Austria's fourth-highest peak — the Grossvenediger — lies in the Venediger group of the High Tauern, not far from the highest Grossglockner. It stands a respectable 3,666 metres (sources also cite 3,662, 3,657 and others), only about 132 metres short of the Grossglockner. In this article you can read how, as a complete beginner, I climbed my first glacier over two days. A warning up front: for experienced climbers the read won't be riveting — I try to describe the route in detail to bring the experience closer to absolute amateurs :)
How did the glacier idea come about?
Our trip began only about a week before departure, when my friend Filip asked whether I wanted to join. For 2023 I had planned an autumn ascent of the Grossglockner, but lacking glacier experience I decided it was better to start with something easier. The Grossvenediger seemed the ideal beginner's mountain — and I said yes.
Before departure a cold (possibly covid) complicated things, and I only just managed to recover and arrange everything necessary. I borrowed an ice axe from a friend (thanks, Kája) and crampons from the DoHor.cz rental, which I highly recommend. The biggest problem was finding warm gloves in August, but luckily Decathlon and Simond gloves saved me. I also threw in category 4 polarised sunglasses and a cap for under the helmet. The full gear list is at the end of the article.
Which route up the Grossvenediger?
The original “plan” was via the Neue Prager Hütte, which unfortunately closed a week before our arrival due to a water shortage — earlier than officially announced. That route would be over 16 km with more than 2,200 metres of ascent. Another option was from the north via the Kürsingerhütte, but that is the longest and most demanding — almost 23 km and 2,800 metres of ascent.
So the choice fell on the easiest southern route via the Defreggerhaus. The ascent is about 13 km with a little over 2,000 metres of climbing. If you're in a hurry like us, you can walk just 8 km and climb 1,500 metres — though it will cost you extra (you can also save a lot of money, more on that below). We left the Czech Republic early on day one, spent the evening at the Defreggerhaus, summited on day two, descended and made it home. A two-day dash.
Getting there and parking
We set off from Budweis on a roughly five-hour drive to the little village of Hinterbichl. Up to the motorway exit the drive went well despite the omnipresent speed limits, but on the back roads hell began: slow convoys of caravans (not) overtaking cyclists, sightseeing pensioners and the like. Past Zell am See the gawking and guessing began about which peak belongs to which mountain, and Czech and Tyrolean hits lifted the mood after the long drive.
The road started climbing and we soon reached the Felbertauern tunnel, at the end of which is a toll station — 13 EUR per passage each way. Then we had to drive all those gained metres back down, and through small villages we reached our destination, Hinterbichl, at exactly 12:00.
Venediger Taxi: Hinterbichl → Johannishütte
To save time we had booked a Venediger Taxi for 13:00 in advance (I called the day before) to take us to the Johannishütte, saving over 600 vertical metres and 2.5 hours of walking on a dull gravel road (the section is 5.4 km with 636 m of ascent). It was originally meant to leave from the pub in town, but we decided to park at the highest (paid) car park, about 9 EUR for two days. There's a portaloo at the car park, so you can go while waiting for the taxi. We called the Venediger Taxi and, an hour before departure, they changed the pickup point to the higher car park without any trouble.
“Cheating” by mountain taxi is quite expensive at 17 EUR per person per trip, but you avoid paying for a night in Austria or leaving the Czech Republic at midnight. The ride in an off-road Mercedes Sprinter driven by a very experienced lady takes about 20 minutes up pretty switchbacks, past a climbing wall and several waterfalls, and ends at a car park about 200 m below the Johannishütte.
Johannishütte → Defreggerhaus
The narrow path beyond the Johannishütte leads through mixed terrain, is fairly entertaining, and you meet herds of friendly cows and sheep (the section is 4.3 km with 847 m of ascent, about 2.5 hours). You hop over streams, pass two small lakes, and gradually the Venediger massif and snowy slopes reveal themselves. Turn around and a gorgeous wide valley surprises you, almost like something out of Lord of the Rings :) In the upper part you climb big stone steps and, after roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, reach the Defreggerhaus.
We checked in, had a well-earned beer, grabbed our gear and climbed up to the glacier entry point. There we tried walking in crampons, roping up, and studied with our eyes the numerous crevasses lining the beaten path to the summit. In the afternoon the snow is very slushy and hard to walk in. Adam unfortunately broke into a small crevasse and, as he fell, probably strained a ligament below his knee.
Back at the hut we treated ourselves to a luxurious sunset dinner in the form of an Adventure Menu — I had pork with dumplings and cabbage, plus an Almdudler bought at the hut. We happily warmed our hands on the hot mess tin, as the temperature dropped to near zero and our exhausted bodies were already feeling the cold.
