#35 Vorder Grauspitz - Liechtenstein High Point

About a three hour drive west of Ehrwald and the Zugspitze, we arrived in another ski resort village called Malbun, in the tiny country of Liechtenstein. We had never visited this double land locked country (meaning the border countries of Austria and Switzerland are also land locked).  The country has no army, no airport and a population of only around 40,000 people. 

We checked in to the beautiful and charming Hotel Turna for two nights, giving ourselves a full day to rest after the long day on the Zugspitze.  We took advantage of the continued perfect fall weather to go for an easy hike and get eyes on our planned climbing route for the Grauspitz, the 8,527 foot high point of Liechtenstein.  Helga had already climbed this peak as well, and we appreciated her willingness to do it again with us.  The summit ridge forms the border between Liechtenstein to the north and Switzerland to the south.  However, Helga had not climbed from the north, our intended route, which was very steep, but a shorter/direct route and convenient to where we were staying in Malbun.  Just like the Zugspitze, the north facing slopes were now covered in snow. Although we had crampons, we did not bring a rope, and after seeing the slope for ourselves, we decided it was not worth the risk to attempt this route. 

Fortunately we had another option, to drive down and around into Switzerland and hike the sunny southern facing side from Malans. This similar change of plans worked well for us two days prior on Zugspitze, so we figured it was our best chance to get to the top safely.  Again similar to the Zugspitze, this would be a longer route, almost 13 miles round trip and a longer day.  There was also a cable car, a shorter one than the Zugspitzbahn, near the base of the mountains in the tiny village of Malans. It's called the Älplibahn and it was built during World War II to transport and supply soldiers stationed on the border. Luckily for us, it would shave a few miles and some vertical feet of climbing and descent from an already long day. 

The Vorder Grauspitz is not a commonly climbed peak and we only encountered one other person on the trail all day. As such, navigating the route is not exactly easy and none of the trail signs we encountered actually referenced the Grauspitz.  Luckily we had a GPS track to follow and of course Helga, who had been here before. 

Vorder Grauspitz high above (peak on the left)

Along the way we passed through some incredibly picturesque and peaceful valleys with a few farmhouses scattered throughout. The other unique aspect of this Swiss route was a long tunnel bored through the mountain, which was likely an old trade route and now used mainly by hikers and shepherds. 

Almost at summit ridge, Hinter Grauspitz (lower of two peaks) in background 

After five hours of hiking at a fairly fast pace, we finally made it to the summit ridge. This knife-edged ridge delineates the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland and the views on this crystal clear autumn day were spectacular.  It wasn't difficult climbing but there were extremely steep slopes on both sides, so we took great care to stay focused and make sure each step was well placed and secure. Our summit celebration was brief and subdued, since all three of us wanted to get back down the exposed ridge and safely return to the trail below.  We also needed to get back to the Älplibahn station before the last cable car down at 5:00, and eventually to a cold beer and warm meal upon our return. 

We did make it back in time and Helga even organized a dinner party at her home near Munich with some climbing friends two days later.  Among other fun conversations, were ideas and plans for other mountains to climb next year...

Peter, Mary, Robert, Helga & two Bavarians