Kellenspitze

From the car park by the church in Nesselwängle (about 1,150 m), a signposted, well-built path zigzags through forest to the Gimpelhaus (1,659 m) in a good hour, with water at a fountain just past the hut; the Tannheimer Hütte (1,713 m) stands slightly higher nearby. Follow signs for Gimpel, Rote Flüh and Köllenspitze, keep right above the tree line towards the Köllenspitze and climb the scree of the Gimpelkar beneath the rock walls (rockfall) to the Nesselwängler Scharte (2,007 m). The path is well signposted to here. Beyond the col, the line is marked only by occasional paint dots and polished rock. A grassy path leads right around a rocky spur onto the back (north) side of the summit block. Here you down-climb a short chimney on very polished steps; it turns many people back, though it is not exposed. Climb out the other side and up through broken, loose ground to the summit gully, where the crux, a chockstone, is eased by a thick steel cable and foot rungs (about II, harder for short people). The summit gully is very prone to rockfall from parties above. The guidebook time is a good 2 hours from the Tannheimer Hütte to the summit; Outdooractive and hikr give about 5 hours for the round trip from Nesselwängle with 1,150–1,275 m of ascent. Descend the same way, taking great care not to knock stones down; the chimney is easier in descent, the cabled gully harder. Old snow often lingers in the gullies in early summer and can make the route harder or impassable. The route is also the usual descent for parties who climb the south-face via ferrata (grade D) or the west ridge.