Skitourenführer Hohe Tauern

Overview

This is a deeply field-savvy ski touring and ski-mountaineering guide to Austria’s Hohe Tauern, home to Großglockner and Großvenediger. It balances grand glacier classics with quiet valley tours, emphasizing real-world decision-making over rigid seasonality and giving skiers the tools to adapt to the range’s mercurial weather divide.

Coverage and structure

The book is organized into 14 touring regions that read like a skier’s map of the Hohe Tauern: Krimml, Neukirchen, Habachtal, Hollersbachtal, Felbertauern, Virgental, Kals, Stubachtal & Kaprun, Fusch (Glocknerstraße North), Heiligenblut (Glocknerstraße South), Raurisertal, Gasteinertal, Mallnitz, and Großarltal. Each section opens with:

• an overview map and access notes (car/public transport, road openings, and tunnel/rail shuttles),
• hut and base information,
• recommended topographic maps.

Route entries are consistent and efficient: difficulty (Alpine skitour scale), aspect, elevation gain, distance, time (based on 400 m/h ascent), and a concise line description. “HR” (slope aspect) is highlighted for avalanche planning.

On-snow usefulness

For ski-specific planning, the guide excels:

• Clear separation of valley tours, high alpine glacier routes, and “ski-plus” lift-assisted options.
• QR codes open each tour in skitourenguru, providing day-to-day risk indicators—useful for triage while rightly stressing that on-site assessment remains essential.
• Avalanche primers, environmental notes, and transport logistics are folded into the front matter, with practical reminders about the late-spring opening of the Großglockner High Alpine Road.

Standouts

• The Kals and Heiligenblut chapters connect spring glacier objectives (Johannisberg, Hohe Riffl, Großglockner variants) with shoulder-season valley lines.
• Virgental and Felbertauern offer classic Venediger massifs; Raurisertal delivers quieter gold-mining valleys and summit combos (Hocharn/Sonnblick).
• Photography is both inspiring and instructive, with annotated overview shots that make route-finding tangible.

Authorial voice

Markus Stadler and Uta Philipp write with the calm precision of practitioners. Their local knowledge shows in conservative time estimates, honest hazard notes, and savvy alternative lines.

Verdict

A comprehensive, modern Hohe Tauern ski guide that serves both first-time visitors and ambitious repeat travelers. Its disciplined route format, avalanche-aware planning aids, and thoughtful treatment of access and seasonality make it an excellent primary reference for everything from mellow tree-line tours to crevassed glacier ascents. Strongly recommended.

Details

Weight

600g

Pages

456

Publisher

Panico Alpinverlag