Kreuzjoch, Kuhtai

This must be the most consecutive days we had ever managed in one trip, without weather or sheer tiredness creeping in. The sky was cloudy once again with the cloud level much the same as it has been the past week, however as tonight and tomorrow there was a forecast of rain/snow we chose to get out and as such picked the Kreuzjoch - with an option to walk up to the top of the Mitterzeigerkopf (one side of the col) if it was below the clouds.

We drove up the road towards Kultai and parked in the layby between the two avalanche tunnels/ covers.

The start involved us carrying the skis to the top end of the layby then up the first few metres of rough track back above the car to reach the snow. This was rock hard and extremely icy - a feature of the day.

As the track was steep and treacherous we continued to walk up a few more metres to find a flat place to put the skins on and mount up.

Up on a zigzag route through the sparse bushes and trees with very little grip, hoping it would be better once we got to the clearer ground.

Above the trees the slope eased up, but the track (where we could find it among the debris for the descent tracks - a left over from yesterday's clear and very hot day).

Once to the edge of the ravine looking up the valley we could see that it was going to be a long traverse across angled slopes until the stream rose up to meet our track. As we got higher it did not improve, in fact due to the flat light from the low clouds it was difficult to actually make out any definition on the surface so making it harder to walk along. After the stream and our path met we angled up and around a new gully formed above - more angled slopes.

We continued across them until the bottom of the valley once more came to meet us at another shoulder. About all that was visible here were two large rocks sticking out of the whiteness. This was the point where the climb really started - we followed the bottom of the valley then zigzagged up the right hand slope to gain height and also reach a parting of ways - the valley split into two, ours on the left and one on the right that led up to an alternative destination (Reitzer Grieskogel).

Our valley climbed up to the next hanging place with more zigzags (at least for now the path was more discernible as it had been trashed less by the descents of previous tourers.

Into the top bowl of the valley and we were completely enclosed in the clouds - knowing that just in front of us was the final climb up to the col. A parting of the clouds gave us a fleeting glimpse then removed it.

Climbing the final wall got steeper and more icy as we ascended, in 20:20 hindsight we should have paused to put on the ski crampons, but in the normal manner I chose to “do it later” and could manage the occasional slipping. By the time it was too late I had reached the final few metres up to the col - now it was really crampon time, but there was no way I was going (or was able) to stop and take off a ski to do it.

Steph and Bryon followed up with judicious use of side stepping until they got over the icy patch. The top of the col was only discernible by the fact it was flat(ish).

We stopped on the col for refreshments - not windy at all - and also a walk around to see if there was a better way to descend.
On top we met another couple who descended before us, and a lone man who wandered around muttering and swearing to himself - we would catch up with him at various points on the descent.

With the skis prepared for descending we dropped off the side and slid down until we were across the head wall section, then met the next obstacle - the whole surface of the end of the valley was torn up with previous ski tracks that had now become frozen ridges. The skiing was difficult and involved strenuous turns and very bumpy/ shaky schuss - like being in a vehicle with out suspension on a rocky road - together with a whiteness that hide every feature so you had to feel your way down. Another party had given up on the head wall and were turning around as we passed them.
At the end of the top bowl we finally came out of the cloud - at the point where we had entered it - passing yet another party who were turning around at that point.

We could now see where we needed to go, but still the flat light prevented us from seeing any definition on the surface, so the challenges still remained and we dropped over the bowls leading down to the separation of paths, then eventually back to the stream in the bottom of the main valley.

The snow was now starting to soften somewhat and it was possible to drive through some of the bumps as we traversed around the gully and down onto the meadow.

Here it was pleasant skiing, with the exception that our legs were screaming for all the previous hard work.

A drop over the shoulder and down to the edge of the trees was similar conditions.

However once we met the edge of the trees we had some steep and sharp turns to follow the zigzags that dropped down to the road.

We took a different finish as this one removed the walk we started with and we could ski down to the road, however we then had to walk back up the layby to the car.