9er-Runde - Five-Passes-Route

©ai - The Five-Passes Route or 9er Runde starts with a descent from the Glungezer Hut, 2610 m, on the normal path, the Panoramic Trail (easy) to the first pass, the Tulfeinjöchl, 2278 m, or on the Hischvoglsteig (surefootedness required) directly to the Tulfeinalm, 2035 m.

From the Tulfeinalm you walk about 30 minutes westwards along the Zirbenweg, passing the Tulfein Chapel and the junction that leads down to the Rinner Alm, to the yellow signpost pointing left to the Neunerspitze. Coming from the Patscherkofel on the Zirbenweg, just before this junction a sign on the left points to the "Red Wall".

Through dwarf pines and mountain pines and a sea of cloudberries, we ascend on the narrow path to the first saddle (about 20 minutes, approx. 2100 m), where at the second pass stands a long ski route pole dating from the time when people used to ski up from Patscherkofel to the Bärenbader Jöchl, then on to Frauental and the Glungezer Hut.

The path leads us up the steep NW side of the Neunerspitze, two places are secured with a chain for holding. In 10 minutes we reach the third pass (2200 m), marked with a small cairn. To the west (right) it goes up to the Neunerspitze, 2285 m, behind which we see the Mohrenköpfe, north of the Viggarspitze.

We descend straight south between mountain pines into the hollow and opposite, finally steep, up the overgrown slope past block debris and alpenrose bushes to the fourth unnamed pass, again to a small cairn (20 minutes, 2260 m). In front of us we see the Glungezer high trail no. 46 or 333, known as the "Inntal high trail" running from Patscherkofel over to the Glungezer. Here we turn left onto this path and continue eastwards. The path runs parallel to the Viggartal, ascending the south flank of the Sonnenspitze and winds in some hairpin bends the last approx. 350 m of altitude to the Sonnspitzscharte opposite the Glungezer Hut (2610 m), the 5th "pass" of this route. Suddenly the Glungezer Hut is opposite (45–60 minutes).

The route is also rewarding to hike in the reverse direction, or as an ascent from the Tulfeinalm via Glungezer Hut – Tulfeinalm.