Neustift to the Elferhütte via the Pinnistal

We left Neustift (993m) on lanes towards Neder and then took the “jeep” lane up the Pinnisbachtal. A jeep taxi operates a scheduled (and, by request, unscheduled) service up the valley several times a day. 

The lower part of the Pinnistal near Neder.

The track climbs steadily to the Herzebner Almwirt restaurant, where the stream disappears and the riverbed is usually dry. Shortly after is Issenangeralm where there is a farm and a tiny chapel. To the east lie the Kesselspitze, Roter Kopf and Wasenwand (all between 2527 and 2728m). The next alm with a restaurant is reached at Pinnisalm (1560m). Just after leaving here the stream reappears. The Habicht (3277m) and its glacier was visible but cloud kept obscuring the summit. A short distance further on is Karalm (1747m), and 3 hours from Neustift, with yet another restaurant. The “jeep” track ends here – complete with bus timetable.

The Pinnistal at Pinnislam. The Habicht is straight ahead hidden by the mist.

The path then continues up the valley to the Innsbrucker Hütte, which is at the beginning of the Stubaier Höhenweg, but we doubled back up the path to the Elferhütte. This climbs up the extremely steep valley side below the Schafspitze, on a tremendous number of well-graded zigzags, before levelling out slightly at Gratzengrüble (2120m), a junction of various paths. The path to the Elferhütte now passes under the slopes of the Zwölfnieder and Elferspitze on the so-called Panoramaweg, which contours around the slopes high above the Pinnistal.

The Zwölferspitze on the left with the coll of the Zwölfnieder. 

The path climbing towards the Elferspitze and Elferhütte.

Two hours from Karalm the Elferhütte was reached at 2004m. Here we were surprised to find that even visitors to the restaurant had to pay one Euro to use the toilets!! We took the path down to the Elferlift top station at 1812m just ½ hour from the hut. The lift is sometimes referred to as "11er" and the derivation of the Elferspitze’s name is, that when seen from Neustift, the sun shines on the peak at eleven o’clock.

Looking doen the Stubaital towards Innsbruck from the Elferhütte.