Jamtal and Above

Above Galtur, the long and almost uncannily straight Jamtal runs due south for some 9km to the Jamtal hut at 2,165m. You can drive a bit of a way up the valley to avoid the outskirts of the village.

This is a beautiful and straightforward walk up a superb Alpine valley with magnificent steep sides, grass and rock and stunted pines (occasionally feeling like a scaled-up Scottish glen), topped by crazed summits on each side.

The Jamtal hut, in the vast glacial bowl at the head of the valley, is surrounded be at least 14 named 3,000m summits, including the Dreilanderspitze, which marks the junction of the borders of Switzerland, the Tirol and Vorarlberg.  With some extensive surviving glaciers wedged between the sharp summits, vast cliffs and a grand bowl below, this is a wonderful destination.

From the hut, a number of paths lead higher to the foot of glaciers, minor summits and cross passes into adjoining valleys or indeed across into Switzerland.

• Route 02 comes in from Bielerhohe to the west across a 2,839m pass, a demanding walk. You could then circuit back down the beautiful glen to Galtur.

• 02 then heads west, climbing steadily to the 2,974 Kronenjoch, thence briefly into Switzerland and turning north to briefly cross a glacier and drop to another Heidelberger Hut then re-enter Austria down the long Fimbatal to Ishgl.

• The Russkopf and Pfannknecht minor peaks lie southish, and are around 500 and 700m above the hut. Both are demanding walks, the former including some builder field and a hint of glacier base, the latter with a section of klettersteig.

For more information and photos, including detailed practical information and some warnings, see our Silvretta Alps walk page.