Tschirgant
2,370 m
Austria
- Elevation
- 2,370 m
- Prominence
- 1,258 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Sep–Oct
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The gentlest way up the rock pyramid above Imst: from the Geo-Lehrpfad forest car park above Karrösten (about 1,050 m) to the Karröster Alm (1,467 m), through open forest and dwarf pine to the grassy Sattele on the ridge, then along the north side of the crest past the Karrer Kreuz to the highest point. About 1,320 m and 3½ hours up; sure-footedness needed only near the top.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 7.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,335 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,370 m
- Time Up
- 5h 20m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 33m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the forest car park of the Geo-Lehrpfad above Karrösten (about 1,050 m; free) follow the forest road and signs for the Karröster Alm; after about ten minutes a path on the right runs above the road, past old mine adits of the geology trail, and reaches the Karröster Alm (1,467 m) in 1–1¼ hours. The alm is staffed from early May to late October. Behind the hut climb the meadow along a wooden fence, cross a forest road and continue through open mountain forest; after about 40 minutes the path from the Bergwachthütte joins. Keep straight on through dwarf pine to the Sattele, a grassy saddle on the ridge with a wayside cross and a table (about 2,230 m). Turn right and follow the path along the left (north) side of the crest for about 20 minutes, then climb to the Karrer Kreuz; the highest point (2,370 m), marked by an iron pole, is a few metres further east along the ridge. Allow about 3½ hours. Descend the same way (about 2½ hours). A popular loop climbs instead from the car park via the Bergwachthütte (2,175 m) and a cable-protected slabby ledge to the Karröster Kreuz (west top, about 2,260 m), then follows the ridge to the summit; that ledge is unpleasant when wet and dangerous when icy. The Tschirgant can also be climbed from the Karrer Alm in the south and the Haiminger Alm in the east.
Start
Geo-Lehrpfad car park1,035 m
- Train to Imst-Pitztal station, then bus 4198 to the stop 'Karrösten Siedlung', a short walk from the car park.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geo-Lehrpfad car park → Tschirgant | 7.0 | 1,335 | 0 | 5h 20m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Geo-Lehrpfad car park1,035 m
Free; bus stop Karrösten Siedlung nearby
- Waypoint: Karröster Alm1,467 m
Staffed alm, early May to late October
- Summit: Tschirgant2,370 m
Key Passages
- Karröster Alm
- Sattele on the ridge
- Ridge path along the north side of the crest to the summit
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 72%Overview
The rocky pyramid above Imst at the western end of the Mieminger chain, rising almost 1,600 m above the Inn valley. Its gentler north side carries a marked path from Karrösten via the Karröster Alm, a popular T3 day hike with a big view over the Inn, Ötztal and Pitztal.
The Tschirgant (2,370 m) is the main summit of a small massif running from the Tschirgant south-west to the Simmering (2,096 m) north-east, between the Gurgltal and the upper Inn valley near Imst; it is the westernmost outlier of the Mieminger chain. The summit is a five-way municipal boundary point (Tarrenz, Karres, Karrösten, Roppen and Haiming), and three crosses stand on the points of the ridge seen from Karres, Karrösten and Haiming. Its name, first written as 'Schurgant' in 1459, probably comes from an old dialect word for 'shovel'.
Built of Wetterstein limestone and dolomite, the mountain shows karst features and dramatic geology. About 3,000 years ago a rockslide of some 240 million m³ broke from the Weiße Wand on the south side and spread over 13 km² between Haiming, Roppen and the mouth of the Ötztal, where its hummocky deposits are now the pine forest of the Forchet. Lead, silver and zinc were mined at Karrösten from the 15th century; a geology trail to the Karröster Alm passes old adits and spoil heaps.
From the Inn valley motorway the south face looks forbidding, but marked paths climb from three sides: from the Karröster Alm in the north-west (the normal route), the Karrer Alm in the south and the Haiminger Alm in the east. The summit view takes in the Lechtal Alps, the Ötztal and Pitztal and the Inn valley far below.
Climbing Notes
A long but straightforward mountain walk: about 1,320 m of ascent, 6 hours return, with sure-footedness needed on rocky ground near the top. The variant via the Bergwachthütte has a cabled slabby ledge to the Karröster Kreuz that is unpleasant when wet and dangerous when icy. Stop at the Karröster Alm on the way down; the Bergwachthütte may be staffed on fine summer weekends and otherwise has drinks for sale in its shelter.
The south-facing upper slopes clear of snow relatively early, but late-season snow or ice on the ridge makes the summit section awkward.
Season
Best Sep–Oct- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Possible
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Snow likely on the ridge
- May
- Karröster Alm opens in early May; check for old snow on the ridge
- Jun
- Good
- Jul
- Hot; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Hot; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often stable and clear
- Oct
- Good in dry weather; alm open until late October
- Nov
- Before the first lasting snow only
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Getting There
Imst; Karrösten (Tyrol)
Innsbruck (INN)
- By car: A12 Inntal motorway exit Imst, towards Imst and turn off to Karrösten before the town; follow signs for the Karröster Alm through the village and up a short bumpy forest road to the free Geo-Lehrpfad car park
- By train to Imst-Pitztal station, then bus 4198 to 'Karrösten Siedlung'
Hazards
- Exposure
- Weather