After having climbed Grossvenediger peak in Austrian Alps the time has come to climb his higher brother as well. Grossglockner tour was done with hiking club Željezničar as well and we climbed this peak in summer of 2013.
Grossglockner is highest Austrian peak with total of 3798 meters and it’s situated in Hohe Tauern national park. Since I write this post from my memory as well I have forgotten lot of details regarding this tour. I remember it to be easier than Grossvenediger ascent mainly because of the weather. Technically Grossglockner is harder to climb but the weather was much more severe during Grossvenediger ascent.
We started our climb from the valley and slept in the mountain hut below the peak. As usual, we left for the peak early in the morning with a nice weather to accompany us along the way. Rising sun was casting its light on the peaks in vicinity making a truly magical sight.
This time, we had a peak in sight all the way up. To climb the Grossglockner you definitely need to use special equipment such as crampons and ice axes. Last part of the ascent is a classical climb which is not so hard. The sole Grossglockner peak doesn’t have much room on it as, for example, Grossvenediger, so we had to sit firmly at our spots.
Descent to the valley was interrupted by a stop at a mountain hut. One of the best beers I ever had was drank at that place. It’s funny how everything tastes different (read: better) in the mountains and after the physical effort.