08. September 2023
Climbing Lamsenspitze via Brudertunnel Via Ferrata
In early September I went to Austria for some hiking, scrambling and via ferrata climbing.
My first destination was the Lamsenspitze (2,508 meters) in the Karwendel mountains.
There are two main routes to the summit. From the Lamsenjochhütte (mountain hut) you can take the normal route or the route through the Brudertunnel, where you climb a short section through a crack/tunnel.
To get an idea of the two routes you can have a look at this topo at bergsteigen.com.
I chose the Brudertunnel route, rated as difficulty C, with most sections being B to B/C. Generally, I found that almost all exposed sections were secured by fixed cables.
Shortly after 6am and shortly before sunrise, I started my ascent from the Gramai Alm to the Lamsenjochhütte. To initially get to the Gramai Alm by car you have to go through a toll station – before 6am, however, there was no one around and the gate was open (not sure if dependend on season).
The markings leading to the Lamsenjochhütte were pretty good and the trail easy to navigate. Also, it was nice to see the Lamsenspitze, the destination for the day, from the very beginning.
Having arrived at the hut I got my via ferrata gear ready, applied some sunscreen (it was going to get hot), and made my way towards Brudertunnel.
After exiting the Brudertunnel, I went right towards the Lamsenscharte. Here, the trail joins the normal route all the way to the top.
The trail markings from exiting the Brudertunnel until the summit and back (normal or Brudertunnel) were not very clear (in my and other climber’s opinions).
I actually scrambled up a wall that turned out not to be the trail. I noticed as it was getting unusually hard. Eventually, I was able to traverse back to the actual route, though.
I shared the summit with three other climbers (Friday morning). On the way down (descended again via Brudertunnel), many more came up and rockfall became more of an issue (pretty crumbly rocks).
If you decide to go, I recommend to start early and take a helmet! Also take note that some of the iron rods holding the fixed cables are loose; so test not only your stone holds but also the cables before committing to them.
Below are some impressions of the tour. All in all it was a really fun one and I would do it again.
Here are the two routes on outdoor active which I - more or less - followed (the latter one descents via the normal route, I descended via the Brudertunnel again):