Zugspitze via Höllental: Catch the Cable Car

Topo from bergsteigen.com:

The idea for this hike was born pretty much immediately after finishing the Reintal route to the Zugspitze (2962 m). We planned ahead, bought an ice axe and ice spikes, checked the weather forecast and public transport schedule, so nothing would stop us from going up the Höllental Klamm. I even spend the night before the hike at David's place, so we could get to the train station faster.

David watched a lot more videos about the Höllental route than I did, so he was more aware of the dangers and challenges, hurrying me up all the time. We took the earliest train from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, then a bus to Hammersbach. From there, we started the hike at around 8:30 AM.

The first part of the hike, just like on the Reintal route, is a long ascent through the forest. This is where we warmed up and got ready for the more challenging parts of the hike. After some time, we reached the paid passage of the Höllental Klamm. The entrance fee was quite small, and it was worth taking this route instead of walking around the gorge. The path itself is very beautiful, with wooden walkways and bridges built along the cliffs and over the water. The sound of the rushing water and the narrow passages made it feel like an adventure. We got quite wet though, as there were many spots where water splashed onto the walkway from above.

After exiting the gorge, we continued along a normal hiking trail until we reached Höllentalangerhütte (1387 m), a mountain hut where we took a break and talked to other hikers.

We kept going and soon reached the first via ferrata, a ladder with a cable you can clip into for safety. This part was quite exciting, as it involved some vertical climbing. It wasn't difficult though, and we managed it without any issues. I should mention that this is one of the main bottlenecks of the hike, as it's not really possible to walk around other people to skip the line.

After some cool vertical and horizontal climbing sections on metal rods sticking from the rocks, we reached another shallow section between the climbing parts. David was still worried about the upcoming glacier crossing, so we hurried up ahead, together with another pair of hikers.

Eventually, we reached the glacier. That's when the fact that I didn't even open the ice spikes box until that moment came back to bite me. David put on his spikes really fast, while I awkwardly tried to put mine on the uneven ground, losing the tiny bolts on the rocks and snow. Still, I somehow managed to put them on and we started crossing the glacier.

We asked other hikers about the best route to take, and followed their advice of going straight up the middle of the glacier. That was a bad mistake, as that "path" was quite steep and slippery. I struggled a bit, taking my time to not slip down. It also strained my legs a lot because of the awkward angle of ascent. David, on the other hand, had much more trouble, as his spikes kept slipping off his feet.

Eventually, we reached the top of the glacier, climbed over a giant crack in the ice and came up to the main via ferrata section leading to the summit. If I recall correctly, it took us around 2.5 or even 3 hours to reach the summit from here, although other hikers promised us it would take only 1.5 hours.

At some point, quite early in the climb, I started losing my breath and needed to take breaks more often. The altitude really affected me this time. It really reminded me of the Frau Hitt (2270 m) hike and the challenges I faced there. David seemed to be doing fine, but waited for me nonetheless. Still, we took over a few other hikers who were doing even worse than me.

The main via ferrata section seemed never-ending. We just kept climbing higher and higher, with rare flat sections to rest. Because the last cable car down from the summit was at 16:00, we were constantly checking the time and calculating whether we would make it down in time. This added some stress to the already challenging climb.

Eventually, we saw the tourist station at the summit, and David cheered up, saying we don't have much distance left. However, I already knew from experience that the remaining elevation to the station was quite large, so I kept going with the same pace.

After 40-60 more minutes of climbing, we finally saw the cross and the climbing section was over. The rest of the way to the summit was just an upwards walk, where I could finally catch my breath again.

We reached the summit at around 15:30, just in time to take some photos and enjoy the view before heading down. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking, with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

I have to mention here that there are several things to take into consideration before going for the summit. First, the weather can change rapidly in the mountains, so the valley below can be sunny while the summit is covered in clouds, or vice versa. Second, the summit and the cross, which was recently taken down for renovation, are quite crowded with tourists who take the cable car up. This can make it hard to find a quiet spot to enjoy the view or take the obligatory summit photos.

After asking some girls in city-style sneakers for a quick photo of us at the summit, we headed to the station, bought our ticket (44 Euros now, including the train to Garmisch!), and took the cable car down to the valley. David was enjoying the view and the ride, while I almost teared up thinking about what a great adventure this hike was. It might have been the pressure change that induced the emotional response though, I'm a tough man after all.

Anyway, the route is a must-go for everyone with proper equipment and some experience behind them. I would say the glacier is the part where the equipment is most necessary, while the via ferrata sections are the most challenging parts.

If you're not time-limited, I would recommend either staying overnight at Höllentalangerhütte or going down to Knorrhütte and spending the next night there. This way, you can split the hike into two days, take your time and enjoy the scenery more. Just make sure to book your stay in advance, as these huts can get quite busy during the hiking season.

P.S. Feels amazing to have finally completed the Zugspitze (2962 m) ascent via both main routes! Looking forward to Jubiläumsgrat and the Wiener-Neustädter hut hopefully next year.

P.P.S. I couldn't build a proper route on openrouteservice.org, so I had to install a local version of it and allow steep via ferrata paths.