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32 HIKINGHIKING33IT'S THE TAKINGPART THAT COUNTSThe crossing of Bachfallen Glacier ranks among the undisputed highlights of the Gries Glacier Hike.Hundreds of hikers get together for this yearly summer event held already for more than 40 years.Many of them are repeaters and know the high Alpine route like the back of their hand.Text: Stefan HerbkeWinnebachseehütte is the first rest stop for passionate glacier hikersAt six o'clock in the morning themountain village of Gries is stillasleep. Normally. Only on the lastSunday in July the first hikers arestrolling through the hamlets already at daybreak– locals and guests, single walkers andsmall groups. They are heading towards thebig car park at the edge of the village, the officialstarting point of the legendary Gries GlacierHike. It's quite busy here. The participants wantto start in time - like Günter Heyn from Germany.The 77-year old hiker is one of the oldestparticipants, and conquers the Glacier Hike alreadyfor the 13th time."We want to give all hikers – who marvelat the glacier landscape without having thechance to enter them – the opportunity to explorethe eternal ice with a minimized risk",explains 68-year old Peter Gürtsch. He is positionedat Gaislehnscharte Ridge where hestamps the hikers' time cards. This alpinecrossing is the highest point of the entire loophiking tour at 3054 meters above sea level, andcan be reached via Winnebachseehütte and themighty glacier snout of scenic Bachfallen Glacier.From here a downhill trail leads the glacierhikers back to Gries through Schrankar Cirqueand Sulztal Valley.Günter Heyn starts the Glacier Hike at a leisurelypace. He smiles, "It's not a race or competition.For me the whole tour is a personalchallenge. Am I still fit enough? Can I stand thepace?" Furthermore he knows another secret:"Many hikers start the tour too speedy, runningout of breath very quickly. It's much better towalk slowly and steady." The average time forthis demanding hike is seven to eight hours.Of course some participants can conquer thecourse much faster. "At the moment the recordstands at two hours and nine minutes", saysAlois Schöpf. He took part already in the veryfirst edition of the Glacier Hike and was the recordholder for several years. That's easy to explain:"In the past there was much more snowand we could ski down all along GaislehnscharteRidge towards Schrankar Cirque."Hikers always dreamabout a glacier crossing.You can make this dream come trueat the ultimate hike for everyoneacross Bachfallen Glacier in Gries.Avid mountain runners only concentrate onthe best time. For all others it's the taking partthat counts, and the truly memorable moun-tain experience. Günter Heyn has been a regularguest in the Ötztal Valley since 1991, hespent already 42 holidays in Gries. He remembershis first glacier hike: "The time was not importantat all. They told us to start slowly andto marvel at the beautiful Alpine scenery. Theywarned us of the dangerous descent as at theend of the hike you concentrate less and yourmuscles get stiff."On this long high Alpine hiking tour you haveenough time for several rest stops. The first refreshmentstation providing drinks and energybars is quaint Winnebachseehütte. Furtherrest stop areas are installed on the glacier, atGaislehnscharte Ridge, at Schrankar Cirque andin Sulztal Valley.27 volunteers – like Alois Schöpf and PeterGürtsch – take care of the hikers in all weathers.In the past it was quite different. "It happenedthat the hut evening at Winnebachseehüttelasted a bit longer than normal, and thatwe didn't reach the stamp station at Gaislehnschartein time – the first hikers eagerly awaitedus", remembers Peter Gürtsch.The crossing, secured with a steel rope, isone of the crucial points of the whole glacierhike. Although the members of the Gries andLängenfeld Mountain Rescue teams take careof the hikers, some of them get scared whenstanding on the windswept precipice. "Wewere standing in the foothill of this via ferratafor about fifteen minutes, and we still hesitated",says 10-year old Yannic Janitzki who tookpart in the hike with his parents. Now the boyis happy that the expert team on the spot couldconvince his family to overcome their fear. Thiswas the first black hiking route in his life!Hobby sportsmen don't focuson record times but on thestunning nature exploration.Yannic was quite surprised about his very firstglacier crossing: "I thought the glacier fieldswere cleaner and brighter, similar to a ski run."His dad Matthias comments: "In my imaginationglaciers are always white. I can't believethat there is ice below these big masses ofgravel and boulders."Everyone enjoys his own adventure. Butthere is one experience that remains alwaysthe same for all hikers: the stunning views ofÖtztal's picture-book mountain peaks and glaciers!Additionally, the crossing of BachfallenGlacier will always rank among the undisputedhot spots of the Gries Glacier Hike.DATESGries Glacier HikeFrom Gries (1599 m) via Winnebachseehütteand Bachfallen Glacier towardsGaislehnscharte (3054 m), descent viaSchrankar to Sulztal Valley, back to Gries.Start: 6 am - 7 am. Finish: until 5 pm.Date: last Sunday in July.Distance: 20 km.Difference in altitude: 1480 m.www.oetztal.comGlacier Flea HikeFrom Obergurgl (1930 m) via Ramolhausand Ramoljoch (3200 m) to Vent.Start: 6 am – 8 am, village square inObergurgl. Finish: until 5 pm.Date: early August. Distance: 16 km.Difference in altitude: 1300 m.www.oetztal.com