Little Cham

The Mieminger Kette in the heart of North Tyrol is one of the most rugged mountain environments in Austria and a worthwhile adventurous destination for connoisseurs, especially in winter. There are so many great steep lines in the jagged flanks that an entire guidebook could be filled with them. This is where I as a photographer not only discovered my passion for steep descents, but also grew into a committed rope team together with Manu Nadler and Kathi Sandbichler. In the unusually snowy winter of 2018/19 we were drawn many times to the so called "Little Chamonix" south of the Wetterstein mountains. Particularly memorable is the challenging line from the eastern summit of the striking Hohe Munde (2,662-meter).

As we put on our harnesses and prepare the half ropes at the summit of the extremely popular Hohe Munde, the other ski tourers look a bit puzzled. The eastern ridge is steep and requires a safe skiing technique both up and down, but a rope? We have come up the east ascent alright, however, today I want to ski the steep north face together with my girlfriend Kathi Sandbichler and Manu Nadler. It has been some time since our last tour, and somehow it doesn't seem to be a coincidence that we are again roaming together in the Mieminger chain. Three years ago the three of us had been touring for the first time at Wannig, just 16 kilometres away. That also marked my very first ski mountaineering adventure. I quickly enjoyed the steeper descents.

As a team of three we were often drawn to the wild area north of the Inn valley between Imst and Seefeld, where most ski tourers limit themselves to a few popular routes. In the steep channel systems, embedded in rugged limestone walls, one or the other untracked line can still be found on weekends. Over the years, our projects became wilder and more adventurous, the slopes steeper, the descents more exposed and the Reinhold "Reini" Scherer's regional guide "Freeride Tirol" became more or less synonymous with our personal bucket list. The excellent winter of 2018/19 also brought the Mieminger Mountains to top form, and the conditions were excellent thanks to the mighty snow cover.

In mid-winter we were already able to ride through some gullies above the Coburg Mountain Hut, which is abandoned in winter, and enjoy long powder runs on the southern flanks rising out of the Inn valley. The biggest challenge was surely to get up those lines. While otherwise crampons make the ascents easier, we actually grabbed the shovel and dug our way up through the huge amount of snow. Spring slowly took over in the valleys in April, and powder could only be found in the shady northern slopes untouched by the sun, such as those of the Hohe Munde with their deep ravines.

Looking at the majestic colossus from the Buchener country road, our project certainly seems mad and insane, but if you change your point of view a little, the steep labyrinth of limestone walls and snowfields opens up several quite appealing lines. Seen from the summit, our plan appears threatening. Considering the 80-meter overhanging wall below the summit snowfield, we are entering objectively dangerous terrain. A fall would be fatal. Like so often in ski mountaineering, it is necessary to adapt the speed to the conditions and, above all, to never lose control. The first turns are particularly challenging, especially when you choose a different ascent route – or when you are, as in our case, forced to go a different way: How does the snow feel?

Were our assumptions correct? Is the snow cover consistent? Drop in! We say goodbye to the other summit climbers and feel our way into the funnel-shaped slope, which narrows down in an abyss of steep rock walls. The snow is settled and stable and meets our expectations. Manu takes the first turns on his board, Kathi and I follow on skis until the rocky sections begins. We need to be cautious because snow is covering the rocks sparsely. We decide to put on crampons to find the first spot to rappel. Pleased to have found a perfectly safe stand, we briefly put ourselves in the position of the first climbers, who had to master much greater challenges without guides and without hooks.

But the actual highlight of the tour is still to come, and after a short snow field we reach the upper end of the wall, which overlaps by about 15 meters. The slope releases us in the middle of the wall on a very uncomfortable hanging stand on a small slab, nothing below us. The harness shuts off the blood in our legs and we have to hurry to get back to solid ground. In addition, of course, we are very much looking forward to the skiing part of our tour. Finally, we unrope knowing that the biggest challenges are behind us. We shred some decent snow through a slalom of boulders and sometimes bigger, sometimes narrower gaps, before the first mountain pines herald the imminent end of our descent.

One last narrow channel, a wild ride over the hard avalanche cone and we have reached the valley of the Leutasch River. High five! A mixture of relief, joy and contentment rushed through our bodies. Another check mark on Reini Scherer's bucket list. What remains is not only the memory of a wonderful, exciting day in the mountains, but also the question which line in "Little Cham" should be our next adventure.