All year round, the archeoParc offers guided tours to the Ötzi discovery site, the Ötzi Glacier Tour. A special experience is to reach the discovery site in winter on touring skis and – depending on the snow conditions – enjoy fantastic descents in powder snow. ArcheoParc employee Silvia Tumler, herself an enthusiastic and experienced ski tourer, provides insights and information about the special features of this tour.
Tour itinerary
Below I briefly describe the route of the tour, most of which runs over glaciers, meaning that there are only a few short, steep climbs.
We start our tour at the valley station of the Val Senales Glacier cable car in Maso Corto, from where we take the gondola up to the Grawand mountain station. After a short briefing from the mountain guide, we first take the piste down the glacier to the Finail lift. We cross the lift, leave the secured piste and head into open terrain. Depending on the snow conditions, we can traverse another section or make a short descent onto the Hochjoch-Ferner.
Then it’s time to put on our skins and keep going uphill!
Via the Kreuzferner we reach our highest point, the Hauslabjoch (3280 m). A short descent takes us to the Tisenjoch (3210 m), the place where Ötzi was found.
After the ascent back to the Hauslabjoch, we hope for good snow conditions for the descent into the Hochjochtal.
There we put on our skins again for a final ascent to the ski piste, where we return to Maso Corto via the valley descent.
Provision
Everyone is responsible for their own catering during the tour. It is not possible to stop for refreshments during the winter tour!
It is important to take enough to drink with you – approx. 1 to 1.5 litres is sufficient. Warm drinks such as tea with honey or sugar or warm juice are recommended. It is often very cold and windy at this altitude.
Our mountain guide usually takes three breaks in between, during which you have the opportunity to refresh yourself. A sandwich and muesli bar, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate are great for an energising snack.
The webcam of the University of Innsbruck on the Tisenjoch shows the current weather and temperature data of the site.
Equipment
As you can see, we are mostly travelling on glaciers or on secured pistes. However, we can still expect one or two short but steep climbs. For these passages, it is advisable to have crampons with you. As with any tour in open terrain, you will also need complete avalanche equipment with probe, shovel and avalanche transceiver. This will be provided by our mountain guide if required.
Touring skis, boots and poles can be hired until the day before from Stricker ski hire in Maso Corto.
When it comes to clothing, the onion-skin principle has worked best for me. Several layers and a windproof jacket provide sufficient warmth. I can also recommend a vest to change into if you sweat quickly. Depending on the temperature, you can change the bottom layer of clothing at the site.
The standard equipment also includes a hat, gloves, sunglasses and sun cream. The intensity of the sun on the glacier is very high and good protection is essential. You are also welcome to bring a ski helmet for the descents.
Regardless of whether the day starts sunny or cloudy and what the weather forecast is like, the weather in the mountains can change very quickly and you have to take this into account when choosing your equipment. My motto is always: ‘I’d rather have one too many layers that I can take off than be cold all day.’
So if you are a safe and experienced skier on the piste and have a good basic level of fitness, nothing stands in the way of an unforgettable glacier experience – even without ski touring experience.
Fancy an extraordinary winter adventure? You can register here. Or send us your questions to info@archeoparc.it