Maria Waldrast - Lämpermahdspitze (Path over the northern ridge)

Access to starting point:
From Ljubljana, we drive on the highway past Salzburg in the direction towards Munich. At the multilevel junction Dreieck Inntal we turn onto the road A93 in the direction of Innsbruck/Kufstein/Brenner. Upon returning 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 town of Matrei am Brenner, where we take exit 19-Matrei. Then we head onto the road B182 and follow it to the village of Mützens, where with the help of reliable signs we turn onto the increasingly narrow road which after crossing the barrier (toll is 6 euros for a personal car) in a few kilometers brings us to the parking lot near the inn and monastery church.

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 the journey to Lienz. Here we continue on road 100 and past the crossing Prato alla Drava we drive into Italy. In Italy we follow 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 to exit 19-Matrei at the town of Matrei am Brenner. From there we continue on the route described above.

Path description:
From the parking lot at Maria Waldrast, the highest-lying pilgrimage station in Austria, we follow the signs for Serles and Lämpermahdspitze on the path which immediately behind the church turns left into the forest. Across pasture areas we continue on the narrow path which soon crosses the scree gully in the eastern bastion of Serles. Further on, the excellently marked path leads us through increasingly sparse high-alpine forest, which higher up is replaced by dwarf pines, and we cross the outlets of steep gullies twice more, which descend from the rocky slopes above us. After a good hour of walking from the starting point we pass onto open grassy slopes in the heart of the Serles group, and a nice view also opens up to the southern-lying part of the range, where Lämpermahdspitze and Peilspitze predominate. We follow the path which zigzags across the moderately steep slope all the way to the Serlesjöchl saddle, where the path from Maria Waldrast joins the longer alternative approach path from Kampl in the Stubai Valley.

From the saddle, with the help of the signpost we head left onto the initially somewhat less visible path which crosses the slope below the steep walls of Rote Wand (easier path which crosses below the peaks of the southern part of the Serles group and offers us an alternative return option to Maria Waldrast; at the start of the ascent from the saddle it runs just a few meters lower). After passing below the large abyss in the bastion of Rote Wand the path crosses scree, on the edge of which snow often remains until summer. Then we climb the steep but not overly difficult rocky step and in zigzags follow the characteristic Austrian markings to the unnamed grassy ridge summit, from where the continuation of the ridge path to Lämpermahdspitze reveals itself.

Here we follow the markings which reliably lead us directly along the locally exposed ridge or just below it on its western side. At a few points we have to scramble easily (I), otherwise the path through demanding terrain is elegantly routed and excellently marked. After approx. 15 minutes we pass below the summit structure of Lämpermahdspitze, following the markings we cross the exposed section of the ridge notch and head right onto the western slopes of the mountain. The crossing further on runs above large scree fields which fall deep into the Stubai Valley; the otherwise still well-marked path is locally quite crumbly and slightly exposed. At two points we have to climb short ledges (I). Soon the path turns towards the summit ridge of Lämpermahdspitze, which is separated from us by a relatively manageable chimney with the only protection on the path. Behind it below the fore-summit of Lämpermahdspitze we approach a somewhat wider ridge which comfortably brings us to the panoramic summit with metal cross in a few minutes.

Except for the somewhat useful footholds in the chimney, the entire path is unprotected and locally quite exposed, so despite relatively low technical obstacles (climbing difficulty up to max I+) and the short length of the ascent from Serlesjöchl it requires appropriate mountaineering experience and reliable weather conditions. The ascent is usually combined with the approach to the famous Serles, as both mountains are accessible from the Serlesjöchl saddle within one hour of easy walking. It is also possible to ascend Lämpermahdspitze via an easier path which leads to the summit from the south.

On the way: Serlesjöchl (2384m)