Hike to Patscherkofel and to Sonnenspitze

A worthy hike that rewarded me with amazing views of the Inntal Valley from east to west!

I took bus J to the second cable car stop which is a bit over 1,000 m.a.s.l. and started my hike from the parking lot of the cable car station. There are many ways to summit but on the north side, most of the trails are divided by a big ravine which splits the possibilities from either east or west of that ravine. The west side will take you to the cable car station about 200 meters below the summit.

As for the trails to Patscherkofel, they were in good condition and very little snow at this time of year. So no complications there.

After summit, I decided to try to make it to Sonnenspitze. At first I was worried about time as I didn't start my hike until 10 am. But the ridge there was pretty easy until Viggarspitze. My only complications in this section was some slopes containing some snow still which made me deviate from the trail. So a hint here: if the recording is not on the trail, then it means I had to avoid snow. So in summer none of this is a problem.

On the way to Sonnenspitze, because of the snow, I took the western ridge. It was mostly slab rocks and had to find creative ways to avoid snow. A little climbing involved as this trail is more difficult but more fun! But also tiring. Because of the rugged terrain, you definitely need some good boots. Normal shoes would get destroyed. Other than that, at the beginning of the ascent, it was difficult to find a trail but you will notice that my way down was a bit different than my way up. This means I was able to see the trail better so perhaps follow that if you summit on this side. My way down to the bus stop was the safest way with the least amount of snow for me so could be different in summer!

All in all, a safe but very challenging hike. Lots of elevation. Take plenty of water, food and photos (unless you take the tourist route via the cable car :/).