Snowshoe adventure: Dream tour in the winter wonderland

Diligently rocking snowshoes catapult fine powder snow into the air. Glaring rays of sun also release small snow bombs from the overloaded branches. Our introductory tour in the Chiemgau Alps has huge addictive potential.

At first, the frying pans on our feet feel a bit strange and we scoot through the snowy prairie with our legs apart and awkwardly like John Wayne. But the trapper romance soon catches us. The longer we trudge into this winter fairy tale, the safer we move with snowshoes. Scenes from old Jack London books are already appearing before our eyes.

Reit im Winkl is considered an officially certified snow hole. As the saying goes in meteorological jargon: “the phenomenon of cold air lakes” causes increased snowfall. And indeed. The Maserer Pass often forms the border in winter. Green dominates on this side. Beyond the microclimate of Bavarian Siberia, winter sports enthusiasts have to put on snow chains for the last 10 kilometres and there is often a powder alarm. And since Rosi Mittermaier won a lot of precious metal at the Olympics in Innsbruck in 1976, the Winklmoosalm and Reit im Winkl have been a household name in winter sports. But far away from the ski circuit, Reit im Winkl also offers snowshoe hikers great tours without the hustle and bustle. All around the town centre, the paths slowly but steadily climb more than 1000 meters up to the Fellhorn, the Hutzenalm and the Dürrnbachhorn. Many loops also take a short detour to the Kaiserwinkl on Tyrolean territory. The Reit im Winkler maintains and maintains its award-winning hiking trails. The German Hiking Institute has already awarded premium status to five summer routes and two winter trails.

Some of our parade tours also frequent Germany’s first certified premium winter hiking trail. It leads up to the Eggenalm and, for fit and experienced snowshoe runners, even further to the 1,764-meter-high summit of the Fellhorn (depending on avalanche conditions). Brilliant: A shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes up to the rustic Hindenburg Hut, the starting point for this panoramic tour. From there the path initially leads gently uphill over the extensive Hemmersuppenalm on Germany’s first premium winter hiking trail. A high plateau that truly resembles a winter wonderland after heavy fresh snowfall.

“Yes, such an inhibitory soup,” the farmers from the valley used to say mockingly. The inhibitor, also known as white germ, is a bad weed. Green, almost knee-high and inedible even for a patient cow’s stomach, it hardly brought the alpine farmers any fodder for their cattle in summer. After heavy rainfall, large puddles form in the many hollows, which in Bavaria are often referred to with the saying “A so a Supp’n”. Back then, the daily toil of the alpine farmers rarely allowed a rapturous view of the paradisiacal landscape. Today, however, those doomsayers would be wide-eyed at such wintry splendour.

Schneeschuhtour auf das Fellhorn, Reit im Winkl, Bayern, Deutschland, Model Released

It’s freezing cold this early in the morning. The snow beneath our snowshoes crunches almost like metal. The fir trees are heavy with their overloaded snow coats. At 1250 meters above sea level we reach the clear plateau and at the same time emerge from the sea of clouds. The inversion position makes it possible. Now the picturesque Chiemgau lies at our feet, seemingly completely wrapped in cotton wool. The temperatures rise in no time. Our breathing clouds literally explode in the rays of sunshine that are fighting their way over the Fellhorn and the Eggenalm. The undulations of the Hochalm were artfully modelled by the wind. Terrain edges decorated with playful guards as if by a confectioner’s hand. Huge snow crystals sparkle in the backlight… No hemmer soup – we have a three-dimensional winter fairy tale ahead of us.

After just a few turns of the road, it becomes clear what premium means. The always curved path does not saw the panorama into pieces, but rather reveals it very carefully. The majestic landscape and the surrounding peaks of the Bavarian Alps do not feel conquered, but rather flattered. The first premium winter hiking trail in Germany lives up to its name. He has earned the golden crown on the signposts. The predicate sounds awkward, but it seems to be the case with titles of nobility.

After about 20 minutes we leave the freshly rolled path and follow the signs up to Eggenalm. The half meter of fresh snow takes a lot of energy to track, and at this point the tour without snowshoes would be very, very difficult or even impossible.

The view at the top of the Eggenalm is a revelation – unfortunately, the nearby Straubinger Haus remains closed in winter. The view of the summit tempts you to indulge. The bold edge of the Großvenediger and the complete Zillertal Alps shine above the numerous barns with their meter-high snow caps. In front of it, the Kitzbühler Horn rises into the bright blue sky. From here, the heavily notched Wilder Kaiser looks like a legendary monolith. We add a few more meters of altitude and tackle the Fellhorn. At the top of the ridge, monumental towers arch over the abyss. Be careful, keep a safe distance. The additional 40 minutes also give us, as a treat, the Bavarian panorama: from the Sonntagshorn, the highest mountain in the Chiemgau Alps, to the Berchtesgadener Land with its striking rocky peaks. In winter, Reiteralm, Hochkalter and Watzmann sparkle above the haze of the valleys like the freshly bleached teeth of Hollywood beauties. With snowshoes, you can easily trudge downhill. The metal prongs of the crampons grip even harder and steeper edges. On the way back we take a short premium swing to the Saint Anna Chapel. The pretty little church was built in 1905 by alpine farmers. It sits on a ledge in an almost kitschy manner. A small snack on the wooden bench, with a constant view of the Winklmoosalm, the Sonntagshorn and the Schumacher Cross, not only replenishes the battery physically. A wonderful deceleration program runs automatically.

Back at the Hindenburg Hut, the smell of fresh roast meat in chanterelle sauce draws us into the rustic room. The cappuccino and the delicious millirah strudel, which the team of hut owner Günter Dirnhofer bakes fresh every day, are also a real hit. So we gain a lot of weight for the descent – because we rent a toboggan and rush back down the toboggan run into the valley.

Schneeschuhtour auf das Fellhorn, Reit im Winkl, Bayern, Deutschland, Model Released

DIRECTIONS

A 8 Munich-Salzburg, exit no. 106 Bernau and continue on B 305 to Reit im Winkl. From the direction of Salzburg to exit no. 112 Siegsdorf and via Ruhpolding to Reit im Winkl.

EATING IN THE VILLAGE

• Pizza Pasta da Angelo, Rathausplatz 8, 83242 Reit im Winkl, Tel. 08640- 796763, large stone oven pizzas, spicy pasta and huge sundaes.
• Dorfratsch, Gartenstr. 1, 83242 Reit im Winkl, Tel. 08640-5340, rustic, Asian and Bavarian cuisine, cellar beer.
• Milchbar, 83242 Reit im Winkl, Rathausplatz, Tel. 08640-8325, www. milchbar-riw.de, food and drinks until late into the night.

STAY OVERNIGHT

• 4*s Hotel Unterwirt www.unterwirt.de
• 3*s Hotel Oberschmied www.oberschmied.de
• Sonnhof’s Residenz, holiday apartement with breakfast, Gartenstr. 3, 08640-98800, www.sonnhof.de
• Gästehaus Klara, great breakfast and exceptional service, Seerosenweg 7,08640-8644, www.gaestehaus-klara.de

More information about guided hiking and snowshoe tours, snowshoe rental, and overnight stays: www.reitimwinkl.de