“Please put on your helmet, it might hail.” The announcement by mountain guide Hati Finsterer (Alpine School Alps) on the bus did not sound very encouraging – but fortunately there was no thunderstorm to stop the practical test of the joint mountain sports series by Oberbank and OÖNachrichten. In light drizzle in South Tyrol, the approximately 50 participants of the tour and their 17 mountain guides reached the first stage destination: the “Schöne Aussicht” hut (“Bella Vista”) in the Schnalstal valley.
So that we know what we are writing about, once a year we swap our laptop for crampons and head high up. Our goal this year was the Finailspitze (3514 meters) in the Ötztal Alps. We skipped the Weißkugel (3738 m), the third highest mountain in Austria, due to the weather forecast. This was no disadvantage, because the Finailspitze is a spectacular high-altitude tour with a narrow ridge to the summit and a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view. But getting there is no picnic: wake-up call at 3.45 a.m., the first groups set off at 4.15 a.m. with a mountain guide. “But as always, you are rewarded for your efforts on the mountain. And once again we were very lucky with the weather,” said Franz Gasselsberger, General Director of Oberbank. Because instead of the forecast thunderstorm, we were supposed to hold our faces in the sun at the hut later.
An injured mountain legend
Unfortunately, mountaineering legend Peter Habeler was unable to take part this time; he had previously torn a muscle fibre while climbing in Arco. “He’ll be back next year,” said Gasselsberger, who set off towards the summit in a four-man rope team with Finsterer.
Equipped with headlamps, we set off after a very early breakfast, which was served personally by the friendly hut owner Paul Grüner. The mood was good from the start – except for our Polish mountain guide Adam. The evening before, Austria had beaten Poland 3:1 at the European Championships. The mountain tour participants were certainly the highest Austria fan club in the Alps – after all, the “Schöne Aussicht” hut is at 2845 meters, almost as high as the Dachstein. The only downside: we had to watch the Austrian national team’s game on a German channel – ServusTV didn’t exist.
With a victory under our belt, the first few meters of altitude were easily mastered before we reached the glacier (Hochjochferner) after about an hour. “Now it’s time to rope up,” said mountain guide Björn. We worked our way slowly but steadily upwards – always keeping the Finailspitze in sight. Our pulse really rose on the last few meters to the summit, because the narrow ridge is quite exposed, and at an altitude of more than 3000 meters, even the most fit person is panting at least a little. “But the effort is worth it,” said Manfred Asamer (Asamer Kies- und Betonwerke), as he and his son Michael stood on the highest point at 9 a.m. The panoramic view from the summit is breathtaking: from the Similaun to the Weißkugel, snow-covered three-thousand-meter peaks as far as the eye can see. And a mountain region with tradition – because this is where Ötzi was found.
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Source: Nachrichten
