Vennspitze (2390 m) and Padauner Berg (2230 m) from Padaun

Technical difficulty: 2/10
Fitness: 4/10
Objective danger: 3/10 (summit slope to Padauner Berg could be dangerous in bad conditions)
Landscape: 7/10
Busy: 9/10

Two small mountains close to Brenner, with easy wide slopes and high start great for late winter tours.

Starting point: Gasthof Steckholzer
Ending point: Gasthof Steckholzer
Ascend: 1200vm / 3h
Exposition: North-west

Route:

Uphill #1

At the last parking lot in the small settlement of Padaun, above the Gasthof Steckholzer, head south uphill across the meadows. Shortly after, cross a stream to the right, then continue left alongside a small ski lift uphill to the Padaun toboggan track.

Continue through a wide forest clearing and, after a short steep section, into a broad cirque below the north face of the Padauner Berg. Head towards the col on the east side of the face. The traverse to the col is steep. In unfavorable avalanche conditions, there is a safer route to the summit through the north-west ridge.

Once you reach the col, follow the ridge for a few minutes to the summit of Padauner Berg (2230m).

Descent #1

Follow the north-west ridge down until you join the ascent route. You can ski down until you feel like it, then skin up and start ascending again.

Uphill #2

Like #1 until the cirque. Traverse a short flat section toward the southeast, then ascend a longer steep slope, keeping to the left in sparse forest, into the wide basin north of the Vennspitze.

From there, continue through beautiful ski terrain directly toward the summit and ascend a broad north-facing slope to the saddle between Padauner Berg and Vennspitze. In good conditions, you can follow the ridge to the summit on your skis.

Descent #2

In safe conditions, you can also ski directly from the summit into the valley basin — otherwise, descend via the ascent route.

Photos by @bennibru and @the.running.nomad