Hintere Sonnenwand (3106m) from St. Sigmund im Sellrain

Technical difficulty: 7/10
Fitness: 7/10
Objective danger: 4/10
Landscape: 9/10
Busy: 1/10

A great ski tour off the beaten path in Gleirsch Valley in Sellrain to a seldom visited summit of HIntere Sonnenwand.

Starting point: Parking Gleirsch Alm
Ending point: Parking Gleirsch Alm
Ascend: 1700vm / 6h
Exposition: North-east / North

Route:

To Pforzheimer Hütte

From the paid parking lot, follow the toboggan track into the Gleirschtal valley towards the Gleirschalm. Behind the alpine hut, the route ascends gently across wide meadow areas until reaching a narrowing of the valley. From there, the ascent becomes steeper, leading through the narrow valley up to the material cableway of the Pforzheimer Hütte. From the cableway station, follow the route almost directly beneath the cable, ascending steeply along a ridge to the right of a gully towards the Pforzheimer Hütte (open from mid-February).

To the summit

From the Pforzheimer Hütte, traverse southward without significant elevation gain, passing Point 2420m and crossing into the valley east of the Vordere Sonnenwand towards the Gleirscher Ferner. Behind the Vordere Sonnenwand turn west/south-west and start ascending through a steep valley passing through a small bowl and following a very steep slope towards the ridge before the summit of Hintere Sonnenwand (3106m). The summit itself is a little further along the ridge, but makes little sense to do from skiing perspective.

Descent:

Along the ascent track. It might be easier to ski all the way down to the valley bed and follow it out coming out next to the supply cable car for Pforzheimer Hütte. The terrain is quite flat at the bottom of the valley.

Photos by @the.running.nomad and @bennibru