Becherhaus - Wilder Pfaff (via eastern ridge (II+/I-II))

Access to starting point:
From Ljubljana, we drive on the highway past Salzburg in the direction towards München. At the multilevel junction Dreieck Inntal we turn onto the road A93 in the direction of Innsbruck/Kufstein/Brenner. When we return to Austria we continue to the junction with the exit Innsbruck-Mitte. Here we don't turn towards Innsbruck, but we continue on the highway A13 in the direction towards the mountain pass Brenner. We leave the highway at the exit 10-Schönberg and we follow a comfortable road through the Stubaital valley to the settlements Neustift im Stubaital, the center of the Stubaital valley, and Volderau, where the still wide asphalt road starts to ascend a little more noticeably in the direction of Mutterbergalm and the ski area Stubaier Gletscher. Soon on the left we notice the large waterfall Grawa and the parking lot at the eponymous mountain pasture; here is the first starting point for the ascent towards Sulzenauhütte. After a few minutes of additional driving, we park on a quite spacious designated parking lot, which offers the most comfortable approach towards the mountain hut, and where at the starting point we notice a large information board emphasizing the ascent towards Sulzenauhütte.
To the hut Becherhaus we follow the path which crosses below the summit Wilder Freiger.
Alternatively we can drive through northern Italy: in this case from central Slovenia via highway A2 we drive to one of the border crossings with Austria and we continue to Lienz. Here we continue on the road 100 and past the passage Prato alla Drava we drive into Italy. In Italy we follow the road SS49 all the way to the junction with highway A22 in the direction towards the mountain pass Brenner. After the mountain pass, we continue in the direction towards Innsbruck to the exit Schönberg. From there we continue as described above.

To the mountain hut we can otherwise ascend faster from the valley Ridnauntal in Italy, but in this case it is better to return on the described path, which on the descent is even more demanding.

Path description:
From the mountain hut, we descend on the ridge, which leads towards Wilder Freiger and ahead into Stubai valley. After a few minutes of descent on carved stairs by the foot of the hill Becherfelsen we go left on the path which sharply turns downwards towards the glacier Übeltalferner. At the steep but short descent to the glacier we get help from a steel cable and some steps.
At the edge of the glacier we prepare for glacial crossing in the direction of the well visible Müller Hütte and eastern ridge of Wilder Pfaff west from it; in fog the orientation is difficult.
In high season at the crossing of the glacier we will get help from beaten tracks, but usually there are more of them - it is better not to go too low and we follow traces, which are occasionally confirmed by marker poles. The glacier is in parts cracked, but the holes are visible and usually marked.
Below the rocky massif, which hosts Müller Hütte, at first we turn slightly towards the south, and then south below the walls of the connecting ridge between Wilder Freiger and Wilder Pfaff we cross to a nice passage towards the ridge, which is situated around 200 meters further to the west from the lowest point of the ridge. To the easiest approach on the ridge we will usually be guided by footmarks.

At the right place through crumbly scree we steeply ascend onto the ridge crest and continue along it towards the west. If we didn't approach too low, we will soon meet the blazes, which will from then on lead us uninterrupted to the top. Warning: until the place where the marks appear, the ridge is quite uncomfortable and distinctly crumbly, so it is advisable not to approach it too early.
After passing a smaller hill in the ridge, it descends somewhat over fairly crumbly terrain, which requires a careful step. Then it widens a little and offers quite attractive climbing of grade I with some shorter sections of II. Such a route brings us to a spot marked with a pole and/or a large cairn somewhere in the middle of the route. Behind it the ridge stands much more vertically, and the rock from here is better.

The ridge in the upper part is more demanding, but several belay stations are available, which allow quite reliable protection. Soon after crossing stone blocks on the path, we find ourselves before the key place: a steep, exposed but short climb, which reaches high grade II. Behind it the only conventional fixed protection on the path - steel cable and steps - help us over the inclined slab. To the top follows less demanding but partly airy scrambling along and south of the ridge crest. The ascent of the ridge usually takes 1-1.30 h.

The eastern ridge of Wilder Pfaff is an easier, short and quite popular climbing route, which mountaineers usually complete as part of the classic high-alpine tour of the Stubai Alps, which connects ascents to Wilder Freiger, Wilder Pfaff and Zuckerhütl. The climbing is mostly grade I with some sections of II; the ridge apart from individual parts is not overly airy, but partly quite crumbly, so it requires constant concentration and careful step. At the most difficult places the well-equipped route allows appropriate protection, and over the awkward inclined slab we are also helped by a few meters of steel cable.
For the less experienced I recommend protection with a rope or accompaniment by a mountain guide.

If we approached Becherhaus from the Stubaital valley in Austria, for the return I recommend a much easier and shorter path, which from the top descends the western slope of Wilder Pfaff and below Zuckerhütl crosses the glacier Sulzenauferner, later descending towards the pass Fernaujoch. From there we can continue towards the cable car Schaufeljochbahn and descend with it to the lower station of the cable car at Mutterbergalm, or descend to it on foot via the ski area "Stubaier Gletscher" and past Dresdner Hütte. From the lower cable car station about half an hour of descent awaits us to the starting point on a pleasant forest path.

Trip can be extended to: Zuckerhütl (1 h 15 min)