Gaiskogel (2820m) North-face from Haggen

Technical difficulty: 7/10
Fitness: 5/10
Objective danger: 7/10
Landscape: 6/10
Busy: 1/10

A great tour to the summit of Gaiskogel (2820m) in Kühtai. The north side of the mountain is a lot less visited and a lot more technically interesting ascend route.

Starting point: Parking after Haggen
Ending point: Parking after Haggen
Ascend: 1100vm / 3h
Exposition: North/ North-east

The Gaiskogel, one of the local mountains near Kühtai, is a popular but not to be underestimated ski touring destination. Mostly ascended from the ski-lifts on the western-side, the north face is a much less busy and a lot more technically interesting variant.

Route:
From the parking lot next to the road, you start by skiing downwards to the stream with skins on and cross it over a bridge. Now, turn slightly right towards the sparse larch forest and find your way through the very steep terrain (known as Farmlehn), which is usually filled with avalanche mounds. This passage, however, represents the first real crux of the tour. After a short while a flat ground that connects to a large bowl leading up to the summit. From here, you can also see the entire further course of the tour. Keep heading in a southwest direction. Short steep sections alternate with flatter passages. From an altitude of about 2500m, the terrain becomes noticeably steeper, until you finally stand under the seemingly insurmountable summit structure of the Gaiskogel. Here, you have two options. There are two gullies: the right one can, depending on conditions, be overcome with skis in many tight hairpin turns; the left option is best conquered by pushing on with the skis on the backpack. This option leads directly to the summit cross of Gaiskogel (2820m). With the right option, you reach a short ridge, and follow it along the last few meters to the already visible summit cross.

Descend:

The descent essentially follows the ascent route. You should pick one of the coloirs based on the current conditions. It often has an incredible powder snow deposits in the bowls on the way down.

Photos by @the.running.nomad and @bennibru