“This could get dicey today.” At the top station of the Gletscherexpress, we put on our climbing harnesses, adjust our crampons to fit our ski boots, and warm up one last time. Outside, temperatures are freezing. The thermometer reads a biting -18 degrees Celsius. And today we’re heading much higher still. Our goal is Wildspitze, which at 3.768 m is Austria’s second-highest mountain.
A quiet start to a popular ski tour
We take the Wildspitzbahn a little higher to the start of the ski tour at Mittelbergjoch. The cold is already making itself felt. It shows in the number of people setting out across the Taschachferner besides us. Two ski tourers are also heading for Wildspitze. Two others choose the route to Brochkogel. Apart from them, we don’t see anyone. That’s a rarity on an otherwise popular tour. Felix and I set off with our mountain guide, grateful to the four people ahead of us for breaking trail through the fresh snow, which no one had crossed until now.
Across the glacier without ropes
We cross the Taschachferner towards Brochkogel. We aren’t roped up. It’s the end of January, and the heavy snowfall of the past few weeks has made the snow bridges over the crevasses thick enough. “There are 5 to 10 metres of snow on the glacier,” the mountain guide reassures me. They’ll easily hold our weight. Okay. He’s the expert; that’s why we brought him along. But he doesn’t have only good news for us. He keeps casting an anxious glance towards our destination. He doesn’t look all that confident.
We have to make a decision
“Up there, wind speeds are probably reaching 70 km/h.” And the storm is coming from the south. That means things are more likely to get worse than better. It also means that, with the wind chill, temperatures could soon feel as low as – 35 degrees Celsius. Even though we’re sheltered for now and the sun is warming us from above, I’m uneasy at the thought of it getting even colder. The icy air is already noticeably sapping my strength. We have to make a decision. Does it really make sense to keep climbing to the summit today? Or should we go with Plan B and head for Petersenspitze instead?
The mountain isn’t going anywhere
Okay. On to Petersenspitze. The decision is probably mostly down to me. Looking back, though, it’s not a bad one. The mountain isn’t going anywhere. On the final stretch to the 3.484 m-high Petersenspitze, all three of us are bundled up. “Watch out, your nose is turning white,” our mountain guide says, pointing worriedly at Felix’s left nostril, which has lost its colour. “Cover it up well. Make sure it turns red again.” We pull our scarves even higher over our faces. For a while, only our eyes are visible. Wrapped up as if we were on an Arctic expedition, we make our way along the ridge of Petersenspitze. The wind whistles around our ears, whips up snow and creeps up our trouser legs. Brrr.
No Wildspitze, a modest descent, but a great experience
We hurry to remove our climbing skins, get our ski boots ready for the descent and click into our bindings. The snow is cold and packed hard by the wind. Turns are barely possible. Today’s descent is definitely no pleasure. But there’s one more highlight in store for us. Further down, after we’ve reached the ski area and are descending along the emergency route, our mountain guide leads us down a slope to the right. Suddenly, we’re standing in front of a cave made entirely of ice. Its glittering surface shimmers in shades of blue and green in the sun. It’s so beautiful here. We spend half an hour taking it in, almost forgetting how cold we were just moments ago, and marvel at this work of art made of ice and snow, so close to the piste. Even if everything didn’t go to plan, it’s the perfect end to a perfect day.