The Defreggerhaus hut
We sorted accommodation about a week ahead, and given the route choice there was essentially no alternative to the Defreggerhaus. Booking and payment are done online, with better prices for Alpine Club members. There was no space left in the dormitory, so we were “forced” to choose the pricier option — a multi-bed room for 4. That didn't bother us at all, because listening to a symphony of twenty snoring mountaineers is no pleasure even with earplugs :) The Alpine Club hut is very nice; we slept in a four-bed room with two bunk beds, one even had a slatted base. The bed has a pillow and two blankets, so you don't need a sleeping bag in the warm months, though I recommend a liner for hygiene. There's a washroom with running water and working toilets, but no luxury shower here. What do you expect at 3,000 m :)
The bar only has bottled beer of mediocre quality; definitely don't order their “homemade lemonade” for 4.50 EUR :) Curiously, per booking you get one chip card that you use at the bar and settle the whole bill only when leaving the hut. We didn't try the food, but according to recent reviews it isn't worth the money. The taxi driver mentioned a recent change of ownership that had affected the hut's running rather negatively.
Defreggerhaus → Grossvenediger
The alarm goes off at 5:30 and we find our German roommate long gone. We didn't sleep much, as the beds creaked and the snoring carried through the wooden walls. We pack slowly, put unnecessary things in a crate in the hallway, fetch boots and poles from the heated storage and set off at 6:00 without breakfast towards the glacier entry (the section is 3.6 km with 693 m of ascent, about 3.5 hours). On the way we strip off, as it's warmer than expected and the hill is somehow steeper than yesterday :D Filip has a sore throat, Adam his leg from yesterday, and I still don't feel great after being ill, so we move really slowly and a rope team with a mountain guide overtakes us. We downclimb a bit of rock with a fixed textile rope, rope up, put on crampons and agree that I, as the least experienced member, will go first so the others can rescue me in case of a crevasse fall. I feel like a soldier stepping into a minefield :D
The snow is nicely frozen compared with yesterday afternoon's test and much easier to walk on; now and then we jump over a crevasse or cross it on a snow bridge. The first two crevasses come with fear, the rest only with respect. We take a short breakfast break before the climb; Adam's protein bar slides off across the ice somewhere into the valley, much to the delight of the next rope team, which we let pass :D Crossing a giant snow bridge, we start climbing in the shade of a side peak. At the junction in the Rainertörl saddle we meet two Czechs who accompany us to the summit. From here we climb the dazzling white slope in the sun, and I'm really glad of the new sunglasses.
One of the groups that had overtaken us earlier we caught up with, and now it's holding us up instead — but we're quite glad, as it lets us catch our breath. About 150 vertical metres below the summit, Adam's leg started hurting so much he wanted to give up and go back to the hut. Filip managed to talk him round, so we continue and slow down further. Before the final ridge, the path from the Neue Prager Hütte joins, bringing lots of rope teams, and passing those already descending creates a bit of a jam — a touch of adrenaline on that narrow, fairly airy ridge :)
At 9:30 we're finally on the summit. Before the photo I dig out a painkiller for Adam, then we enjoy the view a little, photograph a group who then photograph us, and slowly pack for the way back, as the wind is unpleasantly strong and we don't want to linger changing clothes. We rope up quickly and start descending the same way we came up. We arrived just in time, as the number of ascending groups grows fast and it's getting uncomfortable.
Descent
We descend parallel to the beaten path in softer snow (the descent is 8 km with 1,540 m down, about 5.5 hours). My feet start to hurt, and it turns out my trekking boots aren't ideal for glacier use with crampons. The weather was top-notch, so we enjoy the view of the Grossglockner — and Doctor Filip enjoyed it so much that he tripped and did a lovely headfirst dive into the snow :D We all want to be off the glacier, so we move fairly fast with just one stop to strip off, as the sun really beats down. Finally back on “solid” ground, we take off our gear, climb a bit of rock and descend to the Defreggerhaus.
Here we change into lighter clothes, eat the second Adventure Menu (chicken korma with basmati rice — yum), pack the things we left at the hut and descend on towards the Johannishütte. This time the path drags endlessly; our feet hurt, water runs low, the sun bakes. Filip races ahead to book seats in the taxi back to the car park, while I go slower with Adam. There's no signal at the Johannishütte, so there's a “phone box” with a landline to call the taxi. The staff are unfortunately extremely slow and unwilling, we wait ages to pay, so we leave Filip there with the money and head with Adam to the car park below the hut, where the transport is already waiting and a queue of people without reservations is forming. Luckily, thanks to two dispatched taxis, everyone gets in and we drive to the car.
