Zugspitze through the Höllental valley

Ascent: From Hammersbach, you climb next to the stream of the same name on a wide path up to the Höllental entrance hut. From there, a gorge trail leads through the impressive Höllentalklamm gorge (AV members have reduced admission) and on to the Höllentalangerhütte hut. You may spend the night there.

The ascent path leads from the accommodation hut via the Höllentalanger, initially almost flat, later much steeper to the south-west to the Hühnerleiter. This is where you can prove your head for heights for the first time. Because the Krampenleiter climbs enormously. You soon reach the board. This is the latest place to put on your rockfall helmet. Iron pins and a wire rope stretched over them allow you to cross a sloping wall and behind it you come to steep, rocky terrain. Solid wire ropes can be found here and there. Then you finally reach the Höllentalkar. The surroundings become very barren and the closer you get to the Höllentalferner, the bleaker it becomes. The path leads over dead ice and towards the glacier.

At the lower edge of the glacier, put on crampons (or at least Grödel) and climb up the small glacier initially to the left, bypassing a crevasse zone. The track turns off to the right and becomes very steep (be careful when icy!) After the steep section, turn right again and climb moderately steeply up to the edge crevasse.

The old entrance to the via ferrata is normally no longer suitable for the ascent. For this reason, a new entrance has been created further up, but this also has its pitfalls, and a careless step can result in you finding yourself in the crevasse below. Before you cross the edge crevasse and enter the long via ferrata, take off your crampons again. This takes time, which is why there are always traffic jams at this point. Half an hour is not uncommon.

As soon as you have overcome the crevasse, you scramble along the airy path for a very long time in a queue to the Irmerscharte and up through the northern flank of the Zugspitz-Ostgipfel to a wide path with the help of wire ropes and iron pins. Follow it for the last few metres over slippery rocks up to the summit cross.

Descent: Descending along the ascent route is only recommended on calm mountain days. Otherwise, it is hardly possible to get through quickly due to the heavy "oncoming traffic".

Alternatively, you can descend through the Stopselzieher to Ehrwald, via the Platt, the Reintal and the Partnachklamm to Garmisch-Partenkirchen or you can take the cable car or the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn to the valley in comfort.