SNOWSHOE TOURS  
Tour data:
Country: Austria, Italy
Mountain range: Oetztal Alps

Date: 4th / 5th of October 2008
Ascent: 4hrs / 5hrs 30mins
Lowest altitude: 1870m
Highest altitude: 3220m

Snow conditions: below 2700 metres rather limited, very soft powder snow

Weather: cloudy, snowfall / sunny
on snowshoes from Vent (1895m) up to Tisen Joch (3220m)

This should had been a pure autumn climb with nearly snowless glaciers, sunny weather and clear views, but a heavy snowfall the day before our arrival completely changed the tour.
The weather was bad, completely cloudy with some light rain, which already above 1300 metres changed into snow. We drove up to completely white Vent (1895m) at 8 AM and an hour later we were on the way up. If someone had told me a day before, that we will walk with snowshoes right from Vent, i wouldn't believe him. The walk with snowshoes was slow and it took us some 4 hours to get to the Martin Busch Hut (2501m).


early October winter in Vent

walking up the Niedertal valley

finally the Martin Busch Hut (2501m)

The next day morning we started to walk towards Similaun. Unfortunately half way up, Mirek's snowshoes got broken, which forced us to change our plans, because he wouldn't be able to walk over the glacier to the peak of Similaun. We turned the direction to Fineilspitze (3517m), where we hoped will be less snow, but it turned up to be a completely naive assumption.


starting the climb yet in the dark

first sun rays hitting the summit of Kreuzspitze (3457m)

view from 2900m

at the Tisen Joch (3220m), Italy behind me :-)

Up to one metre of fresh powder snow was laying around and even with snowshoes, it was hard to move on. It took us 3 hours to reach Tisen Joch (3220m) saddle, where we decided to drop the climb. Back at the hut, we made us lunch/dinner and relaxed a bit. Next day in the morning we descend down to Vent, where snow was melting away in a flashspeed. Autumn was coming back for the next couple of weeks yet.


the real paradise - Mutmalspitze (3520m), Hintere Schwarze (3628m), Marzellspitze (3540m) and Similaun (3605m)

view back to Similaun (3605m) during the descend

Vent 48 hours later...
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