Departure and the way home
At the car park we quickly throw everything in the car and head back to the Czech Republic. I can hardly believe we made it this fast and don't have to pay for another night in Austria. The drive is calm apart from one snail who does the entire descent from the toll tunnel into the valley at a senseless 70 km/h, constantly braking to 50, whom nobody overtakes. After joining the motorway we storm the first McDonald's to refuel on calories and race home. At 21:30 we're in Budweis and go to bed with a pleasant tiredness. In total 820 km with 10 hours of driving — good thing today's cars almost drive themselves :)
Glacier gear
Gear depends heavily on the participants' experience and comfort preferences, but also on the trip length and the resulting cost. Bear in mind I had no glacier experience whatsoever, so I followed the motto “better be ready for everything”.
Gear: Dynafit Alpine trail shoes, La Sportiva TX5 GTX boots, Camp touring crampons (rental), ice axe (thanks for the loan, Kája), 50 m climbing rope, Deuter AirContact Lite 45+10 pack, Ocún Twist harness, 2 Ocún HMS carabiners, a sling and prusik, Black Diamond Half Dome helmet, Forclaz MT 100 Comfort trekking poles, Forclaz HL 100 USB headlamp, category 4 polarised Quechua MH 570 sunglasses; plus a tube belay device and ice screws.
Cooking and food: a small mess tin, a stove with piezo ignition (or a lighter), a 100 g gas canister, 2× Adventure Menu, 3-in-1 coffee, chocolate porridge, jerky, protein biscuits, nut mix, energy gels…
Clothing: Tilak Stinger Pro hardshell, MT 900 down jacket, Simond Alpinism hybrid jacket, Simond Ice winter gloves, Forclaz MT 500 thin gloves, Black Diamond Crag Half Finger ferrata gloves, Simond Alpinism beanie, cap, neck gaiter, rain poncho + pack cover + rain trousers, Garmin Fenix 7 watch, power bank and cables, sleeping bag liner, 2-litre hydration bladder, Sawyer water filter, SPF 50 sunscreen, eye mask and earplugs.
Tips, tricks and lessons
For me one of the most important chapters. As mentioned, gear varies a lot with experience. Along the way we met quite a few people without ice axes and crampons, even individuals without a rope. Yes, you can save weight on gear you probably won't need, and money on insurance you might not need. But hand on heart — would you go into the mountains without insurance? I wouldn't, and likewise I wouldn't go on a glacier without gear.
The helmet was useless — apart from a fall into a crevasse or off the final ridge, I can't imagine when it would help. Rockfall isn't an immediate threat, and if a chunk of rock breaks off, the helmet won't help anyway. My trekking boots were too soft for walking in crampons on the glacier; it was manageable, but I felt it in my feet, especially on the descent.
Insurance: I definitely recommend Alpine Club insurance with good cover for rescue operations plus discounts at huts. For medical costs and further cover you need separate travel insurance — check up to what altitude (and climbing/ferrata difficulty) it applies and what it includes for risk sports. Above 3,000 m I breathed noticeably harder. Whether that was down to my short recovery after illness or the fact that I'm asthmatic, I don't know — according to my watch, at the Defreggerhaus my blood oxygen was 91 %, whereas normally it's around 96 %.
The evening is cold, but hauling such a warm down jacket and winter gloves made no sense — I'd probably talk differently in different weather. Before sleeping, take out your headlamp, tissues, water, medicine and anything else you might need at night, so you don't rummage in your pack and light up the whole room. For a two-day hike you really don't need a brutally heavy 20,000 mAh power bank — there were sockets at the hut anyway.
It's great to leave things you don't need for the summit at the hut. But remember that on the way down from the summit the sun may be shining — so definitely don't leave sunscreen and a cap at the hut. The hydration bladder is a neat thing that saves you taking off your pack and rope — just don't let the hose freeze; it pays to blow back into it after drinking so no water stays inside. You save a lot of weight if you decide to eat at the hut. We carried a stove, pot, canister and two Adventure Menus each — every pack weighed about 17 kg including water, which really told.
BONUS: don't be so afraid. At night I struggled to fall asleep because I was a bit scared of the whole challenge. In the end I was more on edge than necessary — though I did go with friends who had already done Mont Blanc and the Dachstein, the weather was superb and everything just fell into place. If you're not in a hurry, feel free to stay a second night at the Defreggerhaus and do the whole Venediger crown — five three-thousanders. Finally: if you don't have experienced friends, don't set out on a glacier alone without experience — hire a mountain guide! I benefited a lot from my July Triglav climb — to my gear I mainly added warmer things and glacier equipment.