Slippery Rainerkopf

When my Ukrainian friend Serhii, who lives in Lisbon, approached me for an easy hike near Munich, I decided to offer a peak I haven't done before. Out of the easily accessible ones, the area between Tegernsee and Spitzingsee seemed to offer a good option. Since I've already done hikes to Wasserspitz (1552 m), and Bodenschneid (1669 m), Rainerkopf (1463 m) was the only remaining peak on that ridge. Don't confuse it with Rainer Berg (1169 m), which is a different mountain near Spitzingsee.

We set of in the cold foggy valley of Schliersee, freezing along the way, just as the surrounding flora. The fog lasted for around 30 minutes, until we reached a higher altitude.

As we walked higher, we had to take off our jackets, as the sun started to shine through the clouds. We came across a lady looking for shortcuts down to Neuhaus, probably late for the train.

When we came up to a hut on the way, Serhii started feeling really hot and decided to take of his thermal underpants. Since there was no dresser around, he just dropped them on the ground and started changing. A group of hikers approached us and started a small chat right near us, standing and throwing glances at Serhii. It made for a great situation.

We quickly ascended the hill to reach Rainerkopf (1463 m) itself, where we saw the fog below and took a bunch of photos. There was also a small cross and a casket with a book to sign in, which we promptly did. Despite the fog, we managed to enjoy views of surrounding peaks, including Wendelstein (1838 m).

The descent to Bodenschneidhaus (1365 m) was quick and easy, but due to time constraints, we decided to skip it and head forward, going past Brecherspitz (1685 m).

That's when the route turned to the worse. The trail to Obere Firstalm (1369 m) was very slippery due to ice, and we had to be very careful with each step. We kept slipping and sliding, and Serhii hurt his leg a few times.

Eventually, we made it to the hut, where we took a break and had some food, enjoying the view of Stümpfling (1506 m). I really wanted their permutation of Jagatee, and took some cake with it.

After spending some time at the hut, we headed down the sledge route down, although there was no snow for sledging. When we reached the asphalt road at the bottom, we saw the fog flowing over the ridge and towards Spitzingsee. The lake itself was almost completely frozen, with people of all ages skating and walking on it. We walked on the ice along the lake shore to the bus stop and headed back.

I wouldn't say this is the most breathtaking hike in the area, I'd definitely suggest Bodenschneid (1669 m) instead, but it's a good option if you've seen the other peaks already.