Leutasch: The heart of the Wetterstein mountain range
The Wetterstein is an iconic and very well known mountain range that stretches from Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany to the olympic wintersport venue Seefeld in Tyrol and it’s highest point, the 2962m high Zugspitze is Germany’s highest and most well known mountain. Leutasch however is a mere 2500 inhabitants strong municipity in the heart of the Wetterstein mountain range and famous for its kilometers of kilometers of cross-country skiing tracks. But it’s not only beautiful and a place to be in winter, in summer it’s a mountain climbers and hikers paradise. Surrounded by a spectecular scenery of mountains, all kind of activities like hiking, biking and climbing are taking place here.
The Leutascherhof Biohotel is a cosy and comfortable, all-biologically-based four star hotel located right in the heart of Leutasch with awesome views of the mountain “Gehrenspitze”, which therefore is the home mountain of Leutasch and the Leutascherhof also. When we stayed here at a picture-perfect autumn weekend in October 2017, the Leutascherhof was our basis and Gehrenspitze was our destination. 🙂
Gehrenspitze via Puittal
The Gehrenspitze is 2367m high and can easily be climbed from the East or the West. Both ways are simple hiking, only right below the summit are a few parts where not-so-sure-footed hikers may use their hands. The more common way is from the West via the well-known Wettersteinhütte, but as the ascend from the East via the calm and secluded Puit valley is recommended in the very useful hiking tipps booklet from Leutascherhof, we choose to summon both ways and climb up from the East and go down the West.
Leaving the hotel around 11 AM, the hike first goes along the Puit creek through lush forests. After about an hour of hiking we reach a wide meadow where we almost loose the way (something that doesn’t happen very often), but thankfully we once! brought a printed hiking map from the hotel. 🙂 Back on track and with the sun at zenith, we pass some fellow hikers and bikers before reaching the Scharnitzjoch and the littler Erinnerungshütte, a little hut from the Alpenverein Munich for self-sustained mountain climbers attempting the more difficult route at the Wetterstein south side. All the way to Erinnerungshütte we’re already accompanied by breathtaking views of the Wetterstein mountain range, but as we proceed on the ridge to the summit, the views became unbeatable!
We follow the track slightly ascending track up the hill and pass underneath some impressive rocks. A bunch of hikers, already on their way back down, pass us and after another half hour we are the only people on the mountain. An easy scramble and some drops of sweat onwards, we stand on top of Gehrenspitze on 2367m and the views are EPIC!
On one side there is the southern face of the Wetterstein mountain range with uncountable sharp and rocky peaks, on the other side there is the Leutasch valley and all the far-away high alpine peaks. 🙂
We stay for around thirty minutes and eat our bio-snacks and apples while enjoying the views of the snow-covered peaks in the South. As the sun goes down it quickly gets cold on the summit and we make our way back to Scharnitzjoch where we turn left to descend to the West via Scharnitzhütte.
Feeling like home at Leutascherhof Biohotel
Before passing the Wetterstein hut, we stopp at the little welcoming Wangalm for a cold apple spritzer and than make our way bakc down to Leutasch.
At Leutascherhof Biohotel we are warmly welcomed by the hot sauna and steam ovens before heading to a delicious three-course dinner. All ingredients at Leutascherhof are either homemade and biological or at least 100% biological and even the whole hotel is based on an environment-friendly idea. This is a value we really like and we think should become more and more standard in the whole tourism industry!
Conclusively said, our stay at Leutascherhof together with this amazing autumn mountain day was the perfect weekend getaway. It`s only a 1:30 hours drive from Munich or 40 minutes from Innsbruck to get into the heart of the Wettertstein mountain range – and another one-to-ten-hours exhausting hike, climb or bike to get atop of one of the beautiful mountains surrounding Leutasch. 😉
Leutasch, thanks for gifting us with a perfect weekend – it was a pleasure!
In friendly cooperation with Leutascherhof Biohotel. More information: www.leutascherhof.at – thank you!
