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104
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Z U G S P I T Z E
Making it to the Knorrhütte
on your first day also means you
can take it a bit more easily on
the next one. The forest is
behind you in the valley, and
ahead of you lie snowy plains,
rocks and rugged cliffs. A stony
path zigzags up towards the
plateau, which stretches out like
a desert. In winter, the plateau is
packed with visitors. If the snow
has melted, however, the self-
service restaurant on the site
looks oversized and
incongruous next to the
deserted pistes. Hikers tend to
give it wide berth and continue
on to the final stretch.
Glance upwards at 2,580m,
and you’ ll see you’re now facing
the most challenging part of the
route. From here, a steep scree
slope leads upwards and for
every three steps forward, you’ ll
slide backwards at least one.
When you reach the ridge, which
is flanked by huge chasms, you’ ll
see why many hikers are glad of
the wire cables that secure it and
double as handrails. The
facilities on the summit plateau
are now almost within reach –
the transmitter, the cable car
station and the Münchner
House restaurant, all situated at
a grand altitude of 3,000m. Just
30minutes more climbing and
you’ ll be there!
Ascend the steel ladder that
extends up the final fewmetres
to the peak. If it’s a sunny
weekend, the place will be
swarming with tourists. It’s the
mother of all German summits,
after all. Day-trippers wearing
flip-flops gawp at you in
amazement, school groups muck
around and visitors queue for
Bockwurst at the Münchner
Haus. Another line forms at the
crossing point to the summit.
So is this it? The reward for
all that hard work, the heavy legs,
the blisters? Crowds and queues?
If you’re not too fazed, you’ ll stick
it out until the crowds gradually
retreat. At some point, even the
hardiest tourists disappear down
into the valley in the last Eibsee
cable car.
Then all that’s left are a few
climbers sitting in the cosy
restaurant, regaling each other
with stories. If you’re smart,
you’ ll have already reserved
space 1a in the hut dormitory. It’s
the only spot situated next to the
window, which offers a
panorama of the Reintal. No
matter how exhausted you are,
with a view like that, you won’t
be closing your eyes in a hurry.
Eindrücke vom Gipfel:
Regenbogen im Reintal
A rainbow in the
Reintal valley
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