Gschnitz - Kalkwand (western approach from Gschnitza via Pinnisjoch)

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 go on 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 Brenner Pass. We continue on the highway all the way to the settlement Matrei am Brenner, where we take the exit 19-Matrei. We continue driving on the road B182 to the settlement Steinach am Brenner, where at the roundabout in the middle of the town we take the first exit and in a gentle ascent we continue driving past Trins through the scenic Gschnitztal to the eponymous elongated village, where soon behind the church we will notice a relatively small free parking lot intended for visitors of Innsbrucker Hütte.

Alternatively, we can drive through northern Italy: in this case from central Slovenia on the highway A2 we drive to one of the border crossings with Austria and continue towards 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 Brenner Pass. After the pass we continue in the direction towards Innsbruck, but only to the exit on the road B182 near Brennersee. On this road we continue to Steinach am Brenner, from there following the instructions described above.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we go on a clearly visible and marked, at first fenced path in the direction of Innsbrucker Hütte, which soon starts moderately ascending by the edge of cultivated land. Above the village, a narrower path continues through a thinner forest, which occasionally offers nice views of the scenic Gschnitztal. For some time we moderately ascend on the path which is carved into steep slopes of the Habicht group. A little higher with increasingly beautiful views on the south part of Stubai Alps, where Pflerscher and Gschitzer Tribulaun are especially exposed, we pass into open terrain of high mountain grasslands. Locally somewhat precipitous path high above the valley in a wide arc below the walls of Habicht group peaks crosses towards the west. In doing so we cross a few gullies, where somewhat more cautious steps are required. In the last part of the path towards the hut, the footpath again somewhat more steeply ascends to the grassy edge, after which we step into the high mountain world between the walls of Habicht and Kalkwand, where we first notice Innsbrucker Hütte. Below the western edge of the Kalkwand massif wall with the help of some fixed safety gear we descend a little to a transverse path between the mentioned mountains, where paths from the inn Feuerstein and from Stubaital gradually join us.
From Gschnitz to the saddle Pinnisjoch near Innsbrucker Hütte it takes around 2.30-3 hours. The path is not particularly demanding, but it is quite steep and locally somewhat precipitous, and in winter very exposed to snow avalanches. The approach from the inn Feuerstein is slightly shorter and easier, but somewhat less scenic.

From the saddle we continue towards the east on a fairly flat path below the western wall of Kalkwand, which among other things hosts a training ferrata and a smaller climbing area. Soon we reach a shorter secured section, where with the help of a steel cable we ascend over a steep step (less demanding). Then uncomfortably we ascend over steep scree to the saddle between the eastern and western wall of Kalkwand, where a wonderful view opens up on the Gschnitz valley lying deep below us, which will accompany us from now on all the way to the summit.
We continue on a narrow and locally quite precipitous path which winds below the summit structure of Kalkwand high above Gschnitztal. Soon we find ourselves in front of a rocky jump, over which reliable fixed safety gear leads us, behind it on a narrow path we ascend to the fork below the summit of Kalkwand.
To the right the path continues towards Ilmspitze (following this path a little later an easy access to the summit of Kalkwand is also possible), our path turns left directly towards the summit. We follow the well-marked path for a few minutes to the pole on the fore-summit, from there we are in just a few steps at the cross on the highest point of Kalkwand, which offers a wonderful view of the more famous neighbors Habicht and Ilmspitze.

The ascent to Kalkwand is a rewarding, although locally somewhat exposed and neglected tour, which we can do during a multi-day hike to Habicht or incidentally on the way to Ilmspitze. Due to locally solid rock in the western part of the massif there are some climbing routes and a shorter, attractive training ferrata, which reaches difficulty C/D-D.

On the way: Innsbrucker Hütte (2369m)