04Experiences

Climbing without a car

Walking where the city ends abruptly

In Innsbruck you do not go out to the mountain. The mountain stands behind the last house. The Nordkette rises north of the river, and its cable car reaches Hafelekar station at 2,269 metres. From the station the Goethe Way runs east along the ridge toward Pfeis Hut, north of Römer Spitze. The highest peak in the range is Kleiner Solstein at 2,637 metres, to the west. Alpine Club huts nearby serve as bases for longer tours, including Solsteinhaus and Pfeis Hut. This is summer walking; the official tourism site puts hiking at the front of warm-month activities, with cycling and swimming. Trail signs on site give the walking time for each route. Start from the station if your day is short, or from the city if you want to feel the gap between street and altitude in one outing. Weather at 2,000 metres is not square weather. Descend before the light changes, even if the path looked easy at noon. Square, roof and river are one day; the range is another if the station clears.

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Hafelekar station (m)