The Watzmann traverse
A German alpine classic - July 2019
Ask a German to name a mountain in Germany and they will say “Zugspitze” - ask them to name another one and most likely the Watzmann will be the pick. This mountain is the second highest in Germany and the traverse over its three peaks is definitely a classic with lots of lore and stories surrounding it.
The many warnings you will read about the Watzmann on the internet mostly go along the lines of: Do not underestimate it, it is a serious alpine undertaking, if the weather turns bad you are screwed and the 2000m+ descent will get you if you are not fit enough. The objective data does not tell the whole story but the distance on the actual ridge is roughly 3km with a lot of up and down at around 3000m above sea level. There are some parts secured with steel cables and climbing up to UIAA grade II (very easy in climbing terms). However most of the distance is covered walking without protection with exposure of more than 1000m vertical to both sides.
Taking this to heart during planning I set off from the valley with a buddy I got to know the week earlier during some alpine climbing training (more on that some other time) towards the Watzmann mountain hut - we would spend the night there and start early to have enough time to get up to the first peak (the Hocheck) and continue onto the ridge connecting the Hockeck with the Mittelspitze (middle peak) and the Südspitze (southern peak). From the final summit the dreaded 2100m descent into the next valley and the hike out back to the starting point would finish of the day.
We hiked up to the Watzmann house in light rain and just okay visibility hoping that the next day would bring better weather that would allow us the actually travers the mountain. Luckily the rain relented when we reached the shelter and the forecast for the next day looked promising. We spent the evening chatting to other people who mostly were also planning to go up and over the ridge the next day. I did an informal survey among the different folks there about how hard and/or dangerous they thought the traverse would be: And like on the web beforehand the opinions varied greatly - aka we had to just go up and figure it out ourselves.
The next morning was cold and undercast with clouds filling up the valley below us. We set off towards the Hocheck with quite a few other people and made good progress. Next to the bivvy shelter on the peak we put on our via ferrata gear and checked the weather forecast one last time before actually stepping onto the ridge proper. Some people already had turned around because the conditions were not perfect but we continued. The very first bit is protected but gives a good impression of the kind of exposure that might freak people out. Many times there is just a sheer drop of almost 2.000m to your left. After just roughly 40 minutes we reached the middle peak and assessed the situation: The weather was still fine and we were moving quicker than the times we had read about beforehand - no reason to turn around here.
The second part of the ridge from middle peak to south peak is less protected and longer. The technical crux might be the downclimb from the middle peak and the psychological crux the long rock band you need to walk up unprotected. I think the second part of the ridge is the highlight of the whole tour as you have a good view into both valleys, the neighbouring peaks and the whole ridge you already covered. After maybe an hour we arrived at the south peak, had some snacks and then turned our attention to the descent.
What goes up must come down - in this case down 2.100m into the Wimbachgries valley. The first bit of the descent is steep and rocky with some scrambling and exposure. The the rock gives way to scree and rubble. Finally vegetation and sandy trails take over. In my opinion the descent is more annoying that dangerous. 2-3 hours making sure your steps are secure and taking the hits of oh so many meters of descending. This might be different if you are tired or in the dark - then the danger would go up significantly. The hike out through the Wimbachgries is easy and pleasant. There is even a hut serving cake and refreshments a third of the way.
So the Watzmann? What is the big deal?
In my honest opinion the traverse is a classic for good reason: The landscape and views are just spectacular and the route itself is challenging enough for a reasonably fit and experienced person. Regarding the many warnings you will read and get around the dinner table in the mountain hut: Yes this is serious alpine trip and getting into a thunderstorm up there would be really really bad but I think most people getting into trouble are just underestimating the mountain and think this is a via ferrata or a hike.
Adventurers: Jochen and Bengt