Well prepared to experience nature

Last updated on 17.05.2021

Last year many people discovered the appeal of the mountains. Enjoyment of nature and active recreation are more in demand than ever, with mountain hiking and simple mountain climbing becoming especially popular. However, the advice is that novices in particular should take one step at a time. We chatted with mountain guide Riccardo Mizio from the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: What needs to be taken into consideration and what tours are there for mountain novices?

“A hike or mountain tour starts at home with good tour planning,” says Riccardo Mizio. “And that means before you have packed your rucksack and laced up your hiking boots.” And the mountain guide from the Alpinschule school in Lermoos should know. Novices in particular should ask: “Where am I going? What are the trail conditions? What footwear do I need? What will the weather be like? What are the options for stopping off on my route? How much do I need to eat and drink”. The better the planning, the more beautiful the experience! And if you then look for the tour best suited to your level of proficiency, you can really appreciate the magic of the Tyrolean mountain scenery. Whether you come from a lowland area or grew up at the heart of the varied mountain backdrop of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena.

Seven hamlets. A unique holiday. For novice (mountain) hikers in particular.

In the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena the perfect preparations have been made for mountain lovers. From gentle valley hiking routes in the Ehrwald basin to exciting trails accessed by lift, via ferrata and more challenging summit tours – the villages of Ehrwald, Lermoos, Berwang, Bichlbach, Biberwier, Heiterwang am See and Namlos attract hikers, mountaineers and climbers with more than 150 different routes. Just as each village has its own unique character, equally they all have one thing in common: the magnificent mountain landscape of inviting two-thousand metre peaks and the Zugspitze, which rises almost three thousand metres. “You’ll find great, carefully worked-out tours of our region in our interactive tour planner – including GPS tracking, distance, elevation gain and level of difficulty,” says qualified guide Riccardo Mizio. Anyone who wants to err on the side of caution can book a local mountain guide or mountain hiking guide. Such as Riccardo or one of his colleagues in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena’s mountain sport schools.

The right tour for every guest or: Which mountain is it to be today?

In the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena four mountain ranges meet. In the south are the Lechtal Alps and in the east the Mieminger range, divided by the Fernpass with its magical mountain lakes. In the north-east is the Wetterstein massif, which forms the imposing border with Bavaria, with the 2,962-metre Zugspitze as its crowning glory, while last but not least, the gentle but nonetheless splendid Ammergau Alps are situated in the north-west. Here in the north-west the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena becomes a little lower and flatter towards Bavaria – making it perfect for pleasure hikers, who like to savour the view. The best place for newcomers to mountain hiking: here on the sunny side of the Zugspitze there is an abundance of gentle and moderately challenging trails which can also be shortened if necessary.

For example the “Alpine Rose Trail”. Best enjoyed during the flowering season in June and July, this leads through a sea of alpine roses on the southern flank of the Plattberg, Upsspitze and Daniel to the serviced Tuftl Alm hut. It’s well worth stopping off here – not just to refuel but also to visit the nearby viewing platform with a glorious view over the Ehrwald valley basin. After a gentle descent you can return in no time at all by train or regional bus from Lermoos to your departure point in Bichlbach (14km/900m. elevation gain/4h).

The Rinnen district of Berwang is the starting point for the moderately challenging route up to the Sennalpe Raaz hut and to the idyllically-located Ehenbichler Alm (9km/600m. elevation gain/3h). Here, as well as a stunning view of the Thaneller and the Berwang valley, there is an excellent menu guaranteed to tantalise the taste buds. It’s hard to imagine a more restorative and scenic mountain hike!

Finally, the highlight of the region is Lake Seebensee, which can be visited on a gentle half-day tour from the top station of the Ehrwalder Almbahn cable car. Anyone looking for an even more spectacular destination can continue for around another hour to Lake Drachensee. Up here at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres it is possible to enjoy perhaps the most impressive – and well-known – view of the Wetterstein massif.

For more information on hiking and mountain experiences in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena visit www.zugspitzarena.com/en.