Bergstation Hafelekar - Kemacher (Innsbrucker Klettersteig)

Access to the starting point:
From Ljubljana, take the motorway past Salzburg towards Munich. At the Dreieck Inntal multi-level junction, take the A93 towards Innsbruck/Kufstein/Brenner. On your return to Austria, continue to exit 79 in the route Innsbruck-West. In Innsbruck, join the B174 road and continue to the 171 road junction, which you follow to the Hungerberg (Sonnenstrasse) turn-off. Continue on the ascending road to the hamlet of Hungerburg, where you follow signs for Hungerburgstation. Park in the large parking lot next to the funicular station; the parking fee is €6 for the whole day, which will be refunded if you buy a lift ticket. Hungerburg can also be reached by funicular from the centre of Innsbruck.

Alternatively (to avoid buying an Austrian vignette): from central Slovenia, take the A2 motorway to one of the border crossings with Austria and continue to Lienz. Continue on the road 108 past Matreia and Osttirol and take the mountain expressway over the Felbertauern Pass (toll road, in 2020 the price was €11 for cars). In Mittersill, take the B165 and climb the narrower road to the Gerlos Pass (1628 m; fee €10). From there, descend to the point of the same name and continue to the junction with the B169. After about 20 km, join the B171 (direction Schwaz/Jenbach/Wörgl/Strass i. Z. ), which you follow all the way to Innsbruck and the turn-off for Hungerburg. From there, follow the above description. Innsbruck can also be reached from northern Itali.

Path description:
From the top station of the funicular, which can be reached by funicular from Hungerburg or by one of the pedestrian routes (see e. g. https://www. hribi. net/izlet/hungerberg_parkirisce_pri_postaji_vzpenjace_hafelekarspitze_pespot_s_hungerberga_po_poti_216/59/3275/7817"), head east, following the signs for "Innsbrucker Klettersteig". Cross under the route of the easier short ferry Geierwally and after a good ten minutes' walk from the starting point, you will reach the base of the starting face of the "Innsbrucker Klettersteig".

The initial ascent is on a moderately high vertical, and the scrambles along the ropeway are helpful, with slightly longer intervals (C) in places. After crossing the short west face of the Seegrubenspitze, the route becomes easier and, crossing the sheltered north slopes above Karwendel, we soon find ourselves just below the summit of the Seegrubenspitze (2350 m), which is only a stone's throw from the trail. From the summit, descend the sometimes airy, well protected ridge path (difficulty B) to the saddle between the Seegrubenspitze and the Kaminspitz rock formation.
Walk along the rough terrain for 10 minutes to the base of the Östliche Kaminspitze, where a sign directs you back to the protected path. On steep terrain, partly with the help of scrambles, you climb up to the ridge (B/C) and, after a sharp ridge cut, you approach the Östliche Kaminspitze (2435 m), where a large signing-in book awaits you. From the ridge top, descend the technically easier but still exposed ridge to a narrow notch (B), from which you can use the crampons to climb vertically back up to the ridge cut (C). The ridge is easier to follow, and the route offers outstanding views of Innsbruck to the south and the Karwendel to the north (up to B). After traversing south under the ridge cut, you soon come to a short, attractive suspension bridge, which is immaculately secured, and follow it towards Kemacher, which can be seen in the distance ahead. Shortly after the bridge, there is a challenging, almost vertical but well protected descent into a notch (B/C), from which we climb back up to the ridge cut (B). The ridge widens slightly and leads to a short steel cable (C), shortly after which the route starts descending again on an air cut. After a short traverse of the southern slopes, the exposed wedges lead to a notch below the Kemacher rock structure. From the stump, ascend via the attractive, less difficult chimney and follow the rope to a very scenic summit (difficulty of the last part up to B). The only reasonable option for descending from Kemacher is to continue along the ferrata to the end of the first part of the "Innsbrucker Klettersteig" at the Long Saddle (Langer Sattel), which can be seen to the west below. The descent is technically slightly easier than the ascent (B/C, mostly A/B), but extremely exposed in places, with the aid of ropes in all key areas. In the lower part of the descent towards the saddle, the ridge widens and becomes grassy and easier to traverse. From the top of Kemacher it is about 45 minutes descent to Langer Sattl.

From Langer Sattl you can continue with the second part of the "Innsbrucker Klettersteig", which passes over the peaks, cols and crags of Sattelspitz and is slightly more difficult, but also shorter than the first part (approx. 2 hours of climbing). As far as you want to return, you can cross under the Nordkette ridge to the Seegrube station and from there return to the valley by funicular. There are also several direct routes from the saddle down to Hungerburg (the fastest is partly via route 217 past Höttinger Alm and Umbrüggler Alm, a good 2. 5 hours to Hungerburg). Although the "Innsbrucker Klettersteig" is not up to the technical level of modern sports ferattas (it was built in. . . 1986, when different standards applied to the construction of protected trails) and, due to the additional aids, it resembles more the classic Dolomite than modern extreme ferratas, the route is not to be underestimated. The climbing section is long (especially when ascending from the valley), includes many ascents and descents, has many rather exposed spots and the rock is not always solid in the limestone mountains. As the ferrata can be reached almost to the start by funicular and offers first-class views of Innsbruck and the picturesque Karwendel, it is very popular. Helmets and self-propulsion are compulsory.

On the way: Seegrubenspitze (2350m), Östliche Kaminspitze (2435m)

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