Narrative Report

This is an overall narrative of a solo ski mountaineering tour of 5 days in the Silvretta Alps (Austria) in June, 2005. The main report page has thumbnail photos with some comments, and the thumbnails are each linked to a page with the full size photo and specific comments from that part of the tour. There is also a resources page for anyone interested in planning a similar trip to this area.

2018 Note - It is hard to believe this trip was over 13 years ago! This web account of it was created but never finished, and now in 2018 as part of a general clean-up of my websites I am trying to complete it. So it is a work in progress as of October, 2018. Some details and comments may need to be filled in when I can find and access my maps again to refresh my memory of the route after so long.

In May 2005 I went to Europe for several reasons. First I attended annual meetings between the European Avalanche Warning Services and another between representatives of the warning services and the IFMGA. This was in Davos, Switzerland immediately after my arrival in Zurich. At the end of the trip I had an opportunity to learn about the avalanche and mountain rescue services in Vorarlberg as a guest of Garbisch Barbish and to meet with my friend and colleague Werner Greipl in Munich. (Actually the only way to meet with Werner was to accompany him on a trip to retrieve a helicopter from near Frankfurt back to Munich so I had a long free flight across southern Germany.) Between these things I went for a ski tour in the Silvretta region of Austria, along the Swiss border.

Following the meetings in Davos I was able to get a ride to Landeck, Austria from a mountain rescue representative from the Czech Republic. Then I took a bus to Galteur, found a room, and purchased last minute supplies. The next day I set off for the Jamtal Hutte. I stayed there two days, ascending the Gemspitze the first day (but not quite to the summit) and the Hinter Jam Spitze the second day. On the third day I crossed the Ochsencharte pass below Dreilanderspitze to reach the Wiesbadenerhutte. On the fourth day I did a loop tour - back across a different route, the Tirolerscharte, climbed back to the Ochsencharte again, and from there I climbed to the summit of Dreilanderspitze. A ski back down to the Weisbadenerhutte completed the tour. Then on the last day I hiked down the access carraige road to Bielerhohe on the main Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse and hitch-hiked down to Galtuer. I stayed at the same pension where the woman had been nice enough to let me leave a duffle bag.

Jim Frankenfield

[Main Trip report page and photo links]