei Zinnen Time for a
Brotzeit!
View towards the
Zwlferkogel:
We climb down towards the
Paternsattel. Quite steep, often without security cables. Really have to watch your step here.
Again we pass old WW1 fortifications, view towards the
Monte Cristallo:
Passing the
Paternsattel we climb back down, view back towards the
Paternkofel west wall:
At the end of the day
What a beautiful tour. The weather was great, we had the mountains (almost) all for ourselves and the scenery is simply breathtaking.
I've seen quite a few beautiful places in my life but few rival the beauty and grandeur of the Dolomite Alps.
Hope you did enjoy this little tour.